One of my favorite actors is the late Jimmy Stewart. For over 40 years, Stewart delighted audiences in movies where a moral, decent man was needed for the lead, and he never disappointed.

Stewart was born in a small town and always remembered his middle-American roots. He actively served in the armed forces during World War II, flew missions, and came home to resume his life, much like thousands of other soldiers did after the war.

He married late in life and remained married to Gloria until her death, 45 years after they said their vows. I didn’t know any of that until much later. It was through the movies I came to admire Mr. Stewart, and that admiration began with “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

Jimmy Stewart is the only actor who could’ve played the main character, George Bailey. Stewart’s earnestness and down-to-earth manner was perfect for the part.

George Bailey was trapped in a small town when all he wanted to do was see the world. It’s not hard to understand that longing when watching “It’s a Wonderful Life,” and Stewart connects with anyone who feels trapped and then rescued when realizing the riches they have aren’t measured by a bank account.

I’d heard so much about “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” that I checked it out from the library. I spent a wonderful Saturday morning feeling rejuvenated by the idealistic words coming from the young Senator Smith, ideas and beliefs we’ve become too jaded to believe in any more.

Alfred Hitchcock saw a darker side to Stewart and signed him to two movies – “Vertigo” and “Rear Window.” I’ll watch “Rear Window” over and over again, as much to see the elegant and cool Grace Kelly as to watch Stewart solve a murder mystery from a wheelchair.

Recently I watched one of the movies most associated with Stewart, “Harvey.”  A man, Elwood P. Dowd, believes he sees a “pookah,”  a 6-foot-3-inch tall rabbit he names Harvey.

Elwood drinks a little too much, and a string of near misses occur when Elwood’s sister tries to have him committed to a mental institution. We never see the rabbit but, by the end of the movie, most of us come to believe there really is a Harvey.

The movie’s taken from a Pulitzer Prize winning play of the same name, but it’s Stewart’s patient and quiet portrayal of Elwood that rings true. Stewart never rushes his lines, and I felt myself physically relaxing when watching Stewart’s monologues in the movie.

When a psychologist tries to find out where Elwood strayed from reality, in a masterfully paced monologue, Elwood tells the doctor: “In this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me.”

There’s a lot of wisdom one can gain from George Bailey and Elwood P. Dowd. We might not always get what we want, but if we remember that we really have wonderful lives, despite where we live or how much money we have, then that’s a wonderful life.

We can also listen to people talk about their hopes and their dreams, just as Harvey and Elwood did, and it wouldn’t cost us a dime to show a little humanity. The payoff is what Elwood received – a quiet acceptance of others.

Nobody else could play those characters the way Jimmy Stewart did. Nobody except Jimmy Stewart could have us believe that angels get their wings every time a bell rings and remember how much our lives are enriched when we take the time to slow down and be “oh so pleasant.”
This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.

I’ve had the event on my calendar since October – go see the Monet exhibit at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts. Didn’t matter that I can’t tell the difference between an impressionist painter and a realist painter, I did know the name Claude Monet.

Search Google for a calming picture to use as a background screen saver, and Monet’s “Water Lilies” is usually in the top 10 choices. That picture was my screen saver until my grandchildren came along, but “Water Lilies” remains a favorite.

So when I saw 50 of Monet’s actual paintings were coming to Houston for an exhibition, I couldn’t wait to go. But the busy days of Halloween turned into non-stop cooking for Thanksgiving and then Christmas obligations gobbled up December.

I took advantage of the first Saturday in January and convinced my eldest son and his girlfriend to go with me to the museum. They’re world travelers, but they’d never seen a Monet work of art in person.

Plus I said I’d pick up the costs, so they were happy campers.

Once inside, we were pleasantly surprised to see “A History of Photography:  Selections from the Museum’s Collection.” I started taking pictures when I was 18 years old, and I’ve loved photography ever since.

I’d read about the exhibit but never thought I’d get a chance to see the display. I studied all the informational cards on the wall, glancing at the photos, and I felt I was definitely getting my intellectual moneys’ worth with this short exhibit.

But the clock was ticking, and I quickly moved through the other rooms, my eyes on the big prize – the Monet exhibit.  I wanted to rent an audio player that would explain each of the Monet masterpieces, but the line was too long.

I was anxious to see the paintings, so I told myself I’d read all the plaques instead.

As I stood in front of the second picture in the exhibit, reading all the biographical information, I heard classical music in the background.

At first I thought the museum was piping in music, but then I noticed people in the next room, watching a young man playing a classical piece on a beautiful grand piano.

His eyes were closed as his long fingers moved over the ivory keys, and I stood there and absorbed the beauty of the music, forgetting about the details of the paintings printed on those cards.

I realized at that moment that I’d been wasting a lot of time at the museum reading all those cards. I turned and watched the people moving through the exhibit, most dressed in expensive clothes and shoes, and noticed they, like me, were focused on the informational plaques.

Many were listening to the audio information in their ears, not absorbing the piano music but absorbing information .

I realized we weren’t taking time to stand back and admire the beauty Claude Monet found in the currents of the Seine River. We’d been so obsessed with reading all the biographical information we’d missed looking at the actual paintings.

So I stopped reading the placards, tuned into the piano music, and quietly moved through the Monet exhibit without looking at any more informational cards. I simply admired the beauty in those broad brush strokes and marveled at Monet’s expertise in painting light.

I left the museum quite satisfied I’d truly absorbed the museum experience. I wasn’t dressed in a $800 Italian dress suit nor could I pretend I was an art scholar or historian.

I was a plain, ordinary gal who wanted to see a masterpiece with her own eyes. And because that’s all I expected, I received so much more.

 This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.

 

So long 2014 and hello 2015. Many of us are sitting down with either paper and pencil or our phones to make a long list of New Year resolutions – lose weight, eat healthier, save money.

Been there.

Tried that.

Failed those.

Here’s a list of resolutions that might be a bit easier to accomplish this year.

Your health. Anyone who doesn’t know they have to watch their fat intake or monitor their cholesterol is paddling down the river of denial.

You know what you’re supposed to do, but sticking to any regiment or routine is difficult. That’s why we re-dedicate ourselves to the scale and our running shoes every January.

Instead, see if you can figure out the underlying reason for why you’re going to have that extra piece of pecan pie while sitting on the couch watching another episode of “Shark Tank.”

If you can find the reasons why food and inertia are your buddies, you’ve taken the first step on a healthier path.

Toxic personalities. You know who these people are. They gossip about co-workers. They pollute the work environment. They complain about everything and everyone. Getting away from them is tough.  

Most of the time, we go the other way if we see them coming. If you’re not that quick, here’s a tip as to how to walk away without confrontation: When that nasal voice gets on your last nerve, inhale quickly and say “Oh no. I forgot to do something.” And then walk away with a purpose. “Unfriend” them, delete them from your address book and don’t look back.

If you’re a bit more confrontational, you can always deliver the line “Life’s too short for such negativity, pal,” and walk away. In a way, you’ve given that Negative Nancy one more thing to complain about. That’s because you’re a giver.

Your free time.Americans work like there’s an Egyptian slave master beating a drum in their office. We don’t take the vacation days we’re allotted, we work from home after putting in a 40-plus hour work week and the job is often our life.

Take your time back. The world will not come to an end if you turn off the laptop or iPhone, go to a festival, ride your bike around the neighborhood or sit back in the La-Z-Boy and watch an escapist episode of “Pawn Stars.”

Daydream. We’re surrounded by noise. We’re plugged into an iPod, listening to the radio or watching YouTube videos. Canned music plays in every store and commercials scream at us at every Website we visit.

Our imaginations are our greatest assets, and we’ve allowed technology to take over the moments when we used to sit back and ponder the universe while watching ripples on a lake or listening to the wind rustle the leaves.

Take back your imagination – unplug and open your mind up to possibilities.

Stop and Go. These two words can be quite empowering. Stop criticizing yourself for making mistakes. Stop putting yourself down because you don’t have the best clothes or the trimmest figure. Stop comparing yourself to other people and putting yourself on the negative scale.

Instead, go. Go to the movies. Go on a picnic. Go out and explore. Go for what you’ve always wanted to accomplish. No more stopping – just going.

And you can do the same with this column. Go on over to the sports page if that’s what you want or look for shapes in the clouds.

It’s your year. It’s 2015, a new start. May your year be filled with green lights instead of red ones.

 This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.

 

Christmas is tomorrow and, like most people, I’m scrambling, making sure I’ve purchased and wrapped gifts for everyone, the turkey’s defrosted and there’s eggnog in the fridge.

I’ve been blessed with good health, a wonderful family and more than enough of what I need. But since Santa’s a magical guy who promises to deliver things we want, not necessarily what we need, here’s my pie-in-the-sky Christmas list…

A convertible.Yes, Santa, I know this wish is totally impractical. There wouldn’t be room for the four car seats I need for my grandchildren. I also need plenty of space for my briefcase, camera bag, over-sized purse and boxes of books on CD from the library.

But to cruise along a back country road in a sleek convertible, the top down, the wind blowing through my hair and the Beach Boys blaring, what a wonderful ride that would be.

A cruise. I’ve never been on a cruise. In fact, I’ve been on very few boats in my life. But imagining a week with unlimited delicious food, having my bed turned down every night and visiting exotic locations would be a dream come true.

However, my stomach is unreliable and, thanks to a bout with salmonella years ago, unfamiliar foods send my stomach into orbit. I’m afraid a week on the open seas would do the same.  

So Santa, if you could send me on a cruise where I wouldn’t have to deal with anti-sea-sickness patches all over my back, I’d be a happy camper.

A trampoline. An odd Christmas list, Santa, but I don’t want a trampoline because I have four young grandchildren.

I want a trampoline for me. I’d love to jump up and down, do flips and let loose much like any 7-year-old child does when presented with something to jump on. You’d have to include courage and a neck brace for me to carry out these acrobatics, but to fly through the air would be worth the risk.

Courage. Much like the Cowardly Lion in “The Wizard of Oz,” I’d love the audacity to stand up to bullies, slay the wicked witches of this world and protect my loved ones with a snarl and an intimidating style.

I did have the courage to stand up to the con man at a recent street festival who charged $5 to throw a dart at a balloon and then gave children a plastic water pistol.

When a short, obviously angry woman stands in front of your tent and says at the top of her voice “how do you live with yourself ripping off little children?” and demands her money back, I guess I’ve got buried courage.

Which, come to think of it, so did the Cowardly Lion.

An afternoon. This is probably the hardest item on my Christmas list, Santa. I’d like an afternoon to spend with my dad.

He’s been gone for over 13 years now, and there’s so many things still left to say. I want to tell him all about my grandchildren and thank him for being a magical “Pops” to my children.

I want to ask his advice about how to grow older without ever having to grow up. I want to smell his Old Spice aftershave one more time and let myself get swallowed up in a bear hug that only dads can give to their daughters.

And then, just maybe, I’d have the courage to take my dad’s hand and jump on the trampoline with him. And that, dear Santa, is my Christmas wish list for 2014.

To all those who have a pie-in-the-sky Christmas list, may all your wishes come true and may Santa deliver everything your heart desires.

This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.

On my way home every afternoon, I call my mother. I actually enjoy the long drive because she’s such a good conversationalist.

Today, however, instead of her cheery “hello,” a message came on saying the phone number was not in service.

That was impossible. Mom’s had the same phone number for years.

So I called a few more times and got the same answer. Then I tried calling Mom on her cell phone. I knew this was useless because Mom can never find her cell phone, but I had to try.  

When the “leave a message” prompt came on, I hung up and called my brother, Joey, who lives near Mom. I asked him if there’d been a power outage, and he said there hadn’t been.

“I’m in town and I’ll go over there in a few minutes to make sure she’s okay,” he said, much to my relief.

This wasn’t the first time I’d called my younger brother to check on Mom. The first time was years ago after my father had passed away and Mom was living alone for the first time in her life. I called to check on her and she picked up the phone, breathless.

“Just a minute,” she said and I heard the phone drop to the floor, hitting chairs and the wall on the way down.

After five full minutes, she hadn’t returned, and I panicked.

What if she’d fallen and hit her head? What if she’d had a stroke? What if she was bleeding and no one was there to check on her?

These were the wild questions running through my mind because those were the worries she’d shared with me a few weeks earlier. Living alone is scary, especially for a widow.  

So I called my brother, Joey, who lived four blocks away from Mom’s house. My sister-in-law, Debra, answered the phone.

“I need Joey to go over to Mom’s right now and check on her,” I said, explaining what had happened.

“He’s on the ladder painting the house,” she said.

“Tell him to get off the ladder and get over there right now,” I said in true bossy pants, big-sister style.

And in true, younger brother “better-do-what-she-says” fashion, and because Joey’s one of the kindest people in the world, he jumped off the ladder, got in his car and drove like an Indy 500 race car driver over to Mom’s.

He burst in the back door, the paint still wet on his clothes, and yelled for her.

She had been in her wallpaper store, a small business she ran from the house.

“Your oldest daughter in Houston called and told me to get over here,” he said, still out of breath.

“Oh yeah, the doorbell rang at the same time the phone rang,” Mom said. “I meant to come back to the phone but I forgot.”

Joey looked at her, shook his head and stomped out to his car. He went home, got on the ladder and didn’t speak to me for two weeks.

He was entitled.

So today, thinking back on that event, I told him what had happened and he said he could be at Mom’s in less than 15 minutes. I thanked him, but in the meantime, called Mom. She picked up and said the cable service had been out all afternoon.

Without any explanation, I told her I’d call her right back, and I quickly punched in Joey’s number to tell him Mom was fine.

“And I didn’t have to get off a ladder to find that out,” he said, a laugh in his voice.

No matter what, I know I can count on my brother, Joey, to not only take good care of Mom but to never let me forget that when it comes to panicking, nobody holds a candle to his bossy-pants big sister.
This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.

My first assignment at The Fort Bend Herald, formerly the Herald-Coaster, was as the obituary writer. I had other responsibilities, but then-editor Bob Haenel told me the obituaries were the most important part of my job.

For some people, their obituary might be the only time they would have their name in the newspaper, and I’d better make sure I spelled everything correctly.

As I typed, I found myself wishing I’d known some of these people who were no longer with us. They’d served their country, survived tough childhoods and brought themselves up from dirt poor to establishing foundations.

So it was with sadness I read that Lucille Stewart Jackson passed away. I interviewed Lucille over 10 years ago, and it’s an afternoon I remember well. The retired nurse had invaluable knowledge about Fort Bend County, especially Kendleton.

She was so gracious in her little house just north of Pecan Grove and willingly shared the memories of growing up black, poor and proud.

We talked about how life was back in those days, and she could recall details with exact clarity. She remembered the people, how it was to be not quite accepted but to keep working toward equality and fairness.

The obituary mentioned she had two sons, Nolan and Donald, who were both deceased. What the obituary didn’t mention is that her sons were killed in an automobile accident together. In one evening, Lucille lost her entire family, but throughout her life, she always helped others, especially her church, Oak Hill Missionary Baptist Church.

There are many people in our midst who were instrumental in the early days of Fort Bend County, and I wish I had time to visit with each and every one because their memories of growing up here are fascinating.

The story from Junior Hartledge who drove cattle across what’s now New Territory. He slept underneath the stars, never dreaming of the metropolitan suburbs that would one day replace native grasslands and sprawling prairies.

I often think about the stories I heard from Virginia Scarborough and the wonderful, Southern way she recalls growing up here and of the safety and security she felt on the streets of Richmond.

I felt the same nostalgia when I heard childhood stories from Arthur and Lydia Mahlmann and Mason Briscoe, especially how Saturday nights were full of excitement in downtown Rosenberg.

Girls would try out the new lipstick at the drug store while the young boys sipped on beer and munched on sausage. Families came in from the fields on the weekends and filled the downtown streets of Richmond and Rosenberg with music and laughter.

I can’t pass a corner grocery store in Rosenberg without thinking of the family whose father went to the store every Sunday afternoon to help neighbors call their families back in Mexico.

I often think of a 97-year-old man I interviewed in Sugar Land who remembered sleeping in the sugar cane fields at night because people of color weren’t welcomed in the houses.

His memories were of  stalks waving in the moonlight as far as the eye could see. What a sight that must’ve been but how sad that he wasn’t allowed in the main house, not even for his marriage ceremony.

I’ve been privileged to listen to stories from those who served in World War II, Korea and Viet Nam, and not just men. I’ll never forget the afternoon I spent with four women who were nurses during World War II and how they held the hands of their fellow soldiers as they lay bleeding on the battlefield.

And now we’ve lost Lucille Jackson. Fort Bend County is a better place because she was here and a sadder place because she’s no longer around. May you rest in peace, Lucille.

I know you were welcomed into heaven’s gates by two smiling, familiar faces.

 This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.

 

I just watched a three-part series on a home decorating Website about how to decorate the perfect Christmas tree. I started to doubt the smartness in this series when the first video showed the consumer how to take the artificial tree out of the box.

A professional decorator proceeded to tell me to take three rolls of wide ribbon – this store  is in the business of selling lots of sparkly things to people – and meticulously thread the ribbon through the artificial tree.

She then added at least giant ornaments to the tree in addition to numerous strands of blinking lights.

By the time she got through, I couldn’t believe I’d wasted 4 minutes and 36 seconds to watch some girl turn an artificial tree into something that looked like a drunk decorated it for Bourbon Street.

I’m not an expert, but there are a few Christmas tree traditions we followed when our boys were young to ensure we had the perfect Christmas tree.

First, we always got our tree from a tree farm. You’ll find a tree that’s either a lot smaller once you get it home or so big you have to chop off the bottom two feet – for which you paid good money – just to get it through the door.

But while you’re out in the cold, walking through mud, listening to heated arguments over who gets to cut the tree down, you’ll eventually find a tree everyone can agree on.

Time to Decorate

At home, we employed a step-by-step method to decorate the tree. We started with the lights, and we’ve never had an evening of decorating the tree without someone stepping on the lights as we’re stringing them on the tree.

I can’t blame the boys. I’m always the one who steps on the lights.

Next is the garland. Every year, I tell myself to buy shimmery gold garland. Every year, I forget. So we end up with three feet of metallic silvery garland I bought back in the 1980s that only goes around the tree once. But it’s tradition to put garland on the tree, so we leave it.

Then it’s time for the ornaments. I have every single ornament my sons made, starting in pre-school all the way through elementary school. That now-yellowed macaroni angel has just as prominent a place on the tree as my ornament from the White House.

The most nostalgic ornaments on the tree are the one-inch thick slice from the bottom of the boys’ first Christmas tree. Nick’s is 33 years old, Stephen’s 28 and Chris’ is 27. They remind me how quickly they went from little babies to grown men.

Some of the ones I love the most are the plastic snowflake ornaments the moms at Pecan Grove Elementary gave to the students every year.

If I never said thank you, ladies, I’m doing so now. Those ornaments with my sons’ pictures from first through fifth grade are probably the most cherished decorations on our tree.

The final touch are the fake icicles. I tried to convince the boys to place the icicles on the tree one by one, but they were impatient by the time we got to that point in the decorating evening.

We ended up with clumps of icicles on the tree that look like blotches of aluminum foil. I’ve come to expect that’s how the tree should look.

So with half the lights working by the time Christmas Eve gets here, plastic Ronald McDonald ornaments peeking out in between the branches and faded bread-dough ornaments on the tips of the branches, I couldn’t ask for a more perfect, if somewhat unprofessional, Christmas tree.

I wouldn’t have it any other way.

This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.

Since 1997, I’ve occupied this space every Thursday and that includes 17 Thanksgiving holidays. I’ve written sentimental columns about giving thanks for families, friends and good health, and these blessings remain at the top of my gratitude list.

The columns I’ve enjoyed writing the most were the ones where I’ve given thanks for the little things in life. And because I’m eternally grateful for the every-day things we often overlook, here we go again.

I’m going to start with my car because I’m a true Texan who’d be lost without a vehicle. With temperatures in the 90s nine months out of the year, I’m grateful for my car’s hard-working air conditioner.

And for the other three months, I’m grateful for power windows so I can enjoy the cooler temperatures as I wait at the never-ending red light at Highway 36 and Highway 90A.

Occasionally I’m thankful for the teenager that blasts horrific rap music out of their tricked-out car. Those wretched lyrics are a reminder that I was lucky to grow up with true poets as song writers. Billy Joel, Carole King and John Lennon wrote lyrics that still makes baby boomers smile and cry.

I’m grateful I wore giant bell-bottoms, puke-green neon-colored shirts and earth shoes with cut-out tires for soles. When my sons accused me of not understanding what it means to try and fit in with the latest, crazy fashion craze, I could reassure them in all honesty, “Oh yes I can.”

I’m thankful I like to sing. I’m no opera star nor would I ever win a karaoke contest, but singing at the top of my lungs to a favorite song is a definite soul enhancer.

Occasionally I believe I’m right on the money until I turn the radio down and actually listen to myself sing.

Ouch.

But the experience makes me feel like Barbra Streisand on the bridge of that boat in “Funny Girl” even though I’m a middle-aged woman in the front seat of a four-door sedan.

I’m fortunate I knew the love of three of my four grandparents and very lucky I came to know my parents through the eyes of a child and the understanding of an adult. To know them from both perspectives is an irreplaceable gift.

I’m thankful I’m nosy. When I was young, I’d sneak into the kitchen after Sunday dinner and eavesdrop on my aunts’ gossip session. I had no idea exactly what all those words meant, but I understood enough to know it was taboo.

Decades later, I’m still nosy but now this newspaper pays me to snoop.

Taking the less-traveled road. The quickest way home in the afternoons is on the freeway to another busy street to a highway. Lately, I’ve veered onto a side route that takes a bit longer but carries me down winding roads past open now-dormant cotton fields.

Twice I’ve been rewarded with gorgeous sunsets, and I was lucky enough to have my camera nearby to capture those views for all time.

I pulled over on the side of the road and marveled at nature’s canvas. Then silently, I gave thanks for the divine hand that swirled the clouds and retreating sunlight and created those brilliant reds, oranges and yellows for tired travelers looking to refill their spirits.

So this Thanksgiving, as always, I’ll say thank you for that which we often take for granted but thank the Lord for each night:  our friends, our family, our health and the little things in life, like a sunset at the end of the day.

There is beauty in each and every one of those.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.

While shopping in the grocery store, I heard a Beatles song playing in the background. There weren’t any vocals, but the melody from “Let It Be” was instantly recognizable.

Who could’ve ever dreamed the revolutionary songs from our youth would be used as elevator music? Those songs motivated us to change the world and make life better for everyone around us.

After dinner, still thinking about those songs, I clicked onto YouTube and started searching for meaningful songs from the past.

Even though Frank Sinatra was before my time, he’s my mom’s favorite crooner from her teenage years, so I clicked on “When I Was Seventeen.” By the end, I knew this was a song I could understand at any age but only appreciate at this stage in my life.

One that caught my interest was a 1964 song “A Change is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke. This song addressing social problems was a brave one in the days when people of color were lynched.

Cooke risked his popularity with a song that had the potential to inflame a segregated country. Fifty years later, the lyrics are as brave as they were back in the sixties.

That led me to Aretha Franklin’s “Respect.” I found myself rocking in my chair and tapping my feet on the floor. The Queen of Soul can still rock the joint almost 50 years later and, she’s right. We all need a little respect.

From there, I listened to “Fortunate Son” by Credence Clearwater Revival. Those drums and the strong solo guitar at the beginning are as thunderous as they were back in 1969. Fortunate sons are still sidestepping responsibility and those without connections are still paying the price.

Eventually I moved on to the 1970s and the choices were pretty slim. After all, this was the “bubble-gum” and heavy rock era, two sounds I dislike. 

So for the next 30 minutes, I listened to pitch perfect songs from The Temptations and musical poetry, courtesy of Billy Joel, and had my hope renewed. My imagination, as it did for The Temptations, still runs away with me, and the Piano Man can bring tears to my eyes with his song of lost love “And So It Goes.”

Surely the 1980s had a few songs that would cause me to duel it out with the Muzak windmills.  After skipping past Milli Vanilli and Simple Minds, I found Michael Jackson. His call-to-action song “Man in the Mirror” more than made up for some of the paper-thin acts from the 80s.

About the time I was ready to call it a night, I came across “Poetry Man” by the incredible Phoebe Snow. She had a gentle voice that snuck into your heart, and the words to that song are still beautiful.

And that brought me to the one timeless anthem for all young girls – “Seventeen” by Janis Ian. I remember hearing that song on the radio in high school and pulling the car over to the side of the road.
Like her, I was always the last one chosen for basketball and the awkward one who watched the beauty queens get everything.

Muzak can homogenize these songs all they want to anesthetize people in elevators and grocery stores, but if we remember that some of our song writers are our generation’s most gifted poets, then maybe all’s not lost.

In the words of the late and superbly talented John Lennon, there are places and people I remember, and these songs about love, growing older and seeing the beauty in our souls connect them all.

 

This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.

I stopped at a local stationery supply store, picked up what I needed and went to the check-out counter. I waited for a few minutes and then started searching for someone to run the register.

There were three employees behind the copy desk on the other side of the store, so I asked if somebody could open the check-out line. One said I had to come over to the copy center. So I went back, picked up all my items and walked to the other side of the store.

I was a little miffed. I was in a hurry and that’s why I went into the office supply store instead of a big box store. I mentioned to the teenager checking me out that perhaps they should put a sign at the check-out register for customers to walk over to the copy center.

The look she gave me could have withered steel.

As she was shoving my purchases into a bag, an elderly gentleman slowly shuffled up to the counter. He carried an old-fashioned briefcase with scuffed edges, and it took effort for him to lift the case up to the counter.

He pulled out a worn three-ring binder filled with papers and said he wanted to get a new binder. The girl checking me out totally ignored him, but another clerk told him to go to Aisle 5.

“Where?” he asked, obviously not able to hear her clearly.

She yelled “Aisle 5” at him and pointed across the store.

I leaned over and told the gentleman that as soon as I finished, I’d help him find Aisle 5.

The clerk checking me out rolled her eyes. The other clerk looked at me, and I mouthed the words “You should help this man. That’s your job.”

To her credit, she immediately told the man she’d walk with him and help him find the binder.

My clerk barked she was ready for me to pay.

Many of us buy our gifts and supplies online, so we seldom deal with a real human. It’s easy to get ticked off when encountering rude store clerks, but perhaps today’s workers aren’t trained in customer service.

So here’s a few guidelines: 

Smile. Even if you’re making minimum wage, you’re getting a paycheck to help customers. The reason that store is in business is because people come in and buy items. Your sour attitude means they won’t be back.

Know your establishment. If a customer comes in wanting 40-watt bulbs, you need to know where they are and if they’re in stock. Customers don’t expect you to know how to re-wire a house, but they do expect you to know your products.  

The customer is always right. That’s a tough one because more often than not, the customer is wrong. They misread the price, they misunderstood the sales flyer or they can’t get the coupon to come up on their phone. Agree with them, find the right answer, smile and reassure them mix ups happen all the time.

Don’t insult the customer. If someone takes the time to spend their dollars locally, don’t make them feel stupid. They won’t come back.

Customer service is more than learning how to run the computer. It’s more than using a headset or knowing the difference between a tablet and a laptop.

Customer service is when someone happily leaves the store where you work and then comes back another day because the employees made them feel important.

Perhaps solving the dilemma of poor customer service is simply a matter of teaching employees that customer satisfaction starts with them.
This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.