| now is the time |
| Garrett's Gossip ______________________________________________________________________________ Volume 35.1 Yes Virginia, There Is A Santa Clause! The Year End Wrap Up Is Finally Here! Christmas 2002 |
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| What A Difference A Year Can Make Lemons To Lemonade In 365 |
| This time last year I was celebrating Christmas sunning on the beach in Puerto Vallarta taking inventory of my pre-pre-pre-mid-life crisis. “I have a great family, great friends, great dogs and a great home,” I told myself. Definitely a time to give thanks for everything and everyone in my life. Professionally, however, I was at a crossroads. A quite humorous quote by a notable wrestler a couple years ago expertly summed up my emotions, “I’ve lost my smile.” How did he handle losing his smile? He took his toys and went home. So there. Spending the last 7 years at Qwest clearly afforded me a very comfortable lifestyle, yet I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been able to smile. I’d let successful writing projects fall by the wayside turning down several opportunities. My last photo shoots were from snapshots taken on vacations to Mexico, Hawaii and the Caribbean. While visually stunning, these weren’t exactly portfolio material. My two greatest passions were quickly becoming distant memories. Their pilot lights were quickly being extinguished. The answer was as clear as the warm blue ocean water. The question quickly became how to leave instead of when to leave. Tanned and relaxed I returned to Phoenix and put the plan into motion. With the company going through massive restructuring the timing was perfect! I body slammed and dropkicked everyone out of my way until I was the #1 contender for voluntary separation providing an official statement, "I want to spend more time with my family and pursue other opportunities.” The generous severance package provided also didn't hurt. Throwing caution to the wind, I took advantage of early retirement by hosting “The Package” in mid-April. It was wildly popular and well received, including a stunning performance of excess by my wild friend Ali and her boyfriend who put on a great “show” for the guests. Yes, pictures were taken. Several. Immediately following this celebration, I headed down to Cabo San Lucas for 10 incredible days. My parents, Gary and Karen, along with Kirk and Kay, Karen’s son and daughter-in-law, also were in for the trip. Kirk caught a huge marlin which we all were fortunate enough to dine on several times, prepared many mouthwatering ways. Returning to Phoenix, I settled into retirement. I went on an exercise regimen worthy of several creative sports entertainments. Elipticycle. Weights. Sally. Elipticycle. Weights. Jerry. Elipticycle. Weights. Oprah. During this time several lucrative offers of employment quickly popped up which deserved serious consideration. With an opportunity to enter a completely different industry and a completely different environment, I ultimately contracted with the largest van line agency in the nation to create a successful Tele-Sales program from the ground up! If I was searching for a creative challenge, this was it! After piloting the program for 6 months, I agreed to a new 12 month contract in November which will carry the program forward in a new and innovative direction never before undertaken in this industry. I am excited! |
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