When The Wind Blows...

Motivational Speakers love to speak in front of an audience and I am no exception! 

I love speaking in front of an audience and watching their face light up with delight when they learn something new and exciting that I share with them from the stage!  One day I asked myself, “What can I do for fun that will allow me to talk to people at the same time?”  My answer: Tour Guide School!

Being a Tour Guide is a lot of fun, especially in my area because I get to take my tour guests to Old Town Pasadena, Farmers Market, The Grove, Hollywood, Grauman’s Chinese Theater, the Sunset Strip, Rodeo Drive, Venice Beach and the Santa Monica Pier!  I love seeing these cities for the first time every time I take guests on my tour bus!

Not only do my tour guests learn from me, but I also learn a lot from them!  For the last six days, I had the pleasure of taking a group of people from Louisiana on my tour bus. Some of these people were telling me about the town they are from, the excitement of New Orleans and the shrimp boats they use to catch the fresh shrimp they love so much.  No frozen shrimp for these people; they are experts on all things shrimp!

One man showed me pictures of his beautiful house after he had just remodeled it; beautiful tile, hardwood floors, new paint and then WHAM… the next picture showed his beautiful home in a mound of toothpicks the day Katrina blew into town.

After Katrina, they moved into temporary shelter, rebuilt their homes, and, WHAM… Isaac blew through town!  Instead of concentrating on what they lost, they work together and concentrate on rebuilding.

Wouldn’t it be great if more people could learn a lesson from the thousands of people who lost everything to Katrina?  Sometimes you have to lose everything to find yourself!  Material possessions can be fun but they cannot replace the smile on a loved ones face. 

If you took a moment to think about losing everything, and starting over from the ground up, what would New Beginning would you create?  Presents and packages are great for awhile, but they can never replace the look of a smile!

The next time you get ready to complain because you don’t have the newest or latest and greatest “must have” item, look around you and give thanks for the roof over your head, hot and cold running water, food in the cupboard and the ability to create a New Beginning!

P.S.  If you ever get the chance to visit Louisiana, you may want to check out Robin Seafood Company for the finest shrimp and Select Louisiana Oysters to tempt your taste buds!  CLICK HERE to watch Don Robin share more about their Katrina experience… and then… go hug someone you appreciate!

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