Author Archives: brent

A Heart-Shaped Thursday Rundown

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Good evening to you all. I hope it has been a great week for you. If not, hang in there, tomorrow is Friday. Until then, here is the latest Thursday Rundown…

Loving 2016 – I am trying to make the most out of each day this year. Why so? Well, for starters, it is just in my nature. I am the Don’t Blink guy…remember? But in all seriousness, it is just too significant of a year not to live each day up. Of course getting married is a big piece of that. But it is also a Presidential election year and a Summer Olympics year. Things don’t get much more interesting than when you mix those three things together. Each morning when I wake up I am trying to focus on what a charmed time I am living in.

Loving 2016 like it is my job.

Loving 2016 like it is my job.

Valentine’s Day 2016 – With Valentine’s Day falling during Lent and on a Sunday this year, it loses luster for some of us. For others it won’t have a bit of impact at all. Then you have another group that hates the holiday so much already that it doesn’t matter when it falls. Sidney and I actually don’t have plans as of right now. I am thinking we will end up having a nice but low key celebration. No matter how you feel about Valentine’s Day, make sure to be respectful of the people who might think differently than you. Three years ago I wrote this blog post regarding the polarizing nature of the holiday.

Best  Kind of Mail – Speaking of Valentine’s Day, look what I found in the mailbox when I returned home! No matter how old you are, it is always nice to get mail from your parents. Thank you mom and dad!!

So thoughtful of my parents to send this to me!

So thoughtful of my parents to send this to me!

Wal-Mart Kindness – Yesterday I was doing some shopping at Wal-Mart. It came time to check out but I needed stamps. Usually at any Wal-Mart store they will only have one or two registers that have stamps. It was busy and I didn’t want to wait in a long line only to be denied. So, to save time, I asked an associate which one I needed to stand in to purchase my postage. She told me I would just have to go to customer service to buy them after I checked out. I told her thanks and started to wait in a huge line. As I stood there I could feel her looking at me. I wasn’t looking forward to standing in another long line at customer service after I bought my groceries. When I had just a couple shoppers in front of me I could sense the lady wasn’t looking at me anymore. A minute after that observation I noticed that she had approached my soon-to-be checker and mentioned something. I finally reached the front of the line and the checker asked me if I was the one who wanted stamps. Puzzled, I said yes. The employee then told me that the associate had gone to customer service and got the book of stamps for me and brought them up to my line to save me a bunch of time. Thank you!!

Wedding Update #19 – The biggest item I have to mention in this latest update is that we are exactly four months away from the big day! That means Sidney and I are now 2/3 of the way through our engagement (I popped the question in June 2015). This past weekend my mom called Sid’s mom and they had a nice long discussion about wedding developments. The day will be here before we know it.

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Have a great rest of your week. As a Valentine’s Day present, Sidney will be blogging for me on Sunday. I will be back in touch on Monday. Have a nice weekend. Don’t Blink.

Remembering Those Board Games

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Last week I read an article that stated board games are making a comeback. It said people are yearning for nostalgia and simpler times. To be honest, it seems like I have read the same article five different times over the past decade. Board games always seem to be on the cusp of taking over American life once again.

So while I think the article was just filler by a journalist looking to recycle past story ideas, it did get me thinking about my childhood with board games.

I grew up playing board games. Funny enough, I can almost pinpoint the years of being a kid in relation to the board games I was playing at the time. As a toddler it was Candy Land and Chutes & Ladders (did you really think I was going to give you something original?). After my toddler years there was a two year period or so where my family played Trouble, the game where you must move your pegs around the board and into a home base position. I will never forget the times where one of us kids accidentally (and sometimes purposely) hit the pop-o-matic die contraption so hard that all the pegs flew in the air and scattered everywhere, thus ending the game.

An element of skill was added when we graduated away from the luck of the die to a game called Guess Who. The memory that sticks with me about this game is how pissed off I would get if my person was wearing a hat. It was an automatic death sentence as only about 15% of the character lineup wore one. Seeing past my frustrations, the game was quick and easy while at the same time taught basic reasoning skills. We played that game silly for a couple years.

Before entering my teens, my family hit Monopoly pretty hard. I think it gave us kids the feeling that we were playing an adult game. We butchered the rules in such ways as building up large Free Parking jackpots and paying the wrong amounts on the Luxury Tax square but we had fun. Well, minus my parents. I am pretty sure they hated it.

In the sixth grade my teacher, Jared Hoadley, who is now a big shot in administration within the Mead School District Office, taught us two board games that would end up consuming countless hours of my life. First, he had the patience to teach us chess. I ran with the game for about a year or so and taught my brother how to play. We had some classic battles. The second game he introduced my class to had a lot more staying power. When we learned the game of Scrabble I had no idea that it would become the signature board game of my family nor did I ever think that it would give way to one of the most popular apps of all-time (Words With Friends). But it did.

Mr. Hoadley and the other sixth grade teachers at Farwell Elementary taught us Scrabble to help us with our vocabulary but also so we could compete against another elementary school in the district. My parents bought me my own Scrabble board to practice with and also so they could join in on the fun. Soon enough it was the game of choice for the Reser family. To this day, on the rare occasions where we are all together, we still pull out the Scrabble board.

We didn’t always play nice or play fair when we had our family game nights but for the most part these board game evenings were a very memorable part of my childhood. I mean heck, what else are you going to do for entertainment when your parents didn’t believe in Nintendo or any other gaming system? Several other games came in and out of the picture over the years but the ones I mentioned above are on the Reser Mt. Rushmore of board games.

Sidney’s sister and brother-in-law have purchased board games for their kids. When we have our own children, I want to follow their lead. Yes, every now and then some journalist will say that board games are making a comeback, but don’t take that too seriously. In our electronic world, they are dying off a little more each day. Don’t Blink.

Reserving Seats

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Believe it or not, the angry mother at Great Clips wasn’t the only awkward situation I observed last Saturday. For the other episode I take you to a place I have brought up before in this blog…my church.

St. Andrew Catholic Church in Myrtle Beach attracts large crowds. Because St. Andrew is one of the few Catholic parishes in the Grand Strand area and because Myrtle Beach is a magnet for tourists and snowbirds, our weekend masses fill up. Even with five services offered throughout the Saturday and Sunday, the church seems to get packed for each different mass.

As our pastor Fr. James LeBlanc says, “February is a busy time for us.” You see, this is the peak month where folks who call other northern states and northern countries (Canada) home migrate down south to spend the colder months in our little slice of paradise. The second month of the year is when you see this population truly balloon.

The mass that I prefer to attend lately is the 4:30 p.m. Saturday vigil mass. I have learned that during this time of the year if you don’t arrive at least 15 minutes early you will be hard pressed to find a spot. This past Saturday I walked in the church at around 4:11 p.m. and it seemed as if every seat was already taken! I kept walking down the outer aisle hoping a place would pop up. It was not until I reached the second row to the front that I saw some actual wood of the pew. In fact, there was enough space for at least two people. Not only would I have a seat but I might also have some wiggle room!

“Good evening ma’am, could I please squeeze in here,” I said in my sweetest voice to the woman at the end of the pew.

“I am sorry,” she said in an equally sweet voice. “These spots are saved.”

My heart sunk and I began the humiliating walk of turning around and strolling back up the aisle. I could feel the eyes of the hundreds of people who watched me walk all the way down the aisle (St. Andrew is a large church) only to see me reverse course and walk the other way. Thankfully, after I passed about ten rows, a couple of precious old ladies made room for me to sit at the very end of their pew.

As I got settled in, I watched people do the exact same thing I did. They walked all the way down to the pew only to be told that the seat was reserved. I witnessed this about three times. The final time the usher took a family of three down to the location, thinking just like all of us that the space was open. With the usher guiding the wide-eyed and helpless trio to the seemingly open spot, the woman who was reserving the pew surrendered. She stood up and made the long walk to the back of the church where I assume she waited for her guests while joining the legions of people enjoying the standing room only accomodations.

This story isn’t a knock on St. Andrew. Rather, it is a tribute. I am proud to say that I am part of a parish that hosts full houses frequently and employs the hardest working user team in the diocese. I am also not putting down the lady who was saving seats. You know why? Because we have all been there…

I will never forget my sister’s high school graduation. It took place in an arena where it was a first-come, first-served seating situation. I went with my dad and uncle right when the doors opened to save seats. We immediately claimed a row right in the center of the venue. My dad took out a long piece of thick paper ribbon that stretched across the entire row except for one seat at one end and two seats at the other. Across the ribbon he wrote RESER-ved.

My dad and uncle sat on the end with two seats and I sat on the end with one seat. I was on the end that was closer to the stage and thus had an aisle that was exposed to many more people using the stairs. While my two family members on the other side had a great time chatting it up for two hours, I was basically abused by angry attendees who thought it was the cheapest move in the book to block off a whole row. I mean, could I really blame them?

Saving seats sucks so much. You feel multiple negative emotions ranging from fear to embarrassment to anger. People usually save seats to help friends and loved ones so in theory it is a noble act. However, good intentions many times morph into a tough afternoon for the person doing the deed and frustration for the many folks who see open seats in a crowded place but are denied. In the end, is it worth it?

Unless you have pregnant, elderly, or handicapped individuals in your party, resist the urge to save seats. If we have the need for premium seating, I think we should make the effort to round everyone up and go to the venue together. It would make a smoother experience for all. Don’t Blink.

My Super Bowl 50 Commentary

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Last night a football game was played. Did you watch?

I thoroughly enjoyed watching Super Bowl 50 last evening. Without an emotional investment in the game, I watched it as an impartial fan just wanting to see two teams play hard in front of the best backdrop in sports. As I snacked on junk food and went to town on the delicious sausage queso dip that Sidney makes, I sat in front of the television for four hours watching the highest rated block of TV of the year. It was awesome.

As I did last year with my Super Bowl XLIX commentary, I want to do the same thing with this year’s game. So down…set…HIKE! Here we go…

The Game: I don’t know how people get away with saying last night’s defensive battle between the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers was boring. I personally enjoyed every minute of it. It was a hard-hitting, close, strategic contest. Sure it wasn’t an evening where the scoreboard was lit up but come the fourth quarter the result was still in doubt. Besides a couple moments from Cam Newton, all individuals from both teams played hard and I was on the edge of my seat. It wasn’t a snoozer by any means.

I thought the officiating for the most part was solid. Carolina got a tough break early when an incompletion that looked like a catch was upheld after it went to replay. Not long after that, Denver got screwed on a taunting call. After those two questionable calls wiped each other out it was a very well-handled game. Super Bowls are always better when the referees don’t help decide the outcome.

I give a pass to the announcing crew. To be completely honest, I never really noticed Jim Nantz or Phil Simms that much during the broadcast. In my mind, that is a good sign and a tribute to the announcers. At the start of the game, Mike Carey (officiating expert) had another embarrassing reversal on what he predicted, capping an awful season for him on CBS, but was then never used again. I thought Tracy Wolfson did a good job on the sidelines and interviewed Peyton Manning well at the conclusion of the game.

When it comes down to it, we did watch both Peyton Manning and Cam Newton play terrible games. But I think the defensive gem was enough to bypass the sloppy performances of the quarterbacks. I was pulling for the Panthers to win. It would have been great for our area and great for the social media channels here at Coastal (Josh Norman and Mike Tolbert are both CCU alums). However, watching Peyton Manning go out with the ring isn’t that bad. During his career he always competed hard while conducting himself with class and humility. I like seeing those types of athletes leave the game on top.

Halftime Show: Before I tell you what I thought of the halftime show, I have to tell you that I am not particularly a fan of Coldplay, Beyonce, or Bruno Mars. In fact, when the headliner was first announced I let out a depressed sigh.

But with all that said, I ended up enjoying halftime. I thought it was an entertaining show. I don’t know if I really got too excited over the individual performances of the artists but I thought it was really cool when they all came together and performed the same song. I didn’t really dig the rainbow theme or the people running out with Coldplay’s lead singer to begin the set but I did sense energy when the three superstars shared the stage together. I was also a sucker for the dance off.

I did appreciate the flashbacks to past Super Bowl halftime performances but as I tweeted immediately when they started showing them, it just made a shortcoming of this year’s show too obvious: it took place in daylight.

Of course when you rotate the Super Bowl and tinker with kickoff times, you are going to have games in west coast cities where halftime falls before dark. I understand there is nothing you can do about that. But an insane pyrotechnic show and a brilliantly lit stage will always add something extra to a halftime show.

The Commercials: I wasn’t disappointed with the commercials. Although folks immediately fell into the trap I warn about every year and blasted this year’s ads, I thought most were well done.

I never base my rating of Super Bowl commercials on how “funny” they are. Instead, I always look at how impactful they were. The slate of ads this year did manage to make me think past the game. I thought the Mini Cooper spot that took on stereotypes was superb. I thought the technology and storyline that made up the Coca-Cola Mini commercial with Ant Man and the Hulk was really cool. Going back to another car ad, I thought the Prius police chase was engaging and fun. My favorite Super Bowl commercial of 2016 though was the Taco Bell Quesalupa “bigger than…” spot. It was a fun look at modern day pop culture and it had a lot of us salivating in front of our televisions. Over the years I have consistently said that I look up to the Taco Bell marketing team with complete respect and admiration.

I don’t do slap stick ads (sorry Doritos and singing lambs) and I wasn’t impressed with the Super Bowl babies campaign. But even with those inserted in this year’s lineup, I think the Super Bowl commercial crop was pretty good for the most part.

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For me, when it comes to the theme of last night I have one word: surprise.

I never thought the Broncos would put up such a good fight, let alone defeat the Carolina Panthers to take Super Bowl 50. But a little surprise every now and then isn’t a bad thing, especially when you don’t have a horse (or Bronco) in the race. Congrats Denver and Peyton, live it up. Don’t Blink.

An Awkward Episode at Great Clips

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Yesterday morning I went to Great Clips to get a haircut. I checked in and had a seat. After about five minutes of waiting I watched a boy leap off the stylist’s chair while his dad paid for the service. They then left the shop. About two minutes later an agitated larger woman swung open the doors and approached the front counter…

“I wanted my son to get a haircut, not a BUZZ CUT,” the woman angrily exclaimed.

The manager on duty listened to the woman’s complaints: Her son’s hair was cut short, it didn’t look like it did last time it was cut, it didn’t resemble the picture of the male model that was hanging up in the salon behind where I was seated, etc. The woman made a big show as she moaned and paced back and forth in the waiting area while pleading her case.

One of the stylists came to the aid of the manager and started to listen to the woman’s gripes. This employee calmly told the disgruntled mother that they gave the exact same cut to the boy that was described in the computer from his previous visit. In fact, the explanation given by the boy on what he wanted matched the records in the computer exactly.

Of course this didn’t appease the woman who again complained that the haircut looked nothing like what he got last time. Then, again, she flung a frustrated arm at the photo above my head and whined, “I wanted it to look like that.”

The stylist told the lady that the clipper setting that the boy requested and that was recorded in the computer didn’t come close to matching the hair of the dude in the framed photo. The reasoning didn’t satisfy the mom. She continued to argue with the stylist and question the competence of the employees. Mind you, this Great Clips that I go to is always packed. As the noon hour was approaching there were about 10 stylists working and they all had customers in their chairs (except for the one dealing with the woman). The waiting room was full. Everyone was watching this unfortunate tantrum. I debated videoing it with my iPhone but decided I would just write about it instead.

“But I wanted his hair to look like that photo,” the woman groaned for what seemed like the 20th time.

The lady finally stormed out. The stylist who had received the brunt of the mother’s wrath now had to get back to cutting hair. She called my name to come back.

Realizing that she probably still needed a couple minutes to gather herself, I just quietly told her that I wouldn’t be as hard on her as the woman was. She sat me down and put my haircut cape on. She then had to answer to another employee about the exchange that just took place. Then, after taking a deep breath, she asked me, “Do you know how you want your hair to be cut?”

“Exactly like that picture,” I teased.

She busted out laughing.

Driving to church with my new haircut!

Driving to church with my new haircut!

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I have written before about how Great Clips is the only place I go to get a haircut. However, I make it my hair destination because of convenience. I don’t go there thinking I am going to get a movie star makeover. Sure, simple standards should be held by customers when they go to a place like Great Clips. However, thinking that their son’s hair will turn out exactly like that of a photo of a model hung on the wall is not realistic. To throw a tantrum about it is ridiculous.

Would you believe that the woman came back in again? This time she brought her son back with her. The poor stylists tried to do everything they could to make the mom happy. They sat the boy back down in a stylist’s seat (right next to me! Luckily my stylist didn’t have to do damage control again) and fiddled with his hair more. As the mom complained about how unprofessional this particular Great Clips was I shot glances at my stylist through the mirror expressing how sorry I was.

The only other person I had more sympathy for was that poor boy. I can’t imagine how embarrassed he was to watch his mom act like that and to be brought back inside the shop for a second time.

I don’t think it is appropriate to get too worked up about a haircut at Great Clips. We need to have realistic expectations and keep in mind that we get what we pay for. Don’t Blink.

My $6 Thursday Rundown

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Good evening to you all. Hope your month has started off on the right foot. Here we go with the latest Thursday Rundown…

Big Subway Announcement: Today the world’s biggest sandwich chain made the major announcement that its classic foot long subs will no longer sell for $5. Instead, a classic 12 inch sub will now cost you $6. Um, HELLO?! Hasn’t it been this way for a long time now? It seems like I haven’t enjoyed a $5 foot long for at least a year now. Imagine that…I have proof that it has been OVER a year. Even though I have dealt with $6 sandwiches at Subway for a while now, the announcement brings back bitter memories to when I first discovered the price hike.

I didn't know this was a new thing.

I didn’t know this was a new thing.

Like Any Normal Day: Last night I finished reading a rather depressing biographical book. Author Mark Kram Jr. focuses on Buddy Miles, a high school student with the world in the palm of his hand. However, a devastating football injury paralyzes him, rendering him a quadriplegic. “Like Any Normal Day: A Story of Devotion” takes the reader through the painful journey that both Buddy and his family were forced to endure for a couple of rough decades. In the end, Buddy takes extreme measures. The book will make you shed tears, and, in my case, leave you more sad than inspired.

"Like Any Normal Day" is written by Mark Kram Jr.

“Like Any Normal Day” is written by Mark Kram Jr.

My Genius Idea One Year Later: Exactly 365 days ago I pitched my idea for an ice cream buffet concept. Unfortunately I have not had anyone call me yet to invest in my brilliant model. If you want to talk business, let me know.

What You Get for Writing About Politics: My blog post last night about the possible fall of Donald Trump received a strong response from folks who both agreed and (strongly) disagreed with me. My phone went off the whole night as random people tweeted at me and commented on the blog post itself. Several Trump supporters insulted me like Trump insults everyone else but it is all fine by me….whenever I can triple my average blog traffic it is a good night.

JUST A FEW of the tweets I received from random people after I published the post. I received the positive (left) and the negative (right).

JUST A FEW of the tweets I received from random people after I published the post. I received the positive (left) and the negative (right).

Wedding Update #18: It is at that point where Sidney’s birthday is like my birthday! This past weekend we celebrated Sid’s special day with her extended family. When it came time to open up gifts, she received several items off of our registry such as dinner plates, mugs, casserole containers, and a skillet. Of course these items will be shared by both of us as we start our life together.

Sidney enjoyed ripping open her gifts last Sunday. Here she is holding our new casserole containers.

Sidney enjoyed ripping open her gifts last Sunday. Here she is holding our new casserole containers.

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Thank you once again for your readership. Have a joyous weekend and I will touch base on Sunday. Don’t Blink.

The Best College Campus Weather

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Okay, take a couple seconds to remember back to when you were a college student. Now recall that first day during the second semester where the temperature finally hit a respectable mark and the sun peeked out for the first time in ages. What happened?

Come on, that is an easy question! We all put on shorts, hit the gathering spot on campus, and soaked up the golden rays. After months of nasty weather and dreaded walks across campus, the arrival of Spring rejuvenated us all. For most of us, this glorious day would hopefully come by May.

Well, when you go to college in the Myrtle Beach area things are a little different. When the groundhog couldn’t see his shadow today it meant to most people that Spring is near; what it meant in this area is that Spring is HERE.

It was definitely Spring on the Coastal Carolina University campus today!

It was definitely Spring on the Coastal Carolina University campus today!

The beautiful and sunny 70 degree day brought out sights on the campus of Coastal Carolina University that you usually don’t see on other college campuses until May 2…not February 2. Let me just give you a few examples from today…

Students study/visit outside on our picnic tables…

These tables by the pond are prime real estate at Coastal (Jada Bynum took the photo on the right).

These tables by the pond are prime real estate at Coastal (Jada Bynum took the photo on the right).

The hammocks come out…

This student set up her hammock in the shade. Yes, there is a hammock club at Coastal.

This student set up her hammock in the shade. Yes, there is a hammock club at Coastal.

Class is held in our famous courtyard area…

Edwards Courtyard is a popular place to hold an occasional class outdoors and that is what happened today (Photo by Jada Bynum).

Edwards Courtyard is a popular place to hold an occasional class outdoors and that is what happened today (Photo by Jada Bynum).

Bridge traffic gets heavy…

Walking across the Wall Bridge is always fun. However, the beautiful weather makes it that much more enjoyable.

Walking across the Wall Bridge is always fun. However, the beautiful weather makes it that much more enjoyable.

Students lay out on Prince Lawn…

Nothing beats spending class breaks on Prince Lawn underneath the refreshing sun.

Nothing beats spending class breaks on Prince Lawn underneath the refreshing sun.

YOGA SESSIONS are held outdoors during the lunch hour…

Who has ever heard of outdoor yoga in FEBRUARY?

Who has ever heard of outdoor yoga in FEBRUARY?

And do you wonder why our enrollment keeps growing?* As I mentioned in my Sunday blog post, living in an area like this makes the month of February so much more of a joy. We have another 70 degree day coming up tomorrow and I can guarrantee you the students (and staff) will once again be living it up. Don’t Blink.

* – Of course the climate is just a small reason for why our university continues to grow. Increasing academic options, brand new facilities, an athletic program that is transitioning to FBS, strong leadership, and other factors more accurately describe why enrollment keeps going up.

My Short Attention Span

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One of the biggest knocks on my generation and subsequent generations is that our attention spans are short. With the proliferation of the digital world, all of the information we need is right at our fingertips. Infographics, tweets, lists, etc. replace traditional (and longer) means of information and media that we used to consume.

I wish I could say I haven’t succumbed to this stereotype of my demographic but when I examine myself I can’t deny it.

I have several examples but let me start with the one that got me to write about this today. I started off watching the Grease Live special on Fox last night. It was supposed to be one of the entertainment spectacles of the year. I was bored just 15 minutes in. How could this be? The show was live, the different moving pieces of the production proved fascinating, and Vanessa Hudgens gave a performance of a lifetime just hours after her dad passed away. It didn’t matter to me, my attention was not kept. The exact same thing happened to me when I tried to watch “The Wiz” a couple months back. Before the first commercial break I had already zoned out.

As I mentioned in this blog last week, I only look for two things when I decide on a movie I want to watch. The item that is relevant for this post is the running time of the movie. If the film goes over two hours I typically choose something else. For me, the 85-95 minute duration is ideal.

When I go to sleep, my reading routine has turned rather pathetic. Back in the day I would easily read 50 pages. Fast forward to today and I consider the night a success if I simply reach double digits in pages read. Of course some of this centers on fatigue but a portion also sits on a dwindling attention span.

Even when it comes to the debates that I have written about on more than one occasion with glowing admiration, I find myself losing focus. I applaud Donald Trump for demanding that the debates be shortened. My interest starts to dwindle after the first few rounds of questions. An affair that lasts over two hours is just too long for a person of my patience.

Want to talk about work? My mind goes crazy when meetings drag on. After 90 minutes pass I feel myself sinking into my chair. Luckily most of my meetings don’t reach this point as I just don’t do well confined between four walls while sitting around a conference table for long periods of time.

Most embarrassing of all, I even get bored watching a sporting event on television from start to finish. Although for select games I have no problem sitting through it all, a majority of the contests I turn on won’t capture my attention for all four quarters. Dang, I hate to admit that.

I can’t hide it, I am a product of my generation. Hold me down for a given period of time and I start to get squirmy, bored, and detached. It is something to work on? Definitely. Don’t Blink.

Making the Most of the “Gloomy Months”

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Today is the last day of January. Tomorrow will be the first day of February. Tonight will mark the exact middle point of the two month stretch I probably like the least on the calendar.

Don’t get me wrong though, saying “like the least” when referring to the calendar year doesn’t say much. I love life and cherish each day, no matter what month it falls in. However, while I will frequently tweet out “I love the month of ________” for 84% of the calendar months, I don’t do it for January and February. I like them, I just don’t love them.

I don’t know if this revelation comes as much of a surprise to most. After all, a few years ago I did write about how much I love the month of March, mostly pointing to the fact that it means January and February are over. Also, many know that I am a lover of light, sun, and warmth. While living in Myrtle Beach definitely exposes me more to the latter two items than where I have lived before, the short days can be a bummer.

I feel this stretch is the least appealing from January 10 through the end of February. It is challenging to come to grips with the college football season ending, the novelty of the new year fading, and the darkness of nights minus the beauty of Christmas lights predominating. While Sidney’s birthday, the Super Bowl, and Valentine’s Day are all great things to look forward to, I usually need to find additional ways to bolster the luster of the first and second months of the year. How do I do this?

For me, I try to really focus on goals.

I give January and February extra worth by focusing on personal objectives. I use my new year resolutions to propel me through the 58 or 59 days that start off the year. I use the motivation of the brighter and more carefree months ahead to make me buckle down and focus on the ones I am living in at the moment. Nothing can make January or February more meaningful and worthwhile than when you improve yourself.

I try to liken the two months to a training period. I tell myself that if I put everything I have into the training period then the best ten months of the year will be especially rewarding and fun. No matter what, January and February set the tone for the year. We can decide to “just get through them” or we can decide to make every minute that falls within them worth it.

For those of us who don’t adore January and February, take comfort in the fact that we are half way through the time period. However, also use it as motivation to diligently work on yourself for the next four weeks. Pretty soon March will be here and the signs of Spring will start popping up. It is important to emerge from the darkness stronger than before. Don’t Blink.