I love the 4th of July. I’m a sucker for family gatherings, parades, and fireworks. I confess, however, as I look forward to celebrating our Independence Day tomorrow, I’m a little worried about the state of our great nation. Correction, I look at the state of our politics today and I am depressed. Our elections…
I spent Saturday afternoon playing pickleball. For the uninitiated, pickleball is a sport you’d get if tennis and ping-pong had a baby. It involves a smaller court than tennis but uses a wood-like paddle and a wiffle ball. As any of the millions of crazed pickleballers will happily tell you, it is the fastest growing…
I’m a bit of a space geek. So last Thursday morning, I set my alarm and blocked 30 minutes on my calendar to turn to YouTube and watch Space X attempt to launch its Starship and Super Heavy booster. I love watching Space X launches. They are masters of the live feed and their launches never disappoint. This one…
What does a 70+ year-old farmer, a tiger, a tornado, and an ancient philosopher have in common? It sounds like a set-up for a joke, but these four things combined this past week to provide some well-needed perspective as we head into our busy planting season. The Farmer. I spent three days this past week with…
Of the many things I love about the farming industry, one of them is the fact that not much happens between Christmas and New Year. Thus, the gap provides a great opportunity to truly unplug. This year, our family was fortunate to be able to head to Mexico. We found a great house on VRBO and planned…
All, Warning: My note this week is longer than usual, which many already tell me are too long. It is about the changing nature of the US natural gas market. Natural gas is a key driver in the US economy and as the primary feedstock for nitrogen fertilizers – and thus relevant to what we do…
My thoughts this week center around belonging – about why and how we create a sense of belonging throughout our organizations and teams. Belonging is one of those touchy-feely words which can often make some nervous (the whole “Real men don’t talk about their feelings” so many of us are spending time trying to unlearn),…
My thoughts today are about Mother’s Day and all the moms out there, working at home, chasing a career, or doing both. My favorite high school teacher, Anne Johansson, once said, “Feminism will be successful when a woman can choose to have a career or to stay at home to raise a family and be…
A wise woman once said to me, “Don’t ask yourself, ‘What do I want in life?’ Instead, ask, ‘What am I willing to suffer for?’” Achieving your goals almost always requires enduring some type of short-term pain — suffering, if you will. To achieve greatness in sports, we endure tough workouts, forgo late nights out…
Today is a federal holiday to celebrate and honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I find myself in an awkward situation because today is not an official GreenPoint holiday. I can list any number of logical reasons, but the reality is that when we discussed which holidays to celebrate, I didn’t raise the issue and…
