KEN BANKS’BLOG DECEMBER 2024
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BEST CHRISTMAS BRAND OF ALL!
This blog was supposed to be published in October, but Hurricane Helene had another plan. As I mentioned in the revised intro video on September 29th, our world as we know it got turned upside down when our house was totally flooded by Helene. Almost all of our worldly possessions were hauled away to the county dump, including much of my office equipment. As we set about the task of dealing with insurance adjusters, trash haulers, home repair companies, and locating to a temporary apartment, we got a whole new perspective on what’s really important in our lives. We are now preparing for a different Christmas, so I thought I would share some personal thoughts in this annual holiday blog message.
We had decided to downsize last spring leaving our beautiful home on the waterfront of 28 years to settle into a smaller, less storm prone setting. The beauty of our location convinced us to hold off for another year. Not a good idea as a mini tsunami deposited 2 feet of murky water throughout the house. We watched helplessly as five trailers full of most of our furniture and other possessions were hauled away . While we were emotionally distraught, we were comforted by the love and support of our family, our friends and our local community. Once the pain eased somewhat, we realized that we, like most of today’s consumers, had accumulated a lot—a really big lot—of STUFF. All of this could be replaced and as we prepared our inventory for the insurance claim, much of that stuff hadn’t been used in a long time and should have been cleared out or donated a long time ago. Honestly, as we watched many of the holiday commercials and internet messages, our desire to shop or accumulate more has lost its appeal. What’s more important is the love that we need to share every day and the appreciation for those who share in this life we lead. The messages and calls that we received with offers of help with the cleanup and move, the offers of lodging and meals, the offers from former business associates for support, and the true friends that reached out to us has reinforced the true spirit of Christmas. I know that many of our neighbors’ and fellow citizens in Tampa Bay have experienced the same support. We hope that this spirit expands beyond the storms and damage into our government, our business world and to our world’s leadership now and in the future. Let’s re-focus our energies to our families, our true friends, and the spirit of love.
Merry Christmas.
Ken
PS: Here a few of this year’s holiday spots that I feel capture this spirit as well.
Coca Cola. https://youtu.be/4RSTupbfGog
Amazon. https://youtu.be/ecV3E779MfU
United Airlines. https://youtu.be/ecV3E779MfU
Toyota. https://youtu.be/Tod5LEaAg18
Kroger. https://youtu.be/9IRvv0jScPs
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