A Very Nice Ending

Had a very nice ending to a great week.  The Writer’s Retreat was highly productive.  Set a significant, new benchmark number for weekly website hits.

I attribute this to the both the quality and quantity of time spent learning, and applying what I learned, each day.

I was pleasantly surprised and delighted yesterday morning, when I went to the front office at Mitchell’s Sand Castles , to check on coming back next year.

Frank, who I had just met a week ago, was new.  In fact everyone there was new.  Not new to hospitality.  New to Mitchell’s Sand Castles.

I was nervous about the sweeping change in management and wrote about this at www.junglejeff.net on July 3, in a blog post entitled,  This Reminds Me .

To make a long story short, Frank blew me away with his efforts to go above and beyond to make me feel special.

Sunday mornings are always busy in a Resort, but Frank made me feel like the only customer he had.  I got to know him and really enjoyed building a nice relationship with him.

We’ve been visiting Mitchell’s Sand Castles for 21 years – this was our 23 time, which is how I knew it would be the perfect place for my first Writer’s Retreat.

If you are looking for Old Florida Charm, in a Beach Cottage setting, along with a laid-back, informal atmosphere, on a secluded side of Sanibel Island, Mitchell’s Sand Castles is perfect.

It ain’t the Ritz-Carlton, but we love everything about it, especially the fact that our dog is welcome.

Wish there was more time to write, but I’m back to the real world tomorrow and have go press my white button-down shirt for tomorrow morning.

I miss the Sanibel Island sunsets, the Sanibel sea shelling, the Sanibel beach, the palm trees, the sunshine, the soothing sound of the Gulf of Mexico, and my new friend, Frank.

Carpe diem, jeff noel  🙂

Dude, You’re in Incredible Shape!

Vince said, “Dude, you’re in incredible shape”.

Shirtless, I stopped by the front office after my training run early this morning, sweating profusely from the tropical Florida humidity.  I wanted to check on something my wife was working on for next year.

The office manager and I were talking when Vince made his comment.

Vince knows the manager.  In fact, Vince helps out  at our Sanibel Island Resort and is an absolute bright ray of friendly sunshine, enthusiasm and hospitality.

“One push up a day”, I casually commented back.

“One push up a day”?, Vince relied, surprised.

“Yep”.

Vince knows I’m heading to Helsinki, Finland in three weeks to represent the United States at the Master’s World Championships.   The manager does not, unless Vince tells him.

It’s amazing how we can look at someone and wonder what they do, or don’t do, to lead a healthy life.

Same thing with a person’s attitude, eh?

We can tell, just by a person’s demeanor, whether they have passion or not.  Of course, there are some exceptions to this, but not many.

I hope I can stay passionate about four things:  Mind, Body, Spirit, and Money.

Self-Control, Surrender, Service.  Carpe diem, jeff noel 🙂