I almost fell in love with Kroger

I heard on the radio that Kroger was having a sale on grapes so I decided to go there to take advantage of the sale.

When I walked into the entryway, much to my surprise, there were carolers singing Christmas songs and employees passing out goodie bags along with the Kroger specials of the day. So far, so good.

Then as I walked into the produce section, I found my grapes--and plenty of them---red, black and green---on sale as advertised. And what's even better is I got to pick and choose which ones I wanted and put them all in the same bag. Shortly afterwards, I asked a produce employee where the chard was and instead of pointing me in the direction, he actually guided me to the location and explained the different varieties. Now, I'm impressed!

But then a not-so-funny thing happened at the deli. This particular employee (and fellow boomer) seemed less than enthusiastic about assisting me. No smile and he mumbled his words. STRIKE ONE.

As I moseyed on to the wine section, a smiling face (a millennial) greeted me and asked if I wanted to sample a particular wine they had on sale. It wasn't quite noon yet but I thought, "What the heck!" He said he was giving me a double portion. I wondered if I had "wino" tatooed on my forehead. Nevertheless, I tasted it and was SOLD.

The wine had me feeling pretty good when I went to the checkout line. That was until I had a not so pleasant encounter with the cashier, whose name was Sharon. I greeted her first. She didn't speak back. She didn't even smile once. Perhaps she smelled the wine on my breath and thought I was just some drunk housewife hitting the bottle a little too early for her. Or maybe she was upset because she couldn't have any while on the clock. WHATEVER! STRIKE TWO. And what's even worse is she bagged my seafood with my fruit---which even I know is a no-no. STRIKE THREE.

At that point I felt the need to speak to a manager so I went to the customer service desk. Another (boomer) employee asked if she could help me in a tone that made me feel less than welcome. Once again--no smile. Then she asked me why I wanted to see a manager. I told her I had a complaint. I was sure she would soften up a bit and do her best to turn my negative perception around but she did nothing but stand there stone-faced until the manager, Mr. Hinckley, came to hear me out. He offered me a gift card for my feedback. I declined it because I wanted him to understand my complaint couldn't be bought off with a gift card. I wanted him to understand that good customer service is still the key to good business and that's why Harris Teeter remains the cream of the crop.

The bottom line is good customer service is the lifeblood of any business. You can offer promotions and reduce prices to bring in as many customers as you want, but it's also about the "experience" a customer has while in your business.

Great customer service is all about bringing customers back and about sending them away happy - happy enough to pass on positive feedback about your business along to others, who may then visit your store and, in turn, become repeat customers.

I almost fell in love with Kroger today but they just can't compete with my Harris Teeter---at least not yet anyway

Sometimes God Shows Up in the Most Unusual Places

Two weeks ago while walking along the Duke Wall on the east campus, I was convinced I saw the face of God. It came in the form of an unidentified woman. As I was walking in the opposite direction of her, our eyes met. I said "Good morning." She looked at me and said "God bless you." Those three words impacted my spirit in a way I can't really describe in this blog but those three words drove me to tears as I continued to exercise. At that moment, I believed God was speaking directly to my spirit and answering some of my questions and concerns about this leg of my journey.

As we passed each other a second time, I made it a point to thank her for her blessing and told her how much I needed to receive it. She then took a moment to remind me that God knew what I was going through and as long as I trusted in him and kept the faith, everything would be OK. From that moment on, I felt a burden had been lifted.

I saw that same woman again this morning at the Duke Wall. This time I learned her name was "Phyllis." From a distance we recognized each other and, upon approaching each other, we exchanged greetings and hugs. I told her how much she had blessed my life in that one small encounter. She reminded me to keep the faith. Ironically, the next song that played on my mp3 player was "Lovely Day" by Bill Withers.

Sometimes God shows up in the most unusual places but wherever He does, be prepared to receive Him or you will MISS your blessing.

I Was Called for Jury Duty

Four days after the jury reached a verdict in the Trayvon Martin case, it would be my turn to possibly hold all power in my hands in deciding the fate of an alleged criminal in my community. Notice I said "alleged" because the judicial system says we are to believe that everyone charged is innocent until proven guilty.

On the day I arrived for jury duty, I looked around and saw dozens of potential jurors waiting to learn their fate. Many were not happy to be there. They had conflicting schedules and felt jury duty was an interruption to their lives. I, on the other hand, welcomed the idea of being called to serve. I wanted the opportunity to lend my voice on behalf of the victim or the suspect---depending on which side seemed to have the strongest case.

I was angry about the outcome of the Trayvon Martin trial and even more angry when I got to hear juror #B37 explain what was going on during deliberations. Based on of the words that came from her own lips, the jury seemed to have no clue for what they were basing their final decision on. The Stand Your Ground Law didn't even apply in the case, yet they chose to use it in determining the NOT GUILTY VERDICT.

Subsequent articles have come out discussing how jurors were treated during the trial, which may very well have had a bearing on the final outcome.

Being on a jury was also my opportunity to get revenge. It would allow me to convict a white boy who had committed some heinous crime against a black person in our community. It would give me satisfaction knowing that "an eye for an eye" would balance the scales of justice. Oh, but wait a minute. It is rare to see a young white man go to trial for doing something criminally against a black male in my community. It did happen once as I recall when a Texas man shot and killed a Pennsylvania teen as the two crossed paths in Durham.

Young whites who commit crimes normally have parents who are able to work out deals with Prosecutors in order to get the case dismissed or lesser charges so they end up being nothing more than "petty crimes" that kids commit. These stories don't make headlines for the media.

After six hours of waiting the potential jurors were notified we would not be called to serve and dismissed. There was a loud cheer in the room. I, on the other hand, walked away extremely disappointed because I would not get the opportunity to serve. This would have been my way of releasing some of the angst I felt over the Zimmerman verdict. I really wanted to understand how the judicial process works from a juror's mind so that, maybe in the end, I could really make sense of how those Sanford, FL jurors thought in reaching their NOT GUILTY verdict.

If there's one consolation, I did get paid for serving. $12.

Make Up Does Not Define Aging Gracefully

I got the shock of my life recently when I ran into an acquaintance at the grocery store. I thought I recognized her but wasn't quite sure so I called her name. It was her WITHOUT makeup. I thought, "Oh my God! Is that really how you look?!"
She looked like a totally different woman and not a very attractive one, I might add.

The same thing happened some years ago when I was working at WITN-TV. I had come into the station early to get my assignment and saw a young woman sitting at one of the anchor desks. I thought she might've been an intern until I got up close and personal and discovered it was our 5pm anchor. She looks downright scary WITHOUT makeup. She had blotches all over her face and her skin had an uneven tone. With makeup she was stunning so that's obviously how she got hired.

During the years I worked as a TV news reporter, my News Director was always encouraging me to wear make-up. I would throw on some lipstick and a little powder for foundation but that's about the most of it. I could never bring myself to take the time to make up my face because I had no model for it. My mother never spent time in the mirror putting on much more than lipstick and some face powder to "take the shine off," as she put it.

The one thing I always admired about my mother was how smooth and unblemished her skin was. Even when she died at 90-years-old, her face showed now signs of being an old, wrinkled woman with sagging skin.

Did you know wearing too much makeup can result in advance aging? Eyeliners and liquid-based foundations contain chemicals that can cause premature aging. You should watch out for liquid foundations that contain silicone since they not only block your pores but also add a few years to your skin.

As I approach 60, I have decided that I am not going to allow makeup to define who I am. I don't need it to enhance my looks. I can do it by eating healthy and exercising. Also, I am blessed to have a husband who doesn't like me wearing a whole lot of makeup anyway so I am growing old gracefully makeup free.

How about you?

What are Your Favorite Boomer Beat Songs

Recently I read a blog post from aarp.org titled: 16 Songs Everyone Over 50 Must Own. I looked at the songs and discovered I knew less than half of them and of the ones I did know I only liked a few.

My good friend, Mitch Mitchell, did his own musical blog post recently, calling it: 30 Questions About the Music I Like which motivated me to do one of my own so, in honor of my radio show and TV show called The Boomer Beat I want to know what your favorite boomer songs of the past are.

Name your favorite music theme from a 60s/70s/80s TV show:
Mine is a toss up between the theme from Silver Spoons and Family Ties

Name your Top 3 Disco Songs
Heaven Knows (Donna Summer)
More than a Woman (Bee Gees)
Get Off (Foxxy)

Name your favorite Beatles song:
In My Life

Name your favorite politically conscious song:
Abraham, Martin and John (Dion)

Name your favorite country song?
Crazy (Patsy Cline)

Name your favorite song from Diana Ross and the Supremes
Baby Love

What song(s) have you ever sang Karaoke?
Stop in the Name of Love
Love Shack (B52s)
Born to Be Wild (Steppinwolf)

Song you danced to (or was sung) at your wedding?
You are so Beautiful (originally sung by Joe Cocker)

Song you can hear over and over again and never get tired of
Africa (Toto)

Can't wait to read your responses.

Sometimes Young People Just Get No Respect

Today my daughter was involved in her first car crash---and let me tell you it was a CRASH---as you can see from this picture! (Hers is the black car) She was the tail end of a three-car pile up on the highway while driving home from work.

According to the driver of the first car, who happened to be a woman around my age, she was forced to slam on her brakes because someone in front of her slammed on theirs. This resulted in the driver behind her hitting her in the rear and then my daughter hitting the second driver. The first car received little or no damage. The second car and my daughter's were TOTALED.

Immediately, the older woman complained that her collar bone was broken so an ambulance was called. The young lady in the second vehicle was not injured, just shaken up. My daughter sustained minor burns on her arms from the impact of the air bags exploding upon impact.

Much attention was paid to the older driver because of her complaints. An ambulance was called. Despite her diagnosis of a broken collar bone, she got out of the car on her own with little or no assistance and walked to the ambulance to be checked out. Meanwhile, the two young drivers were trying to cope with the fact that one or both of them are going to be at fault for the collision and they are now without transportation.

A young person without wheels is like a young person not having a cell phone!

Now I am no investigator but based on what I observed at the scene was the whole truth wasn't being told by the older driver. She didn't have a broken collar bone and she managed to drive away on her own volition with little or no damage to her car. What I learned on the scene was when "stuff" happens, the benefit of the doubt goes to the oldest.

My Daughter the College Graduate

Did you know that during the 2012–13 school year, colleges and universities are expected to award 937,000 associate’s degrees; 1.8 million bachelor's degrees; 756,000 master's degrees; and 174,700 doctor's degrees? (source: National Center for Education Statistics)

On Saturday, December 8, 2012, my daughter became a part of that statistic and she now joins millions of other graduates who will compete for jobs.

She also joins the ranks of being a "full-time mommy" to her six-year-old son. While she was away at school, I took on the role of primary caregiver. Jarod was barely two years old when she left so I have been responsible for raising him.

Now she is back home and there is a changing of the guard. Instead of being the ENFORCER, I am now the reinforcer who will do her best to sit back and allow my daughter to assume her rightful duty. I admit it won't be easy but since I was solely responsible for raising her, hopefully, she will be a chip off the old block.

Here's another college fast fact:

Less than half of teen mothers ever graduate from high school and fewer than 2 percent earn a college degree by age 30.

Thankfully, my daughter is not in that statistic.