Image via Wikipedia

Although I love working out, I don’t consider myself a gym rat.  I really don’t think that I’m athletic or very much coordinated.  However, within the last few months, I started running on the treadmill.  I’m not up to five miles on the mill.

Believe it or not, I have gotten comments from my running friends who tell me that running on the treadmill is easy and it’s nothing like running the streets.  They almost suggest that treadmill running is not as good… not as worthy as street running.  To me, running on the treadmill, in the street, on the beach or even the boardwalk are all hard.

So I run on the treadmill a few times a week.  I’m waiting until the weather gets a little warmer to take the running outside.  But while I run on the treadmill, I noticed something interesting.  Other people on other treadmills, look over toward my treadmill and watch my mileage, my speed and my endurance. It’s so odd.  Are they being nosey or just competitive?

The other thing I have noticed is that when I get on the treadmill and have been on the mill for about 15 – 20 minutes, I see people come and go.  Are they for real?  Do they really think they will reap the benefits from exercise in just 5 or 10 minute intervals?  (I try to work out for at least an hour.)

I’ve also noticed people talking on the phone while on the treadmill.  And, people reading books while on the treadmill.  Even, people talking to each other on the treadmill.  Now is that really working out?

When I’m really working hard, I can’t talk (let alone breathe)!

I go to the gym for quiet time, to get focused, to workout hard and to relieve stress.  I don’t want to talk with anyone.  I want to be focused and do what I set out to do.  Am I alone in thinking this way?

My dad is the President of the Kings Point Camera Club.  To be honest with you, I didn’t even know he enjoyed taking pictures until the last 10 years when he moved down to Fort Lauderdale with my mother.

The other day, I was talking with my parents about their upcoming show.  Each of the participants of the camera club had an opportunity to showcase their photographs to the Kings Point community (over 55 gated community).

When I went to their house last week, they showed me some of the photographs.  I was very impressed.  They ranged from beautiful pictures of Florida homes to photographs of children.  One in particular struck me.  It was a photograph of my nephew sitting in the grass holding his face up to the sun with his eyes closed.  It had such expression!

This was their third exhibit, which was held in the clubhouse and they had dozens of people view their works of art.

The Kings Point Camera Club was formed nearly 20 years ago and is dedicated to enhancing photography as a fine art.  Each month, members get an assignment on a specific subject.  Some of the assignments included architecture, parks and wildlife.

They also have lots of day trips to museums and even random places like touring the Sun Sentinel or going to the Calder Race Track.

Both my parents really enjoy it and it’s great for them to be involved in such a creative activity that they are passionate about.

What are you passionate about?

I typically love Jet Blue.  I have a Jet Blue credit card and have Jet Blue frequent flyer miles and have rarely ever had a problem with the flights.

As we were leaving Fort Lauderdale after cruising the Caribbean, we were sitting in the airport waiting for our 4:20 flight out to JFK.

4:20 comes and goes.  Everyone is looking around wondering what is going on.

5:20 comes and goes.  Still everyone is looking around wondering what is going on.

An announcement is finally made.  “There is a problem with your plane.  It needs a part and there are three options,” the representative behind the counter said.  “One, you may have to wait three hours.  Two, we may be able to swap planes but that will be at least an hour or so.  And three, your flight may be cancelled.”

Everyone got out of their seats and started to panic.  I had never seen anything like it.  People were running up to talk with the representative.  People were making calls to Jet Blue to get on another flight.  People were even crying!  It was a real scene.

We heard yelling.  Suddenly, the Broward County Police came.  I thought they were going to take one of the passengers away.

6:20 pm comes and goes and still no word.  At this point, we saw all these people getting on the 8:20 pm flight into LaGaurdia, my husband and I wanted to see what we could do too.

He called me on the cell.  “We can get on the 8:20 flight to LaGuardia.  I’m going to switch planes,” he said.

He called me back moments later.  “Our plane will be taking off before the 8:20 flight so we’re going to stay put on the flight.”

7:20 comes and goes.  We hear an announcement that we  should go to another gate.  We stand there waiting to board the plane.

“I feel really bad for the people on the 8:20 pm flight to LaGuardia,” the woman next to me says to her husband.

“Why?” I asked.

“Because,” she whispers, “Those people will be three hours delayed.  Jet Blue took their plane and we’re going on it.”

Now how do you like that…

“Young lady, let me braid your hair,” the svelte Jamaican woman said to a child who was sitting across from me on a snorkeling boat in Jamaica.  The child must have been about 7 or 8 years old.  She was very thin with shoulder length brown straight hair.  She was with her mother, an overweight tall woman with very large feet.

The little girl smiled.  She looked at her mother, got her mother’s approval and shook her head furiously.  “Only after we get back from snorkeling,” the little girl’s mother said.

After we dove into the warm Caribbean waters with our snorkling gear and flippers and saw a slew of assorted tropical fish, I had enough.  We had been in the water for almost an hour and I was starting to feel water logged.

Back on the boat, I noticed that the Jamaican woman, who originally targeted the little girl, asked me first if I wanted my hair braided.  “No,” I told her.  “I have to go to work on Friday.”

She moved on and asked the little girl if she was ready.  I sat back in my seat and the Jamaican woman had already started on the girl.

The mother didn’t watch.  She looked out into the aqua blue ocean and turned around seldom

“Look mommy, I’m finished!” the little girl said.  She was so excited.

“You look beautiful,” the mother said and she reached into the little girl’s wallet and took out a $5 dollar bill.  She handed it to the Jamaican woman.

“Oh no,” the Jamaican woman said.  “You owe $48 dollars, three dollars a braid.”

The mother’s face turned red.  She was obviously furious.  When the girl came back to the bench, the mother started to scream at her as if it was the child’s fault.  “This is all your spending money for the entire trip,” she said.  “And now you can’t buy anything else.  What you did was inappropriate.”

The little girl started to cry.  I felt so bad. I actually was thinking of reimbursing the mother.

The little girl said, “I’ll get our money back.” And she marched over to the Jamaican woman who already started on another passenger’s hair.

When the little girl got back, she gave her mother $40 dollars.  “Did the woman give this back to you?” the mother asked.

“Oh no, another passenger gave me the money,” the little girl said.

“You can’t get money from another passenger! Give it back now!” the mother yelled.  The passenger who gave the money to the girl shouted that it was okay.  It was a gift, she said.

That evening, we all left our excursions and went back on the cruise ship that took us to Jamaica.  I was feeling bothered by the interaction between the mother and her child.

The next day, my son wanted to go ice-skating on the ship.  On line, we saw the mother and daughter.  The daughter no longer had her braids in her hair and I wondered what happened… I guess one can only guess.

Related articles by Zemanta

• On Haiti Relief…… (hilarytopper.com)

Social networking updates, especially on Twitter, can get fast and furious. But if you think the quick musings of others are meaningless, you’re missing the point. The truth is, if you are not using social networking as a springboard to relationship building with others, you’ll be left behind.

Most of us don’t want to miss out on all that social networking has to offer. Yet many of my Facebook friends and the like fail to notice one important element: The magic of bringing those relationships to other social networking sites, and better still, offline and into the real world.

The savvy social networkers I know use online tools to create abundance in their professional and personal lives, discovering resources and opportunities they may not have discovered otherwise. They meet like-minded people through chats on Twitter, which restricts their postings to 140-characters, and take these introductions a step further by forming groups on LinkedIn, where they can carry on in-depth conversations.  They meet professionals who live nearby and share similar professional goals, and regularly get together in either one-on-one or group settings. They also educate and support causes that they might not otherwise know about, and as a result find occasions to connect with people who share their concerns, passions and interests. And through their new contacts, they learn about projects on which to bid, ask for business advice, and offer their expertise when they can help.

In short, they are building communities. Yes, it takes effort to develop a presence on three or four sites on which they might post five quick status updates a day, perhaps announcing news at their firm, pointing to articles on industry trends, or whether they enjoyed the latest film or a meal at a local eatery. But they understand that these are the kinds of postings that invite thought-provoking dialog, and initiate friendships, both personally and professionally.

The Ultimate Invite: The Guest Blogger

Social media can provide the very shot in the arm your business – and the members of your community – seek. For example, on Twitter, Facebook and Plaxo, I recently put out a call for guest bloggers on my site, www.hilarytopper.com. This led to a flurry of new voices and opinions, driving new traffic to my blog – and new opportunities for not only me, but also my community. One posting was from a freelance writer who subsequently joined my team as a staff writer.

In another successful outcome, a guest-blogger told me that one of her prospects from across the country had searched for her name on Google, saw her posting, liked her insights, and subsequently signed up as a client. It was a winning social-media scenario: The episode drew additional traffic to my agency’s site, and my guest blogger remembers the experience as an opportunity from my firm that helped her win new business.

Doing Good, The Social Media Way

I encourage those who are reluctant to guest-blog to leave comments and discover similarly positive results. Consider, for instance, a post I wrote about the time my son had rescued a lost dog, which, frightened by a nearby fireworks display, had run away. One of my followers replied to my post and featured very valuable safety tips for dog-owners to keep in mind during the summer fireworks season. He also included a link to a YouTube video showcasing his pet-photography work. He not only drew new viewers to his video, but also helped inform others about a dog’s fireworks anxiety that is especially prevalent given the species’ sensitive hearing.

Social media is a great tool for doing good and getting involved in causes that can really make a difference in someone’s life. For example, I posted an entry to encourage others to sign a petition to help a friend’s friend, denied by insurance, afford treatment for debilitating headaches that left him paralyzed. I then microblogged about the entry on other sites to create attention to this cause. Even though the insurance company never changed its stance, I relish the fact that I became part of a community that helped boost awareness and raise money for this critical procedure.

Meetups

I also look to bring my online relationships into the real world whenever possible. Recently, for instance, I began extending invites to my online communities to meet in Manhattan for monthly mixers, and now a group of about 10 or 15 professionals gather regularly after work, where we don’t simply talk business but get to know each other in a relaxed setting. These meetups are akin to a definitive business group, minus the fees and dues, where members can expand their horizons. Since they were successful, I’ve also started holding them up in my Rochester office.

The Right Relationships, The Right Opportunities

Some of the most practical among you will ask about return on investment – wanting to see some kind of measurable result. It’s important to understand that when it comes to social networking, base your currency in relationships, not dollars. And know that when you spread good will, success often follows.

So, here’s what I want everyone in my online community to do. Go the extra mile with your social media tools to venture forward. Consider your 140-character posts on Twitter a launching pad to generate meaningful discussions elsewhere. Think beyond the obvious online mediums, such as the home page where you might be hawking goods and services. Instead, form or join existing groups on LinkedIn and Facebook, where you can begin to nurture fruitful relationships. Or, rally those who share your professional goals – by now I’m sure you know who they are – and form regular meetups. And don’t forget to use social media as a tool to find like-minded people and together help make the real world a better place.

Go ahead and journey to a place where virtual and real-world communities collide. It’s new and sometimes uncharted territory where there are few if any rules, and the new connections and positive outcomes are often immediate. Best of all, it’s also a place to jumpstart your goals and find that the opportunities are endless.