Author: Kevin Spear

I am a content creator and storyteller based in Florida, where I work for OneHope. I love digital and content marketing, writing, and the occasional doodle.

Categories
Marketing

When a company doesn’t respond on Social Media

Last week, I was surprised to find the local coffee spot was closed at 6:00 PM. It is supposed to be open until 9:00 PM. There was no sign, just a dark storefront. So I sent the following tweet:

The reason I sent it wasn’t because I was upset. It was partly because this wasn’t the first time this Starbucks storefront had been closed. Once it was in the middle of the afternoon for a water problem. Also, it was partly because I was curious how these two companies I like and value would respond. How did they respond? Cue the crickets, please. That’s right, I got no response. No apology. No acknowledgment. Life went on. My wife and I went back to the church, I found a Keurig pod and we enjoyed a little caffeine on a

And how did they respond? Cue the crickets, please. That’s right, I got no response. No apology. No acknowledgment. Life went on. My wife and I went back to the church, I found a Keurig pod and we enjoyed a little caffeine on a fine fall evening.

Continue reading “When a company doesn’t respond on Social Media”
Categories
Attitude

Is the world really as scary as it seems?

If you listen to the news media for very long, you get the feeling everything is falling apart and everyone is ready to strangle each other. It can leave you with a feeling of fear and despair. You get the impression apocalypse has already come and the only thing left to do is write off the world and call it a day.

But if you unplug, take a drive across the country, and get out into nature, you get an entirely different feeling. The forests are unaffected by news hype. Mountains and valleys care little about the elections and the latest violence to hit the streets. True, what mankind does to nature affects it. But the story mankind tells itself is much scarier than the reality of a quiet trail, or a babbling brook. Just don’t take in some media before you leave. You’ll probably see a story about a man-eating cougar, a rabid bear or a bigfoot sighting.

The news media itself is suffering from downsizing and cutthroat competition. Perhaps the media loves to scare us because the typical news reporter is scared he or she will lose their job next week. Perhaps when you focus on the worse of humanity, you begin to believe your own hype. 

It is so much easier to focus on the worst of humanity. It is so much more difficult, but rewarding to balance it with the good of nature as well as the best of humanity. It is out there. You just have to be intentional and escape the 24 hour news cycle once in a while.

Categories
Business Cartoons relationship cartoons

Can we put away our idols?

Cartoon of a couple staring at a huge idol

Idols show up in the strangest places. An idol can be a beloved sports team, a movie start, musician, even an eletronic device. Where is my iPhone anyway? I have to find it before I hyperventilate!

Any person or object we tend to get obsessed with can be an idol. It can even be an idea. Perhaps you have problems giving up an idea that had run its course thirty years ago. Even churches and the old rituals we hold dear can become idols. Hymnals, Sunday best, bylaws and a tendency to keep doing things the same way can become idol. Change can become an idol, but it is much more likely the opposite, tradition and ritual gets idolized.

Be careful of idols. you may have one in the backyard and not be aware of it.

 

Categories
holiday

Candy Just For Being You!

Cartoon of a boy dressed as a jack o lantern and a hairy monster. The boy says, "At least this time of year, you get candy just for being you!"This weekend, kids and monsters will either go “bump” or “burp” in the night. Hairy monsters do not have to fear the manic clippers of the local hair stylist. Children will go from door to door seeking sugary rewards for dressing up like their favorite licensed character.

Monsters will have the added benefit of fitting right in. What better way to play up to your gift set? I hope everyone will have a safe, happy weekend. Even if you’re a monster, be sure to wear light clothing. The reflective vests are even better!

Categories
Just fun

Turning of the Seasons

King Solomon, in Ecclesiastes wrote, “There is a time and a season for everything.” The seasons are turning in Ohio and Indiana. And I am fine with that. 

Last year, we missed autumn because we were in Arizona. My wife and I tried to get used to drinking pumpkin spiced concoctions in one hundred degree heat. We never could quite get used to it. This autumn feels normal again. The frost is on the pumpkin and the fodder’s in the shock. (Thank you, James Whitcomb Riley)

What does all this mean on an autumn Saturday? Only that things change. Life changes continually, and I love it. Now, ask me again in a few months when the snow is falling, the temperature plummets and I start complaining about selling my snow blower!