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
creativity motivation

Thinking Outside the Cereal Box

Cartoon of a mom and a son at breakfast. The son says, "I want something different for breakfast. What about seven-layer bean dip?"

Across the county, Breakfast has been reclaimed! Until the lockdown, it was an infrequent meal that few of us ate because we thought we were too busy. If we did eat it, we gulped down a quick pastry or breakfast sandwich as we ran out the door. Now, most of us have time for the first meal. In fact, this event has caused breakfast cereal companies to increase their ad spend. Here is one part of the economy that is benefiting from all this fun!

Ads for breakfast foods a ray of sunshine for media amid coronavirus cutbacks.

New York Post

Yes, there are plenty of businesses and people that are suffering financially right now. However, there are probably other examples where businesses are thriving. Perhaps they are seeing an uptick when they were languishing a few months before.

It is easy to get into the mindset that the news portrays. Yes, there are still plenty of people affected by this. I have certainly felt the effects. However, We can also ask ourselves what does this moment make possible? What can you do now that you never would have before we were told to hunker down? What is a new skill or business venture that you can start? How can you show kindness and care to those in your community? What can you do to prepare for the reopening of businesses and travel?

One thing I would not recommend is trying a seven-layer bean dip for breakfast. It will make the rest of the day feel funky. Not that I’ve tried it before…

Cartoon of a mom and a son at breakfast. The son says, "I want something different for breakfast. What about seven-layer bean dip?"
Categories
Business Business Cartoons holiday motivation

Administrative Professionals Day, and Earth Day

Cartoon of a man giving his computer flowers

This year is a different kind of Administrative Professionals Day. Many administrative professionals are working from home thanks to the coronavirus. Some are working the frontlines of essential businesses and keeping visitors from entering a facility without the necessary health precautions.

This year, Earth Day and Administrative Professionals Day fall on the same day. So if you have an administrative professional, this would be an entirely appropriate time to get them some flowers or a hearty plant. We all need a little nature as we stay huddled together in our humble abodes.

So thank you to all the administrators that make things happen behind the scenes. And thank you to a planet that needs some tender loving care. We couldn’t make it without either one of you.

Cartoon of a man giving his computer flowers
Categories
motivation technology cartoons

Are You Getting Tired of Staring at Screens Too?

Cartoon of a man staring at a computer screen

Yes, I am also tired of staring at screens. If it’s not a computer screen, it’s my phone, tablet or television. If you are working from home, odds are, your screen is the window to your workplace. If you are not working right now, a screen may be your entertainment, a diversion or vital information about the outside world.

I am thankful we have this technology. It gives us insight and helps us to be productive. Yet, it can cause our eyes to glaze over. I don’t know about you, but my eyes feel tired by noon. And there are days when the connection is slow and it feels like I spend more time waiting for the network to catch up than doing work. Yes, it can be frustrating.

Yet, this has been good for us. We are all now finding ways to work we didn’t think were possible at the beginning of the year. We were very paper-based in my office. Now we know it is possible to eliminate the paper. And in some cases, it is actually speeding up the workflow.

As we get through this screen-filled era, remember to take some time to look away for a while. Perhaps read that paper book you’ve been meaning to get to. Call a coworker or friend. Or close your eyes on your break and listen to some uplifting music or an informative podcast. Your eyes will thank you. And perhaps your mind will thank you for the break as well.

Cartoon of a man staring at a computer screen
Categories
motivation

Sheepish About the Destination?

Cartoon of two sheep

We are all sheep. No offense, but we are a bunch of little guys and gals that are grazing through uncharted meadows. We like to think we are in charge and could take control of any situation. But the last month shows we really have no idea where we’ve been, where we are and where we are going.

The next year is uncertain at best. But this is no time to panic and throw all things, including your hoarded bathroom tissue, out the window. Besides, have you ever seen a sheep stampede? It’s a little less impressive than a cattle stampede.

We may not know the destination and we may get a little sheepish about it. But we sheep can rely on the good shepherd. Yes, we can call on a higher power. It gives us hope. When things feel like they’re out of control, we can realize we never really did have as much control as we thought we did. A sheep with Google Maps is a dangerous thing. I’m letting the shepherd take control and take me in the right direction. There is hope and a good future.

Cartoon of two sheep
Categories
motivation

Loving Your Neighbor in Tight Quarters

Cartoon of man in backyard. Love your neighbor and put up with his pooch,

When my wife and I began married life, we lived in an upstairs apartment. Our downstairs neighbor had a little dog named Happy. It was ironic because the pooch never seemed to be happy. The poor thing would spend all of her time barking at everything whenever she was outside. As a young adult, I thought it was quite annoying.

Four years later, my wife and I had our first child. When the baby cried, I thought of how ungracious I felt when the dog would bark. I realized a crying baby could be just as annoying to neighbors as a yapping dog.

Nearly twenty-eight years later, that same child is working from home during the quarantine in Phoenix, Arizona. He rents a room from a couple and has to do most of his work from the room because of client privacy rules. Next door, a young vocalist has been practicing. She has been robust in her vocal practice and in singing opera. It’s amazing how things come full circle.

We are living in a time where we may be more aware of our neighbors and their activities than before the quarantine. It is taking some patience and some agapé love to get us through it.

The Washington Post has a great article on ways to work with and be patient with your neighbor during the lockdown. It focuses on apartment dwellers. But considering my son’s situation, it could also apply to suburbanites.

In the end, remember to love your neighbor and show patience to them and their little quirks. If you think about it, you may have a few of your own.

Cartoon of man in backyard. Love your neighbor and put up with his pooch,