Welcome to the Friday mailbag where you will find some of the comments, questions and ideas sent recently by readers of this newsletter or our publications. They are edited for space and clarity.
“Generally speaking, most remakes are just artists thinking they can make it better, sound better, or provide better words but only display how much they can't make it better (Cheap imitations?, April 22,2026). About somebody's parent imparting truth, would it have been better to stay in your ignorance? Didn't he do you a great service? If you like worship music, I heard a new version of ‘As The Deer’ by Shane and Shane on Worship Initiative Vol. 25 (live). It really resonated with my heart. My son says it was just the reverb effect that my heart responded to. I think there may be some of your friend's parent in him. I think I understand your frustration. Thank you for your columns. I do enjoy them.” - Donna
With a band name like Shane and Shane, how can they go wrong? - Shane
“Holy, moly does this column hit home (Having an agenda, April 27, 2026). I suffer from ADD or ADHD (who knows?), and I had it before it was cool. No one knew about this when I grew up, but all the teachers knew that the opportunity to claim our own share of attention was a struggle, and the report cards supported this with ‘More Progress Needed.’ From kindergarten to sixth grade, I had this on every report except for the last one. I found that, to combat this in my working career, an agenda was the saving grace. It allowed me to functionally prepare and make sure key points were not missed. The ‘Oh, I forgot’ is a disruptive statement and wastes time. Furthermore, customers appreciate it because, as you noted, it keeps meetings on track. This is the foundation on confirming any and all follow up and assigning this to close the loop. I have been teased from my team about doing this, but they realize that their time, too, is valuable, so we hit the key points and then get back to selling! Thank you so much, Shane.” - Rick
I am glad you enjoyed it, but I realize this type of time management is common sense to some and completely foreign to others. - Shane
“There's a word for a meeting without an agenda: free-for-all (Having an agenda, April 27, 2026).” - Brad
Good point, as that free-for-all can be costly. - Shane
“Your column on Earth Day brought back a bunch of memories (Littering lessons, April 29, 2026). Even before the official ‘bottle bill,’ my parents would drive slowly and stop the car to retrieve pop bottles from the side of the road. And that was when the deposit on a glass pop bottle was 3 cents. Of course, gas was a whole lot cheaper back then. Even later in life, my mom would go for a walk to and from town to Highway 17 and carry a trash bag to pick up cans and bottles. One time, she met a semi driver coming into town who saw what Mom was doing. He stopped his truck, rolled down the window, and asked if she'd like a few more cans. He opened his door to reveal empty cans and bottles littering the inside of the cab. He gladly gave them to Mom, who gladly took them off his hands.” - Bob
Unfortunately, we could use a lot more of that today. - Shane
Have a fantastic Friday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.thedailyumbrella.com
Read more of Shane Goodman's columns here. |
