It is Thursday already…week just moving on by…hope yours is
going pretty good. We have experienced a
couple of very soggy days…rained over 3 inches in some places and we needed
every single drop…and muddy, muddy, muddy.
Now the wind is blowing and whipping and sounding mighty furious. Texas, don’t like the weather one day…just
stick around because it changes so fast and pretty soon it will be what you are
looking for!
Well, just a little refresher here...why I am inviting you
to stop by here on the Front Porch…in late December just praying and thinking about the new year and what improvements,
resolutions, changes I might need in my life…some words just started flowing….words
like…forget resolutions….lifestyle living …hmmm…interesting and then more words
began to just flow…all these words ending in ‘ize’…prioritize,
revolutionize,
maximize,
minimize, organize….starting writing them down and ended
up with 28….so I thought I would explore them, write about them for 28 days and
so here we are!
What is going to happen after 28 days? Not sure, for right now…one day at a time.
Today…gonna discuss capitalize…meaning
to use an event or a situation to help you to achieve something or to get an advantage. This meaning has nothing to do with grammar
or business or balance sheets. No, capitalize….making the most of an
situation or event…..Seize the moment…grab hold of that deal, find that silver
lining behind that cloud…make the most of
that situation. Grab the gusto; go for it…capitalize...
One
of the best examples of this is the Robertson family of Monroe, Louisiana…better
known as Duck Dynasty.
Yep,
Duck Dynasty…At first glance the
Robertsons look like a typical Louisiana (really??) family who lives for duck
hunting season, and squirrel and blowing things up! A closer look, however, reveals they
live very well because of duck hunting season. The Robertsons own and operate
Duck Commanders, which specializes (one of
our ‘ize’ word) in fabricating duck calls and decoys out of
salvaged swamp wood. The company has grown from a mom-and-pop operation to a
multimillionaire sporting empire, established in 1973 by family patriarch Phil
(aka the Duck Commander) and now run by his business-savvy son, Willie. ``Duck
Dynasty'' follows the Robertsons and their booming business. Other family members such as his brother Jase,
who has a mischievous streak (almost a passive/aggressive thing going on there),
and Uncle Si, a Vietnam vet such colorful, unpredictable character and we never
know what armchair wisdom will fly out of his mouth. He manages to keep the guys and gals in the
workshop occupied with his many stories. And of course, we all know who really
runs the business, the family and has the final say: Miss Kay! Love how it’s
Miss Kay’s way or no way (the goat episode).
I have some family members who follow these bearded guys glamorous
gals (really ladies…you like those beards?)…and I must admit after watching a
couple of episodes, they do kinda grow on you…we all know someone like Uncle
Si. We admire Willie’s business savvy
and feel his pain when Jase leads the crew on yet another one of his harebrain
schemes. We chuckle with and at Uncle Si.
We wonder what yummy dish Miss Kay will come up with next. We sigh with relief when at the end of the 30
minute show, all ends well, with the family gathering around eating fine fixins
such as fresh fried catfish or fresh squirrel and gravy, fried frog legs… (don’t
they ever shop at Walmart’s and buy…chicken, or roast beef or ham??) ….then at the end of each episode they gather
for supper….and end up hand in hand praying, laughing and planning their next
moment on which they can capitalize.
Duck Dynasty indeed!
I am not sure who ‘discovered’ this family or who their
agent is…but you gotta hand it to someone for discovering, marketing and capitalizing on this family’s……hmmmm
should I dare say talents? Most of the
episodes are filled with the Robertson family’s madness, mayhem and
foolishness….but hey, they have sure capitalized on being rednecks,
doing outlandish, bizarre things for the entire world to see. The old saying, “ They are crying all the way
to the bank” comes to mind. Capitalizing….
I was not sure what I thought of this family and this show until
I saw the episode about Willie being whisked away in a helicopter from Duck
Dynasty land to Plano, Texas by a client who wanted to increase his
contract for Duck Dynasty goods (things such as hats, tee shirts, sun visors,
etc.) by 10 fold…10 times the original contract.
Willie returns to Louisiana with big plans…but has a dilemma
on how the family business can actually pull this off. How can they mass produce these items? After
some discussion with Jase and gang they decide ‘automation’ is the key. Jase and company build a conveyor belt. Upon close scrutiny of this belt…we can see
nails bent, twisted, looks like a piece of junk and it was. They were capitalizing
on their capitalizing. Perhaps you had to be there to actually see
just how redneck and ridiculous this was.
But, believe it or not I related to this episode. I have this little farm here in McKinney,
Texas…and on this little farm I have a variety of animals...the good news…the bad
news...something is always falling apart, breaking down….fix or repair daily….wear
and tear. The farm is my little Kingdom’;
the Preacher just doesn’t care much for the animals and certainly doesn’t care
about the maintenance. Every now and then
he will ask me if I am ready to move to the Condo….hmmm on days like we have
just had…trying to slosh down to the barn and feed everyone….I might just be
tempted…..
Anyway, my three best friends are: duct/duck
tape, cable ties and bungee cords. These
3 items keep my fences held together, my gates secure and various other
structures held together. I’ve nailed
many boards that looked just like the ones Jase and his gang nailed. I have boards in various places on the farm
that are full of bent, sticking up all over nails, in every direction. For every nail I nail that goes through the board
and makes connection with another board, I may have 5 or 6 nails that did not...don’t
even ask how many times I have busted my fingers with the hammer! ….Redneck
indeed...and growing up in Kentucky and now living here in Texas…I know a
little about Rednecks.
Anyway, back to capitalize….for lifestyle living…we
should all look for opportunities to use an event or a situation to help us to achieve something or to get an advantage. Who knows
when any of us might discover, invent or stumble upon that one thing that we
can capitalize upon and thus have our very own
“Duck
Dynasty!
On a more serious note: the best event
or opportunity any of us could ever capitalize
upon is God’s love and His plan of salvation.
Best deal-ever. We make a trade...our
sins-every single one-for eternal life.
Also, the Promise that He will never leave us nor forsake us…be our best
friend. Capitalize….
Well, we are suppose to dry out some
today…warm up…tomorrow up in the 70’s…Texas…gotta love it here on the Front
Porch! Until then….capitalize!
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