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After Hours
with Jody Glynn Patrick
September 2012
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09/28/12When you’re loved a bushel … and a few pecksHere’s a word of encouragement to parents of teens: There is light at the end of the tunnel. Just the other day, my adult daughter Brook, now a Chicago cop, texted how much she appreciated “the light” I brought into her 4-year-old son’s life and heart, and how much she loved me, too. My kids are verbally and physically affectionate, with many hug-and-kiss moments and “I love you” endings to phone calls but, out of context, her surprisingly sweet message still made for a weak-kneed, jelly-belly feeling. |
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09/26/12Roses are red, violets are blue, I’m schizophrenic, and so am IBoy oh boy. I didn’t know what I was getting into when I said I’d write a weekly business tips blog for TDS for its business resource center (TDS Blog – Business Tips). But now that the writing is on the wall (or in this case, on another company’s website), I feel honor bound to take my own “best practices” advice ... which is making me a little, shall we say ... schizophrenic. |
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09/26/12Thanking my lucky (On)StarsWhile driving to work, I noticed an unfamiliar warning light on my dashboard, so I pulled over, grabbed the car’s handbook, and looked it up. Low tire pressure. But which tire? I don’t have a pressure gauge and already was running a little behind schedule. With a car trip to Chicago planned for later in the week, and a husband already traveling for business, I’d have to tend to it myself. Rats! |
09/26/12What do YOU do when you aren’t doing what you do?I am so enjoying writing about people’s hobbies for the magazine. Learning about what people do in their “free” or “spare” time is not only revealing, but it also shows that successful people aren’t just driven to go-go-go at work at the expense of friends, family, and hobby passions. The most successful people, I’ve found, manage to balance and blend many interests. |
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09/26/12Are you ‘spending’ or ‘investing’ your commute time?Robert Jordan, inventor and founder of Idle Free Systems, is my hero – and not because he has one of the most inspiring business start-up stories ever told, but because of the way the man’s mind works. Jordan was a long-haul truck driver for 20-plus years (“over 6,200 days”). He told me that very soon into that career, he realized he could “spend” or “invest” his driving time. |
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09/26/12Scheduling a shadow life ‘After Hours’In your conscious world, you may recognize me as a business manager and publisher or, if you know me better, as a wife, grandmother, and mother. Maybe you are in my smallish circle of friends, or have connected with me through art or genealogy – I’m passionate about those avocations. But every night, just before bath and bed, I escape to an equally real and significant shadow life. I access that through personal emails, which have grown exponentially due to other passions. |
IB Publisher Emeritus Jody Glynn Patrick blends work and life in this very clear departure from her other writing for In Business magazine. Awarded national recognition for both her previous work as a newspaper columnist and her journalistic leadership at IB, she brings us all back "Closer to Home" with her insights and remembrances. A nice place to be "After Hours." Check back often!
