quadcities

Welcome to “At Home with Tom and Sandy.” Happy New Year! It is never too late. Every day, people pass up opportunities to make a difference in our community. We can all do something and it doesn’t have to cost anything. So, start a daily habit of doing something. If you have the power to make someone happy – DO IT. Our world needs more happy!

Tom and I thought our first column of 2020 should be about more happy, human kindness and resolutions. Settle in, and thanks for reading “At Home with Tom & Sandy.” We appreciate your readership, comments and to the many new friends that we have met through our column, thanks for your support.

SANDY: Tom, it is that time of year again – the New Year, time for those resolutions. Some resolutions are hard to stay the course like those diets and the exercise.

TOM: I am so bad about doing those personal varieties of resolutions, but for business, you bet I have made resolutions.

SANDY: Well…continue, Tom.

TOM: OK, there are two major issues that I resolve to continue to address along with other community partners and that is continuing to make a real push locally to broaden the opportunities for our young generation of men and women to join the trades as a career.

SANDY: Tom, I like that one and as you know, YCCA developed our first YCCA Bootcamp for young adults one year ago, January 2019, and our second YCCA Boot Camp is taking place this January 2020. The Bootcamp is FULL! This is a fabulous way to teach the trades to our younger generation.

TOM: I am really looking forward to helping those efforts. The struggle for qualified tradesman is not going away. I firmly believe this is a worthwhile resolution. I am honored to be able to share my knowledge on blueprint reading and construction math to the young adults. I am excited about my three hours of classroom time.

SANDY: What is the second resolution you are so passionate about?

TOM: It’s a resolution to our homeowners that by using venues such as our column, radio shows, our company newsletter and printed information we will help keep them apprised of new information, maintenance schedules, and continue to be an effective resource for them. We need to expand our ability to share all the new products on the market, new design trends and generally cool stuff that is out there and coming out there.

TOM: What about you? What about YCCA? Has the board jumped on the resolution bandwagon?

Your turn, Ms. Sandy!

SANDY: As an organization and partner in the community, we have resolved to continue to promote our organization and share with the community the importance of using local licensed contractors. YCCA and our board have also resolved that we will continue to give back to the community through our membership. There are many good causes that matter and YCCA will continue to give, mentor and volunteer in our community to try to make our community a better place. The most recent community partnership was the Shop With a Cop in December 2019. YCCA partnered with SignalzAZ and through our members, who graciously contributed. We collectively raised more than $15,000 for the underprivileged kids in our communities.

TOM: How about those resolutions that homeowners can follow all year long, like resolve to hire licensed contractors, resolve to hire local contractors.

SANDY: Right on, Tom, and I can add to that list: resolve to verify insurance; resolve to get estimates in writing, nothing verbal; resolve to turn the estimate into a signed executed contract; and, always resolve to put changes in writing.

SANDY: These resolutions are non-fattening, easy to stick to, healthy for your remodeling projects and headache-free.

SANDY: Tom, in the introduction of our column, we talked about “Happy.” I love to SMILE at everyone – it may be the only smile they get all day and gosh, it makes me feel good, and the smiles I receive in return are amazing. What about your input on Happy for our readers?

TOM: I always like to hold a door open for the person coming in or going out, young or old, male or female, it is the polite thing to do. Yep, kindness. Now, more than ever, people need to honestly think about what it means to be kind, not because the world is in any more of a state of chaos than it ever has been, but because our world lends itself less and less to kindness. The automatic sliding door has eliminated a common act of kindness people do every day, which is holding the door for someone. There are many instances that still require people to act on their sense of kindness and hold doors open, but the automatic door has diminished those acts.

SANDY: I think it is very important now-a-days to give affirmation, to praise people about a quality that they have that you really appreciate. Their faces just light up. That is Happy!

SANDY: I also love helping someone. When I see an elderly person struggling with belongings or groceries, I offer to help carry them and have even put bags into his or her car. I love the sweet golden-year citizens.

TOM: Another Happy for me is when I stop for cars backing out of parking spaces. With our narrow streets in Prescott, I am always watching for the back-up lights and stop to let the car pull out. The waves I get from the drivers are great.

TOM: I will continue to resolve to let another driver into my lane when I see a turn signal on. It takes a nanosecond to slow down and let the driver into your lane.

SANDY: I say the ripple effect starts with one. One person to be a spark of kindness, we can all be that ONE person.

TOM: Everybody has the potential to change the world and I believe everyone wants to seize that potential. These people are called a RAKtivist. RAKtivists are the heroes of our world. They live and breathe kindness, sharing knowledge and leading by example. RAKtivists leaves a trail of warm-and-fuzzy feelings in their wake.

So you say, “WHAT IS A RAKTIVIST?” RAKtivist is short for ‘Random Acts of Kindness activist.’ RAKtivists are everywhere. RAKtivist: Anyone who believes kindness can change the world, who reminds everyone how much love there is. Let’s all be a RAKtivist.

SANDY: What I see happening is that when people are not kind, they are labeled as rude. Rudeness is becoming easier to recognize than kindness, such as not stopping to let the car pull out of the parking space, not letting the driver into your lane, not holding a door open, not saying, “please” or “thank you.” How about the people who not only just talk on the phone in a public place, but shout into a conversation?

Without kindness, there is rudeness. Kindness is simply when a person isn’t rude. To avoid rudeness, simply be kind. Kindness is stepping away from the self-centered oblivion so often promoted in modern culture and appreciate the people around you, even if it is someone just a few steps short of catching the door. So, the only New Year’s resolution we should all care about for 2019 is keeping kindness in mind and following our resolutions to be better people, better company owners and better community partners.

TOM: I got it, Sandy, and I agree with you. Everyone, go make a change.

SANDY: Nearly 100 years ago, aviator Amelia Earhart observed, “A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees.”

From Tom and Sandy – Happy New Year! These resolutions, happiness expressions and widespread kindness makes our community feel happier. We crave the sweetness that kindness brings to life. In 2020, clear your schedule for kindness. Small, intentional acts of kindness can change the world.

Thanks for stopping in “At Home with Tom and Sandy.” You’re in good company and we love sharing educational, fun and important information with you. See you next month. QCBN

Tom Reilly, Architect, Contractor, Renovations 928-445-8506 renovationsaz.com

Sandy Griffis, Executive Director, Yavapai County Contractors Association.  928-778-0040.