Festivus celebrations, as you may recall from a classic episode of Seinfeld that aired in 1997, included the airing of grievances. Another cinematic reference that comes to mind is the movie Ground Hog Day.

When it comes to the airing of grievances there are a whole lot of folks that seem caught in an endless loop. They never seem to have solutions or ideas about how to resolve problems. Days, weeks or months can go but nothing changes. Think Eeyore from the Winnie the Pooh stories.

For these folk the focus is always on the past, and not the future. They become embittered and present themselves as victims. They see the world through the filter of frustration and paranoia. And for people that allow themselves to be pulled into the vortex, the world seems like a pretty dark place.

Festivus or Christmas

Few thngs upset the Eeyore’s more than a happy wanderer, the people that go through life filled with unbridled optimism. Their infectious enthusiasm is an affront. And their ability to see six solutions for every problem stand in stark contrast to the people that see six problems in every solution.

I dred meetings or planning sessions with people that prefer life in the dark shadows. They are exhausting. It is almost like they suck the air and light from a room.

The flip side is meetings with the happy wanderers. They acknowledge problems and then devise a solution built with the ideas of others. And if that solution doesn’t work, they take responsibility and try again.

These are the meetings I enjoy. Even better, when a problem is surmounted I share the excitement and am invigorated to face the next challenge.

To The Centennial And Beyond

Fortunately, at least within the international Route 66 community, there seem to be more happy wanderers than Eeyore’s. You can see the fruits of their labor in Tulsa, and all along the Route 66 corridor in Oklahoma.

And I am pleased to announce that, finally, the happy wanderers are taking the lead in Kingman. You can see their efforts made manifest in the recent Beale Street infrastructure project. And now it is manifesting in the initial work on the historic Hotel Beale, a cooperative project between owners of the property and Kingman Main Street.

But one of the most exciting developments in Kingman is phase two of the narrated self guided historic district walking tour. This project is a partnership between Kingman Main Street, Tailsman Magic Marketing, and Jim Hinckley’s America.

Phase two of the project is a fully revamped website. I mentioned this in a previous post. But since then there have been additions made. These include an expansive calendar of events. And in the gift shop Route 66 centennial merchandise with original designs is available.

Words of Wisdom

Parting thoughts to wrap up this post are from a lifetime spent working with barnyard philosophers.

• Life is to short for riding the trail with a saddle bum that complains about the beans, the coffee, the sunshine, the rain, and the dog
• If your focus is on looking for cow pies, chances are that you will find them
• No matter how hard the job, always remember that work is a sure death, albeit a slower one than starvation
• If you choose to ride with a liar and a thief, don’t take offense if people think that you are a liar and a thief
• If you insist on sleeping with a dog that has fleas, don’t complain about waking up with fleas
• A man that works to turn you against your neighbor is probably working to turn your neighbor against you