Resolve to Appreciate Things That Still Work in 2016
By Donna Vandiver President & CEO
TVG’s social media posed a question last week. We asked, “What’s your New Year’s Resolution?” Singular, not plural. This seemed odd to me, as I expected most people would have two or three resolutions, at least. However, it turned out we were on to something. I was unable to find anyone who had made a resolution this year.
I turned to the CBS Sunday Morning news. Michael Ian Black popped up with his resolutions. They were to keep doing things he was already doing – like having pizza every Friday night and continuing not to jog.
So, I turned to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in search of another topic to write about and found an article on old things that still work—appliances, not people. This got me thinking about appliances we’re still using, many years after their expected date of demise. First up is an AM/FM clock radio made by Ideel that was purchased around 1966. It still works—both the clock and the radio. Although when the time dial turns, it’s a bit loud. There’s also a Westclox alarm clock. You wind it. It’s loud, too. These are in our guest room to amuse guests who try to figure out how they work. How about a GEharvest gold and brown AM transistor radio in its original faux-leather case, purchased in the mid-60’s? Or, a 1957 Wurlitzer jukebox complete with 45s from the 60’s? (If you don’t know what a 45 is, go Google it.)
Or, maybe you’d like to hear about our avocado-green electric knife. Little did Hamilton Beach know that this thing would still be used at every family holiday celebration since 1972. I just donated another wedding present: an avocado green crock pot, still
working. And, our harvest gold refrigerator, circa 1977, and our 1978 upright freezer were just picked up by Ameren before they stopped offering rebates to retire old appliances. They say these old appliances are energy hogs. My mom, still using the circa 1930 Frigidaire she and my dad purchased for $50, doesn’t believe old appliances are energy hogs. Perhaps this is part of a conspiracy to have us retire working old appliances so we will stimulate the economy by buying new ones? Of course, my mom is also still using a desktop computer we retired more than ten years ago. She plays solitaire on it.
In January, 2015, the most Googled searches were: How to get rid of stress, how to make kale chips and how much water you need to drink to lose weight. I’m not sure what the top searches will be in 2016, but we’ll know soon enough. In the meantime, here’s a toast to all those old things that still work. In our world here at TVG, that’s things like face-to-face meetings, calling someone instead of using email all the time, and developing solid client relationships by doing both. Happy 2016!