About this column:
Our columnist takes a look at businesses, economic trends and personal matters and finance.A potential client walks into Mountain Park Fitness gym and its owner, Alan Woodward, gives him a tour. The phone is ringing. He lets his assistant get it. It's busy these days. The gym represents a new life for lots of people believing in the promise of a new year. 2011-I can finally...what? What can I finally be, do, experience? We ask this question every year at this time. It gets us to join gyms, sign up for conversational Italian or learn rock climbing. It's as if the slate is wiped clean and we can start over. A do-over, as it were. We had big ideas of accomplishment, but life got in …
It started a couple of weeks ago. I was busy, distracted. My shopping had nothing to do with Christmas. In fact, I think I needed paper towels. But when I walked out of the grocery store, there she stood-wrapped in a scarf, wearing boots, a puffy coat and ringing that bell. Oh. And she had on a big smile. Something in me made me stop. It was like a switch clicked on. I reached into my wallet and pulled out a dollar bill. She was smiling and ringing and saying thank you. I reached toward the kettle and stuffed my dollar in. (The slits in that thing make it impossible to anonymously fling in …
