Happy Birthday: 2 for Lu and welcome to your 20s!

March 13, 2000 - Miracle Baby!

Taylor:

I am thankful for Lucy’s recent visit to Atlanta. Lucy came to see us (even if coincidentally) and we were blessed to have some time with her. At the same time, we are jealous of the many fun trips she gets to take!

Lucy is confident in all she does. She knows what she believes in and has spent a lot of time and dedication to develop that self-assurance. And she is encouraging of others to do the same by the example she shows us all!

Mom:

I admire Lucy’s sense of adventure and her ability to organize and follow through on trips and experiences to follow her dreams. Lucy, you are brave, strong, smart and capable and I love that about you. 

Lucy is devout in her faith. You impress me how you study the Bible and truly live God’s Word each day. You are a mentor to your young life students, your friends, and your family. Thank you for being such a great role model.

Sally:

I love how genuine Lucy is about everything she does. She has a contagious smile and a passionate spirit that encourages everyone around her to engage. She is smart and creative and a true servant-leader. I am so proud that she is my little sister.

I love how open-minded and diverse Lucy is. She has an incredible mix of friends - from college, STN, high school, Young Life, etc. She understands the importance of having dynamic friendships and is always willing to try new things and have adventures with new people. This will take her so far in life and her world will be BIG. We all have so much to learn from our LuLu lemon!

Emily:

I LOVE all the times I’ve had with Lucy but especially this past Christmas break when it felt as though, together we could do anything, even a brutal cleanse! I am so lucky to have two sisters who inspire me and that we all push each other to be our best. But, back to Lu . . . I loved experiencing some downtime with her and being able to truly see her drive and passion in everything she does! When she sets her mind to something, she does it. And that is why I love her.

Lucy is wise. I love that she has found an amazing group of friends at college. She has always been someone whom people want in their life. I think she has done a wonderful job of reflecting and understanding who she is and who she wants to be around! Lucy once told me “you don’t have to say yes to everything or everyone and it’s okay to do what makes you happy” - proving that Lu is wise beyond her years (and maybe wiser than me) once again! I’m very proud of her.

Dad:

Twenty years ago today we were blessed with a healthy, amazing third daughter - Lucy May Singletary. I can not imagine our family without Lucy. She has always been wise beyond her years with this sense of awareness and confidence that shines so bright. You make me very happy and proud Lucy! Keep it going.

I can't wait to see what Lucy does in her professional life and her goal of serving others. Her passion for leadership and for giving back is such a gift and it is going to be fun to see where God leads her next! She understands that the path is not always straight and smooth. She has the coping skills for the bumps and the desire to always learn and grow. Press on my daughter and stay whole.

Good silver lining LinkedIn post from my colleague Sigrid Bayer

Hey LuLu,

Please be safe on your journey back to Texas today.

Here's a good LinkedIn post from a favorite colleague, Sigrid Bayer, out of Germany:

"Is there something positive about the #coronavirus? Not sure how everybody is feeling, but watching news, reading articles and newspapers gets depressing, however at #LinkedIn it feels like there is still tons of good news and great things to watch. Who are the winners? The earth, sustainability, less emissions, re-think travel, families and friends who really talk to each other (schools are closed, working from home), shopping at the local farmer, cooking vegetables (sorry the local shops run out of pasta), start producing basic things in your own country again, pay for value? What are your positive thoughts currently?"

My comment: "Great post Sigrid. I'm looking for the lemonade out of lemons right along with you. While concerned for the elderly and the sick, who stand to suffer the most, my greatest hope is that we all rise to the challenge and find ways to turn this situation into a positive. I recently read (Austin's own) Ryan Holiday's 'The Obstacle is the Way' - a great book for times like this. Subtitle: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph. Check it out if not familiar; plus Holiday's latest: 'Stillness is the Key' which carries many of the same themes through on the importance of learning to be 'still' in this busy world. We got this!"

And lastly, this in from Kyle on Hoot Hoot:

Peace,

Dad

SWT: Do good, make money, triumph as a generalist

Hey Lu. I've got two podcasts going this week. The first is above: How to Do the Right Thing . . . and Make Money. "This week on Morning Brew’s Business Casual, Bombas CEO Dave Heath explains why missions to “do good” can coexist with those to “do profit.” I thought you might enjoy it as well.

And also spending some time with this one:

David Epstein wrote a great book called The Sports Gene, that explains the science behind athletic performance. His new book is called Range - Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World. 

Peter Attia's conversation here with Epstein is good stuff.

Check these both out when you can and stay whole!

Lucy and friends safely in Breck! - MIAGM

Hey LuLu,

Great to see this picture of you and friends in the mountains. Ann and Clay Slack are sweet friends to let you gals have run of the mill in Breckenridge. 

Stay safe, well, and happy . . .

Dad

P.S. Here's Wehman's second LinkedIn article on his transition from professional golf to business - From Golf to Business: The Importance of Problem Solving. Everybody read, enjoy and post a comment. Wehman is my rockstar LinkedIn disciple. Come on girls!

Below pic is Wehman and Jim competing in Austin Golf Club member-guest this weekend. They finished T2 and no doubt had some great father-son bonding!

Saturday nugget regarding Covid-19 - #patiencenotpanic

Lucy,

Your mom (who I remind you is an experienced medical professional) and I agree with this guy. Here's a letter from Dr. Sharkway that JoJo shared on Facebook:

I'm a doctor and an Infectious Diseases Specialist. I've been at this for more than 20 years seeing sick patients on a daily basis. I have worked in inner city hospitals and in the poorest slums of Africa. HIV-AIDS, Hepatitis,TB, SARS, Measles, Shingles, Whooping cough, Diphtheria...there is little I haven't been exposed to in my profession. And with notable exception of SARS, very little has left me feeling vulnerable, overwhelmed or downright scared. 

I am not scared of Covid-19. I am concerned about the implications of a novel infectious agent that has spread the world over and continues to find new footholds in different soil. I am rightly concerned for the welfare of those who are elderly, in frail health or disenfranchised who stand to suffer mostly, and disproportionately, at the hands of this new scourge. But I am not scared of Covid-19. 

What I am scared about is the loss of reason and wave of fear that has induced the masses of society into a spellbinding spiral of panic, stockpiling obscene quantities of anything that could fill a bomb shelter adequately in a post-apocalyptic world. I am scared of the N95 masks that are stolen from hospitals and urgent care clinics where they are actually needed for front line healthcare providers and instead are being donned in airports, malls, and coffee lounges, perpetuating even more fear and suspicion of others. I am scared that our hospitals will be overwhelmed with anyone who thinks they " probably don't have it but may as well get checked out no matter what because you just never know..." and those with heart failure, emphysema, pneumonia and strokes will pay the price for overfilled ER waiting rooms with only so many doctors and nurses to assess. 

I am scared that travel restrictions will become so far reaching that weddings will be canceled, graduations missed and family reunions will not materialize. And well, even that big party called the Olympic Games...that could be kyboshed too. Can you even imagine? 

I'm scared those same epidemic fears will limit trade, harm partnerships in multiple sectors, business and otherwise and ultimately culminate in a global recession. 

But mostly, I'm scared about what message we are telling our kids when faced with a threat. Instead of reason, rationality, openmindedness and altruism, we are telling them to panic, be fearful, suspicious, reactionary and self-interested. 

Covid-19 is nowhere near over. It will be coming to a city, a hospital, a friend, even a family member near you at some point. Expect it. Stop waiting to be surprised further. The fact is the virus itself will not likely do much harm when it arrives. But our own behaviors and "fight for yourself above all else" attitude could prove disastrous. I implore you all. Temper fear with reason, panic with patience and uncertainty with education. We have an opportunity to learn a great deal about health hygiene and limiting the spread of innumerable transmissible diseases in our society. Let's meet this challenge together in the best spirit of compassion for others, patience, and above all, an unfailing effort to seek truth, facts and knowledge as opposed to conjecture, speculation and catastrophizing. 

Facts not fear. Clean hands. Open hearts. Our children will thank us for it.

#washurhands #geturflushot #respect #patiencenotpanic

A little quiz on Fit as a Fiddle Friday

Lucy,

I've become a fan of a daily news email by name of The Morning Brew. Our neighbor Strat turned me on to it. "Written in a witty and conversational tone, it makes reading the news actually enjoyable." The above is a little Friday quiz from today's Brew. How many can you get right without looking at the answers below? Try out the newsletter here.

Love ya and stay fit,

Dad

Answers: 1. The Geneva International Motor Show 2. Beige Book 3. Eiswein and ice wine are both acceptable answers 4. Usain Bolt’s record speed is 27.8 mph while a Bolt Scooter can go 30 mph 5) Air pollution or nitrogen dioxide, specifically

MIAGM - Everybody Writes

Lucy,

Great to hear about your weekend at Laity Lodge and the 'big person' job for the summer! You are prepared and God has a plan.

I started a new book, Everybody Writes, this morning. At first glance, it seems quite good. I learned about the book from a colleague whom I recently connected with from our Montreal office, Marc Sauro. Marc has moved from a technical sales role to a product marketing role. Marc's LinkedIn profile is well done and I especially like his personal about.me/markbsauro website.

Notice how he uses social media to promote his work and some thought-leadership, with links from the about.me site to other sites like Instagram, Medium, and Twitter. Plus a site called 'Pocket' that looks cool for curating content.  I also like the branding of his name 'marcbsauro'. Very cool and something I would like to do with my gPageSingletary brand!

Take a look and continue to think about how you best create your professional and personal brand online. And check out Everybody Writes when you need a new book.

Make it a Great Monday,

Dad