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In a previous blog I talked about a favorite place of mine, Bonefish Willy’s (Finding My Bonefish Willy’s) in Florida and other places from travels and former homes like Paradise Bay Resort on Oahu and Luncheria on St. Croix. I’m always drawn to the off-the-beaten-path, nice but not too nice places that focus on food, surroundings and atmosphere over manicured lawns or polish or decent employee hiring practices. I like a little rust, faded wood, rust, warped decking and rust if the trade-off is a place with real character. You say stucco? I say hell no! These places attract all sorts including characters imported from the Land of Misfit Toys. Some of these places are extinct like Crouching Lion and some are still going strong like the last true tiki bar on Oahu the La Mariana Sailing Club who’s 80’s priced happy-hour cocktails were always a stone’s throw away from my favorite surf break on Sand Island and who’s food was more than a stone’s through away from mentioning. Go by for the blind brothers who play music and the monthly gathering of septuagenarian dancers who sing along to all the old-time Hawaiiana favorites. I’m drawn to places that make people happy, that embrace the local aspects of their surroundings while also often providing me with a role in that happiness. At Bonefish Willy’s I was a waiter, a deckhand and fictional historian (AKA liar) for Paradise Bay Resort. I found a landlocked version of Bonefish Willy’s here in Gunnison, Colorado. It’s the biggest outdoor venue in all of Gunnison called Ibar Ranch. The Wickenhauser Family and title sponsor for all five years Castle Creek Guitar Company (thank you Brian, Sherry, Chris and Kent!) have created a GREAT venue for the community for weddings, special events and more importantly – LIVE MUSIC! A special shout out to Dick Bratton as well! I serve as emcee and occasional DJ for Ibar Ranch events and I’ve loved it. By the end of the summer Ibar Ranch will have hosted some big names in music in our tiny little town of only 5,000 people. The Motet, Sawyer Brown, Little Texas, Firefall, Diamond Rio, Asleep at the Wheel, Mamas Cookin’, Bellamy Brothers, Cheech and Chong (yes, really), Wynonna Judd and The Wailers. An impressive lineup!Bryan “Wick” Wickenhauser also partners regularly with non-profits as a fundraiser for some great causes like Gunnison Legacy, Six Points, the Community Foundation of the Gunnison Valley, Gunnison Valley Health Foundation and has some of the best pallet fires (AKA White Man Fires!) in all of Colorado. The decor is an eclectic collection of rusty wagons, hay bails, picnic tables and VIP tables made out of old electrical wiring spools. It’s in a word, PERFECT! The converted hay barn provides shelter from summer storms and sits at the base of Tenderfoot Mountain. The venue is flanked by active hay meadows, the sunsets to the west are incredible, the views east toward Tomichi Peak equally stunning and most everyone “gets it” when they’re here including many of the artists who see their fair share of venues and rave about Ibar Ranch. So take your manicured lawns, stucco and gas fireplaces and I’ll keep my meadows, wagon rides, hay barns and pallet fires with an old-fashioned, high-quality burger and an ice cold cocktail or ten. What’s your favorite off-the-beaten-path-dive-thats-not-a-dive? Anthony Poponi Is A Comic, Improv Artist, Brain Chemistry Nerd And Community-Minded Advocate And Owner Of Humore.Us. He’s Brings His Love Of Connection And Laughter To Audiences As Keynote, Emcee, Workshop Host Or Moderator And His Mission Is To Increase Laughter And Connectivity To Combat The Human Health Crises Of Isolation And Disconnection.

A client recently asked me if I offered team-buildings. Of course, I said yes because I do offer something that meets the label of team-building but I don’t like the phrase. Phrases like team-building and even motivational speaker are common place and I reluctantly try to build SEO around those terms because those are the terms people search for. Sadly, those labels miss the bigger opportunity you and your team have when you gather together.  In the gatherings I facilitate we spend a lot of time showing each person the uniqueness of their contribution to the office with these three underlying goals: People want to be valued. People want to be heard. People want to be respected. When we see ourselves as leaders things shift. “Ohhhhhhhh, now I get me.” Individuals “get themselves” and see their inherent leadership qualities, their mix of character strengths and how those attributes are unique in the workplace. When we see those around us leaders another big shift occurs. And I LOVE the moment when you see that look. When adversaries see each other differently: “Ohhhhhhhh, now I get them.” A powerful moment of new awareness. Teams start seeing others in a new light and more importantly understanding why the person you admire has traits you admire and why the person who is the oil to you water often identifies as the complete opposite type of person from you. And then seeing why the opposite of you brings incredible value to the workplace if you can welcome in those differences. Adversaries turn into allies. Tensions dissolve. Conflict fades and is replaced with respect. Trust leads to vulnerability and communication gets deep and real. Engagement spikes. When people “get themselves” and can lead themselves then engagement soars above the stunning low 34% reported by Gallup on workplace engagement in the USA. Think about – that 66% of employees are not engaged in their work. Tangent: “What do you do, Anthony?” It’s hard to encapsulate into a quick reply to the query: “What do you do, Anthony?” That’s why I’ve quit saying: “I’m a professional speaker” or “I’m leadership expert” or “I’m a professional coach.” And instead I say: “I make people happy.” It’s a fun opener to a conversation and creates a lot of opportunities to explore and connect. Making people happy feels so good. Full-Circle: Your employees desperately want to be heard, valued and respected. They want to give their best to their work. They want to be aligned with their role. They want to achieve. They want deeper relationships with their colleagues. They want to engage. They want meaning, purpose and a sense of belonging and a connection to work they are proud of. A company logo that makes them smile. A company culture they couldn’t imagine leaving. Neither did my client and what’s transpired since our time together has been a joy to watch. An understanding of oneself, deeper trust, vulnerability, mutual respect, conversations that mean something. They’re happier. They DID NOT want another “team-building”. They wanted to be happy. Anthony Poponi brings his talent on stage as comedian, improv artist, emcee and event producer. Everything we do is Humore.us!

So I applied to drive the WeinerMobile ……why not? Here’s my cover letter. Dear Mr. and Mrs. Mayer: I finally mustard up the energy to put my feelings into words in the form of this application to be your next Hot Dogger. This is a big day for me, one I will relish. I am excited to submit this application to you, my childhood has been defined by hot dogs, tube steaks, frankfurters for no matter what you call them… you had better call them delicious! My childhood wasn’t always positive. I suffered frequently from HDDD (Hot Dog Deficiency Disorder). Don’t get me wrong, there were often hot dogs but never enough to satisfy my cravings. Birthday parties, family reunions and BBQ gatherings typically featured my favorite: cheese dogs. When cooked right they’re slightly browned with cheesy warm ambrosia center. When overcooked they’re magma hot lava that can destroy taste buds meant for more wieners. Care must be taken in crafting this culinary concoction to perfection. Microwaves be damned. But why, I often cried to the sky, can’t these tasty tubular treats be a daily dose of delight? There were days at Phillies games where hawkers tortured me with their Siren’s song of “Wanna Hot Dog?” and their pain-inducing prose of “Get your hot dog here!” but much like Michael Jack Schmidt I often struck out. You see, my grandparents were of the Depression era and we (GASP!) brought in our own snacks. Besmirching these prideful merchants of mustard smeared magic my grandparents would instead hand us pretzels and iced-tea made from a powdered mix. Near Communist behavior, I know. I am not proud and the disgrace to my family and country will take generations to heal. You can read the full dirge here: https://anthonypoponi.com/go-schmidty-alternate-the-hot-dog-of-my-desire/ I leave you with this…an ode to Oscar Mayer wieners. The Taste You’ll Relish Even Without Relish: Open your mouth and Shut your eyes Cause you’re about to get A big surprise, a taste so sublime Relish all of the flavor Mustards my choice, though ketchup some savor Eating this treat is so durned delightfully fun You get a bite of moist meat, stuffed into a bun Everyday my goal is to eat two or three Do this for work? I’d be so happy I’d pee! I know the applicants will be a tough competition but this wiener (points at himself) wants to take it all! Insincerely, Anthony Poponi P.S. I’m a skilled communicator and I can quickly and easily connect with others and inspire laughter and creativity in everything I do. P.S.S. As required I am a college graduate graduating from the University of Georgia and our aptly named mascot the Bull-dogs. P.S.S.S. A resume is attached but let’s be frank, I was made for this position. I mean literally, if you are what you eat I’m like 93% hot dog. For A More Thoughtful Piece On Hot Dogs Check Out This Blog On Turkey Dogs  Anthony Poponi is a comic, improv artist, brain chemistry nerd and community-minded advocate and owner of Humore.us. He’s brings his love of connection and laughter to audiences as keynote, emcee, workshop host or moderator and his mission is to increase laughter and connectivity to combat the human health crises of isolation and disconnection.

As a kid I grew up in southern New Jersey near Philadelphia. A hair band named Motely Crue was the first CD I ever owned. The “Dr. Feelgood” CD by Motley Crue came into my life in 1989 and I’m tuning into that album again as I write this. Ah power ballads, I have missed you. Do this with me. Picture your favorite rock band or hair band. Get all the details visualized. The mile-high teased out hair. The outrageous outfits that were so colorful they induce migraines. The MTV videos. (Yes kids, MTV used to play videos) Especially envision the live performances: the smoke, the lights, the energy of the crowds and of course the rock stars themselves blasting out your favorite tunes. Cue the head-banging. ???? Rock stars have a commanding presence and can perform for an arena full of fans in a way that is captivating, energizing and bonding for both the rock stars and the audience. A lot of things align to create a powerful concert experience. Skilled songwriters, lighting technicians, roadies and sound engineers all lending their talents behind the scenes. Then the music starts with drummers setting the beat, vocalists sharing (or in the case of hair bands often screaming) the songwriter’s words emotively and the bassist serving as the backbone to the band’s rhythm. Everyone working together in synchrony. The result of the cooperative use of each individual’s expertise is the joyful experience of a concert – and concerts make us feel good. Now, would you go see a band made up of only bassists? Probably not. Expert bassists are critical to the rock band’s overall performance and the contribution of that expertise is unique but we need the rest of the Crue, sorry crew, to put on the show. Tangent: Dr. Feelgood was an actual album and title track. The Doctor in that song likely landed in trouble for a variety of “tax evading” transactions as described in the lyrics. Head-banging at said Motley Crue concert might result in some minor concussion-related symptoms though and there are some intoxicating effects of massive amounts of hair spray the band members applied in the 1980’s but concerts do make us feel good. The flow of “happy” chemicals our bodies produce like oxytocin and endorphin are produced when we rock out. The audience reaction at a concert is felt by the band too and there are repercussions to rock stars chasing the “high” of commanding an audience as you’ve likely seen in VH1 documentaries. (Kids: VH1 was a cable station….nevermind.) Chasing those neurochemical highs are natural but dangerous and learning to celebrate the highs, understand the lows and be satisfied with the times in between an important message I drive home with my clients. Just like a song life has highs and lows and the duality is a valuable teacher if not always fun when we’re in the lows. Full-Circle: What if you and your team performed like the rock stars? Trudging through the workday, tolerating colleagues and a bland office culture makes the work feel like work. What if work was instead your calling and you team worked in synchrony to perform at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame level? Unlocking and embracing the uniqueness of your team is what our system offers and the result: a joyful workplace. What does a joyful workplace look like? Engaged employees, energized by their work, using their unique skills. When it all clicks? Cue happiness explosion in 3….2…1…BOOM! The results are infectious. Getting your band to go Platinum requires a different mindset and a different approach. Let’s turn up the volume and go to 11 like my second favorite band Spinal Tap . Ok, I’m out of rock star puns…

My brain has been connecting a lot of dots from an amazing kickoff to the summer season. I write this sitting at the base of what we call W or Tenderfoot Mountain. Surely the earlier inhabitants of our valley had another name as archaeologists have found 60 clusters of artifacts on its well-used peak providing insights into the bison hunting Paleo-Indians called the “ Folsom Tradition .” Tradition is a great word to stumble upon during Memorial Day weekend. As a Nation we’ve celebrated Memorial Day in some form since the Civil War and our Memorial Day tradition will carry on each year as new traditions add to the mix of our Valley’s vibrancy. At the base of W Mountain a new tradition started 6 years ago when the IBar Ranch hay barn was converted into the valley’s largest outdoor concert venue – maybe the Folsom folks would’ve called in a noise complaint if they were still around. NIMBY existed then too, I’m sure. Connecting dots….I like connecting people and inspiring laughter and my role in creating “community” means a lot to me. In my role as emcee I’m thrust into diverse events and occasionally my brain has a moment of grandeur and sees the bigger picture. On May 24 th the IBar Ranch kicked off the summer in partnership with our Chamber of Commerce but this year had a great twist! The Colorado Lottery had just been extended through 2049 and our Governor came to sign the bill right here in Gunnison County. Why celebrate a lottery? Lottery funds go in part to the Colorado Conservation Trust which, to date, has funded over $44 million in projects in Gunnison County for open space, park projects and ranchland conservation. Protecting those ranches, ranching operations and those viewsheds requires intentional action and local organizations have tapped into Trust funds to protect the legacy of ranching while saving those spectacular views. The Trust recently announced the finalization of their largest single project ever protecting 4,000+ acres of Trampe Ranches which contributed to 20% of our ranching economy. Connecting dots…Transition to two days later and to another Memorial Day tradition at Hartman Rocks a mountain biking mecca with a race now running 11 years strong called The Growler. Years ago it was a dumping area and has been transformed to feature outstanding trails in part through partnerships, determination and Lottery funding was again involved. For 10 years Dave Wiens ran Gunnison Trails and organized The Growler featuring 64 and 32 mile races. Dave recently turned over the keys to Gunnison Trails to Tim Kugler and Dave finally got to ride in his own race – and he won! Hartman Rocks and The Growler epitomize collaboration, community and connections. In our mountain valley winter ends late and comes early and we struggle to stretch our summer tourist season. July in our Valley has been aptly described as a “kicked-ants nest” and though June, August and September contribute our springs have underwhelmed. A May race bringing in in 630+ riders and their entourage of spouses and children is a huge boost! The community jumps onboard big time too with 100 or more volunteers helping with safety, first-aid and a bacon aid station (you read it right) and now our high-school now has a mountain biking team! If you know my history with Boys & Girls Club you know I LOVE the positive labels youth can give themselves like “mountain biker” and “racer” and “teammate” and the power that has creating self-worth. As the awards wound down on Sunday afternoon the riders weren’t the only ones weary, sunburned and sweaty – volunteers and staff were ready for a Monday holiday. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Gary Pierson, VP of Student Affairs at Western State Colorado University , gathering up the University’s street flags from the first few blocks of downtown. This isn’t an unusual sight as Gary is a tireless face for the University and as a VP still humble enough to put up flags downtown frequently throughout the year. What makes this spectacle unusual is that Gary had just finished as the oldest competitor in The Growler and with 64 miles under his belt and he wasn’t done working for the day. That’s community and a tradition I’m proud to contribute to. The ultimate sacrifice made by those we celebrated this Memorial Day gives us the opportunity to live out our passions in this great little Valley. I’m both immensely grateful and terribly saddened by their sacrifice. Anthony Poponi is a comic, improv artist, brain chemistry nerd and community-minded advocate and owner of Humore.us. He’s brings his love of connection and laughter to audiences as keynote, emcee, workshop host or moderator and his mission is to increase laughter and connectivity to combat the human health crises of isolation and disconnection.

I love music and summer’s in Colorado mean lots of live music. As a fill-in DJ on KBUT community radio I get to create some fun playlists and I tend to listen to music while I’m working and driving. Music means a lot to me. Now I’m not one of those insane music-people-who-can-tell-you-all-about-why-the-1974-setlist-of-their-favorite-band-playing-in-San-Francisco-was-the-best-setlist-ever-kind-of-people. #multiplehypensforthewin As it has many times before music pulled me out of a tired place yesterday while I was driving home after emceeing the 3 day music festival in South Fork called Rhythms on the Rio. In my talks and workshops I offer up quick “reset” tools to help get people into a better space and music did it for me yesterday. The festival lives up to its name as the Rio they reference is the Rio Grande River passing swiftly by right next to the venue. Watching the river from my RV window was satisfying and the dip in the Rio after a mountain bike ride was “invigorating.” Mountain water ain’t warm y’all even in August. I wanted to be part of Rhythms primarily to see The Main Squeeze on stage again. Their cover of Have a Cigar is incredible and the YouTube video does their live version justice with Max melting on the guitar solos. The video was just now playing in the background and I had to stop typing while Max curshed the solo at the end of the video. Goose bumps. The Main Squeeze was a crowd favorite and even for the musicians backstage who get to see others performing their craft. The crowd was pumping, dancing, hooting. The band feels it, they give it back. Positive feedback loops. So fun! Goose bumps. This quote from Corrine Cram says it all. “What we do from joy expresses love; what we do from fear calls for love.” You can read more about Corrine’s inspiring life in another blog post. Tangent: Musicians using their expertise on stage is putting strengths and values into action in the service of others, that happy dancing crowd, and that gives musicians meaning – a sense of purpose. Dr. Viktor Frankl would agree. Dr. Marty Seligman would agree. Every band wanted more time and that speaks volumes to the musicians loving what they do. The festival organizers are a rad group of people including PaulEEEE Orr who has produced the festival for 14 years now in a row all as a volunteer. Their team was AWESOME! Positive, fun, chill and professional all at the same time and the funds raised at the festival go back to the South Fork Music Association to give every child in the San Luis Valley free instruments and lessons. I love positive labels. And my niece glowingly saying “I’m finally an athlete” after being part of a swim team for the first time. Reminded me of how powerful positive labels are for us. How about this positive labels for a child: “I’m a musician.” Yeah, that’s a good one too! If you know my past work as a teacher and with Boys & Girls Club you know I love anything that helps youth with self-worth. Thanks Paul and your team for your mission and your vision. I’m also the “house emcee” for IBar Ranch’s Summer Concert Series for three years running and love being around live music. Their final show each summer is called Kids of the Gunnison Valley and the stage is opened up for youth of any age to share their skills on the instrument of their choice. I do my best to keep the vibe light so the kids are relaxed on stage. It’s fun night and the kids get a chance to share the stage with national acts they get to see on stage. That’s powerful stuff! Full-Circle: I don’t dance a lot and when I do it looks like the gopher from Caddyshack dancing to Kenny Loggins. I’m grooving in my own way with my #whitemanoverbite and having a great time. Getting people to gather and connect is a powerful thing. Oxytocin flows, dancing stimulates the brain. Happiness is the result.

An escalating sense of lunacy… I’m not a religious comic book reader. Let me clarify, I’m not talking about religious comic books, though I’m sure they exist, I’m just saying I’m hooked on one and read it religiously: Calvin and Hobbes. I appreciate author and illustrator Bill Watterson deeply and always have. His creativity, his art and his disdain for the money-making-machine that constantly threatened to corrupt his art. His willingness to walk away from the machine. Last night I read from his “Sunday Pages Book” which included the author’s reflections on selected panels after having not looked back at them in five years. From his excerpt on a strip featuring a game of Calvinball he wrote “the idea was to create a a sense of escalating lunacy.” The strip made me laugh out loud so: Mission Emphatically Accomplished. His brilliance is timeless and that he’s stopped creating Calvin and Hobbes elicits a frowny emoji face on me in real life. Tangent: I attend a lot of training opportunities to hone my craft and deepen my impact. At a recent NSA Colorado Chapter meeting our keynote speaker was both accomplished an incredibly talented. The speaker (name withheld so you hire me) made the comment “balance isn’t what you get, it’s what you do.” When Bill Watterson draws Calvin in a sled or wagon there is never more than the illusion of control. The panels are always chaotic and, of course, the dialogue never disappoints. Example: I’ll mirror those insightful speaker’s words on balance with my own: “happiness isn’t what you get, it’s what you do.” Amidst the chaos and illusion of control each day what you choose to do with each day: who you love, where you work and where you live are incredibly important to your happiness. What are you doing today? Not sure where to start? Let me help with some humor, right now. And realize employee retention, productivity and alleviating isolation all link to happiness. FULL CIRCLE: An escalating sense of lunacy. If you’ve never seen me on stage I often weave my unique and high-energy humor and even a cartoon or excerpt from Calvin and Hobbes in my talks and workshops and give Calvin and Hobbes books away. Reach out, I’d love to bring my mix of content with impact and my own brand of lunacy to your audience. Anthony Poponi is a comic, improv artist, brain chemistry nerd and community-minded advocate and owner of Humore.us. He’s brings his love of connection and laughter to audiences as keynote, emcee, workshop host or moderator and his mission is to increase laughter and connectivity to combat the human health crises of isolation and disconnection.

The annul hard Cider Fest at Delicious Orchards approaches next Saturday and I couldn’t be more excited! The festival enters its 8th year and I’m their emcee again this year. Cider Fest is one of my “legacy” emcee gigs and selectively “cherry pick” (see what I did there) a few community events I want to continuing emceeing. The Hard Cider Fest is like a beer fest but with, well it’s obvious I suppose, cider instead of beer. For me it’s exciting since I’ve been gluten free since 2009 and not by choice. Big B’s, the brand full of apples from Delicious Orchards, makes some damn good ciders and their blood orange “Awesome Sauce” is a personal favorite. The fest is in Paonia and the town is home to tons of other farms and orchards. The North Fork Valley is Just a few miles as the crow flies from my home in the Gunnison Valley but boasts downright balmy winter temperatures comparatively. So it’s nice to pop over the hills to warm your toes in the warmer climates when summer is still a few months away at 9,000 feet. Tangent: My role for Cider Fest is to weave in humor and content from the mic and it’s pretty easy to do when you’re holding a mic in one hand and a Colorado cider in the other hand while enjoying live music. Through my research into happiness I get the bigger picture of festivals, events and conferences. Events like Cider Fest allow us to be nerds about things. We can talk about yeasts, back-sweetening, a billion different apples varieties, wild-fermentation…..and our brains love the dialogue. Oxytocin flows when we’re in our tribe of apple nerds and we need this more than ever as isolation is being recognized as both pervasive and a human health issue. Yes, you read that right. A human health issue! Connecting and gathering remains important to human health. We need to gather more! Peter Kageyama, author of “For the Love of Cities” uses the term co-creators to describe people who are the catalysts for events, gatherings and festivals. Co-creators do this for the love of their community and not the paycheck more often than not. Events are stressful and organizers should be appreciated and recognized to keep them inspired. The primary co-creators for Cider Fest are Lil McClure and Jeff Schwartz who do the bulk of the hustling. They’ll get numerous shout-outs from me on stage as my expression of gratitude and they’ll get a little boost of serotonin in the process for the recognition. Our brains love recognition and if you’re not stimulating this response in your workplace or your household you’re missing an opportunity to trigger some positive emotions. Be a co-creator and be a serotonin slinger! Full-Circle: I’ll go to bed Saturday night after the fest with tired and dirty dancing feet, a little apple tipsy and happy from living a life that let’s me do what I’m good at in service to others. Oooh, that sounds like a workshop. I’ll treat myself to a Sunday brunch at the Delicious Orchards sourced from the North Fork Valley and fill my fridge with some blood orange infused treats for another time. Looking forward! Anthony Poponi brings his talent on stage as comedian, improv artist, emcee and event producer. Everything we do is Humore.us!

I should probably pay more attention to the symbolism around me more often. Today was my final day as someone able to claim being in their 40s. Over the past few weeks I’ve really enjoyed thinking about this milestone, where I’ve been and where I’m intending on going from here. More on the latter later, tater. (tater reference for @Fernie). I spent my last day of 49 in a pretty good fashion. It wasn’t really intentionally looking for symbolism but good gawd it was important, and I thank my brain for turning on my emotional antennae today. Boys & Girls Clubs of Bend hosts and annual end-of-summer camp extravaganza for the kids we serve. For the second year, I brought my DJ equipment, put on my alter ego as DJ Akoni Poponi and played some tunes and then largely played games with the kids. Giving away tickets for prizes. At Bess’ surely planned but feeling impromptu suggestion – about 80 kids sang happy birthday to me in a crowded gym and I almost lost it. What I know is over 65% of the kids I talked to today request scholarships to attend Club. We as an organization give away $200,000 or more a year to remove the financial barriers for kids in Bend “who need us most.” It’s not hard to see in them my younger self, having lived partially in poverty growing up. As Carnival was wrapping up. One girl, probably 10 or 11 years old wearing a red costume, cried as their team queued up to leave Carnival because she didn’t win any prizes. Her friends offered up their prizes to her. She refused but the gestures from her friends may seem like the smallest thing but it’s not a small gesture. It’s really really big. These are good kids and the Club teaches this way of kindness. As Carnival ended, I stepped outside to fetch my car and on the sidewalk was the CEO standing at a serving line by herself slinging hamburgers and grilled cheese and the queue was 60 kids deep. So, I donned some disposable gloves and starting slinging food next to her. “Thank yous” and “pleases” the norm for these very grateful and considerate young people. When the food line dissipated, we handed out grilled cheese sandwiches to parents as they came to claim their children. Bess suggested I take the grilled cheese across the street over to the Family Kitchen and in a likely not-so-random chance the Kitchen was serving food to their adult clients. “Adults who need us most.” The Kitchen’s volunteers gratefully snapped up the sandwiches. “Thank yous” again coming from the queue though not with the regularity of the youth across just across the street. Back inside the Clubhouse after fetching my truck, I grabbed some volunteers and purposefully chose the girl in the red costume to help take out my DJ equipment. I’m lazy and I’m old, ok? She had already raised her hand to volunteer. No surprise there. And I made sure she got a prize before heading back to her group. Summer 2022, Boys & Girls Club Bend I realized later that I will always stand by Bess. I was part of the hiring committee who brought her to town and very very proud of it. She is a rockstar. I will shamelessly ask the Bend community to make life easy on Bess by generously giving their time, talent and treasure to this organization. She’s humble enough to sling food. She shouldn’t have to. I frequently say my goal is to live each day in a way creating positive ripples on the pond. After today I’m ready to make some big damn waves. Some from massive cannonballs my younger self would take pride in. And some waves might be from stinging belly flops. And I don’t care. Alan Weiss has said: True well is discretionary time. Today, I had the wealth to choose to volunteer and to experience what great things happen at this Club each day. Buh-bye 40s. Bring on the gout! Anthony Poponi brings his talent on stage as comedian, imrprov artist, emcee and event producer. Everything we do is Humore.us!