Stress. Nobody seems to like it. Even the word “stress” seems stressful. But did you ever think that a certain level of stress can actually be good for you? It’s true. 

This type of good stress is what psychologists call “eustress,” and it keeps us excited about life. According to verywellmind.com, examples of eustress include the “excitement of a roller-coaster ride, a scary movie, or a fun challenge.” Other instances include the anticipation of a first date or the initial day at a new job. Many other triggers like this create good stress, too. They keep us feeling alive and enthusiastic.

We also deal with something called acute stress, which arises from surprises that need immediate responses. These triggers aren’t always happy and exciting, but they can (and should) be dealt with immediately so we can then find ways to relax again. Or at least that’s what the experts say. 

I have long believed that a little stress is good. The butterflies in the stomach before a public speech, the awkwardness of meeting new people, or a competition of any sort all bring about a stress that makes us better — but there is a breaking point.

Al Deleon, the longtime Britt High School wrestling coach who passed away in 2020, often said: “A little bit of everything is good. Too much of one thing is bad.” That is true about most anything in life, but it is especially true about stress.

During the holidays, most of us feel extra stress. Some of it is the good stress that I mentioned previously, but much is just plain awful. Too much food. Too much family. Too much festivity. All of it crammed into too short of a period of time. 

This year, I am going to do something about it. I am not going to stress about the stress of the holidays. I am going to accept it. Head on. In fact, I am going to issue a challenge to this thing called stress. Try to take this smile off my face. I dare you. 

I am taking the time to hand-write a limited number of Christmas cards. I am going to get my shopping done prior to Dec. 24. I am going to spin some Sinatra Christmas albums. I am going to watch “Frosty the Snowman” on TV multiple times. And I am going to drink a lot of eggnog. 

But I better hurry up. There are only 22 days till Christmas! Good stress. Good stress.

Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707

Thanksgiving is now over, and the holiday season is officially upon us. That means a lot of things to a lot of people, but one stands out — it’s time for Christmas music!

The sleigh bells will be jingling. The herald angels will be singing. And most of us will be dreaming of a white Christmas. But how much do we really know about traditional Christmas songs? 

Back in 2021, I put together a short online trivia contest for CITYVIEW magazine. At the end of the questions, those who participated were notified of their scores and the correct answers. I wrote the 10 questions and multiple-choice answers, but I haven’t looked at them for three years. I just took the test again, and I only scored 60%. Yikes. Surely, you can do better. 

If you don’t want to do the online trivia test, you can try to respond without the multiple-choice answers. Here are the questions:

1. What year was “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” first recorded?
2. What beverage does the singer tell the audience to have a cup of in “A Holly Jolly Christmas”?
3. What movie from popular culture references “Jingle Bell Rock” in the opening scene?
4. Who first recorded the Frank Sinatra hit song, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”?
5. What is the most-published Christmas hymn?
6. What tune does Carol Brady lead the carolers in singing during the 1988 “A Very Brady Movie”?
7. What brings Frosty the Snowman to life in the popular song?
8. In “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” how many reindeer pull Santa’s sleigh?
9. What does Alvin the Chipmunk want in “The Chipmunk Song”?
10. In the song “Mr. Grinch,” what is his brain full of?

I hope you scored better than I did. But, either way, happy holidays — and start singing!

Have a fantastic Friday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305

Some of you have likely started your Christmas shopping by now. Since there are only 29 days till Christmas, that’s a good thing. Hopefully, you have been able to purchase products and services from the many local merchants in the area. That effort truly does make a difference.

I am amazed at the sincere appreciation I feel each time I buy something from a local business. The reply is not just a robotic thank you, but rather a heartfelt gratefulness for choosing to spend my dollars locally rather than with an online global chain that connects with me only by my credit card number and the thousands of personal data points they steal from me.

With our company being a locally owned business, we also sincerely appreciate when businesses choose to market with us. It helps us invest in our staff, our facilities, our publications and our communities. We know that local businesses have all kinds of advertising options today, and that the Big Tech companies seem to be continually pitching something bright and shiny and new to sell them. So with that in mind, I want to say thank you to the local business owners and managers who choose to market their goods and services to each of you through our growing family of publications. 

Loyalty is said to be a thing of the past, but that’s not what we see. We see people who look out for each other, support each other, and buy from each other during good times and bad — and encourage others to do the same. We see smart people who aren’t distracted by the fly-by-night offers but instead show their support for those who have proven to help them get to where they are. And we see business owners and managers who appreciate their customers and their vendors alike, and they don’t hesitate to show it. That’s appreciation. That’s community. That’s loyalty. 

None of us are perfect, and we can all improve, but I want to thank those in the local business community for being here to serve all of us. We appreciate you. And for those of you who are in the holiday shopping mode, our local merchants would be glad to help you out. 

Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading. 

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707

Both hands in the air, fingers pointing upwards and with a smile on his face, my friend Dion Higgins would share the following words of confidence with me when I would ask him a chiropractic-related question: “It’s all in the hands.”

On the rare occasions in my life when I have been on a golf course, they were typically with him. And when I would smack my club on the ground with my pathetic swing, he would give my wrists a quick adjustment so I could line up and try once again. 

As a chiropractor, Dion truly loved his profession, and he was quite good at making people better. Unfortunately, he died tragically more than a decade ago when a 21-year-old drunk driver crossed the center line and both their lives were taken. Sadly, no amount of medical care could change that outcome. 

I think of Dion often, but especially when the subject of hands comes up. As I look down at my own hands on my keyboard, I can’t help but notice how they have changed. More wrinkles. Numerous scars. Misaligned knuckles. Arthritic joints. Dion could do a lot of magic, but he couldn’t turn back the aging process.

I remember in my younger years when I would look at older people’s hands and wonder when and why they suddenly aged. I now look at my daughters’ hands and see how smooth and pure they are compared to mine. What happened? 

I spend more of my time now with pull quotes rather than push mowers, but many of my younger years were occupied with pounding nails, pouring concrete and pitching manure. And I still spend my weekends doing whatever physical labor I can get myself into trouble with. Competing and coaching wrestling for decades took its toll on my body, too, and my fingers and wrists have not been spared.

Meanwhile, I am convinced you can tell a lot about a person by his or her hands. Just ask a palm reader. Your heart line. Your sun line. Your fate line. Your life line. Your head line. It’s all in the palms of your hands. 

Palm reading, also known as palmistry, is “the art of analyzing the physical features of the hands to interpret personality characteristics and predict future happenings,” according to allure.com. The article says our hands are considered “portals that shed invaluable insight,” and it provides a beginner’s guide to reading palms.

I don’t know anything about palmistry, but I am going to give it a try, as I am convinced — now more than ever — that my friend Dion was right.

It’s all in the hands. 

Have a fantastic Friday, and thanks for reading. 

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707

Whatever happened to the Sunday drive? Do you remember those days? Packing up the family for a leisurely spin around town on a Sunday afternoon? 

My three siblings and I are all four years apart, so it was rare when we did something together — especially in a car. My Sunday drives were usually just my dad and me, and it often involved ice cream. We would drive around in his Oldsmobile with a couple of vanilla cones, and he would point out what’s new and what’s old and what life was like in his youth. I enjoyed that time with my dad, until my teenage years when doing anything with parents was no longer cool.  

I tried to implement the Sunday drive with my wife and kids, but to no avail — not even with ice cream. The only exception was driving to look at Christmas lights with a round of hot chocolate for everyone. So, what changed?

Well, the cost of gasoline in decades prior was miniscule compared to today. Driving around was cheap entertainment then. 

Like many people during the time, my parents and grandparents didn’t drive very often. As such, getting in the car and going for the Sunday drive was a treat rather than the tedious taxi-cab service so many parents feel like they are providing today. 

We also seem to be in a big hurry now, rushing from one event or activity to another. That wasn’t the case just a few decades ago. The pace was much slower on the weekends, even peaceful. Going 5 mph less than the speed limit now often prompts honking horns, dirty looks and offensive sign language. 

A few years ago, I heard a pastor address his thoughts on why fewer people were attending church services. The primary factor, in his opinion, was that youth sports activities are scheduled on Sundays. He may be right. Scheduling anything on Sundays — other than going to church, having your cousins over for dinner, and watching “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom” on TV — was considered taboo in years past. Sunday was a time to be spent with faith and family, and that was it. 

So with all this in mind, I challenge you to take a page out of the past and venture out on a peaceful Sunday drive. And don’t forget the ice cream. 

Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading. 

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707

Nothing seems to warm a person up on a cold day like a hot cup of coffee, or at least that’s what my dad said when he filled up his Thermos each morning. But each time I tried a sip of his coffee, it tasted like dirty water.

I never understood the attraction, and whenever a friend or customer wanted to meet for coffee, I would embarrassingly order a hot chocolate — until my friend Joe convinced me to slowly wade into this ocean of java. Yes, Joe is a pusher.

Joe introduced me to cappuccinos, lattes, macchiatos, mochas and more, and I learned these things are sinful. After taking out a small loan and going to the next notch on my belt, I decided maybe these cousins of coffee were not such a good idea for me. So I took a necessary hiatus — until my daughter Samantha familiarized me with dairy creamer. Not the basic stuff, mind you. French vanilla. Italian sweet creme. Peppermint mocha. I was hooked again.

While at an industry conference, my friend Will watched me pour a cement truck load of creamer into my coffee. Will, a definite coffee snob, helped me come to the realization that I didn’t like coffee at all and that what I really liked was coffee creamer. He was right. If you have done any research on this, you know coffee creamer is awful for you, but the addiction is real.

So I tried going cold turkey with creamer, but I was instantly reminded of the dirty-water taste of Dad’s coffee. I tried cutting back on creamer, which isn’t easy to do when it pours out so quickly and easily from that perfectly contoured 32-ounce bottle. Then my wife encouraged me to try milk and a bit of honey in my coffee instead. So I tried milk and more than a bit of honey — and it was delicious. I am working on reducing the honey, but she tells me it is better for me than dairy creamer, so I am going with the lesser of two evils.

Now, nothing seems to warm me up on a cold day like a hot cup of coffee — with milk and honey.

Our open house is Wednesday

I hope you can stop by and join us for our community open house tomorrow (Wednesday, Nov. 13) from 4-6:30 p.m. at our new location in Guthrie Center at 104 Industrial Road. Enjoy some drinks and snacks and tour our updated facility. The event is open to anyone and everyone.

Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707