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HOW I TURNED INTO A HOMEBODY (AND WHY YOU SHOULD, TOO) THE KITTENS MADE ME DO IT!
Late last year, my wife Cheri and I canceled our trip to Sandals, an all- inclusive resort in the Caribbean. I’d been looking forward to the sun, the beach, and the local Costco (if I could find one), but none of that mattered in the end. Something else was more important. Actually, it was three things: Rocky, Eddy, and Tazzy, our rescue kittens. Cheri and I got the three kittens last summer. Our neighbor found the first one in his truck, and then two more showed up not long after that. They were so little that their eyes weren’t even open yet, and we had to bottle- feed them like babies. At first, I figured these would be just like all the other animals we’ve rescued over the years. We’d feed them, raise them up, find them good homes, and then out the revolving door they’d go. But after seven months, I realized we weren’t getting rid of them that easily — and I’m not even mad about it. All three kittens have their own personalities. Rocky’s fur is bright orange, and he almost looks like a bobblehead. He comes out to eat and purr for a while, then he disappears again. Eddy is black and white, and he’s a kisser — he loves to lick you. Tazzy, the only girl, is all cat. Even as a baby, she would climb up my leg and ride around on my shoulder. With these three fuzzballs to take care of, Cheri and I just couldn’t jet off for Sandals and leave them behind. Instead, we started staying home more and more. You know us — we’re usually the opposite of homebodies. We like to travel, go to concerts, and hike all over the country. But these kittens, man … they changed something. They showed up right around the time I was trying minimalism, simplifying my life, and throwing out unnecessary crap. Cheri and I cleaned out everything from our closets to our freezers, and once the house was organized and the kittens were here, I found myself thinking, “Huh. Maybe it’s time to really get connected with our home.”
It shouldn’t be that hard. After all, we have everything we need! I’m talking everything, including all of the toys we could possibly want, a sauna, and a huge workout building with all kinds of equipment. We’re so freaking lucky, but I hardly noticed all of that stuff before because I had too much of a “go-go-go” mindset. Now, I’m enjoying it! I’ve settled in for the long haul and that has freed up a lot of mental space, which I’m using to dream BIG for my business. Yes, we went through a crazy time last year, but the punches of the pandemic didn’t take us down. Even with schools closed and races postponed, our marketing team did a fabulous job of reorganizing and retargeting, and our sales force has been amazing at bringing clients in. Looking at their dedication, I asked myself, “What can I do to make our company more profitable and get them more money and recognition?” I figured out a few answers, and exciting things are in the works. Keep an eye on our website and social media pages for updates and promotions in the coming months. I couldn’t be more excited about the future of this company. Every day, I get up ready to work on my dream and persevere. My world has shrunk a bit (and I might even say I’m a homebody now), but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. In fact, I think more people could take that view. Thanks to the election and the pandemic, everybody is worried about what’s going on in the world at large. Sometimes I want to grab them all by the shoulders and say, “Shrink that crap down! Stop wondering what’s going on in the whole country, and start caring about what’s happening at your business, on your street, and in your house.” I think if everyone started improving the little bit of the world they can see, we’d have a better place to live, and 2021 would be an even better year.
Let’s go get ‘em!
–Jeff Saxby
“I think if everyone started improving the little bit of the world they can see, we’d have a better place to live, and 2021 would be an even better year.”
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‘YOU ARE NOT ALONE’ MEET THE SELFLESS VOLUNTEERS HELPING SENIORS GET THROUGH COVID-19 CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT:
Here at Lynnpro, we provide products for both private companies and organizations supporting amazing causes. From funding cancer research to helping people overcome addiction, our clients do incredible work. Last year, we got the opportunity to make custom T-shirts for an inspiring group doing vital outreach during the COVID-19 pandemic: Mending the Gap. Mending the Gap was founded in 2011 in Lawrenceville, Georgia, to provide assistance, encouragement, and companionship for low-income seniors living alone in Gwinnett County. Last year, they became a lifeline for elderly people isolated during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We provide them with basic needs support,” explains founder Fay Josephs. “We’re delivering food, prepared meals, toiletries, and personal care items, and we take them directly to their homes. We serve approximately 400 seniors.” This is lifesaving work, but it’s not the only thing Mending the Gap does to keep people’s spirits up. Before the pandemic, their volunteers connected middle school and high school students with seniors through a program called The Bridge, “mending the gap” between generations. When in- person visits became dangerous, they turned The Bridge into a pen pal and phone call program to sustain those connections.
“We just want to be more like family to them, keep them safe from going out, and still provide that personalized support,” says Fay.
Last year, Fay ordered more than 100 T-shirts from us for her team of volunteers, along with a table runner to help get the word out about Mending the Gap. She says she was pleasantly surprised when a real person took her call! “I like that I was able to talk to someone about the product and get some ideas, and she was able to work with us. It wasn’t just a cut and dry email,” Fay says. Before founding Mending the Gap, Fay worked for the state of Georgia, processing benefit paperwork for senior citizens for 14 years. This is a passion project for her, and she can’t wait to see volunteers, students, and seniors having fun together in person again. In the meantime, her organization needs all the help it can get, and we’re proud to have played a part.
To find out more about Mending the Gap, visit Mending-the-Gap.org.
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OURCLIENT IS SAVING TURTLES ANDSEALS!
A LOOK INSIDE THE NEW YORK MARINE RESCUE CENTER
Every winter, dozens of sea turtles wash up on beaches throughout New York state. These turtles should be migrating toward warmer waters, but sometimes due to cold snaps, the water temperature changes too quickly and they’re unable to continue. When that happens, the turtles can end up “cold-stunned,” suffering from a kind of hypothermia. Luckily, that’s when the New York Marine Rescue Center comes to their aid! “The New York Marine Rescue Center is the only facility in New York state authorized to rehabilitate sea turtles and seals,” explains Danielle Perillo, the center’s director of administration and development. “We also provide in-field response to porpoises, dolphins, and small-toothed whales.” When a “citizen scientist” spots a cold-stunned turtle, they can call the New York Marine Rescue Center’s emergency response hotline for help. The center’s team will rush out to rescue the turtle and bring it back to its facility. It takes five days to bring a turtle back up to temperature, but most rescues stay at the center for 242 days waiting for the ocean to warm again. The center also saves seal pups stuck on the beach, overstressed by human attention.
“In 2019, we had 32 sea turtles in our facility, and up through the 2020 season, we had those 32 sea turtles, plus up to nine seals, all being rehabilitated at the same time,” Danielle says. To raise awareness for its mission, the center hosts the Run for the Ridley 5K. Lynnpro provided T-shirts for this year’s virtual race displaying the race’s logo, its sponsors, and the center hotline just as we have in years past. “We mailed those [shirts] out directly and everyone was very excited to receive them. People love to see the design of the shirt every year and what we’re doing to publicize the event,” Danielle says, adding, “I highly recommend Lynnpro for any printing needs anyone has. I think that specifically working with Liz Holland has been fantastic. At the beginning of COVID-19, she actually reached out to me to see what my needs were and to see if we were planning on doing T-shirts this year, and I really appreciated her proactive approach.”
Working with Danielle has been a joy for us, too! To learn more about her work, visit NYMarineRescue.org.
Korean Beef Rice Bowls
Word Search
This sweet and spicy rice bowl comes together in just 30 minutes and serves four.
INGREDIENTS
Inspired by SkinnyTaste.com
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce • 2 tsp light brown sugar • 1 tsp sesame oil • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes • 1 lb lean ground beef • 1/4 cup yellow onion, chopped • 2 garlic cloves, crushed • 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp gochujang sauce, or more if desired • 3 cups cooked brown rice • 1 small cucumber, sliced • 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds, plus more for topping • 2 scallions, thinly sliced
DIRECTIONS
1. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, 2 tbsp water, brown sugar, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes. 2. Spray a deep, nonstick skillet with cooking oil and place over high heat. Add the ground beef and cook until browned. Break up the meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks. 3. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger to the meat and cook for 1 minute. 4. Pour sauce over the beef, then cover and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. 5. Divide rice evenly into four serving bowls. Top each with scant 2/3 cup beef, cucumber slices, sesame seeds, scallions, and gochujang, to taste.
BEGINNING CELEBRATION CLOCK COUNTDOWN FAMILY
FIREWORKS FRIENDS JANUARY MIDNIGHT NEW
PARTY WINTER YEAR
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inside this issue
1
Don’t Recognize Jeff? Blame the Kittens!
2
Meet the Selfless Volunteers Helping Seniors Get Through COVID-19
3
Our Client Is Saving Turtles and Seals!
Korean Beef Rice Bowls
4
Give Yourself the Boost of Getting Outside
3. Take your work outside. If you’re working from home, take some work outdoors. Phone and virtual meetings are a great outdoor option, especially if you’ll just be an active listener and aren’t required to do any work simultaneously. Attach a note to your meeting reminders to get yourself set up outside five minutes before you start.
Hunkering down and waiting for the dark and chilly winter season to pass sounds pretty nice. But the reality is, if we deprive ourselves of time outside, we do ourselves a big disservice both mentally and physically. Staying indoors all day affects your energy and mood, which makes it hard to get anything done, so here are four easy tips to make it easier to get a little fresh air. 1. Make it a priority. Getting outside means making the conscious effort to do so. If you want to reap its benefits, you have to decide to make it a priority in your day-to- day schedule. If you make the act important to you, you have more motivation to actually do it.
4.
Create a schedule. It might feel strange to set reminders throughout the day to step outside, but you easily get wrapped up in activities and overlook breaks, and these reminders are exactly what you need. Start with 10-minute blocks three times a day. If you stick to them, soon you won’t need a schedule to get outside anymore.
4 TIPS TO MAKE GETTING OUTSIDE EASIER LET THAT FRESHAIR FUEL YOU
2.
Use mornings effectively. Waking up and getting the day started can be hard. But studies have shown that natural light helps decrease your melatonin production, which means you feel ready to face the day sooner. So, set yourself a second alarm to head outside and take a quick walk around the block just after waking. Don’t even wash your face or grab coffee. Just get out there.
Winter weather may be cold, but even when you’re bundled up under a jacket and scarf, just 5–10 minutes outside can do wonders for your mood and energy for hours.
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