Is This Your Country?
"Is this your country?" a stranger asked me in amazement in broken English as I sat in a small food stall in Tokyo earlier this spring. I was scrolling through photos on my phone while waiting for chicken skewers to cook over a smokey charcoal grill. I was looking at some pictures of Edmonton's river valley, fields on the Alberta highways, and some scenes from the Maligne Canyon in Jasper.
Keep Going, Keep Giving
Showing genuine hospitality is a constant test of character. It's a test because offering kindness, generosity, and care to someone doesn't always yield the desired results. You can walk into any human interaction with pure motives and still be attacked and misunderstood.
Be Unreasonable
After nearly two decades of working in hospitality and community, I've learned one thing: motivation is a non-renewable resource. There is often an infinite and unending demand for service. We only have so much energy to give, and it doesn't take long to give the little we have. We're only human.
Fight Like Heaven
There is a different phrase we could use. It's not as marketable as "Fight like Hell," but I think it has the power to make a difference. Let's try "Let's fight like Heaven."
Cooking & Cast Iron
The sound of meat searing against a hot cast iron pan is exceptionally gratifying. It starts with a distinct hiss and then transforms into the sound of applause…
The One With all the Keys
“…the privilege of being a leader in hospitality is that you get to be that person who opens doors for others.