Scratch & Sniff

Tuesday's Think Kit prompt - "Scents have the power to take us all kinds of places. What smell takes you somewhere else? Where'd you go?"

Smells are important. Especially the smell of blueberry muffins on Christmas morning that wafted through my home growing up. It's a rather innocuous smell but one that's really left an imprint on me.

This smell is so engrained in my being. Mom somehow finds time to make a couple dozen boxed blueberry muffins to take to Grandma and Grandpa's house for Ford Christmas, all while doing the things great moms do on Christmas morning. This took decades of conditioning and because of that, whenever I smell blueberry muffins I'm no longer completely here. I'm partially there.

I'm blogging this month as part of Smallbox Design's community project Think Kit (thinkkit.org).  It's my 3rd or 4th year doing it and it's real entertaining for me, and sometimes my audience.

I'll be blogging from my phone, more times than not this Think Kit. Please excuse typos or editing lapses because this screen is apparently still too small for those sorts of things.

My Mentors

For this Think Kit blog post, we're prompted to discuss our mentors. In my case, my mom and dad immediately come to mind. At this point in my life, my parents are some of my best friends and both have always been mentors.

My dad and I have such interesting conversations and share similar viewpoints on so many topics. This is perhaps favorite part of my relationship with my dad. We can talk politics or current events and not talk at each other or over each other let alone get into any irreconcilable arguments.  The mentoring has been subtle, but very influential. I am pretty lucky.

My mother has been a spiritual mentor since I have been a child. She may scratch her head a bit upon reading this as we have not always seen eye to eye on on some things. But her patience and persistence has given me the space and the time to get to a place I want to be.  Rest assured mom, your influence is present!

My mother, as an elementary school teacher, has been a reliable mentor with respect to my children's education.  One thing I've discovered is that no one, including me, truly understands elementary class room dynamic outside of the teacher in the room, educating and nurturing children. I've been fortunate to have my mother to mentor me as my children enter school.

While I haven't chosen same profession as my father, he has still served as a mentor and guide as I grew up trying to find myself in the work world. I have historically struggled with this and still struggle a bit today. My dad has always been there to listen and provide some very sage advice. He is very good at this as I have witnessed countless others that are in his profession, people my age and younger, call upon him for input or guidance. 

From these perspectives my mom and dad are truly friends and mentors to both me and my brother. I guess that is likely a good recipe for an adult and his parents.  I very much appreciate and cherish these mentors.

I'm blogging this month as part of Smallbox Design's community project Think Kit (thinkkit.org).  It's my 3rd or 4th year doing it and it's real entertaining for me, and sometimes my audience.

Communal Circles in 2015

Friday's Think Kit prompts, "What new circles have you formed?.... Explore your kumbaya moment from 2015."

This past year, there was a social circle of mine that evolved into something lasting and memorable - Park Ave Neighbor Night.  It's turned into a real kumbaya experience that's enabled me to meet some really great people.  I can't take credit for neighbor night.  It's the idea and initial dedication by our neighbors the Moseys. As with most ideas, it takes some dedication to build momentum and I'm thankful for them as what we have now is pretty great.

On nearly a weekly basis this past year, four families on our block of Park Ave. would simply meet at someone's house for dinner on a weeknight for dinner and drinks, nothing more, nothing less.  We'll all pitch in and contribute to the cause.  We've got some talented cooks in the group, so what we eat is really delicious.  More so, we've got conversation and camaraderie.  

It's been really great. It's a multigenerational circle as our kids are friends get shuffled to one side of the yard or to the play room. I have a tendency to be hermit at home and not find the energy to be a good neighbor.  So, I'm really thankful for this group of people and our hyper local communal circle. Layer in the strong little pocket community of restaurants and commerce present in the mid-town area (49th-54th and College Ave.) and what we have is a vibrant, local community.  I love my hood and have neighbor night, in large part, to thank for it.

2015, the year of the Ford homestead acquisition

I believe 2015 will be marked in the history of the Ford family as the point in time where we doubled down on our commitment to Indianapolis. We made a strategic move with the purchase of a  house up the street. Moving five houses up to this property will enable us to dabble with that we just couldn't experiment with in the old house. We will watch this city grow from this new house and from here, will play our part to make it a great place.

We found this house on a different corner of the same block on which we are currently living, so we are really setting ourselves up to be the old-school family living on this particular block for decades. We do love the old house and had many, many good time there. We lived there for 12 years and saw three children born there. The memories and connection to the old house is undeniable.

The house that we've just moved into, as of 12/31, has more bedrooms, more entertaining space, and a much larger backyard. Living in this house allows us to continue living in the city and in the south east corner of Meridian-Kessler while respecting the fact that we have three children who need to get out and have some space to play. As a farmboy I can appreciate having a little bit extra breathing room, but I am essentially a city slicker now so this house in this property or a good compromise.

Later this month, I'll be posting on the rehab work on this old house we facilitated. Wow, how things changed between us closing and move in. It's exciting!

TL;DR -- The thirty thousand foot view  story of 2015 is that we bought an old house on a big lot that we'll be using as our vantage point to experience Indianapolis for the next couple of decades.

Write an opener for your autobiography they say

Think Kit is back and it is welcomed! Let's jump right in.

If I were writing this current volume of my autobiography, the first line summarizing my glamorous life would read something like this, "I'm not sure how much of my life is grounded in reality these days." Sure my day job, some aspects of parenthood, and paying bills keep me grounded but beyond that, my head is elsewhere.

The prologue would suggest that perhaps it's some sort of halo affect from being around a couple of really imaginative kids. Maybe their unadulterated imaginations and dreams create some sort of wake that I'm subconsciously riding. Whatever it is, I truly enjoy it. 

The opening summary of this autobiographic volume would also mention the media I consume, particularly what I read and my music.  I've recoiled at the tone, presentation, and general content of the non-fiction I typically read (news, political analysis, etc.). This leaves me with fiction. As a reader, you know how easy it is for the medium to transport you from where you're  currently sitting.  Additionally, the music I predominantly  listened to in 2015 sends me miles away. It's a random combination of genres that feels like a mix between NPR's Hearts of Space and Indy's 91.9 on the fm. All of it creates a contemplative state.

 I welcome this shift away from reality. It feels like a spiritual Renaissance, of sorts.   After years of preoccupation in practical matters,  things have balanced back out and can be summed up by my opening quote mentioned above.  I do enjoy the way my story is shaping up.

=======•

I'm blogging this month as part of Smallbox Design's community project Think Kit (thinkkit.org).  It's my 3rd or 4th year doing it and it's real entertaining for me, and sometimes my audience.

I'll be blogging from my phone, more times than not this Think Kit. Please excuse typos or editing lapses because this screen is apparently still too small for those sorts of things.

Day 9 - a brief night tour

Day 9 and we're still in the "It's going to look worse before it looks better" phase.  The power is still on, it's just that there aren't any lights or switches in most of the house.  This makes minor tasks like marking the ceiling for lighting and measuring for dining room tables after you've eaten dinner feel like you're on the set of your very own Blair Witch Project.

day 2 and we've already put a dozen holes in the walls

Ok, so we bought a new 100 year old home. The second such 100 year old home we currently own, on the same block (let me know if you know anyone wants to be our neighbor on a great street - seriously).

There are a number of different, more daring differences between our old home  and this new home. Where our old home was a finished embodiment of vintage and modern residential real estate glory, this new home hasn't seen an update in 30 years. It's got beautiful bones but needs a skin graft and a couple of organ transplants.

So, we thought to use Fridays With  The Fords to chronicle our adventures and misfortunes making this new house ours. 

Episode 1 --- the wiring

One, not so uncommon scenario in our neighborhood, is the 100 year old wiring that comes with the 100 year old house.

It's unsettling that we get such a variety of answers from electricians as to the safety and reliability of knob and tube wiring. We're biting the bullet and rewiring the the whole house, knowing it would easier to address this while it's still empty and adopting the layman's perspective that it's weird to envision wiring from that day and age powering life in the 21st century. No offense to my people who made the decision to let sleeping dogs lie and not address knob and tube in their home - I get why you may have don this. This is a pricey affair but worth it if you can swing it.

Take a look at what the electricians are replacing.

Exhibits A and B

The Stories I Don't Write

In my mind and heart, I'm a writer. But I'm imperfect and confused. I settle for quasi-reporting of personal experiences and social commentary. But I feel that it's distraction from the stories - the stories I don't write.

I'm a storyteller with nothing more than fragments and glimpses of people and worlds I assume don't exist and haven't had told to me before.  I assume my subconscious is not lifting ideas already created, though that is difficult in a late modern age with seven billion people. It's all been done before, I'll tell myself. Maybe it's too much for me clear this clutter from my mind to tell a complete story.  It's exhausting.

I've got a couple of short stories that I've completed and countless others that have been outlined and half baked. For spells of time, I'll obsess over these stories and characters. I've let them consume me as I fantasize their environments and related chains of events.  I'll ride the bus so I can stare out the window for 45 minutes or so a day and let my mind wander and wonder. Most of the time I end up with noteworthy yet incomplete ideas.  Somehow that is comforting.

I've got a story about a missionary who comes back from a mission trip and brings some deity with her. There's another one  with a farmer who experiences a head injury and from that head injury, a mythic world literal pours out around him.  I've got a story about an old man and his subterranean obsessions and a story about the cultural impact a couple of off putting rural singers who are sisters.  It's all pure fantasy and science fiction.  Worse still, it's likely all derivative tripe that is successful in only communicating my immaturity as a story teller and writer.  I tell myself, does the world really need more of this?  

What I do commit to paper is often rambling and too lengthy.  I've really tried to write short stories and keep things brief.  However, I get bogged down somehow.  I'll start writing and then get lost in it.  I'll then start editing things for the sake of brevity.  But as I edit, I lose touch with my ideas and end up waste deep in something without direction.  I struggle finding resolution with some of my stories.  I'm good at formulating ideas, but not stringing together narratives with satisfying endings. A lot of my stories are dreams which is probably part of my problem.  They are environments and characters that I dream up, sans a sequence of sensible events.  Hey listen to me complain about these awesome dreams I have and are able to remember.

But somehow I'm content with all of this. If it's meant to happen, it's meant to happen. I'm happy keeping my worlds and characters to myself. My only challenge is that I want to be able to distill these fragments into stories I can tell my kids.  They believe anything I tell them.

Think Kit Day 5 - Aloha, Audrey!

We know enough good people out there not having kinds and felt compelled to expand our population footprint to compensate.  Just kidding on the motivation. We brought a third Ford girl into the world and I know she's going to be as a strong and amazing as our other two.  Aloha, Audrey!

This post is part of ThinkKit by Smallbox. Today’s prompt: “What did you say goodbye to this year? Was it a bad habit? A '94 hatchback? Or something less tangible? How did you feel the day after? The week after? 

Or! What did you say hello to this year? Did it enrich your life...or detract? A new favorite possession? A tattoo? Did you decide that your life was missing something, or did you just fall into new-ness?"

Think Kit Day 4 - Words By Which I'm Living

Spend money on experiences, not stuff.  

Here we have an influential statement that left its mark this year. I don’t really know from where I picked it up.  A simple Google search confirms this is not a new concept.  Nonetheless, it’s a statement that has validated a number of decisions we’ve made in recent past while informing future decisions.

It’s not full proof, but it’s still sound advice.  If you downplay or even shun consumer culture with this as your mantra it feels like you’re really buying into an information culture.  You run the risk of coveting the photos or the curated online persona.  It seems the phrase is not really an exercise in non-attachment, as you create an emphasis on the pictures, the videos, the journal entries about the experiences.  Is this bad?  I guess it depends on your attitude and preference toward non-attachment.

So while my 2014 self can't claim that this mantra is a true exercise in non-attachment, spending money on experiences and not stuff has created clarity in thought and less clutter in the home.  It feels like the right move.

This post is part of ThinkKit by Smallbox. Today’s prompt: “Whether you asked for it – or not – what good advice did you get this year? Did it come from an unexpected source?"

Think Kit Day 3 - It only took me 6 months at my new job to spill beer on the ceiling (VIDEO)

You want a laugh?  I give you, "Employee Beer Explosion (no sound)."  It's a masterful short piece that captures surprise and humility, all in the time span of a few minutes. I'm six months into my new job and I've got a project team member who is giving up a Friday night to do some after hours work that popped up at the last minute.  So, I thought I would give him a six pack of some local IPA flair as a thank you.  Well, take a look at the security camera footage my kind hearted co-workers obtained, edited, and shared throughout the building while I was home showering and changing.

No glass was broken, merely my pride!  It was a pretty good laugh all in all, even at the time it all occurred.  Ah, the memories.

This post is part of ThinkKit by Smallbox. Today’s prompt: “share a side-splitting story from the last year. What made you laugh out loud until tears formed? What made you giggle every time it was referenced? Whether it's a story, an image, a video – we want to hear about the banana peel on the floor, your best practical joke, or gems from the mind of a three-year-old. Whether it's sassy, sarcastic, or just plain silly: make us laugh!”

Think Kit Day 2 - From Paper to the Cloud

I'm going to avoid diving deep on a couple of social or local issues.  It's day two, after all. Everyone is expecting it and I won't be able to resist the urge to through the end of the month.  That being said, I've another mind shift that occurred this past year. It's a small change that contributes to larger scale success. I've gone paperless at work.  I've seriously printed two documents in an entire year while at a job with perhaps twice as much information flowing my way.  Prior to that, I would drown in a sea of paper and lost so much informational value in the unbelievable amount of reports, notes, plans, etc. that would accumulate on my desk.  Granted I moved from a large financial services organization to a small, tech savvy consulting firm but it was still project oriented technology work - and a lot of it thus leading me to believe that the system is a primary contributor.  

I've perfected my cocktail. It's all about Evernote, Box, and Trello (apps I've blogged about before). This trifecta of applications has replaced mounds and mounds of paper that I would have printed in a previous life.  These are popular, cloud based document and information organizing tools that only become easier to leverage as they evolve.

Through the tagging, the sharing, and the synching in the cloud I've found peace of mind and a less stressful and more effective work scenario.  These tools aren't new and neither are the concepts. What's new is my dedication to them this past year and as a result, a significantly smaller amount of paper consumed.

This is actually an important development, whether you work in a fast paced environment that's where the information flow never stops or you have a need to manage multiple detailed initiatives.  Abandoning paper for the cloud is a very operational shift.  It's a seemingly benign change that really impacts my larger game. I'm consciously looking to cultivate a "get things done" reality and abandoning paper has helped pave the way.

This post is part of ThinkKit by Smallbox. Today’s prompt: “What did you change your mind about this year? Was it a big deal – the way you feel about an issue? Or something small ?”

Think Kit Day 1 - Being a Hype Man for Indianapolis Through My Year in Pictures

I'm using my year in photos post to hype up a few things I like about my city. As an added benefit for friends and family (28% of which would be interested in seeing pictures of my family), you get some pictures of my awesome family.  Besides, the only way to make family photos interesting to strangers is to frame them up against some of my favorite aspects of our great city.

Downtown Carriage Ride

For Margot's birthday, we took a horse drawn carriage ride around the downtown area.  The ride was a first for us.  For as much time as I've spent near the circle, that was a nice angle to experience the area.

Victory Field

What a great minor league park we've got.  The outfield experience is ideal for our group of friends and family.

Pappa Roux

This is a two for one photo.  I get to promote this east side restaurant as well as give you a glimpse into my awesome dad time.

Downtown Comics

Great selection and great staff.  Note my use of My Little Pony comics as a gateway drug.

Holliday Park

We own a bunch of city parks on the north side.  And Holliday park could have topped the list this year.  We love it for its nature center, playground, its "ruins", and the river front.

My Street

We've lived in the south east corner of Meridian-Kessler for over ten years now.

St. Joan of Arc's French Market

Year after year, this is our favorite festival on the summer circuit.

100 Acre Wood (and all the outdoor IMA grounds)

What a great way to spend a random weekend afternoon.

This post is part of ThinkKit by Smallbox. Today’s prompt: “Share your year in photos. Was there a moment of unrestrained happiness? An unexpected encounter?”

#citysuppersindy - Ford Edition

People don't get to do this often and I admire Allison and her college era friends when they get together. We're all IU Bloomington alumni and ran in the same circles back in the day, but over time the circle has stretched from Manhattan to Chicago and so on.  While many were missing at our dinner, those converging at the Ford house this past weekend celebrated new babies and old friendships.  So with some delicious homemade beef stew and ice cream brownie sundaes, we reminisced about the past, caught up with the present, and talked about tomorrow.  Our frequent dinners with friends and family are successful when conversation is rooted in this complete chronological set - the past, present, and future.

Dinner courtesy of our friend Jamie

cheers!

Retiring in America is Likely a Financial Myth For the Bulk of You...

...especially those of you baby boomer or younger.  It's a red herring for the small number of you that even have it on your radar.  I spent eight years in the retirement services industry.  Granted it was IT, but enough of it was in the customer facing web experience to see the strategy and the general message to existing and would be participants. That message is two-fold - > you're not going to hit your goals regardless of your contribution but you should continue pile money away into these fee ridden investment vehicles.  Yeah, it's grim. I saw a couple of articles float in on the subject in the past few days and it got me motivated to cobble together some partially formulated thoughts on the matter.    

• People are horribly unprepared and if present day persists far into the future, it's going to be calamitous.
  • http://gawker.com/your-retirement-outlook-is-terrible-and-depressing-1546515878

• People aren't saving, for a handful of reasons, let alone saving for retirement.

• • http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2014/03/18/retirement-confidence-survey-savings/6432241/ 
  • 75% of us live paycheck to paycheck
  • http://money.cnn.com/2013/06/24/pf/emergency-savings/

What's the solution?  yeah right, like I've got any of that.  Is the problem scenario bigger than saving for retirement or not?  Fundamentally, I think it is a greater problem.  Somehow, we have to alter the collective conscious of our culture to think longer term.  The only way to overcome seemingly insurmountable problems is to define a long term plan to reach a lofty goal and collectively govern ourselves to stay on track in the short and near term.

• It's depressing, but logical that the Feds are offering a new saving mechanism that tops out at $15K.  That's not a lot of money. 
• http://www.forbes.com/sites/maggiemcgrath/2014/03/04/dont-wait-for-obamas-myra-the-best-places-to-save-for-retirement-if-you-make-less-than-six-figures/
• Gawker calls for something like social security, but "better". Social Security, but better.
• http://gawker.com/let-pensions-die-build-something-better-1402814521

Here's the reality, if you're in your mid-twenties you're already behind the gun and not likely to ever catch up.  So if you're a conservative who loves to carry on that Social Security is a noose around your neck, it might be wise to take a look in the mirror and realize your situation.  And if you're not one of those angry conservative types, a bag full of "I told you so's" won't put food on the table or a roof over your head when you hit your golden years.

At a higher level, the boom/bust cycle of the market turns retirement into russian rollette.  Just hope and pray that when you're in a boom cycle come retirement.  Google "baby boomer retirement" and peruse the news articles therein if you don't believe me.  And hey, don't worry we've only tied your college savings (529s) and your private health insurance (HSAs) to the cyclical market too.  This isn't a rant against the perils of the market nor is it advocating for a national pension system, it's just the facts. You're broke now and will be when you're old.  Best get to figuring something out or demanding that someone else do it for you.

Visualize Indy - Fountain Square Infographic

Indy's Fountain Square is pretty great.  From the eateries, to the bars, to its art scene, this neighborhood just south east of downtown has got some cool things going on.  I think the recent leg of the cultural trail has created an appealing corridor of restaurants and residential development connecting it to downtown.  As a result, the neighborhood is more connected to the other areas of the city we find really appealing while maintaining its identity. For years now, Fountain Square has been a place where the Fords are likely to spend an evening.  When out of town friends and acquaintances need recommendations, Fountain Square is on my short list.

I chose to create this infographic because I have a soft spot for city planning.  While I'm not an Indy native, I have heard plenty of stories about what Fountain Square was like twenty years ago.  To compare those stories to what we've got now in this neighborhood is pretty impactful.  As I collaborated with some folks from LISC on this infographic, I discovered that this neighborhood's development was not happenstance.  Like most success, it was the result of careful planning with dedicated and passionate people working hard to make things happen. cheers to that.

Click here to view, download, and share the infographic

Visualize Indy - Indianapolis Waterways Infographic

I'd like to present the first of four infographics created from the first wave of my Visualize Indy project.  It's been really neat to see people's reaction to the project.  I've met a lot of passionate people who love this city and I consider them kindred spirits.

This particular infographic was a result of a collaboration with Reconnecting Our Waterways, a nonprofit that is a "collaborative initiative to embrace the waterways that weave our neighborhoods together." My hope is that my fellow Indianapolis denizens will read this and walk away with a larger appreciation for an aspect of the city that often doesn't get its due.

Click here to get to the goods. View the infographic. download it. print it. share it.  It's yours.

Think Kit Dec. 31st - Looking Toward 2014 By Continuing The Best of 2013

As 2013 ends, I feel I've settled into a great groove.  Taking time to reflect really pays off. I find activities I like and make them habit while looking for new experiences.  So while I obviously can't describe the unknown events and activities that will highlight 2014, I can list a few things I've done in the past that I know I'll be doing again this coming year.

• Camping with my girls
• Indy's summer festival season
• Afternoons spent biking along the canal path to the IMA grounds, Butler's campus, Broad Ripple, and so forth
• My 36th consecutive year at our family's little lake house up on Lake Tippecanoe
• Quality music shows that will pop up throughout the year (e.g., Neko Case)
• Reds v. Pirates baseball games with my family
• Settling into my first year at Apparatus
• Quiet summer evenings at my family's farm

What I enjoy about this is list of things I'm looking forward to in 2014 is that I use them all as an exercise in self-awareness.  I contemplate the people around, my geographic position, and how I affect and am impacted by them. Much of this list is family oriented because that's who I am at 35.  These activities are all accompanied by moments where I stop, take a deep breath, and look around. It can be a very intoxicating and rewarding experience and I will ensure this next year will see it in abundance.

So here's to 2014, the year where we all take some time to recognize the moment, focus more on ourselves, and respect and honor our fathers and mothers.

Who Knew a Bacon, Jalapeño, Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Could Be Good? Patachou Does.

I just ate the most bizarre sandwich in recent memory. Looking to recuperate from New Year's Eve, we strolled up to Cafe Patachou to remedy the situation.  As we approached, I saw a window advertisement for a new sandwich, named the 'Full Bellied Pig' or the 'Patachou Foundation' sandwich as it was referred to when I it arrived to our table.  Our server's reaction to my order was enough to know that I'd made a good decision.  Twice, she told me that she was so excited for me.

She was excited because of the unique sandwich, but also because of the related non-profit foundation the proceeds from the sale of the sandwich support.  The Patachou Foundation was formed in 2013 with the primary goal of feeding children affected by homelessness. A laudable cause, for sure.

The sandwich ingredients themselves aren't unusual.  Ample layers of peanut butter and jelly on wheat bread surround the plenty of bacon and thick cut slices of fresh jalapeños.   Yes, there's a bit of heat to this sandwich, but the PB&J cools things down a bit.  The couple glasses of water also helped.  The sandwich also benefits from the classic sweet and salty combination created by the jelly and bacon.

I've never felt compelled to write about a sandwich before. But this Full Bellied Pig was a really unique experience.  It was a surprisingly delicious experience.  I hope it becomes a mainstay on their menu and I hope you try it.

Dec. 30th Think Kit - Knowledge Is Power in the Fitness Game: All Hail the FitBit!

A shot of my dashboard

I need to exercise more.  I've mentioned this in earlier posts.  Almost three years ago, I made a conscious effort to exercise more and for a long stretch of time, I was in the best shape of my life. However I have a hard time finding a long term, permanent rhythm.  I'll exercise regularly in spurts. For eight months, I'll exercise three to four days a week.  Then, I'll fall out of my routine and that sedentary inertia sits in.  So, I'm looking for a different perspective to take a fresh first step toward a constant emphasis on fitness.
Knowledge alters my behavior.  It's not a universal rule that we all live by, but it applies to me.  I look at nutrition labels at the grocery store, calorie counts on menus, and so forth. For awhile I kept a food journal.  All this information influences my decisions, however actively tracking exercise is kind of challenging. So, I was therefore excited to get my FitBit for Christmas.

My FitBit is a super cool little gadget that tracks my calories, steps taken, active minutes, and my sleep patterns.  Yes, I'm a tech geek and am enamored with it as it synchs wirelessly to my computer.  I can track my progress not only on my wrist but in greater detail on a dashboard accessible on my phone or on my computer.  Yes, the hard part is staying on track diet wise and calories exerted.  However, with my new fitness gadget I'll be able to track my behavior and adjust accordingly.  I can, for example, see that I'm not burning enough calories in a day or am not getting enough sleep.  This is a new step toward a goal that I've worked toward for years.


This post is in response to Think Kit blog prompt,  "What's one step you can take to support a goal you have for 2014?"