There are times when the simplest pleasures of life make a bad day turn great. A couple of weeks ago I described the pleasure of sipping on a root beer float. It brought back memories of visiting A&W with the whole family.
Today, as I am writing this article, I'm snacking on fresh popped popcorn. There's just enough buttery flavor and just enough salt, that it satisfies any cravings I might have… and it soothes the frustrations of the day.
I know what you're thinking… Scott likes food. There's no doubt that I do, but other things also make life seem simple and enjoyable. It may sound kind of corny, but it is those other things that make my job so great. About a year ago, I received a call from a lady needing help. Her mother was nearing her 100th birthday, and the daughter thought it would be great to track down certain people who had made an impression on her mother's life. She had the name of a gentleman from 40 or 50 years earlier but didn't know where he was from except it was in the general vicinity of Grant County. Luckily, with some help from friends who have lived here all their lives, we found the man. That was a satisfying day. We will receive calls from people who are at their wits end trying to accomplish a task that seems impossible or they feel they are just running around in circles. Then we get involved and find an answer or a solution for them. Man, it feels so good to help others.
Even helping people pull off events here at the Grant County Conference Center can be a pleasure. Time is short, and a family is stressed out over little details for their special occasion. We step in and help them get past the obstacles and at the end of the day, the client is ecstatic with the outcome. Yep, even though we are dead-tired, we leave work feeling good about what we helped someone else accomplish.
They are simple pleasures: giving someone the correct phone number for PNM on cut-off day; describing to a visitor that they can actually fly directly into Grant County; sharing with a tourist the two routes to the Gila Cliff Dwellings and the things they should look for along the way; describing to a person in Minnesota how mild our winters are while they are stranded in a snow storm; or just defining what life is like in southwest New Mexico to someone who has never been here before. But these are the pleasures that give our jobs meaning and purpose.
We couldn't do these types of things without the support of the members of the Chamber of Commerce. They are the life-blood of our organization and in some ways, each one of our little pleasures on the job lead back to our mission of serving our members by promoting business, commerce and tourism in Grant County. We want visitors and clients to have the best impression of Grant County that is possible to share with them.
One of our out-of-town chamber members is having an event in Silver City this week. Sisbarro Superstore, a car dealer from Deming, is having a sales event in the parking lot of the Grant County Conference Center at 3031 Highway 180 East in Silver City. They will be here through this Sunday. Their hours are 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. each day.
If you are interested in the local tourism industry, there will be a "Tourism Town Hall" on Friday – April 13 from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The event includes a continental breakfast, New Mexico Tourism Department Panel Presentation, a Silver City / Grant County Tourism Roundtable Discussion, and there will be time for public questions and comments. It is our understanding that seating is limited and you must register in advance to attend. To register, you should call the Silver City Arts & Cultural District at 538-5560. Once you have registered to attend, you will be told the location of the "Tourism Town Hall."
Never forget to take the time to enjoy the simple pleasures of life. And please remember, if you need assistance, we look forward to helping you. Our phone number is (575) 538-3785, or you can stop by our office at 3031 Highway 180 East in Silver City.