1.Trend I’m Watching: Most retail is contracting. Dollar Store is expanding rapidly. “Dollar Tree CEO Gary Philbin added last week that low-income consumers are often “one doctor bill or one car repair bill away from not being in such good shape.”
2. Daylight: In Hartford, and across the northern hemisphere, the days are getting shorter. Between today we will lose 8 minutes and 12 seconds of daylight. The darkness dominates this time of year. But come December 11th we will actually start gaining daylight in the evening.
3. Quote On My Mind: “One isn’t necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.” – Maya Angelou
4. Thing That Has Gotten Much Easier: Creating a playlist. I don’t usually do this but did one this week. Creating a mixtape for someone in the 1990s took a lot of time. A good mixtape was a well received gift. Now it is so easy to do that it is instantly disposable.
5. What I’m Listening To: The Notorious B.I.G. – he died at age 24. And 25 years later his music sounds as fresh as the day it was released.