It’s been a while since I’ve written a piece in one of my favorite formats, Bits & Bobs. Sometimes I feel like the screen is my enemy, although I love to write. Getting ready for a marathon is hard work. Pulling cases down from the over-head in the liquor department is hard work. Yet, sitting down in front of my computer to write an article seems almost more difficult than either of the aforementioned tasks. It’s so easy to reason with oneself and make excuses like…”I’ll get back at it next week.” or “No one really cares if I put out an article today.” or “I could just quit putting in this effort and get more mundane things accomplished.” My football coach in Junior High said something that still rings in my memory…”Excuses are like bellybuttons, everyone has one.” Let that be a lesson for all teachers and parents. Sometimes we say something that sticks, and what Mr. Hahn said that day in football practice has stuck with me all these years. No excuses Stan, start writing!
Thanksgiving is coming soon, which means that there is a ton of things to write about in the wine world. The next three holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year) are huge wine-centric events. In the past, Mr. Hahn’s words seem to have escaped my memory as I made lame excuses as to why I shouldn’t spend time writing about specific wines for the holidays. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that people want some direction as to what to purchase for the Thanksgiving meal or Christmas dinner. On the store level, I spend a lot of time leading my customers to a wine that will work well with said meals. If that’s the case, it leads to the obvious. If I write about it, folks will read it and hopefully gain some insights. There are so many options out there when it comes to wine and I think being someone who has given it a lot of thought, I might actually bring something to the table (pun intended). That being said, look for a few articles dealing with the difficult yet satisfying task of finding the right wine (wines) for Thanksgiving.
Weighing on just about everyone’s mind is election night tomorrow. With the Covid mess, I think that the voter turn-out will be huge. I will stay away from politics on this blog but suffice to say, a lot is on the line. There is quite a bit of talk in the wine world about what to drink during election night. There will be drinking, that is for sure. I think it is important to mention, that no matter what the outcome, we will as a nation make it through. There is no need to get violent and vandalize property. We’ve had enough of that already! We enjoy our freedom in this great nation, but freedom means that we must respect everyone’s right to have it. Damaging property and scaring people off the streets is in no way sending any sustainable message. Peaceful protest is a positive, violence is a negative. That is as close to political as you will see me get here.
Susie and I are staying as positive as we can about all this. We are making travel plans for next year. We love to travel as I know a lot of you do. Masks will go away, airplanes will fly and someday we will be talking about all of this in past tense. Until that time, stay positive!
Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man
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