We think our welcome as you enter the shop is a good'un ... we're a place where folks can, and we hope they will, gather to visit with friends - share life experiences - tall tales - or maybe discuss politics, religion, sports, news, weather, current affairs ... just about anything interesting or imaginable!
The key words being the action verbs ... gather, share, and discuss, methinks ...yes, we want to put the hurt on our visitors, right out of the box, making them work! Test their mettle ... that's what the boss said! Privately, I just hope you'll will enjoy themselves and make some new friends ... but no good reason to fret or be in a rush to explain all that, it'll happen fast enough if they gather, share and discuss!
Sharing "Magic Moments" ... is an important part of what we're about ... they permeate the Shop as well as our lives and if we don't share them, they'll just sit in some corner, taking up space and gathering dust. So we have a Special Feature devoted just to them. Most folks seem to like 'em, those special moments providing memories that cause us smile and feel good ... boosting our spirits and fueling our passions!
We all have them ... many more than we think ... and when shared, the magic multiplies, as if blessed by Merlin himself!
I'm no writer, Shop regulars well know that ... the first time I posted comments on a blog, someone responded "Bob, it's past your bedtime, go to bed!" But I do write, mostly about my Magic Moments ... sharing those little memories that make me simile in the hope that folks might enjoy them too! It's fun to try ... making someone smile is about as rewarding as anything can be ... a two way gift, a magic moment within itself ... ample payment indeed and makes the effort worthwhile!
Magic Moments are indeed magical for those of us who can't write but do like to try ... my guess is that they engender more stories than anything else, maybe all the other things combined! That's because they're so easy to write ... just string together a few magic moments and you have a great story!
Think about it ... no, that you don't have to think about it is part of the magic ... the story has already been written, just for you ... it's in your memory bank, pre-assembled so no thinking is required, no batteries neither. Just copy it down and you're done!
Most of the success of TheOldBarbershop depends on participation by those who visit The Shop ... that includes making comments, entering into the discussions and of course, sharing magic moments! Here in the Shop ... when folks comment, that's a magic moment!!!
Some think that most Shop visitors just won't participate, period! They may well be right but I hold a different view ... if folks are motivated to participate, they will, if they're not, they won't!
I rarely say that publicly ... the last time I did, it took me a month to get out of the doghouse with the Boss and other barbers. See, making our success mostly dependent on you, kinda takes us off the hook ... like the fellow what blames his failure to catch any fish on bad luck and his claim that the fish just weren't biting!
I heard that claim from more folks than you could count when I was a boy, and believed it too ... but that was all second hand knowledge until Daddy and me went fishin' with my uncle out on Lake Bedford, up here in Middle Tennessee ... early summer of '51, methinks. We shared a big bucket of Catalpa worms, rented a flat bottom boat and fished for seemed like three hours, maybe four. My luck was rotten, the fish just weren't biting ... I got nary a one, bite nor fish!
Daddy's luck was a little better than mine ... two or three bites, and one little fish, too small to keep. The fish weren't biting, not where we were, that's for sure!
Why did we need that big bucket of Catalpas, picked fresh off the trees ... that was hard work!
Well, uncle Verlon was sittin' in the middle of that little boat ... me in the front, and Daddy in the back ... not quite sure of his luck or how many bites he got. All I know is that he kept 26 of the nicest Crappe I've ever seen as his prize!
The fish weren't biting, not off either end of the boat ... if only I'd sat in the middle, that's where they were. I told him "you had all the luck ... wish I'd had some!" but he just smiled and said "If I'd depended on luck, we wouldn't be having fish for supper, that's for sure!"
I'm not so sure he even needed any Catalpas ... seemed to me like they were trying to jump in the boat.
You've got to stay alert 'cause sometimes them moments come in bunches ... we'd left Grandma's that day, early just as the sun was rising, stopping at an old General Store for cokes, and a fishing license for Daddy ...
on the counter was an old cigar box, full of pennies and I spotted a 1909 VDB which the proprietor gave me for luck! He didn't know or care what it was ... it was just a penny to him, but it was extra special to me and made my day! No, I didn't catch any fish but I felt lucky to have it ... first one I'd ever seen, and it was mine!
Old Ben said that a penny saved was worthy of note ... times change and today pennies are but a worthless nuisance. These days, about the only thing a pocket full of pennies will get you is a hole in your pocket! Well, I guess it really depends on the penny. A 1909 VDB-S penny in very good condition would probably cost several pocketfulls, maybe $750 ... one in mint condition over $5,000!
Indeed our success does depend on your participation but it's up to us to make it where you'll want to join in ... to "jump in the boat" with the rest of us, me thinks!
If you're like me, you probably think that special or exciting things rarely happen in your life ... that's the way I feel ... think again! it's usually the little things that you treasure most ... unexpected, unforeseen ... maybe that's what makes them exciting and special ... magical. Think of the smiles those memories bring ... think of the smiles and lives that will be enriched if shared! Think of the smiles that will be lost if not ...
Some folks don't like to smile ... makes them feel silly or something. Share a magic moment and watch 'em smile ... the sillies can't help themselves! The Bible says " ... and he saw that it was good" ... have you ever wondered why? Well, when God created smiles, there was no need ... he already knew it!
I write about what I know for my imagination has always failed me ... maybe a faulty pair of jeans for which I blame Daddy. I think I'm a junior as a result of his having the same problem. Folks think I'm kidding ... my grandson is the fourth(IV). It may well be the reason why Robbie is an only child. I have an aversion to pain and it would have been traumatic, contemplating a possible name were I to have had another son.
Millions of unshared Magic Moments are lost forever, each and every day ... that's untold millions of smiles! Hard to put a price tag on the loss in today's marketplace but, with all what's going on, smiles must be at a serious premium!
Sharing magic moments is easy ... like I said,
they've already been written, all you have to do is just copy them down! Even a caveman could do it!
The key words being the action verbs ... gather, share, and discuss, methinks ...yes, we want to put the hurt on our visitors, right out of the box, making them work! Test their mettle ... that's what the boss said! Privately, I just hope you'll will enjoy themselves and make some new friends ... but no good reason to fret or be in a rush to explain all that, it'll happen fast enough if they gather, share and discuss!
Sharing "Magic Moments" ... is an important part of what we're about ... they permeate the Shop as well as our lives and if we don't share them, they'll just sit in some corner, taking up space and gathering dust. So we have a Special Feature devoted just to them. Most folks seem to like 'em, those special moments providing memories that cause us smile and feel good ... boosting our spirits and fueling our passions!
We all have them ... many more than we think ... and when shared, the magic multiplies, as if blessed by Merlin himself!I'm no writer, Shop regulars well know that ... the first time I posted comments on a blog, someone responded "Bob, it's past your bedtime, go to bed!" But I do write, mostly about my Magic Moments ... sharing those little memories that make me simile in the hope that folks might enjoy them too! It's fun to try ... making someone smile is about as rewarding as anything can be ... a two way gift, a magic moment within itself ... ample payment indeed and makes the effort worthwhile!
Magic Moments are indeed magical for those of us who can't write but do like to try ... my guess is that they engender more stories than anything else, maybe all the other things combined! That's because they're so easy to write ... just string together a few magic moments and you have a great story!
Think about it ... no, that you don't have to think about it is part of the magic ... the story has already been written, just for you ... it's in your memory bank, pre-assembled so no thinking is required, no batteries neither. Just copy it down and you're done!
Most of the success of TheOldBarbershop depends on participation by those who visit The Shop ... that includes making comments, entering into the discussions and of course, sharing magic moments! Here in the Shop ... when folks comment, that's a magic moment!!!
Some think that most Shop visitors just won't participate, period! They may well be right but I hold a different view ... if folks are motivated to participate, they will, if they're not, they won't!
I rarely say that publicly ... the last time I did, it took me a month to get out of the doghouse with the Boss and other barbers. See, making our success mostly dependent on you, kinda takes us off the hook ... like the fellow what blames his failure to catch any fish on bad luck and his claim that the fish just weren't biting!
I heard that claim from more folks than you could count when I was a boy, and believed it too ... but that was all second hand knowledge until Daddy and me went fishin' with my uncle out on Lake Bedford, up here in Middle Tennessee ... early summer of '51, methinks. We shared a big bucket of Catalpa worms, rented a flat bottom boat and fished for seemed like three hours, maybe four. My luck was rotten, the fish just weren't biting ... I got nary a one, bite nor fish!
Daddy's luck was a little better than mine ... two or three bites, and one little fish, too small to keep. The fish weren't biting, not where we were, that's for sure!
Why did we need that big bucket of Catalpas, picked fresh off the trees ... that was hard work!
Well, uncle Verlon was sittin' in the middle of that little boat ... me in the front, and Daddy in the back ... not quite sure of his luck or how many bites he got. All I know is that he kept 26 of the nicest Crappe I've ever seen as his prize!
The fish weren't biting, not off either end of the boat ... if only I'd sat in the middle, that's where they were. I told him "you had all the luck ... wish I'd had some!" but he just smiled and said "If I'd depended on luck, we wouldn't be having fish for supper, that's for sure!"
I'm not so sure he even needed any Catalpas ... seemed to me like they were trying to jump in the boat.
You've got to stay alert 'cause sometimes them moments come in bunches ... we'd left Grandma's that day, early just as the sun was rising, stopping at an old General Store for cokes, and a fishing license for Daddy ...
on the counter was an old cigar box, full of pennies and I spotted a 1909 VDB which the proprietor gave me for luck! He didn't know or care what it was ... it was just a penny to him, but it was extra special to me and made my day! No, I didn't catch any fish but I felt lucky to have it ... first one I'd ever seen, and it was mine!Old Ben said that a penny saved was worthy of note ... times change and today pennies are but a worthless nuisance. These days, about the only thing a pocket full of pennies will get you is a hole in your pocket! Well, I guess it really depends on the penny. A 1909 VDB-S penny in very good condition would probably cost several pocketfulls, maybe $750 ... one in mint condition over $5,000!
Indeed our success does depend on your participation but it's up to us to make it where you'll want to join in ... to "jump in the boat" with the rest of us, me thinks!
If you're like me, you probably think that special or exciting things rarely happen in your life ... that's the way I feel ... think again! it's usually the little things that you treasure most ... unexpected, unforeseen ... maybe that's what makes them exciting and special ... magical. Think of the smiles those memories bring ... think of the smiles and lives that will be enriched if shared! Think of the smiles that will be lost if not ...
Some folks don't like to smile ... makes them feel silly or something. Share a magic moment and watch 'em smile ... the sillies can't help themselves! The Bible says " ... and he saw that it was good" ... have you ever wondered why? Well, when God created smiles, there was no need ... he already knew it!
I write about what I know for my imagination has always failed me ... maybe a faulty pair of jeans for which I blame Daddy. I think I'm a junior as a result of his having the same problem. Folks think I'm kidding ... my grandson is the fourth(IV). It may well be the reason why Robbie is an only child. I have an aversion to pain and it would have been traumatic, contemplating a possible name were I to have had another son.
Millions of unshared Magic Moments are lost forever, each and every day ... that's untold millions of smiles! Hard to put a price tag on the loss in today's marketplace but, with all what's going on, smiles must be at a serious premium!
Sharing magic moments is easy ... like I said,
they've already been written, all you have to do is just copy them down! Even a caveman could do it!
The Old Barbershop's archives are loaded with Magic Moment stories what done been writen ... my guess is that not many have read them all!
In addition to those housed in the "Magic Moment's" Archive, Mohammad has done went to the mountain and come back with a selection of some of his favorite "Magic Moment" stories that are archived elsewhere ... in other Special Feature locations and in the main Shop. One click and you'll be taken there, wherever it might be!