Deep Breaths Everyone

It's getting crazy out there on the road right now. Everyone is scrambling to get their holiday gifts taken care of, their texts responded to, and their emails answered -- while they're driving. I almost got killed twice yesterday and once this morning by a series of serial iPhone-using motorists. That, of course, sent my heart rate up to twice its normal (and healthy) level and resulted in an outburst of prolific profanity that would have made Richard Pryor blush. Then, while waiting for my coffee at Starbucks, the guy in front of me ordered fourteen specialty drinks for his entire office -- each with its own specific set of instructions. Everything so far this morning seems as if it was specifically engineered to break me -- to send me off on a Michael-Douglas-in-Falling-Down type of tirade where I just completely lose it and flip out.

But we can't let that happen. Deep breaths. Everything is going to be alright.

The holiday months are stressful. Getting everything done around K&L is a constant test of patience: packages need to be consolidated and shipped, pick-up dates from UPS need to be scheduled, and the bottles need to arrive on time. We need to make sure everything is in stock, that all customer needs are met, and that we monitor inventory every few minutes. We might have 60 bottles of Elmer T. Lee one minute and then realize a large firm has placed an order for 60 gift orders. All of a sudden we're at zero and I'm dashing over to the phone to get another delivery scheduled.

We're doing our best over here right now, but it's getting hectic. Make sure you stretch, breath deeply, get enough sleep, and don't let the little things get you down. We've still got a long way to go!

-David Driscoll