Hey it’s Trisha!
I know it’s Christmas night and you probably are ready
to crawl into bed (me too!) but I HAVE to tell you about
this crazy little guy who showed up at our camper door tonight.
He was short, I almost didn’t see him when I answer
the knock.
He also had weird shoes that curled at the toe.
And even more weird, he had pointy ears.
I asked him who he was and he said he was Jerald Jingler,
Santa’s No. 1 Elf, straight from the North Pole, Director of
Management in the Sleigh Aviation Department.
Apparently, he’s beginning to desire something more for him
and his family. Oh, it’s a great job, he told me, and Santa is a
fantastic boss who treats the elves well and really … who could
argue with working in such a fun and happy environment where
you make childrens’ wishes come true.
But, the little guy is beginning to feel there is so much more to life
than being one of the thousands of elves working at the North Pole
for the rest of his life.
So he wanted our advice.
Can you believe that?
I asked him why he came to us.
He replied, “I see your pictures on Facebook …you two are living the
kind of life I desire – traveling everywhere, enjoying the freedom, seeing all the beauty of Nature … and heck, when you shared that you were celebrating Christmas on the beach, I had to come find you and see if you could help me …
“And then,” he added, “there’s your name ‘Naked Hippies Roadtrip’ …
that really peaked my curiosity!”
I smiled and told him that we could help him – it’s what we do.
We sat down in the camper and began talking.
I asked him what he loved about his job.
He loves working with all the elves,
the scrumptious treats from
Mrs. Claus, the happy environment that’s
even better than the kind Google has for their staff …
it’s work and play all the time as toys are designed
and then tested. There’s always imagination
and creativity flowing.
Then I asked him what he doesn’t like about his job.
“Well,” he said, “to be honest … I don’t like
the cold anymore. It used to be fun to
tromp around in the snow and hop on a sled
or skis to get home, but when I visited my cousin
in Hawaii, I fell in love with warm weather,
and beaches and sunshine and hee hee, bikinis!”
What else? I asked. “I hardly ever see my kids.
The hours I work to keep Santa’s sleigh and
reindeer in top notch condition keeps me
at the office way into the night. I get home
after they are asleep, and kiss them
gently on their foreheads. I get up every
morning, eat a quick breakfast with them
and rush off to get to work. They are growing up
so fast and I’m missing these precious
times with them.
Anything else, I asked? “Yeah,” he quietly spoke,
“I feel like I’m in a rut now. I’ve worked my way
up to the top management position, but it’s become
routine for me … showing up day after day,
year after year. The only position left for me is “His”
and that’s not gonna happen – after all, he’s Santa.”
“Jerald,” I said as I looked straight into his eyes, “this is the most important question I will ask you. How you answer will determine if I can begin to help you.”
He gulped, sat up a little straighter on the seat and waited for the question.
“Are you willing to commit to learning new skills or brushing up on the ones you already have; to plug into the training we provide; to take action on the steps that we teach?
Are you willing to commit to your dream and do whatever it takes
to get there?”
He stood up, all 4 feet tall with a determined look
of purpose in his eyes and said, “Yes, I am …
I am doing this for myself and for my family.”
“Then, my friend,” I spoke with joy and assurance,
“you are ready.”
Next, I asked him, “what kind of budget do you have for starting something new, on your own?”
His eyes teared up a bit at this question.
He hesitated to say anything, then shared,
“That’s the problem. We’ve got kids, you know …
and well, it’s always a struggle to make it
to the end of the month. I don’t have a lot,
but I’ve got some to start with.”
I smiled again. “If we could show you how to get started right now for $25, would you be able to do that?”
He smiled the biggest elf smile I have ever seen (well it is the very first
elf smile I’ve ever seen) but he grinned from pointy ear to pointy ear!
Jerald was practically dancing on the table top in our camper.
“Now, Jerald,” I said as I grabbed his arm and settled him back down to his seat, “this is just the first step.”
“There’s more to learn, more to do … but we’re going to take it a step at a time … ok?”
His eyes were shining … he was all ears! (Bruce and I giggled because if you’ve ever seen an elf … they ARE all ears!)
I wrote something down on a piece of paper and handed it to him.
“Don’t lose this – it’s what you came here seeking.
This is your first step. Take this home with you,
get on your laptop and just get in …
you said you have $25 – that is all it will cost you –
one time. Nothing else.”
He nodded as he clutched the note in his hand. “Then, what?” he asked.
“Then we get on the phone … all the way from the
North Pole to the beach in California.
We will show you where to plug into
the training you need, introduce you
to the Naked Hippies team and
set up a daily plan of action to take.”
He sat there quietly for a few moments, then looked up at me and asked, “Trisha, do you believe I can do this? Really do this? Me, this little ol’ elf from the North Pole who has never done anything like this before?”
I reached over and took his hand.
“Jerald, you absolutely CAN.
We’ve got a whole team who started out
just like you – not knowing how and where
and what to do to build their own business.
You’ll meet them … you’ll hear their stories,
discover that you are just like them –
people with a dream for something MORE in life.”
Anyway, so that’s that.
This is the plan we have for Jerald.
We’ll see if he listens in 2015.
Have a GREAT holiday season.
We’ll see you soon! 🙂
Bruce and Trisha
We’re the Naked Hippies!
573-881-6715
P.S. Here’s the note I handed Jerald.
