Getting to Know me

I have had a website off and on for over twenty years.  I love the concept and hate the maintenance of it.  I was one of the very early bloggers, sharing my life, political views, my family and more online and at one point, had a big following though my biggest fan was always my sweet Aunt Nina.  So many of those friends and family members are no longer with us, and the world is a heavier place - Aunt Nina shares a birthday with Debbie, which is coming up in about ten days...

I was showing Debbie my new blog-oriented site and she, of course, was supportive.  I asked her what we should include or post about regularly and she said, "the things you love and are passionate about!"  

"What else?" I asked.

"I think you should have an area on the site or a regular post that let's others get to know you where you answer questions," then she moved on to something else.

I'll give it a whirl.  The first question I'll answer is, "Who are my heroes and why?"

When I was growing up my heroes were predominantly sports-related, like with a lot of young boys.  Johnny Bench of the Cincinnati Reds, tennis player Bjorn Borg, etc.  The first person who I realized that I actually knew that was hero-worthy was my Uncle, Charles Buell.  Uncle Charlie was the oldest of the Buell kids and was someone who thought of others above self, had am amazing, charismatic smile and glimmer in his eye, was quick to make time for others and seemingly always did the right thing - he was just positively orientated in that direction.  His void in the family is often felt.  Some cousins and I try to jump in and fill that void, sometimes successfully, sometimes not but as time marches forward, his footsteps are not easily filled on this earth.  I treasure all of my personal and private interactions with my Uncle Charlie and often times I stop and ask myself what would Uncle Charlie do in this or that setting.

If you get a chance, take a walk on the Charles L. Buell Trail and send many positive thoughts to the greatest man I personally have ever known...

I have other heroes and ultimately I may write more about them but off the top of my head and by way of introduction, they include but are not exclusive to:

• Alex Buell.  My son has come over so much adversity in his life and he has the more pure heart of any human I've ever known.  He is sweet, gentle, kind, considerate and full of love and humor.  He also has one of those great Buell smiles but hasn't quite figured out the full power of it yet.
• Laura DeSoto.  Laura is someone I truly look up to.  As a female executive in the business world, I can only imagine the things that Laura has had stacked against her but she taught me that you don't have to be hard or cutthroat in business, you can be successful with kindness and by inspiring those around you.  Laura has worn so many hats over her career but she was successful in every role that she had, often times defying the odds - she one time moved from a senior strategic role to lead a sales organization, something she had not done before and within 12 months, she had turned the group around and was the national sales leader of the year.  She is a true inspiration.

There are so many more that you will hear about over time but for now, that's a bit more about getting to know me better and some of my heroes...