Last night I attended a Celebration of Life for a former colleague from my BevMo! days. Brian was our spirits buyer. He was also my self-appointed annoying brother—always teasing me, playing pranks, and finding new ways to make my job just a little more difficult...and a lot more fun. I left BevMo! in 2015. What surprised me most wasn't just hearing the stories about Brian. It was walking into a room filled with people I hadn't seen in more than a decade. I had forgotten how much history you can share with people you haven't seen in years. Within minutes, we were laughing like no time had passed. As the evening came to an end, we all found ourselves saying the same thing: "We should do this again...under happier circumstances." I hope we do. But I also know life has a way of getting busy. On the drive home, I called Melissa, another BevMo! coworker and friend who couldn't make it. Several people had asked about her throughout the evening. We talked the whole w...
A few weeks ago, my mom had been in the hospital for several days, so I flew to Surprise, Arizona, to stay with my 95-year-old dad. My parents live in a wonderful retirement community. Their apartment is small—one bedroom, one-and-a-half baths, a cozy little patio, and just enough room for my dad's books and all of my mom's holiday decorations. It's a constant negotiation. I slept on the sofa bed in the living room. Before going to bed that night, I turned off the lights around 11:30. I never even checked to see if the front door was locked. In their community, neighbors stop by, doors are often open during the day, and it simply felt...safe. The next morning, I was sitting on their little patio enjoying a cup of coffee before Dad woke up and our day began. Suddenly I heard him call from inside the apartment. "Kris... Mom's home." I froze. Home? How was that possible? She couldn't drive. She didn't even have the car. Why would the hospital release her ...