1. Series we just finished (and loved!)…
Sam Elliot, Tim McGraw, and Faith Hill star in the new series, 1883. “The series follows the post-Civil war generation of the Dutton family as they leave Tennessee, journey to Fort Worth, Texas, and join a European immigrant wagon train undertaking the arduous journey west to Oregon, before settling in Montana to establish what would eventually become the Yellowstone Ranch.” (Wikipedia) It’s created by Taylor Sheridan and is the prequal to his Yellowstone series. I liked it a lot more than Yellowstone. And you DO NOT have to watch Yellowstone to watch 1883. It also stars Isabel May, as the daughter Elsa, who also narrates the show. I had not seen her in anything before, but she does an amazing job in this series. I have been intrigued with life before modern times, and 1883 captures the rawness and roughness of this time so well. It will give you an instant appreciation for how good we have it. There are ten episodes, and each one is captivating. A patient yesterday described it as “heavy,” and said they can only watch a couple of episodes and then have to take a couple of weeks off. It IS heavy… but SO good! Most episodes begin and end with the daughter Elsa narrating, most of it sounding like poetry. Here is an except from Episode 5… “I think cities have weakened us as a species. There are no consequences there. Step into the streets without looking, and the carriage merely stops or swerves; the only consequence an angry driver. But here? There can be no mistakes. Because here doesn’t care. The river doesn’t care if you can swim. The snake doesn’t care how much you love your children. And the wolf has no interest in your dreams. If you fail to beat the current, you will drown; if you get too close, you will be bitten. If you are too weak, you will be eaten.” You can find 1883 streaming on Paramount+. And check out the trailer below…
2. Something I learned this week…
When giving good news and bad news, which should you give first? I just finished the book When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, by Daniel Pink. It is loaded with fascinating and helpful insights on timing, which is something we don’t give much thought to. It turns out that giving bad news first is better. He explains some of the science in this book, but the bottom line is that when we give bad news, we think we need to start with good news to ease the pain of the bad news. But when we are receiving bad news, we prefer to receive it before the good news. According to Pink… Several studies show that roughly four out of five “prefer to begin with a loss or negative outcome, rather than the reverse.” He also states that, “Given a choice, humans prefer endings that elevate.” So… hopefully, you have no bad news to share, but if you do, you might want to start with that bad news, and end with the good.
3. T-shirt design contest we are having in our office…
Help us come up with a slogan for our office t-shirt! It’s been years since we have had a t-shirt design contest, but we are having it NOW. Submit clever, witty, motivational, and/or funny slogans that you think would make for a great t-shirt. We are accepting submissions through the month of April. Past winners have included… If you’re not my chiropractor, get off my back!… Optimal Spine has my back, who’s got yours?… When your spine’s in line, you’re feeling fine! The winning submission will receive a $50 Amazon gift card. Send us something good! Email your submission to optimalspinewellness@gmail.com.