Thanks to everyone that attended our first potluck gathering tonight at Synder’s Cabin in Gage Park! We hope you all had as great of time as we did. It was fantastic to be in a room with a group of people that all have similar thoughts and dreams for Topeka and understand that the power of positive thinking is the first place to start.
Here’s a couple of photos that we took at the event. Enjoy!
Thursday evening, my husband Brandon and I attended the Last Comic Standing Tour at Topeka Performing Arts Center. It was great!
We had a very enjoyable evening watching the top four contestants and the host of this year’s Last Comic Standing season perform 25-minute sets each. The comedians were hilarious, and I really appreciated the way they all made certain to include the making fun of the Phelps clan in each of their acts. It really proved that visitors to Topeka do realize that the Phelps and their backwards thinking are not characteristic of the rest of us.
The Quality of Life section of the Heartland Visioning draft plan starts with the following vision:
Shawnee County will be a safe and caring community with vibrant arts, cultural entertainment and recreational activity and caring for all.
Who can argue with that? I mean, I think it’s safe to say that everyone wants to raise their family in a safe, caring community that has access to entertainment and recreational activities of all types. It provides options for a wide range of experiences without having to travel out of town, and allows opportunities to get involved in teams/clubs/groups that support these activities.
The Topeka Chamber of Commerce recently released this new video promoting the quality of life in Topeka:
What do you think about it?
Overall, I really like it. I showcases some great Topeka locations and events, and even a couple of things that I didn’t realize Topeka had!
The thing I like best about this video, compared to another Topeka video that was also released recently, is that it’s produced by hometown talent. The guys at Gizmo Pictures are the best video production company in the Midwest! I can’t understand why any Topeka agency would pay for a video produced by an out-of-state production crew when they have access to the best right in their back yard.
Ever since Denise posted Being an Intentional Topekan, I’ve really tried to follow her lead and make a concerted effort to shop local. This weekend Brandon and I stopped by Hazel Hill Chocolates - a homemade chocolate shop located downtown at 7th and Kansas.
Growing up, my father always told me, “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’ll be right 100% of the time.”
I believe this mentality has prepared me for a successful life, showing me that I create my own destiny and can do anything I set my mind to. Mostly, because I understand that a large part of my success is dependent on my attitude and positive state of mind, and that’s something that I can always control.
This mentality can (and should) apply to Topeka, and the way my fellow Topekans think about our great city. If we all make a conscious effort to see the positive things happening all around us, and think optimistically about a bigger, brighter future and ways we can achieve it; we’ll find strength and resources to meet those goals. Our dreams will become realities, because we’ll understand that we all have the power to affect change.
If instead, we choose to dwell on the negative, and think that change is beyond our control, it always will be. This is far easier mindset to maintain because it’s safe. It never pushes the limits, or considers anything other than a future of doom and gloom. It doesn’t take imagination or creativity or passion – any lazy coward can do it.
At the end of the day, it’s all in your head. If you think Topeka’s great, you’ll always find a good time because you realize that Topeka has lots to offer. And if you think Topeka’s the pits, and choose not to see the good all around you, you’re missing out. Because it’s all a matter of mindset.
I didn’t get to hear/see all of the people elected to the Task Force at last night’s Heartland Visioning Community Meeting, but I definitely saw a trend - we were young, and we were professional!
Topeka/Shawnee Kansas Online
