21 Comments

Love how you've woven your Storytelling skills through here!

Great essay with a great message

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Thank you for your help in nailing this and helping the stories come out even more.

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Anytime! Love reading your work. Honored I could help out!

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Feb 28Liked by Tim Sweetman

Holy Gheez this is inspiring! Thank you for sharing this post today Tim. "When we judge others' worthiness of our care, we lose sight of the true essence of hospitality: making “outsiders feel like insiders”, as Brant Hansen aptly puts it. Hospitality is welcoming people to be a part of something regardless of who they are. We provide honor, dignity, and respect because they are human."

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Thanks Rick! I wanted to communicate the HEART from which the actions we do day to day in my business come from. I'm hoping this articulated it!

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Feb 28Liked by Tim Sweetman

It totally did.

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Tim I’m so pleased Rick restacked this potent and beautiful essay of yours. There is such wisdom and so much depth. It comes on a day when I may see my sister who has been estranged from our family for three years. It’s going to be awkward and I suspect she’s going to feel like an outsider - because she’s been one by her own choice. Regardless of the broad and deep circumstance, because of you I can now recognize my role to make her feel as an insider. Thank you 🙏

I particularly loved this: “it's about extending empathy, understanding, and grace—even in the face of adversity.”

Thank you again.

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Feb 29·edited Feb 29Author

Wow James. Amazing to see others extend that honor, dignity, and respect! Thanks for reading.

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Sure thing. We seem to connected to some of the same people. I look forward to checking out more of your essays.

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Truly honored. Thank you James reach out any time.

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Tim, I wrote an essay last month on forgiveness - and while I never used the word hospitality - it might be said that's where it ended up. You've also made me realize that there's a connection between hospitality and forgiveness. Here it is if you care to have a read. https://onmoneyandmeaning.substack.com/p/peter-and-linda-biehl-story-of-forgiveness

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My heart was thumping as I read the milkshake opener and the part about the customer angry about his parking, brilliant storytelling.

Also most of these principles apply within eCommerce too. When that parcel gets lost and it’s a Christmas present, we can show apathy and blame it on the couriers or drive 23km ourselves to deliver a fresh package. Eats into the immediate profits but hopefully pays off later.

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Now that’s a fascinating application I had not thought about. It seems VERY easy to lose the humanity in the process with e-commerce!

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And in eCommerce it’s always so easy to move on to the next person. We have such dehumanizing terms like “top of funnel” rather than recognizing these are actual people with real problems that you can solve for them. Glad I came across your work

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Hospitality is a skill set which takes time to develop and erodes rapidly if not practiced

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So incredibly true, especially in the sense that it can erode quickly. How have you seen it practiced well?

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Feb 28Liked by Tim Sweetman

Hospitality is welcoming people to be a part of something’s regardless of who they are. We provide honor, dignity, and respect because they are human.”

As the owner and innkeeper of two Adirondack mountain inns, I deeply resonate with this! I often tell my staff that everyone has a story and today you are a part of it!

Hosting people in the Adirondacks probably makes it a little easier to fulfill the heart of this post then some places. Being surrounded by peaceful, gorgeous mountain scenery certainly doesn’t hurt anything. But I’ve often said that it is, a very noble thing to host people, providing a place for them to connect to nature, rejuvenate, and make new memories.

I actually think that it’s a very good mantra for life as well. If we built relationships with people based on the fact that they were human and therefore deserved dignity, and respect… I think I would like our world a lot better! Thanks Tim for a great post!

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Wow Wayne. First of all, sounds like I need to visit the Inns for some R&R. Secondly, you've nailed it -- we start with the humanity and it leads to dignity, and respect. It's too easy to dis-connect with people and places in a digital world. We need these physical, spiritual, and emotional connection points and places. I love you have a physical location that helps foster these deep connections for individuals with unique stories.

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Feb 28Liked by Tim Sweetman

If you plan a trip to the Adirondacks, let us know! We’d be honored to host you! I couldn’t agree more! I love that we have created spaces where we can host people from all walks of life, and meet at the common point of the dignity of humanity, The need of a place to , and our love for nature. The story continues…

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Working on booking something!

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Feb 28Liked by Tim Sweetman

We are located in the Keene Valley of the High Peaks region. We are about 20 minutes south east of Lake Placid New York. Although Lake Placid is called the Winter sports capital of the world, It’s been a pretty off winter for us. We are pretty much wrapping up the winter season early this year. Spring is called mud season for a reason and not the greatest time to visit. I would highly recommend any time from June on. If you choose to come to our region of the Adirondacks, I’d be honored for you to consider us!

Www.thesnowgoose.com

ww.adktrailinn.com

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