Hi!
Been a while!
I’m sitting at a coffee shop right now in the Outer Banks desperately trying to avoid a presentation I need to put together for a new project (shout out to Ashley’s Espresso Parlour!), and realized it’s been a while since we last chatted. So hello! Whatcha been up to over there? Anything new and juicy going on this Summer? :)
It’s been a hot mess here in the DC area with all the gov’t cuts and confusion and chaos. Everyone here knows someone – or is someone – affected by these changes, and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better… We’ve somehow managed to avoid a bulk of it so far (my wife is a proud – and hard working! – civil servant), however the walls are closing in which is sad as it’s her favorite job in the entire world and she’d be devastated having to walk away 🥺 But we keep going and just do whatever we can within our control!
Aside from that, life is going pretty well. Our 3 boys continue to grow and be their silly little selves (who now care awfully a lot about clothes and brands and influencers – even my 7 year old!), and I’m still practicing retirement and failing pretty hard at it, haha… I “work” just as much now as I did before, though it is on my own time and for no pay, so I suppose it’s kinda like real retirement? :)
It’s been a blast though. I accidentally started a new project a few months back and it’s since taken a life of its own: A free clothing closet in my hometown, giving out clothes and essentials to anyone who needs it!
It mainly caters to our neighbors living on the streets and in the woods, but also a lot of our lower income families as well. We’ve given out over 10,000 items so far, from clothing to bikes to tents, sleeping bags, hats, shoes, feminine products, you name it.
It’s so different from running an *online* project where you’re sharing ideas worldwide and never see anyone face to face, compared to this one which is so hyper focused and only deals with physical products being shared IN PERSON! I even had to get back onto Facebook after a decade away as everyone in this town communicates there, lolol… Okay, well that and Instagram, but still. It’s like going back in time and having to unlearn a whole way of doing business 😂
On one side it’s been great – the project is flourishing and there’s no end in sight, but on the other it hurts my heart as it only proves that there’s such a need for this in the community :( And not only mine, but probably yours too as well as all around the country/world! And it only seems like it’s getting worse with how things are playing out… Since when is food and clothing a nicety and not necessity?!
But oh well… Can’t say I ever saw myself going into this line of business, lol, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s to keep going when you’re onto something and everything keeps flowing :) Whether that’s a new project or a relationship or even your finances. There’s something magical that happens when your passions align with your skills, especially if it happens to solve a problem in the world. So when the universe tells you you’re on the right path you keep pushing because you’re right where you’re meant to be at this point in time! It’s a beautiful thing!
So that’s what I’ve been up to over here!
And now gotta stop procrastinating and get back to work :) This presentation I have to put together is for a local organization who wants to donate a bunch of clothes – and hopefully money so I can get a sprinter van and turn this into a mobile closet! – and I need to convince them I’m not a psycho, haha…
If anyone wants to learn more about the closet, and/or wants to donate yourself (yes please!!), DM me and I’ll tell you more 🙏
In the meantime, I’ll try to get back to some sort of rhythm here on the blog! I should have more time as the kids start going back to school here over the next couple months…
If you’re new to the site and this is the first post you’re reading, hello!! Thanks for giving it a shot! :) You can check out “my story” here, and feel free to reach out anytime with questions or just to say hi. We usually do talk more about money than my personal life, haha, but it probably won’t be the last time either.
Have a fantastic week!
PS: That other project I’m helping my friend with is still moving forward (YouBots.ai), but proving to be more of a long haul than we thought. On the plus side, the Project of Me is still going strong!
PPS: Here are 3 fantastic books I’ve read recently if anyone’s interested:
- “The Happiest Man on Earth” by Eddie Jaku
- “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” by Heather Morris
- “10% Happier” by Dan Harris
*Links are Amazon affiliate links…
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Whad up J$!!! Good to see you sir. Glad you are out there doing big things. You are inspiring!
hey dude!! you too! always love seeing your handsome mug show up :) hope the kids and everything else well!
Glad to see an update J$! Sounds like you are enjoying your summer, while also doing numerous noble things as usual. Love your ideas and I hope to take more time in the morning to listen to the ever-expanding lists of podcast episodes on my list while the summer weather allows!
Thanks man! Been a wildly unpredictable year so far but loving every minute of it :) Hope you get to listen to some of those podcasts! I haven’t done that in ages – I always forget about them for some reason?
Hey J$,
Good to hear you are still out there making life better in the area. I ditched the corporate life, or really it ditched me, and I’m self-employed down in RVA. I’ll ping you next time I’m up there, and maybe we can get coffee and catch up.
oh nice!! would love to catch up again man – been forever! what type of work are you doing down there now? happy to keep ears open for any business I can send your way…
will DM you.
Homeless folks don’t have access to laundry, so they usually wear clothing until it’s dirty, then throw it out. So I’d like to suggest an arrangement where they can bring dirty stuff back, your people wash it and make it available again. Or find a laundromat that will accommodate them on your dime. I used to volunteer with a tiny local charity in FL that had a weekly laundry morning for homeless and very low income vets. A lot of people avoid giving their decent items to homeless services for this reason. Feel free to reach out if you want to know more!
Oooooh i love this idea! Esp the laundromat partnership angle. I already give a few folks who have homes laundry $$$ from time to time (half my people were once homeless and now have roofs over their heads but still very much in poverty) so this would actually benefit a wide range of my target. And still very much on *mission* too. So thanks! Going to look into this more! 👊
Good to read your newsletter and your blog article about your latest project. I was worried your health might be declining.
I love, love, love your free Clothing Closet. The need is so great.
Recently, I’ve been thinking more and more about how there are enough resources on earth to feed, cloth, and house everyone but the problem is distribution of wealth. I especially had those though when the big, expensive wedding in Venice occurred.
Things are the same here. I’m still blogging and writing my weekly newsletter and having trouble getting my book done.
My health is good, which I’m grateful for.
Hi friend!! We need to get that book published!!! I am going to DM you after writing this :)
Yes – health is important, and very very *(very)* thankful my health has been on the mend these past two years… Hopefully it’ll continue with my revamping of working out and eating/drinking better since my diagnosis! I haven’t needed an infusion in over 2 years so far :)
Glad you like my new project! I just heard a stat recently that we could stop production of all clothing and still have enough to clothe the entire world for decades (generations?) to come. That’s crazy. But you know humans – we sure like to accumulate and then discard! So hopefully this new closet at least helps with it a teenie weenie bit. It def. makes a difference to those receiving everyones discards 🙏
It’s great to hear what you’re doing with the free clothing closet. Sounds like an awesome project.
Thanks Marc! Appreciate you 👊
So good to see your post. It’s like oatmeal with brown sugar and coconut flakes on top. :P
I, too, have been away from my blog a lot since leaving corporate life behind. Letting cobwebs develop… What is Instagram, and is TikTok banned or…?
I hope things work out for your wife, as this crazy world keeps on getting crazier.
Peace, J.!
“It’s like oatmeal with brown sugar and coconut flakes on top.” – HAH! Can’t say I’ve ever been compared to that, but sounds tasty! 😂
I think it’s your turn to post something next! Let’s take turns – one month me, one month you lol…