Author: Mackenzie Landmann

Celebrate Every Day

Today is National Odometer Day! Well, that’s kind of boring. But tomorrow is National Apple Pie Day! And Wednesday is National Dance Like a Chicken Day…I could go on and on about the silly and random things that we ‘celebrate’ every day. Who says we should celebrate these things? Who says we shouldn’t? There is much value in finding reasons to celebrate and enjoy every day. Sometimes as we get lost in our routines it can be hard to remember to enjoy the little things too.

Taking a moment to bask in the small victories or find joy in the ordinary is just one way we can brighten up our days. Expressing gratitude or admiration for our colleagues is one of the simplest and quickest ways to brighten their day. We hear all the time how important a positive attitude is but there truly is great value in it.

Now I know we all have our bad days and that’s okay, too. Life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes life is a bunch of thunderstorms one after the other and we feel like we can barely get a second to plant our flowers. Or maybe we get them planted and then they get washed away in the rain. You could spend a day upset because your flowers are ruined, and you could get so frustrated you just can’t look at the flower bed for a few days. And then out of the blue, there’s one resilient little flower starting to grow. And maybe even another. And right there is a little reason to celebrate. We get sidetracked celebrating the resilience of that little flower that sometimes we forget we have that strength in ourselves too.

So, you start tending to that flower. And before you know it, there are more flowers popping up all over the place because you helped nurture that first flower. It’s like the other seeds realized how much brighter it is once they emerge out of the soil and start to soak up the sunlight. The conditions aren’t always right but things still work out the way they were meant to.

I encourage you to do this too. The thunderstorms will always hit us from time to time, but don’t forget to look for the sunshine in every day. It can be the same little ray of sunlight every day, it could be new every day, or it could be both. My daily ray of sunlight is my morning coffee and a good podcast or playlist during my drive to work.

It’s important to be a ray of sunlight for our peers, friends and families too. Because if there’s one thing we know about thunderstorms, it’s that they are sporadic. We may be soaking up the sunlight but the person next to us is in the worst part of the storm still.

Share the Love (of our pets!)

Happy Monday!

Our daily workloads vary from day to day and department to department. And no two workloads are exactly the same, but there is one thing that we all have in common: companion animal is our industry. What makes companion animals such a fun and vast business? The fact that we love our furry, four-legged friends like family.

Having a pet around can have many mental, emotional, and physical benefits. Some of these include:

• Reducing stress 
• Combatting loneliness
• Emotional support
• Promoting and Encouraging exercise*

*According to UC Davis, “…over 60% of dog owners meet the recommended weekly amount of exercise.” Participating in regular exercise, whether a walk by yourself, with a colleague, or a pet, is beneficial to the mind and the body. It even “…lowers your risk of heart disease” (UC Davis).  Additionally, research says that having pets around can improve blood pressure!

Pets are also a great way to connect with friends and colleagues!

However, having pets is not easy, and it is not for everyone. And that’s okay too! 

If you love pet cuddles but can’t have your own pets for whatever reason, consider volunteering at or donating to your local animal shelter! They take care of the pets that don’t have a home, and those pets need just as much love, too! Metro East Humane Society, the animal shelter local to Highland and Madison County, will be at our Youth Day event at the Madison County Fair this Wednesday, July 23rd in Highland, IL. We have worked with the Metro East Humane Society on many occasions, and we are so glad to help bring some more awareness about them to our community! Be sure to check out your local animal shelter’s website or Facebook page to see what the happenings are. Most shelters do fundraisers and community events fairly frequently. For example, MEHS and a local restaurant are hosting puppy yoga in August!

Gracefully making it through the week…

I’ll be honest, I really tried starting this week out on the right foot. My morning went great; I got a coffee to celebrate National Coffee Day (and the coffee was darn good) and I walked out of class feeling like I really understood what I just learned. Then I received one text that sent my whole afternoon on a picnic…in a landfill. So, because I am reminding myself of this, I figured I could remind you of all of this too: give yourself some grace. 

Life isn’t graceful and it doesn’t pause for work. Sometimes we’re juggling personal challenges of all calibers and still trying to show up professionally. That takes courage. That takes strength.

But strength isn’t just about pushing through. It’s also about knowing when to slow down, breathe, and be kind to yourself.

If you’re struggling, it’s okay. You’re human. You’re allowed to have hard days. You’re allowed to not have it all together. What matters most is that you keep showing up and giving it your best. 

And remember too, it’s okay to ask for help. Asking can be hard, but typically worth it, and I know for a fact that I’ve never regretted helping someone. 

So, this week, let’s have compassion—for ourselves and for each other as we gracefully or not so gracefully make it through the week. Let’s check in, lift each other up, and remember that grace is just as powerful as grit.

You’ve got this. 

Wishing you all have the best week you can have!