March Madness

Bunny, Bunny! 

Welcome back for an exciting month of creativity and community at Highlowaha.  Heather, Katie, Cheryl, and I have carefully and thoughtfully constructed a month we think will be nothing short of exciting and fun.  It's a month of activity that fits nicely with feedback shared by readers on Wednesday.  Many of you used last week's "whack" to underscore how much you enjoy gathering around our table each morning to hear what great, new and creative ideas we have in store.  This month - Women's History Month - we will make good on our commitment to present new ideas, but we will do it by gathering creative women from all over the country and letting them do what women do best - inform us and inspire us. 

While men should enjoy the month's spread every bit as much as women, I must admit, for the month of March, that Saturdays in particular were designed with women in mind.  Men, should feel free to jump in or to use Saturdays as an opportunity to observe and maybe - just maybe - come one step closer to figuring our the mothers, sisters, and/or partners in your life. 

Having said all of that...

I love ideas and sometimes... every once in a while...  an idea comes along I wish with all of my might, that I could claim as my own.  Today is one of those days.  I want to throw all pride (and ethics) aside and tell you I was brains behind this brainstorm.  But, I can't.  First of all, those who know me at all well know that I'm not smart enough to think of this idea.  And second of all, the friend responsible for this idea is my dear, dear friend.  Such a dear friend is she, that I hope she is reading todays post - in which case my jig would be up anyway.

I'll be brief, as there is much to say and I know our visit can't last forever.

Each year for, I'm guessing, the past five or six years my friend Dawn gathers a group of her friends for lunch.  In the beginning it was lunch at her house.  As life got busier the homemade lunch was replaced with lunch at a restaurant.  I imagine that, if need be, a one-hour meeting and a cup of coffee would work fine, as long as Dawn and her friends could keep their annual commitment.

The purpose of the lunch gathering?  To share ideas.  Dawn asks each of her friends to come to lunch fully prepared to share their A#1, numero uno idea from the year before.  The idea might be a favorite product or a new tool she just couldn't live without.  It could be a favorite new web site that transforms the way she completes a mundane task or a secret trick of the trade that unlocks the age-old mystery.  The field is WIDE OPEN.  The only criteria - your favorite idea from the past year.

So in love am I with the idea of falling in love with a new idea, that I - along with my new compadres - decided this had all the makings of a Highlowaha event.  So... I present to you...

Highlowha's First Annual March Madness Tournament.

Here's how it will work.  Eight teams (seven have already been selected) of five people will meet for lunch sometime between now and March 10.  Each teammate will bring his/her favorite idea to share with their lunch mates.  Before lunch is over, teams will rank order their ideas - #1 being their favorite.  A team name will be selected, team captains will take a picture of the group, and then it is game on!

Beginning March 10 teams will compete to see who - according to the esteemed members of Highlowaha - has the winning-est idea.  Each Monday and Thursday, for the month of March, two teams will go head to head presenting the best they've got to offer.  We, the readers, will evaluate their ideas (learning and taking notes all along the way) and then vote on the idea we like best.  Tuesdays and Fridays we will announce winners from the day before and share the remaining ideas of teams that won't advance in the tournament.

Confused?  Don't worry.  We'll take care of all the details.  Here's all you need to know.  If new and creative ideas is what you want, simply check in each day beginning Monday, March 10 and new ideas it shall be.  When we ask you to vote, simply select the idea you like most.

One more thing.  We couldn't save you a seat at the table and then not save you a chance to participate.  We have space left for one more team.  So far Florida, Wisconsin, California, Arizona, Kentucky, Ohio, and Iowa are in the house.  Now I don't want to talk smack, but if one of you other states don't come forward that means Texas gets to enter and you know what they say... "Don't Mess With Texas." 

Not only does the winning team earn a prize to be enjoyed by all the teammates, but the captain earns a patch for his/her Patchwork Denim.

Game on.  Signing off.