7 Springtime Reasons to Be Hopeful
As Spring in the northern hemisphere starts to take shape, I have been sensing a new-found feeling of hope, and a sense that the brighter days ahead are coming soon.
After a long and very dark winter, here are seven top reasons why I am feeling a little more optimistic and looking forward to ending 2021 on a far more positive note
1. Vaccinations are starting to roll out around the world. Look no further than social media feeds filled with band-aided arms, beaming smiles and completed vaccination cards. They are all glimmers of hope that we are slowly returning to safer workplaces, which means a little more optimism that we can continue to support the restaurant industry and small businesses who have been hit so hard during this last year.
2. Vulnerability seems to be taking a front seat, as we all battle the daily grind. That gives me hope that we can start to have more honest, real and raw conversations with each other, and hold them in a space of compassion and openness.
3. Forced into lockdown, we have all struggled with the pressures of being at home in small spaces. That’s forced us to consider how kindness, compassion and tolerance can become a bigger part of our interpersonal relationships with others.
4. I’m hopeful that we can continue the critical conversations and overdue calls for change that started during COVID. I’m hopeful that we’ll continue to hold each other and our industry accountable to strive for more equity, inclusion and opportunities for all.
5. The pandemic has shown us that our hospitality and wine community is capable of great feats of kindness. I’ve been inspired this past year by the lengths and depths that our own industry has gone to step up and support each other when the outlook was its bleakest. It’s that deep commitment to each other that raises my hopes that we can do even greater things as a community in the future.
6. National sales data shows that wine lovers didn’t reduce how much we drank, but we sure changed HOW we bought. I am hopeful that this channel shift will help push our industry forward to find more ways to serve consumer needs. That means evolving capabilities for ecommerce, online sales and customer service.
7. We have seen the continued experimentation with “drinks” over the last year as consumers continue to experiment with an expanded roster of grape varieties, wine styles, flavor profiles and serving sizes. The stage is now set to break more paradigms such as limiting fine wine to certain grape varieties, and pre-conceived ideas that wine should only come packaged in a 750ml glass bottle.
I’m optimistic about what’s ahead for our industry. Countless friends and family members have been directly and deeply impacted by COVID, and it’s been a torrential downpour of challenges. But while it’s a long road ahead, and every day is still a grind, it’s moments of hope that keep my own little red engine puffing, “I think I can… I think I can.”
And together, I think we all can.
Please consider your own hopes for the months ahead. What comes to mind, and to your heart? We would love to hear your perspective.
Namaste,
Beck
What We're Reading:
Here's what has piqued our interest this week in the world of wine and mindfulness.
How Life Could Get Better (or Worse) After COVID - Greater Good Science Center
Fifty-seven scientists make predictions about potential positive and negative consequences of the pandemic.
How We Can Deal with Pandemic Fatigue – Scientific American
The first step is to understand that it’s not just about exhaustion or tiredness – or depleting a mental resource
What to Know About the C.D.C. Guidelines on Vaccinated Travel - Ceylan Yeginsu for The New York Times
In updated recommendations, the federal health agency said both domestic and international travel was low risk for fully vaccinated Americans. But travel remains far from simple.
Wine Influencers Inspire Strong Reactions. But What's the Harm in Being 'Liked'? – Emily Saladino for Wine Enthusiast
Many traditional wine media and industry members dismiss influencers. Editor Emily Saladino argues they are an underutilized asset in wine.
Meet the Community!
Here we meet some of the talented folks who make our community and profession so dynamic.
Annie Shull, Proprietor and C.O.O of Raptor Ridge Winery, Proprietor of Just This… Mindfulness (Oregon USA)
Years in Industry:
I segued from a career in the Tech sector, where I created marketing materials and training curricula for technical sales teams. The transition to full time in the Wine industry started in 2000 with a Marketing role at WillaKenzie Estate, I ended up going back to Tech as a Project Manager at Intel for one more year in 2001, but after 9/11 re-examined my passions and decided to dive in full time managing the growth of our then-fledgling winery Raptor Ridge. We had been a virtual winery, sharing production space across the valley, helping many friends build and fill their wineries as they cropped up across the Willamette Valley between our founding in 1995 and 2010.
I launched our wine club in 2001 going from 0 to 200 members in the first couple years all via email and grew our web sales and distribution until we were able to build our own bricks and mortar (well, metal and concrete actually) winery with a tasting room in 2010. I grew the winery distribution from 3 states to 30 over the next couple of decades, while keeping an eye on Direct to Consumer from afar.
I am now focused on Operations, overseeing the D to C group, all winery messaging, and serving on a couple of Wine and Arts boards in the Willamette Valley. I co-chair the Diversity, Equity, Belonging and Inclusion taskforce of the Willamette Valley Wineries Association, this kind of work has been a passion of mine since college, where I wrote a thesis on multicultural education for preschoolers.
In the past three years, I have completed studies in Mindfulness Meditation and one certification as a Mindfulness Meditation Instructor and will be completing another certification in the next few months as a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction instructor.
My Top Three Challenges to Wellness:
Fitting it all in! I am excited by my studies and teaching of mindfulness, and I work mindfulness into my every day, but sometimes it’s not as easy to fit in longer sits.
I love working out, I am an avid Peloton rider, interval training works best for me, I try to ride 3x week, but I don’t always accomplish that.
Yoga has been much more a part of my life in the “beforetimes”, I have not shifted gracefully to Zoom Yoga, and wish I was better at attending class online, but it appears that community of in-person class was my key motivator… even though I teach meditation myself on Zoom. Ironic, I know.
How I Keep It Together to Stay Well:
Remembering to breathe. Seriously, if you put the words ‘Take a breath’ in front of my eyeballs at any time during the day, I will respond immediately and fall back into the better habit of being mindful about breathing and making sure that I am not just reacting to things, but taking the time to thoughtfully respond.
Laughing. I love making people laugh at stories or quips. I probably tell too many stories through the course of the day just to have an excuse to engage with people in a meaningful way beyond the work-a-day tasks.
Routine. With the randomness of a travel schedule before covid, and the constant pivoting we have all been experiencing for the past year, its been hard to establish a routine. When I do stick to a schedule and routine, however, my body lets me know that its appreciated. I sleep better, I think better, I get more done. Part of this routine includes at least two if not four silent retreats per year. At these retreats, that span from 3 to 10 days, depending on the program, all there is to do is routine, and I find immense peace when I am participating, and residually for several weeks after.
What Inspires Me:
People who treat everyone with kindness and curiosity instead of judgement and negativity. I study them to see how they live their lives, what brings them joy, and why they are so committed to this wonderful approach to serving others, as well as bringing joy and peace to themselves.
A Quote I Love:
“Of drink and victuals and suchlike stuff, a bit too little is about enough.” - - Piet Hein
You can connect with Annie on Instagram @oregonannie Facebook and online at Raptor Ridge Winery and Just This Mindfulness
This Week's Reminder:
Keep these short meditations and inspirations bookmarked for when you need them.
A 10-Minute Gratitude Practice to Notice, Shift, and Rewire Your Brain– Mindful.org
When things don’t go according to plan, it’s easy to spot all the ways things have gone wrong. This gratitude practice is designed to change that.
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