For What It’s Worth

So, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately, about why most of our lives have become so hectic, and lamenting over the good old days. Of course, I know that in hindsight, it was probably hectic back then as well, but I miss the idle time I used to have, even though my husband and I raised four children. Still, it seemed as though there was plenty of time to sit at dinner and go over each other’s day, talk about upcoming plans, and maybe sit down for a quiet evening while the children went to their rooms to do homework. What the heck happened?!

I’m going to go out on a limb here, and blame the internet, and possibly technology in general, but as I write these words, I feel the entire population ganging up on me. Yes, I use the internet everyday. Yes, I ask google for answers to questions that I’m too lazy to research, and yes, I’m on my computer as a writer, non-stop, so who am I to make unkind remarks about the internet? I don’t disagree. All I’m saying is that I feel like families are losing valuable teaching moments, emotional moments, and yes, even punitive moments because everyone has a device in their hands and are spending an inordinate amount of time that could be spent interacting with others. I remember when texting rst became a thing. I thought it was ridiculous. I didn’t see the point of it. If I had something to say, I could just call the person.

by Dr. Melfi, Ph.D.

en, a er free time was sucked into the atmosphere, I realized the beauty of texting. A sentence is typed and received within moments, and the receive answers immediately. ere is no interruption in time management. In fact, you can be speaking to someone on the phone, and texting someone else at the same time. Magic! I don’t know how we ever lived without texting.

But, I digress. Now, when my grandchildren come over, they are glued to their iPads. In restaurants, I see perfectly well-behaved children with their parents, who are free to dine with the other adults free of the inconvenience of their children’s whining or back-talking, because their children are otherwise involved in FaceTime, Tik-Tok, video games and the like. It seems like a winwin, but sometimes I wonder if it isn’t a lose-lose. When I was a child eating at a grownup dinner table, I had to sit politely, and endure an hour or more of adults reminiscing about generational stories that were handed down from one to another. ose stories may be dying at the dinner table as we speak, because children have no interest in hearing them, and are not subjected to sitting there listening. It feels like our ancestors are begging for a chance to be remembered, but the younger generation has little interest in hearing about anything that doesn’t pertain to them or o er immediate grati cation. Please understand,

I’m speaking in generalities, not about your children or grandchildren speci cally. I am simply stating that I feel a great loss of free time, storytelling, family time, and just lazy fun in general.

But how do we go back? e sad news is that we don’t. Without technology, we would have to live o the grid, or on another planet to communicate the way we used to. Everything is done with the internet, and even that is changing so quickly I can barely keep up. For those of us who are of a certain age, it seems like we are falling behind quickly, with no chance of catching our breath.

For What it’s Worth, I’d like just one more day of being in a family where it was exciting to nish dinner and look forward to putting a puzzle together or playing a good old fashioned game of monopoly, but that’s just me. A hopeless romantic, and wide-eyed optimist.

LAS VEGAS – The International Franchise Association (IFA) has named Helen Martin, owner of 22 Stretch Zone studios across the U.S., as a 2023 Franchisee of the Year. Martin was honored at the 63rd IFA Annual Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, for being an outstanding franchise establishment owner-operator.

“I am extremely honored to be recognized for growing a brand I am so passionate about. Serving multiple communities and showing them what Stretch Zone has to offer, from our certi ed practitioners to our patented strapping system, has been so rewarding since rst joining the brand almost 10 years ago,” said Martin. “Being an active member in Stretch Zone’s franchise family has only in uenced my desire to help other franchisees within the system, and I can’t wait for what’s ahead for the brand that’s backed by such inspiring individuals.”

The Franchisee of the Year Award, sponsored by IFA’s partner Paychex, recognizes leading franchise owners from IFA member brands whose outstanding performance and contributions help protect, enhance, and promote the franchise business model. Nominated by their parent company, individuals are selected for their service to their communities, fostering a strong and vibrant workforce, opening the doors for career growth and entrepreneurship, and supporting their fellow franchisees.

“Franchisee of the Year recipients represent the best in franchising,” said Matthew Haller, president and CEO of the International Franchise Association. “This is the highest honor IFA awards to individual franchisees, and local business owners like Helen exemplify the power of franchising and its positive contributions to communities around the world.”

After spending nearly a decade with the brand, Helen has secured her space as one of the strongest franchise owners within the Stretch Zone franchise system and tness industry. Helen owns and operates 22 locations to assist people in need of mobility assistance while also managing 15 additional locations to ensure the success of her fellow franchisees. The impact she has made has proven that she is a vital member of the Stretch Zone team and a leader within the franchise industry.

There are approximately 800,000 franchised businesses across the U.S., providing over 8.4 million direct jobs and generating over $800 billion in economic output. According to Oxford

Economics, franchising on average provides higher wages and better bene ts than non-franchised businesses, as well as greater entrepreneurial opportunities to minorities, women, veterans, and other underrepresented communities.

For more information on how to franchise with Stretch Zone, please visit stretchzone. com/franchise.

About the International Franchise Association:

Celebrating over 60 years of excellence, education, and advocacy, the International Franchise Association (IFA) is the world’s oldest and largest organization representing franchising worldwide. IFA works through its government relations and public policy, media relations, and educational programs to protect, enhance and promote franchising and the approximately 790,492 franchise establishments that support nearly 8.4 million direct jobs, $825.4 billion of economic output for the U.S. economy, and almost 3 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). IFA members include franchise companies in over 300 different business format categories, individual franchisees, and companies that support the industry in marketing, law, technology, and business development.

About Stretch Zone

Stretch Zone is the leading franchised stretching concept that offers proprietary, practitionerassisted stretching sessions to help clients achieve enhanced quality of life. It was founded by Jorden Gold in 2004 after seeing rst-hand the bene ts assisted stretching brought to his grandfather. With a steady cadence of location openings, Stretch Zone recently achieved its 257 location milestone. The brand has now set a goal to reach 300 locations in Q3 of 2023. As a pioneer within the health and wellness space, Stretch Zone uses its patented Stretch Zone Stabilization System to aid in increased mobility and muscle function. The system enables clients to accomplish Flexability for Life® with processes to train muscles to move with a greater range of motion, allowing for an easier golf swing or comfortable night’s rest. Clients are welcomed into Stretch Zone by nationally accredited practitioners, a relaxing atmosphere and secure equipment.

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Stuart Location

-772-708-5188

Port St. Lucie Location - 772-348-3336 email: stuart@stretchzone.com

Visit: www.stretchzone.com/Locations/Stuart