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Ah,
yes, our tax dollars at work! In
1935, the United States Congress proclaimed
the first Sunday in August to be National Friendship
Day. Now, if you've heard
of some of the other "National" days, this one
is actually pretty good. ("Eat More Turnips
Day" is not high on my list.)
What
is it about human beings that we need friends
so badly? Everybody does.
And, like so many other valuable things, the
amount invested in the friendship really does
determine its quality.
So, this week we're
saluting National Friendship Day, and giving
you a few tips on the "best friends" you have
in your closet, as well. So,
send your friend a card, go do lunch, or just
pick up the phone. It'll do you both a
world of good.
Ed and Mary Longanecker
Iris City Cleaners and Laundering Company
See you soon! |
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Quote
of the Week
"You can
make more friends in two months by becoming
really interested in other people, than you
can in two years by trying to get other people
interested in you." -- Bernard Meltzer |
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Refer-A-Friend
Coupon!
Especially for My Friend
name____________________________________
Good friends
share things -- that's half the fun. So,
if you're satisfied with our service, why not
tell a friend? Refer
a friend to us, and the first time he or she
brings in a drycleaning order
(with this coupon) we'll
automatically flag your account for a $5 discount
on your next drycleaning order.
Thanks for recommending us!
Your Name: __________________________________________________________
(Include this coupon
with your name on it with your Friend's order.
Offer expires August 15, 2004.
Limit one $5 discount per person. Cannot
be combined with other offers.) |
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Why
are Friends
so hard to make?
You turn on the television
and watch all your favorite characters interact
with ease. You see a movie with friends
putting everything they have on the line for
each other. You walk through the mall
and it seems everybody has a friend with them.
And
you wonder, "Why don't I have friends like that?"
If it makes you feel
any better, it's not that there's anything wrong
with you. Children seem to form friendships
in the time it takes to walk across the street
and meet the new kids, but adults have a harder
time. Maybe
it's because we have a lot more baggage than
kids, and more history that we'd need to impart
if we're going to become real friends.
"One
loyal friend is worth ten thousand
relatives." -- Euripides (408 B.C.)
Are
Friends Necessary?
If
you read the medical literature, it's a matter
of life and death that we be able to bond with
other people in friendships.
One statistic from a Harvard School of
Public Health study indicated that men with
friends they felt close to had an 82% lower
risk of dying from heart disease than men who eschewed
friendship. Women's bodies actually release
a specific hormone when they are spending time
with friends, and it triggers the caring and
nurturing side of them.
So, in our fast-paced,
non-stop, busy lives how do we make friends
21st Century style?
"The
only way to have a friend is to be one."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
The
Ground Rules:
- Don't
give up! If you don't
have friends today, that doesn't mean friends
aren't in your future. Begin
to look for potential friends everywhere you
go -- to work, at the gym, at events you attend
with your children, your place of worship,
the library. Then go
out of your way to introduce yourself and
chat about whatever has brought you together.
You have to start somewhere.
- Don't
let friendships languish.
If you've got
someone you enjoy spending time with, then
make a point of spending more of it with them.
"Where am I going to get that in my schedule?"
you ask? You'd be amazed.
You have to eat, so why not go with a friend.
If you exercise, start doing it in tandem.
Join a club or take a class just for enjoyment,
and take your friend with you. It's
a great way to spend time doing something
you both like.
- Keep
in touch. Sure, life
was slower fifty years ago and that left more
time to spend with friends. But
today, there's no excuse for not staying connected.
Send e-mail (more than just forwarded stuff
other people sent to you!) and e-cards.
Use that cell phone to talk to a friend at
least once a week. Buy a card and send
it -- with photos, too, since they are great
for sharing memories and what you're involved
in.
- Be
the friend you want.
We all want someone we can lean on, so when
someone needs to lean on you -- be there.
Keep confidences. Be honest. Share
your heart and be vulnerable. When
one half of a friendship does these things,
the other half will follow suit, in spades.
"A
real friend is one who walks in when the rest
of
the world walks out." -- Walter Winchell |
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Your
clothes have friends, too!
Really, it's just another
way of saying that certain clothing items hang
out together, and they should get cleaned together,
too. Every time.
A suit may have two
or three pieces, and perhaps you only wore the
slacks, or the skirt, or the jacket. Now
that it's time to get them cleaned, naturally
you figure you'll just toss in the piece you
wore and all will be well.
But that's not necessarily true.
Over time, there can
be color and textural differences between the
pieces of an outfit that have been cleaned unevenly.
No garment is designed to last forever, and
its colors will fade over time. That just
a fact. If
you clean the slacks 18 times and the coat only
6, it's natural that any fading or texture changes
will show up in the slacks more dramatically
than the coat, right?
The fact that all the
pieces of a garment need to age equally is why
we encourage you to have the entire garment
cleaned each time. That includes belts,
too. So, next
time you're bundling up your cleaning to bring
to us, remember those garment "friends" and
give them a ride, as well.
You'll be glad you did, over the long haul. |
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We
are enormously appreciative of the opportunity
to share our weekly newsletters with you.
We feel that much of the content is valuable
for anyone who purchases fine clothing and is
interested in their preservations and cleaning.
Click on the symbol to the right if your would
like to send this and future newsletters to
a friend.
Thanks a million, Ed and Mary
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The Iris
City Cleaners Connection
is
a weekly news letter dedicated to the interest
of fine garment care, restoration,
and conservation. It is published
in Mt Pleasant, Iowa by Iris City Cleaners and
is an extension of our services described in
www.iriscitycleaners.com
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