Greetings from 35,000 feet altitude!

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." Ferris Bueller famously said that in the 1986 blockbuster comedy.....one of my favorites.

It's certainly moving fast for me right now. As I write this, my life is zooming along at exactly 450 mph high above the clouds in a Boeing 737. That's a good metaphor for the flurry of activity that surrounds me at present: Kids off to college, our annual Bichelmeyer family picnic, amazing new work assignments, friends and family struggling with health issues, increased travel, fighting to get eight hours sleep each nite.....and of course, new horizons presented because of my book, Lunchmeat & Life Lessons: Sharing a Butcher's Wisdom.

Let me share a few of those recent milestones with you here:

• The American Heart Association Heart.org/plannedgiving is now distributing the book to all those who are planning to include this wonderful organization in their estate planning. They honor me and my family in doing so, since both my parents died of heart disease. I've been very involved in the AHA in recent years, and they have been so supportive of me every step of the way. I'm honored that Lunchmeat & Life Lessons is impacting so many generous people willing to donate in an effort to end heart disease, the leading cause of death in the US today.

Click here to check out the Bichelmeyer Family Tribute Site www.heartsweleavebehind.com

• YouTube.com Update: We've really gotten noticed on our YouTube channel in recent months because we've uploaded several new clips from my own speaking engagements around the country to press interviews with mom and dad at our family home. Just last month, I was overwhelmed by the "six degrees of separation" idea when the book got a moving shout out on the national TV show, Dr. Drew.
Click Here to see Lunchmeat & Life Lessons mention on Dr. Drew

• Did you know that Lunchmeat & Life Lessons: Sharing a Butcher's Wisdom is now available as an audio book? Well, it is and here's the link to listen to an excerpt and to place an order:

Lunchmeat & Life Lessons: Sharing a Butcher's Wisdom Audio Book Lunchmeat Audio Book

What does all of this add up to? Much joy, much gratitude, and much more yet to accomplish. But for the next 90 minutes until we land in Cincinnati, I don't intend to do anything at all. I'm going to mentally, physically, psychologically slow down -- and as my father John Bichelmeyer, the Butcher would say -- "enjoy the ride."

I encourage each of you to do the same. Living life at lightning speed robs us of being present in the moment. From time to time you've got to put the brakes on, take a good look around, breathe. Only when we are fully ourselves, fully here and now, can we appreciate what's really important. And trust me, you don't want to miss it.

Til next time, here's to life in the slow lane!

My best,

Mary