It’s The Little Things

Words: Todd Fredrick

Bronzella Brown, Editor - bbrown@masoncontractors.org

It’s the second month of 2021 and I cannot help but wonder if I started the year off on the right foot. The idea is that if we started on the right foot maybe it’ll snowball into a successful year. But here’s the thing, I don’t think it works like that. Unfortunately, we live day-to-day and should celebrate the little wins or successes every day. The little things, I find myself saying “it’s the little things” more and more.

More to that fact, being able to keep up with my hobbies, language lessons, and spend more time with my husband, as we approach our one year mark. It doesn’t feel like it’s been almost a year, and then again it sometimes felt like an eternity last year. I’m happy to say we didn’t end up in a “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” or “War of the Roses” situation. 

But I digress, getting back to the little things, I’ve made it a point to be grateful for the little things that I may have overlooked years before. We made it into 2021, that’s a little (very big) thing, we’re all still standing even with a pandemic still being what it is. I’ve found it easier to be happy and grateful for what we have than to focus on what we don’t. The same can be said for the masonry industry, there may be some struggles and extra procedures that are in place to ensure everyone is safe and reduces potential exposure. 

However, the ability to still get onto a worksite and lay brick is still there. You never know how serious it is to take care of your health until you feel like you’re in danger of any type of exposure. So as long as we all continue to celebrate the little things, be it a new meal plan, a new set of goals, continuing to learn new things. Everything should be celebrated as a victory no matter how small it may be. 

In this issue, we have another great lineup of great articles to read for everyone. Following my note, you will find an update from Steve Borg and Capitol Hill, an informative article on employee onboarding and safety training, a company profile featuring Kalish Masonry in Wisconsin, and a case study on Fruitville Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida. 

There are also articles on business management focusing on motivating employees, an update from the NCMCA, level maintenance, and stress management. Our cover story is our next white paper, be sure to check out the results from the surveys done recently. With all these great articles you won’t want to waste another minute reading my note. 

Until next time, enjoy the little things and celebrate each small victory. 




Copyright © 2023