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“NO BAD DAYS” EXPLAINED By The Fat Man It’s been truly remarkable to me how both of our listeners have reacted to the mantra by which I live my life: “No Bad Days,”® to the point where it might need some explanation. For twelve years, I programmed radio stations and appeared on a morning show in Fayetteville, Arkansas, a beautiful college town nestled in the Southwest portion of the Ozark Mountains in Northwest Arkansas. LJ’s Restaurant & Lounge was the destination for Happy Hour every Friday afternoon for seemingly everyone in town from all walks of life. You could belly up to the bar with CEOs of Fortune 500 companies or toss a couple of drinks back with someone who really didn’t have two nickels to rub together. It was that kind of place. Don Tyson, then the CEO of Tyson Foods, the largest processor, distributor and seller of chicken on the planet was a regular. Don had a penchant for putting his fellow denizens and friends on his private jet and flying them down to Cabo San Lucas, Baja Mexico for a few days to stay at his beautiful home that sits on a golf course overlooking the Pacific Ocean. While there, he’d take them out deep sea fishing on one of his two luxury yachts. You could also golf, drink, drive around…whatever you wanted to do so long as you were having fun. Frequently, we’d darken the doorstep of Latitude 22+, a wonderful roadhouse/restaurant cantina where a sticker with palm trees and the phrase “No Bad Days” was sold. The phrase was coined by Tom Sample, a fisherman from Huntington Beach, California who was attracted to the area because of the fishing, weather and laid back lifestyle which was the inspiration for the No Bad Days brand. Tom lost his battle with cancer in 2000, but throughout his fight with the disease he continued to believe in the popular phrase and reportedly used it frequently. When Don Tyson’s friends were in the region, we bought those stickers by the fistful and brought them back to Northwest Arkansas where they greet visitors to private homes, businesses and all manner of locales. Tom left the No Bad Days business to his son who says the mantra is “a common thread for people young and old with a love for life, an adventurous spirit and an ability to cope with what life throws their way.” I’ve made it clear several times on my show “Mornings in Marquette” that I did not coin the phrase myself but I DO believe in its message and what it can do to help us through turmoil. When our handful of listeners began responding so positively to the message, I thought it proper to contact Scott Sample to tell him how popular his dad’s message has become here in the U.P. and the North Coast of America. If you’re so inclined, feel free to visit their official website at NoBadDays.com and shop around. It would be great to see the message move all the way from the Baja Peninsula of Mexico to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Click HERE to buy great "No Bad Days" merchandise like this & more! |
