Dime Bank recently provided permanent financing of $1.1 million to Mason Island Marina for a 132 unit slip marina. A second loan of $1.1 million was provided for the development of a “green” community that is currently under construction on Mason Island in Mystic.  The project is the vision of Mystic Point, LLC members, Bob Ferarra and Jerry Martorelli.  This construction financing will support the proposed high-end condominium community striving to become the first LEED Platinum community of homes in New England.

Brian McNamara, V.P., Senior Commercial Loan Officer at Dime said, “Although the Borrower’s primary bank was not interested in the project on Mason Island, citing a difficult economy and an overall reluctance to lend, we, at Dime Bank, feel that with the proven experience of the principals, the projects location, and by properly structuring the loan, it makes a lot of sense.”

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On Sunday June 6th the 3rd Annual Whisker Walk is being held at the 50 acre Lancaster Fairground, Lancaster, MA. It is open to the public from 11am – 3pm and the Walk starts at noon.

The Whisker Walk is the Nation’s only multi-organizational dog walk and benefit. The Walk draws pet lovers and owners from near and far and is an incredible event to witness with thousands of pet lovers strolling with their pooches!

What’s a Whisker Walk you ask?  Well, it’s a lot of things … but mostly it’s a free, fun day for families and their dogs plus a dog walk-a-thon fundraiser to benefit New England animal shelters and rescue groups.  With almost 100 pet related groups, companies, vendors, sponsors and manufacturers and animal rescue groups in attendance there is so much to do, see and buy!

There are many new exciting events for the 2010 Whisker Walk! 

• Geo-caching with or without your dog. If your not familiar with this new sport Dog Caching is a dog friendly “scavenger hunt” you play with your GPS and in this case, your dog. The purpose of the game is to locate containers hidden at our Whisker Walk Fairground.

• 2nd Annual Top Dog Photo Contest sponsored by WXLO 104.5 fm (Top 5 photos win prizes worth hundreds of dollars)

The Whisker Walk is an “event not to be missed” for pet lovers and their dogs with a unique twist…a blessing of the animals kicks off the noon multi-organizational dog walk.  There will be spectacular exhibits, demonstrations, hands-on animal petting opportunities, educational programs, special attractions, a kid’s area, pet adoptions, product giveaways, entertainment, and lots of food and fun! Learn more at www.whiskerwalk.org

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by Bryan Golden

Some people have ambition while others don’t.  But ambition isn’t required for happiness.  So, does ambition serve a purpose?  Ambition is beneficial when it originates from your own desire.  Ambition can be detrimental if it is externally imposed on you by another person.

A common example of externally imposed ambition is a parent’s expectations for their son or daughter.  The expectation of the parents may be at odds with what their child desires.  When the child grows up and strives to please their parents, the child may feel frustrated and unfulfilled.

Cathy’s father, Ben, was a successful accountant at a major corporation.  When Cathy went off to college, Ben pushed her to major in accounting.  His motivation was benevolent.  Ben felt an accounting degree would allow his daughter to have a secure career.

Cathy did well in school, graduated, and went on to become a CPA.  She got a good job which allowed her to live comfortably.  The only problem was that Cathy didn’t really like accounting and only went into the field because of Ben’s encouragement.

As a result, Cathy wasn’t happy with her career.  She had always wanted to be a teacher.  Cathy did not have much ambition as an accountant.  As the years passed by, her dissatisfaction with accounting grew.  Ben was upset that Cathy wasn’t happy.

Matt was employed as a department manager for a small hardware store.  He had worked there for many years, starting right out of high school.  Matt never wanted to go to college.  He was happy with his life.  Matt lived comfortably, liked his job, the people he worked for, and the customers.

Matt’s brother Stan, had taken a different career path.  Stan had gone to college, went on to get a Ph.D. and was now a college professor.  Stan thought Matt could be doing more with his life and wasn’t shy about sharing his opinions with Matt.

But Matt didn’t care about what Stan or anyone else thought.  He was content and didn’t feel any need to change things.  One could say Matt lacked ambition.  Yet Matt was just as happy, if not more so, as people who were constantly driven to achieve more.

Ambition is good when it is based on your own goals.  There is no shortage of those wanting to tell you what they think you should do.  People may offer opinions, but you are not obligated to listen to them.  You know what you want.  You don’t need to be told.

But ambition is only a starting point.  You must take action to follow your ambition.  If you don’t, frustration or discontent will follow.  Ambition without action is useless. 

If you have ambition, great.  Do what it takes to turn your dreams into reality.  If you have no ambition but are happy, that’s also great.  But if you are not happy with your situation, it is never too late to fire up your ambition in order to change direction.  You will never be as young as you are today.  Live you life the way you want to.

NOW AVAILABLE: “Dare to Live Without Limits,” the book.  Visit www.BryanGolden.com or your bookstore. Bryan is a management consultant, motivational speaker, author, and adjunct professor. E-mail Bryan at bryan@columnist.com or write him c/o this paper.

© Bryan Golden

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by Neil Rosenthal

Dear Neil: We have been fighting about money issues for years. We argued about money when we were doing very well, and we’re fighting about money now, when we’re not. We disagree on how money is to be spent, what our financial priorities are, how to handle it when we disagree about a purchase and how much credit card debt we should carry. Right now this is complicated by us earning less than half the income we were making two years ago. Why is money such a hot-button issue for us? We know we’re not the only people having to get by on less.

-Arguing in Washington

Dear Washington: There’s a good chance that you’re actually fighting about underlying subterranean issues that often drive our emotions on this subject.  Here are some of the most common hidden issues related to money:

• Power and control: Are each person’s needs and desires around money considered equally, or does one person have more financial power than the other? Is one person considered more important than the other because s/he earns most of the money? Are my opinions and feelings valued and listened to, or are major decisions made without me? Especially if you’re someone with little or no income of your own, you may feel financially powerless—less than equal—while viewing your partner as quite powerful, which is likely to lead to you eventually withdrawing or withholding yourself emotionally, sexually or in some other way. If you want to reduce or eliminate this issue, make sure both of you feel you have more or less equal say about how joint money is to be spent, saved or invested, and what financial freedoms each person has.

• Acknowledgement/Recognition: Sometimes the unaddressed or unrecognized issue has to do with not being acknowledged or appreciated for what you contribute to the relationship. Whether your contribution is primarily a paycheck, supplemental income, sex, pregnancy and child care, household chores, cooking meals or of being the emotional lifeline of the household—if someone feels unacknowledged, undervalued,  unappreciated or taken for granted, s/he will inevitably feel hurt, resentful and angry—which will lead to greater distance between the two of you. If you wish to defeat this issue, call attention on a regular basis to what your intimate partner brings to the relationship, and how his/her contribution to the relationship is vital, valued and appreciated.

• Trust: Can I trust you to do the right thing concerning our money? Can I trust that we will make important financial decisions together (so that our relationship feels like a partnership instead of two separate individuals)? Can I trust you to not take advantage of me financially?

• How important am I to you? If I see you valuing your own needs or honoring someone else’s desires more than you value my needs and desires, I will not feel cared for by you, as if my feelings or wishes are just not that important to you.

Neil Rosenthal is a licensed marriage and family therapist in the Denver and Boulder, CO, specializing in how people strengthen their intimate relationships. He can be reached at 303.758.8777, or e-mail him from his website www.heartrelationships.com.

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