When I go to meetings at my daughter’s school in Boston, I have to park at a meter. No matter how hard I try to keep a stack of quarters handy, I never seem to have enough (Maybe that’s because you need one quarter for every 12 minutes!). Just this past week I got two parking tickets, at $25 a pop.

Yesterday, while still fuming about ticket number two, I noticed a little slot on the meter. Underneath, it said “Insert your Boston Meter Card.” Huh?

Off I went to Google, where I found that I could buy a magical debit card and pre-load it with $25. Now, when I park at meters, I simply insert my card and it gives me two hours’ worth of time. When I return, I slide the card back in and the meter only deducts the cost of the time that I’ve actually used.

Could I love this more?

Ever since I went to college in Fort Worth, Texas, I’ve loved country music. In fact, I just can’t get enough. I know all the words and, even though I can’t carry a tune, I sing along with gusto.

Whether I’m listening to Pandora stations on my iPhone or WKLB in my car, I find that it calms me down and lifts my spirits no matter what.

As business owners it’s important to find something that gives us a mood-lifting break during the day.

P.S. Don’t forget to watch the Country Music Awards tonight with me!