The Write Road: Of Triggers and Trigger Events

Today’s missive isn’t a lesson specifically about LinkedIn. It’s about something far more important—listening for triggers. But then again… it could be.

So yesterday, I was driving down a beautiful tree-lined street here in town when a “feeling” washed over me. I was on my way to run an errand for Mary and it caused me to pause, perhaps a little too long, at a stop sign.

(I surmised that by the angry HONK from the driver behind me.)

It’s not the first time it’s happened lately. There have been several such “triggers” in the past few weeks.

And angry honks, too, LOL

All of them pull me back to a passage in time that will not soon be forgotten.

Yesterday?

Yesterday it dropped me smack dab in one particularly significant day.

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Today is September 23, 2025, our 47^th wedding anniversary.

And if you listen very closely, you can hear the melodious humming of a sewing machine in the little green house at the corner of West Anne and Florene, accompanied by the clickety clack-clack rhythm of a keyboard in the next room.

A harmony that’s been playing for years…

(Hey… if you’re THAT close, come on in for a cup of coffee. Only 50 cents a mug! 😉)

But there was a day, almost two years ago, when the music was muffled and the harmony could very well have ended…

forever.

And yesterday… driving down that tree-lined street… that reality hit me again.

November 16, 2023… the day the world stood still

At least for me.

At 4 AM in Little Rock, Arkansas, I sat in a cold dark waiting room, worried about my bride, who was lying on a operating table in the ward below me.

The silence… was deafening.

The music… a fading memory.

The operation itself lasted over 8 hours. But the doctors and nurses brought her through that lifesaving surgery.

And the music returned, albeit faintly at first.

But today, it’s once again playing like a beautiful symphony in my ears.

Triggers are memory joggers

Triggers are simple elements or events in our lives that bring things to mind, often on an emotional level.

They could be sights or sounds or even smells.

The winding tree-lined street reminded me of the one that led to the house we rented in Little Rock after Mary’s release from the hospital.

We had to stay in town for almost three months after the surgery. The little “village” we moved to was full of them.

The smell of meatballs cooking on the stove and wafting throughout the house reminds me of my grandmother, Gram (the world’s most amazing meatball chef), while the smell of a good cigar brings back memories of my granddad, Pap, who’d often fall asleep in his recliner, cigar clenched in his teeth.

(My brother and I would make bets on how long the ash got before it dropped onto his belly.)

The sight of a list on the fridge always reminds me of Mom, who had one ready for me whenever we’d visit.

A list I always looked forward to, LOL.

I’d even make sure to bring plenty of tools with me… you know… just in case. 😉

The sound of a boink or a bing or a blip on my computer reminds me of Dad, believe it or not. He’d always call me up to help fix it, although I’ve a suspicion it was just a ruse to get me on the phone more often.

And classical music playing on the turntable in my office brings back fond memories of him as well.

So triggers are little, seemingly insignificant “things” that elicit some kind of response or feeling or emotion to remind us of intensely significant times and people and events in our lives.

Not always pleasant ones…

But always important.

What are trigger events, though?

Trigger events… the natural connection point

Triggers are inward. Things that affect us.

Trigger events are outward… things that affect other people.

And trigger events are perfect instances to reestablish connections or even make new ones.

So yes, trigger events are important things to look for, especially on LinkedIn.

Let me give you an example.

A while back, I was cruising along on LinkedIn to see what was going on in the wide world of business. I get on there several times a day, a habit I developed years ago.

LinkedIn will send you notifications when something significant happens in the lives of your connections.

Could be a promotion or change of job. Might be a new location for their business.

In this case, it was a notification to remind me that one of my connection’s birthday was that day.

Let’s call him Bill.

I’d done some copywriting work for Bill, but when the project was complete, we fell out of touch. Aha! A perfect time to get reacquainted.

And it could lead to another gig, right?

So I rolled up my sleeves and pounded out one of the most compelling sales pitches ever written.

Here it is…

“Happy birthday, Bill! Hope you enjoy your special day.

Steve”

+++++

Wait… What?

Steve, you idiot! A perfect time to ask if he needed your services and you… you… you fumbled the ball?

Why in the WORLD didn’t you ask him!!!

Well… ‘cause I didn’t need to.

Five minutes later he responded.

“Hi, Steve! Thanks so much for the birthday wish.

And by the way, I was thinking of contacting you but hadn’t yet.

You available to talk about a writing project?

Bill”

+++++

Triggers and trigger events.

Both are important in our lives, internally and for our livelihoods.

Don’t ingore either one.

Until next time…

Stay watchful… and succeed.

Talk later,

I think I smell… meatballs!

Steve M.

P.S. I know this is a little late in the day, but…

something “triggered” me to write it. 😉 What trigger events do you watch for, and how do you respond? Let me know in the comments below!