For the uninitiated, five minutes to speak at a Chamber meeting is a luxury. Chamber members are accustomed to getting their message across in just 30 seconds for every business they represent. But today, I was the Business Spotlight speaker with five whole minutes!

That is why Miss Macy Dons Paper Hole Punch Couture made a surprise visit to the Plano Chamber of Commerce this morning.

I didn’t plan to take her—it involves a lot of work transporting her and her delicate costume. But in the past few weeks, I’ve hauled a lawn chair, a roll of fake grass, a cardboard house with pink flamingo lights, and a cardboard garage door with a Slinky around my neck. So, transporting a full-size mannequin wearing a paper dress doesn’t seem like such a big deal anymore.

Miss Macy has only spent time in an art gallery and, more recently, my living room. It seemed only fitting that she make a visit to the Plano Chamber of Commerce—a place that has become a second home and a wonderful community.

I had also heard a few rumblings that people were excited to see what I would be presenting today. My original plan was to bring a hole punch as a prop. Somewhere along the way, that no longer seemed sufficient. So, the night before, I disassembled Miss Macy and loaded her into my car, where she slept until morning.

A year ago, I would never have imagined hauling Miss Macy to a Plano Chamber of Commerce networking meeting to help me talk about pests on behalf of Home Run Pest & Termite Control. But here we are—and I’m thrilled to be here.

Miss Macy also gave a piece of herself as a keepsake to everyone in attendance. Each person received a photo of her with a tiny piece of hole-punched paper left over from the creation of her dress. It may be a tiny circle of paper, but now it carries another memory. The Plano Chamber has become part of Miss Macy’s story.