The sun sets on another day…
It was there, for a split second, a minor instant, there was a hint of color and then it was gone, swallowed by the clouds and rain. Somewhere high above, I know the sunset was glorious.
I am a firm believer in always moving forward, but I am also a believer in sometimes stepping back in order to step forward. Today I was thinking a lot about the words “I stepped back…” You may ask why so here goes. (If you didn’t ask why, well you are along for the ride anyway.
My father opened a store in Metamora Indiana. If you haven’t been there it is a short drive from Cincinnati and an old canal town. It has a working train there and a canal boat which demonstrates how things were moved in the 1800s. A small town is there with a working mill, and about 40 stores that are all theme based. The result is a place everyone can bring a family to enjoy a few moments, and a place where you can buy some nifty items at a good price.
Anyway, my father opened a store called the Hucksters Trunk. The store had a little bit of everything and a lot of a little more. Dad did everything he could to make his store unique, from the items in the store to the variety of unique gifts you could buy there. You cold get Saint Clair Glass to hand made stuffed animals, and all of it was fairly priced. Not only did Dad run his store, he helped others in the area. He convinced the ice cream shop to make home made waffle cones and tripled their business, talked up the Christmas walk to a point it was amazing, and he and I sold hot cider as it got colder and made it with cinnamon stick straws. He also made hats and shirts that said I stepped back in time in Old Metamora, and they sold well with the theme.
So what, right?
Well, I think sometimes we have to look at where we are and determine what is missing. Sometimes there are things that fade away and suddenly we realize that maybe we need to pay more attention. Maybe we need to think about something as simple as customer service, or caring about another person, or a series of other items when we seem to have stepped to the side.
Believe it or not, I am not referring to myself in any of this, I just think there are a lot of people who lose their way, and sometimes that way needs to be found. So if you see something that is missing, maybe you already had it. If you want something more, check the pantry first, then go back to get it. It seems like it is common sense, but sometimes common sense needs to be taken to a new level.
So as the sun sets on another day, I stepped back in time in old Metamora. I enjoyed it, I found a lot there, and learned how to sail and sell, and a dozen other things. In the end, when I see something is missing I think of those years in the early 80s, and I laugh a little, smile a little, and enjoy the evening. Check your moments, don’t whine about the past, but don’t forget it either. Find a path that makes your day the best it can be because of who you are and who you were, and live it well, no matter what.
Sleep sweet, laugh at the moon, and howl a little too…