When people ask me about my sign I tell them that I don’t have one.
I’ve
thought about stop signs, turn right signs or do not enter, but most people
think in terms of astrology which I think is a bunch of superstitious crap
where people don’t take responsibility for their lives and the decisions they
make.
I
do have a sign. It’s in my daughter’s garage so I guess it’s really hers. At
one point in my life I was in business. I leased a space in a mall and opened a
gift and flower shop. At the entrance which was the width of the shop into the
mall I put tree trunks with branches that were from the floor to the ceiling of
the area where the shop was located. From the top of my shop to the ceiling of
the mall interior was about ten feet. I painted a sign that fitted nicely in
that space. “The Enchanted Forest” under which was “Gifts and flowers”. The
tree trunks were elm given to me by my friend’s mother. I painted them blue.
Some months later they started leafing out.
I
was very successful for about a year. Many of my customers drove many miles to
get unusual greeting cards, gifts that weren’t available in other stores or
special floral arrangements that were personalized for the recipient. One of my
best customers was The Denver Dry Department Store, which was the finest
department store in Colorado. It was hard work but also very satisfying.
I
had been open a little less than a year when The May Company, parent corporation of May D & F, another
department store bought The Denver Dry. They closed all The Denver Dry stores
and forced the malls where they were located to go out of business. They wanted
everyone to shop in the newly expanded Cherry Creek Shopping Center. Of course
there were law suits and in most cases The May Company lost, however in the
mall where I was located there were over
30 small one owner shops that were forced out of business without the capital
to fight the giant corporation. I was wiped out along with the thirty some
neighbors and friends that had made that mall one of the most interesting and
diverse in the Denver area.
It
took some years to get back on my feet financially, and in a way, I never did
quite recover, but slowly I moved on and had numerous other valuable
experiences. In retrospect I learned a great deal in that year and the one that
followed when I did everything I could or knew to do so as to not leave loose
ends.
I’ve
had many difficult years in my life and realize that much was due to the risks
I have taken to achieve a goal or to try to honorably face difficulties. It is
a result of those successes and failures, challenges and dreams, insights and
growth that I feel so blessed.
I
don’t remember what arrangement I made with my daughter, but the sign ended up
in her garage and when she moved from the townhouse into the big house where
they still live, the sign moved there also. It has become a reminder of the
time when I was like the man from La Mancha and followed my dream.
Perhaps
the success was that I achieved putting together that dream. Would it have
succeeded if The Denver hadn’t been sold? I would like to think so, but maybe
not. I’m glad that I had those experiences and feel a sense of pride when I
visit my daughter, peek into the garage and see my sign.
©
20 May 2013
About the Author
No comments:
Post a Comment