You know how images trigger emotions? You can see something that can leave you warm and fuzzy for hours or fill you with hope and wonder for days.Something that has always struck me as sad has been closed, boarded-up shops and businesses. Namely
ones which would have been individually-owned, a mom and pop shop, if you will. I never was 100% sure why they always left me clouded until yesterday. We were driving around Kentucky looking for something fun to get into and I saw what was once obviously a beautiful little restaurant. The landscaping had taken some a lot of thought, fixtures were shiny, siding blindingly white, accent colors were beautiful, sign was adorably Kentuckian....the windows were boarded up, and there was a little For Sale by Owners poster on side.
This beautiful little place was once somebody's dream that filled them with hope, then their reality that had filled them with joy, then their past that left them empty. It hadn't been open terribly long - that much was obvious. For one thing, we hadn't seen it a few years before, and for another - everything was still too pretty and fresh.
What if owners had given place more time?
What if they closed shop and shut down just before their business was about to explode?
What if one tiny little month was all that was needed for enough people to find them - what if they quit 30 days too soon?
What if they had believed more in their restaurant and more in themselves?
What all did they miss out on by quitting, giving up and throwing up boards on windows?
They'll never know how close they may have been! Never's a word that doesn't work for me.
Sadly, we're all just as guilty. How many of us have beautiful, brightly colored dreams that we craft and nurture? The future is bright and our hopes are soaring....then, if things aren't moving along fast enough for us, or if work is too hard, we board up windows and abandon it. We whip out "Closed for Business" sign and broken-heartedly move on.
