Sweet Talk

Quote--"A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him or her." ~ David Brinkley



There is an old saying that reminds us, "no matter where you run to you get to take yourself with you," ok, maybe it isn't an old saying because I just came up with it. And yet, I am quite certain most of us can relate to the concept on some level. The very idea of packing up my `dolls and dishes' when I feel put out or unappreciated and walking or in some cases running away is quite comical.


The reality is you and I sometimes do that in our minds and hearts. There are some days when the `bricks' thrown at us can knock us down for the count.
And maybe we stay down there long enough just to catch our breath. That's ok. But knowing you, my readers, you won't stay down for long.
We are starting a new year. It's time for personal reflection, ruminating about our situations and making new commitments to move forward.
We do it every January first.


We look back and consider the events throughout the year and wonder how we would do things differently. As I contemplate the world of publishing where I live with its continual deadlines and schedules I want to share with you a few things.
Most everything in this life runs through seasons, so to speak. Farming is the prime example. Consider for a moment the season of publishing a magazine, such as Sugar Producer.


The season begins with the seed or topic concept. Assignments are planted, interviews cultivated, and stories are harvested. These production methods are all contingent upon tightly held deadlines and schedules.
At least that is the ideal.


However, as we all know through-out the growing season there are unpredictable weather changes, storms, equipment breakdowns, political confrontations, financial stress and maybe some employee divisions. Same things happen with publishing. Why do we do these things? Simple. We find great satisfaction and joy in creating or producing something worthwhile. No matter if the world doesn't see what we do, it is building a foundation that we are proud to stand on that makes the difference.