Three Things. . .

So. . . Never a dull moment, you know?  But in all the chaos, I have found some hope.  Nothing really tangible yet but just a sense that things are going to be good.  Better.  Not that things have necessarily been bad but, I think, just kind of hard. 

These are things that have encouraged me lately:

The "Store". . .
While we haven't had as much time as we'd like to promote our retail space, it represents a beacon of light to me for the future. . .










I can't say much about the next two pictures except that they are proof that our hard work is paying off.  Through no effort of our own (except for, you know, all the hard work we've put into building our business. . . ) we've been presented with a couple of opportunities that could really make a difference in how we operate.  It's still very, very early in the process but just the fact that we were sought out in both cases gives me hope. . .

It's hard to put into words what this next picture represents.  This is a special edition, fancy-schmancy vocal mic.  And it's mine.  Just mine.  Obviously I co-own a whole bunch of microphones.  The difference here is that all of the others are what you might call "communal" microphones.  In other words, lots of people spit in them.  Lots and lots of people.  No matter how often you wipe them with a swab of alcohol, the fact of the matter is, it's kind of like sharing a straw.  With strangers.  The important thing about this fancy mic is where it came from.  We recently became JBL dealers which won't mean much if you're not in the music industry but for us, it's a pretty big deal.  It's more than just JBL, it's a whole line of Pro Audio equipment that, if we work it right, could be a really, really good thing for the business.  Anyway, Rob mentioned to our JBL Rep that I sing.  I could dedicate an entire post (a book, even) to the importance of music in my life but in the context of this post, this mic was a gift, to ME, from our rep as a way, I guess, to welcome us into the "family".  He's a good man and I think it's going to be a really important turn of events. . . (Just for the record, Rob intended to surprise me with the mic himself!). . .

There are other important things that have encouraged me lately but these are the three that have especially buoyed my spirit . . .