I don’t know if it is the age i am,the fact that my baby isn’t a baby anymore,the absolutely tumultous last couple of years we have had or
WHAT..
but lately i just feel like i need to be more vocal and more active about what happens in the city that I live in.
It all started a couple of years ago, when we sold our house that bordered on Ann Arbor and Saline.We had Saline schools and Ann Arbor mailing.
Our daughter went to Saline schools.However, i didn’t feel like I was really a part of the community.Sure, we would come downtown for dinner occasionally, and maybe hit the parade at Christmas but when we entertained we usually went to Ann Arbor.
We moved closer to downtown Saline to be closer to my daughters school as well as my office.
I started to get more involved in our local community,but still felt the need to do more.I have always wanted to open a brick and mortar(that is what we internet peeps call retail stores),and there was somewhat affordable space available in Saline,so it seemed like the perfect solution!
I would open my store,help to revitalize the downtown,satisfy both of my middle age pipe dreams!
My plan would work perfectly except for the fact that it has to be worst time in history to open a retail store,my financial situation is precarious at best,i allready worked 70 hours a week,and banks aren’t lending at all.
I DID IT ANYWAY
There is no bailout for us small business owners who make a mistake,if I want to live in a well rounded city,and be proud of my surroundings it is up to MOI .
One Saturday I was sitting at a day long volleyball tournament watching my daughter play,and this obnoxious man was trying to motivate his daughters team into playing better.
He kept yelling “Give A Shit” which was so inappropriate in the context of where we were,but I got what he was trying to say.
I am not asking you to open a retail boutique(unless you need a hobby),I am asking you to think about what you can do to help your community to be a better place.
Maybe you can commit to buying a cup of coffee a week from an independent coffee shop, or maybe you could plant a tree for a neighbor who needs it.
All I am asking is that you simply Give A Shit!
I think every single parent can remember the time when you realized that you are truly on your own. Even if you felt alone in your marriage for years, this is the moment when you realize you have noone to turn to..noone to lean on… noone who has your back.
For me this moment occured about a month after i had moved into my new place. I was laying on the couch at 10pm at night just staring at the ceiling. Suddenly i heard this noise.
Beep,Beep,Beep
Ignore. Pretend it doesn’t exist…
Beep,Beep,Beep
I get up, go into the hallway by the garage door and sure enough it is the smoke alarm.
I look around, no fire. No smell of smoke. For crying out loud, the battery must be dead.
I stared at it for a few minutes, just willing it to go away.
No such luck.
I get a chair. I get a screw driver. It’s not the right kind of screwdriver. I get another screwdriver.This one looks right.
I open the lid of the smoke detector,take out the battery.Ah…relief.
I come back into the living room, I can do this…
Beep,Beep,Beep
WTF?
Back i go into the hallway.Again, i stare at it.
Can i sleep with this thing beeping all night? No.i wasn’t sleeping anyway,so it shouldn’t have been a big deal.
Can baby diva sleep thru this?Yes.
I stare.
I learned later that the smoke detectors are hardwired,and that i could have simply disconnected some wires or something and the beeping would have stopped. Oh, the benefits of hindsight…
But, at that moment i didn’t know this…
So, i did what any technologically challenged person would do… I got out a hammer, and i banged that sucker til it stopped beeping…
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