You may remember the storm of May 11, 2016 . . . you know the one . . . when our neighbor’s tree totally demolished our detached garage. Over a year later, we’re still feeling the effects of that day.
Take the saga of the bathroom door. We had stored our first-floor bathroom door (adjacent to the office) in the garage as a “Later Gater” project. You know the kind . . . the projects which turn into “out of sight, out of mind” and mysteriously vanish from the to-do list. Yes, we had a temporary door on the bathroom so it could still be used, but ultimately we wanted the original door back in place after a good sanding and new paint. Unfortunately the door met it’s demise that stormy day, and we’ve been on the hunt for a 1940’s period-specific replacement door off-and-on ever since.
Frustrated with not finding a suitable door at any of the local rehab/resale shops, we took to social media, asking our neighbors for ONE random, unneeded door which may be lurking in their basement or garage. BINGO! Although not an exact match, we found a close “second” (FREE!) and proceeded to retrofit the door to fit our much smaller opening.
It’s quite a nice door. Probably the nicest door in the entire house. Solid oak. I’m quite proud of our new (old) door. As you know, most older homes never have anything which is plumb or level or square . . . let alone door openings which are perpendicular or horizontal. Jack took extra time and effort to retro-fit the door (but swears he’ll never do THAT again).
Yep, here comes the metaphor: Like everything else which vanished when the old garage was torn down and hauled off, our door reminds me of all of the other “Later Gaters” which may have vanished from our to-do list . . . both at home AND in the office. How many other “Happy Endings” might there be if I turned my attention to some of the other “Later Gaters”? How many other doors could I easily open if I simply asked for help?
While writing this blog today, I received an email from one of our author-clients in Arkansas. We’ve helped them publish a couple of books, and they are building their business around speaking and offering workshops around the country . . .
“I can’t remember a time that the words in my mind weren’t looking for a creative outlet. I dreamed of writing a book, but I assumed wealth or fame were prerequisites. I was vaguely aware of self-publishing, but I didn’t know where to begin, and the idea of learning it all was too overwhelming. Then a friend wrote a book and told me about Davis Creative. After talking to Jack and Cathy, I realized that I could really do this. My husband and I sent our manuscript, cover ideas, and a modest down-payment to Davis Creative, and within weeks we had a book. Now we have two books, with three more in the works, and we just completed our first training event using our books. We sell a few hundred a month by devoting 15 hours a week to calling and meeting with members of our target market. The Davises helped make my dream come true.” ~ Kelly Condra
Kelly and Preston Condra took a leap of faith and asked us for help with self-publishing their books. They looked their “Later Gator” right in the eye and and trusted us to help walk them through what seemed like an impossible dream.
Now . . . to go find another “Later Gator” I can check off my list!