I am an absolute believer in several versions of the same truth.
For example: You know how a police officer will interview many witnesses to the same accident and come away with several different versions of what happened? This is the concept I am referring to…I believe it is all a matter of perspective.
Yesterday, an old friend accused me of having a ‘cloudy memory’. I think he was referring to my memories of the truth using my perspective…not his. As time marches on we cling to what we think we know. Sometimes what we know is simply in the form of memories…sometimes what we know is based solidly upon concrete facts (like letters, pictures, documentation or paperwork). Of course, memories based on concrete facts are more likely real and not a matter of perspective.
I went into The Barn yesterday (as I always try to do on a Saturday) and I endeavored to remember what The Barn was like 15 years ago this weekend. You see, exactly 15 years ago I was struggling to complete the necessary last minute tasks that would finally allow me to open The Barn for business! As I stood in The Barn contemplating the past, I realized that I could only remember little bits and pieces of those final days leading up to opening…but what I felt, while standing there trying to remember, was sincere bliss! I remember being happy…very happy!
In the back of my mind I know I had to have been experiencing frustration, disappointment, fear and all the other human emotions a person might have leading up to a life altering event. I honestly have to make an effort to remember any emotions like that….but I do remember being happy and proud of what I was doing. I am sure if I were to ask my children what they remember about the time around The Barn opening, they would probably say that they remember missing me (I was gone a lot). If I were to ask my original tenants what they remember, some might remember being upset with merchandise that didn’t get shipped correctly or others might remember being afraid that The Barn wouldn’t succeed.
My point is that, while it is true that I opened The Barn 15 years ago this month, it is also true that everyone involved will have different memories of that time because each person’s perspective was different. Nobody’s memory of opening The Barn for business will be the same. After all, we can’t remember EVERTHING exactly how it happened. I do know that there is no Merchant at The Barn today that was with me when I opened for business that lovely day in May. So my memories, as slanted by perspective as they may be, are the only ones left at The Barn.
Fortunately, fast forward 15 years, as the current Barn Merchants celebrate the Barn being in successful business since 1998, there is a unified joy and a desire to maintain The Barn’s success into the future. There is a feeling of being blessed that we have this magical place with which to create new memories. We are a happy, happy team and we look forward to many years of serving our loyal customers.
For me when it comes to the Barn, some memories are somewhat cloudy, but they are definitely happy!! As I look at The Barn today, 15 years later, I am promising myself that I will remember this moment clearly, as if it were a picture…concrete evidence of my continuing bliss.
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