Please Share.

At the northern reaches of flying squirrel habitat, a humble bakery cafe is sprouting up in the semi-wilds of an Alaskan forest. As the conductor of what is sure to be an orchestra of helpers, I hope to direct the creation of something new, different, and exciting for area residents and visitors to Talkeetna, Alaska. After years of caching my ideas for some later date, it's finally time to dig up all the piles of nuts and seeds...and start sharing them with others.

So, here I am, on the eve of opening a new business. Watching the melodrama of the long-held dream unfold before my eyes. There is no turning back now, only moving forward. Seems to be a theme among people far and wide these days. Who DOESN'T want change for the better? Who DOESN'T want to make their dreams into reality? Who ISN'T scared of failure? One thing is for sure. I can't do it all myself.

So, here I am. Blogging. I have never thought of myself as a blogger type. Writer? Maybe, occasionally, some day. New fangled words that take on their own verb tenses like photoshopped, googled and blogged must be as disturbing to other liberal arts English majors as they are to me. But, in the end, I think human beings have a strange and very positive need to share. That's what I'm always trying to tell Oliver (age 2 1/2), anyway. Share. This is, perhaps, the driving force behind the desire to build this business, to create a funky bakery cafe in a little town in Alaska. What kind of world would it be if Joni Mitchell decided not to share her gift for music or Peter Gabriel or Miles Davis or Bob Marley or Mozart or my own sweet sister Esther Golton? How much richer is your life because you read King Lear or Siddhartha or Pilgrim at Tinker Creek or Catcher in the Rye? Sharing is gift giving in it's purest form, in my mind, one of the most important and rewarding qualities of being human.

So, here I am. I think I have something to share. Something wholesome, nutritious, and delectable at the very least. At the most, I aspire to propagate some kind of philosophy of empowering others to be creative, to work hard, to treat others with equal respect. This seems like a good place to start.

Except, of course, the reality is still months away, each month seeming like years. Many, many people - friends and family and acquaintances along the way - have encouraged this crazy idea of mine. The least I can do is offer a few glimpses into the progress, especially for those so far away physically. I know from experience that building construction is a roller coaster of weather forecasting, writing large checks, and feeding very hungry, hard-working men (and women) mixed with excitement, trepidation and, inevitably, endless decision-making. I don't know what starting a business is like but I imagine some carnival ride that is even more thrilling and dizzying than a roller coaster. Thanks for coming along for the ride.