I don't say it enough - Thank you
I don't say it enough to my customers but I owe you a huge thank you. Thank you for allowing me to do what I love to do more than anything else. Thank you for allowing me to have a flexible schedule. Let's be honest, do you really care if I'm out of bed and in my shop working on your order of mills at 9 am? No, probably not. Do you care if I'm working on them at 1 am? No, probably not. It's not top of your mind but you probably do care that I got to see my oldest daughter's field hockey games or tennis matches or my youngest push herself in a cross-country ski race or softball game. In the long run, by being able to see our daughters do these things you've helped me be a better father, husband and wood turner. I'm more focused on what's at hand and how could that not make me better.
I get to meet great people at shows and through on-line correspondence. The pieces that I make get to see parts of the world that I can only hope to see one day. I get to be a part of your lives and most of us have never met in person. You spend hours agonizing over getting someone the perfect gift for their wedding, maybe it's for Christmas or Hanukkah or maybe it's for that special someone's birthday and it turns out to be something that I get to share in too. I get to make that gift for your loved one.
Sometimes I even hear back from you or the loved one on the receiving end of your generosity. I get feedback from people like JS in Minnesota who shared this about a set of mini-grinders that she bought: "I bought these as a gift for my mom for Christmas. Not only was she thrilled with them, she let me know they were her favorite present of the year!".
JF from Pennsylvania wrote and told me this: "Kim, Words cannot express how much I love the grinders, your presentation and your craft! The pieces are so beautiful...true statement pieces on my counter top. Thank you for taking great care in shipping and just all of the finishing touches. I know what to order for future wedding gifts! Thanks again and keep on turning!!!!!"
That's pretty heady stuff for a guy working in his basement shop, deep in the woods of Maine. Thank you for sharing how the pieces that I've made affect you or the lucky recipients of your gift giving.
But most of all, thank you for taking a chance on me and please keep sharing your stories and photos.
