Dad and I circa 1990.
The turning of the year is a time for reflections. It has been an incredible year for me, as well as for the bookstore I lovingly manage. We pulled out of 2010 – the doldrums if ever a year was, but also a year of building – to emerge in 2011 bright-faced and forward-looking. And what a year it was. We tried an experiment with our dear friend, writer Jon Katz, which he termed the Battenkill Experiment, whereby we took orders for signed and personalized copies of his new book, Going Home: Finding Peace When Pets Die. We thought maybe we’d get 30 or 40 orders. When we hit 300 we were startled and amazed. When we hit 1000 we were still startled and amazed, and extremely grateful to the many people who supported us in this Herculean effort. It has proved such an interesting experiment that we are trying to do something similar with Jenna Woginrich and her new book, Barnheart: The Incurable Longing for a Farm of One’s Own, and with our Shaftsbury friend, Megan Mayhew Bergman’s book (due out in March 2012), Birds of a Lesser Paradise.
I found myself thinking of my dad the other day as I was at the shop, closing out the year. Dad passed away in 2006 after a 10-year battle with cancer. At the time he died, none of us had any idea that I’d end up the proprietor of an independent bookstore. Yet, he wouldn’t be at all surprised, and he’d be both fascinated and proud. An intense lover of books and learning, he’d revel in the fact that my life is dedicated to the written word in such a unique way. Also, as one who possessed a razor sharp business mind, he’d be fascinated with the challenges of making a small business such as ours work. Dad always pegged me for a writer (course there’s time yet for that), but he’d be intrigued by this strange passion of mine. A practical thinker, he’d also probably shake his head and wonder why I didn’t pursue my aptitude for mathematics – likely a more lucrative career choice.
So, at this turning of the calendar, when we both look back and gaze forward, I find myself reflecting on what Dad would make of this year that we’ve had. The interconnectivity that so marks our lives now – blogs, social media of all kinds – would be foreign to him. That very interconnectivity was a large part of what contributed to the success of the Battenkill Experiment, mainly thanks to Jon Katz’s amazing blog and his loyal readership. But Dad would appreciate it – he himself often marveled that his father, born in the late 1800s, had never in his life heard of the plastics manufacturing technology that would be such a part of my own father’s career.
What am I trying to say? That, though he might not understand the intricacies of it, at heart my Dad would understand and value the successful year we’ve had. And I wish I could share it with him. So, from the turning point, I nod and acknowledge the past and honor it. And at the very same time, I look to 2012: excited by the opportunities that are ahead. Thanks for being on the journey with me. And Happy New Year!
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