This is my all-time favorite quote (Deb's).
Walt Disney has been a guiding influence and business 'mentor' of sorts in my life since childhood.
My grandfather knew Walt, and worked under him when Disneyland was being built in Anaheim, California. My grandfather and uncle were electricians, and headed up units for the construction of attractions Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion, and It's a Small World, among others. Their lives and mine are indelibly linked with the Park and Walt and the dream that built it all.
The quote above is one that Walt is said to have repeated often... because many of his dreams never succeeded. Some got off the ground but didn't go far, others crashed and burned. But in the end, he achieved great success and his dreams have touched and blessed so many lives. Mine included.
Dreams are a great thing to have in life...
they become visions, goals, steps on a ladder that lead us upward.
Walt's quote helps me to remember that the dream and the vision and the goals of Retreat are something to be proud to have reached: The seasonal store and the small shows and the one big show we had on our farm were all wonderful, and we are so glad we were able to share our two wonderful locations with so many people. We are so happy to have been able to have participated in so many amazing shows hosted by other people - Remnants of the Past, The Farm Chicks, BarnHouse, the Island Chicks, and Sand Point, among others. The show we took over in Anacortes this past fall was successful for vendors, and we have high hopes for a shining future in 2012. We are blessed to have been granted a brief shine of the spotlight in several magazines, rewarding our design style. We have made friends and experienced things that we would not have unless we had followed this dream four years ago.
Some parts of the vision weren't destined to succeed. Some parts didn't get off the ground. Others were stopped dead in their tracks by the involvement and influence of others. And we've dealt with the fallout of all of it as best we can.
But the thing is, we DID it.
We tried, we reached, we jumped off that cliff of security with a healthy dose of faith, courage, and guts, and we DID it. We weren't too afraid to try. No one can ever say we didn't try, with everything we had. And we did give it everything we had, literally.We exhausted every resource to make Retreat a success... and in many ways, we succeeded. In others, we failed. And in the end, new choices had to be made. Hard choices.
Last week, we moved off of the farm on Camano Island, returning it to the investors who originally purchased it and held the note so that we could work to grow our business. When they changed their minds about that, and then prevented us from having shows and stores and even manufacturing product on the property, we knew it was time to call it a day. You can fight for your dreams - against all odds - but there comes a time when you must realize that it's time to give up the fight. We fought for eighteen months straight for a home, a business, a dream... and when it came down to it, we simply refused to continue to let someone else have control over our lives and our business to the degree that they had.
The time has come to retreat from Retreat.
To be thankful for the things that worked, to accept the things that didn't, and to take time to reflect on it all. We are in need of time and rest and less stress in our lives, and we're taking it. We're putting Retreat and 2011 to bed, philosophically speaking, and moving forward into 2012 with a clean slate. What will come our way, what opportunities and dreams and visions? We don't know. We are working on restoring the balance in our lives, because Retreat consumed us completely for four years. We have learned well the lesson of not combining our personal lives and our business - and of not putting ourselves out there quite so much, because there will always be people who think that they have the right to attack, lie, gossip, and control you when you open up. Share what is most valuable to you, and people will try to take it by any means possible. Sometimes, they succeed. We've learned from them. And we'll never apologize for being people of faith and thanking God for His blessings in our life, whether they approve of how we do it or not!
As we take this time to ourselves to rest and relax, as we retreat from the life that we have had and the people we have been, we wish you all the very best at this Holiday time of the year. When 2012 arrives, we'll be promoting our Spring show in Anacortes and moving forward with a new life. A new dream. A new success. We're still in the Seattle area, and you'll see us at shows, just not as vendors. We're not sure what direction this blog will take... but we'll figure it out. ;0)
Thank you for your support of Retreat, through it all.
We may not be looking backward anymore, but we'll never forget you.
Deb and Bob Kennedy
