 |
 |
Swan Song
Nancy J. Slater
Tradition tells us that when March comes in like a lion, it goes out like a lamb. With winds and snow mixed with the Seattle rain, I think we are going to have to deal with some more roaring weather before Spring arrives. We will have more daylight, however, as daylight savings time begins at 2:00 AM on Sunday March 11. March is typically our breather month as we rest and then prepare for Mother’s Day.
I have heard that Valentine’s Day was successful for many of you. I hope that it holds true for the majority of you. Hopefully customers were happy, the product was fabulous, you ordered just the right amount, labor costs were not high, overtime was at an all time low, and there is black ink in your check book and your savings account.
So you are asking what Swans have to do with lions and lambs. Am I doing another zoo themed article? Since there are not many swans floating around flower shops, what does swan song have to do with The Business of Design? And no, I have not taken up ballet, so no worries about me in a tutu. And although I have a somewhat long neck, it doesn’t even compare to the graceful, unwrinkled curve of the swan’s silhouette.
The swan song in this article has to do with my saying Goodbye to you fabulous readers of Florist and Grower after ten years and eleven months of contributing articles. That’s 129 articles [missed a couple of issues] without repeating myself too much. Whew. I have written about teaching, training designers, customer service, attitude, business plans, employee motivation and training, delivery costs, costs of goods sold, color, texture, and covered design shows and symposiums. I have shared stories about my going back to college at age 57, loosing my son in an auto accident, marrying again at age 60 and other matters.
I have mentioned how my career path has gone from part time bookkeeper while a college student to operations manager and in charge bookkeeper in a real estate firm. I have worked there for 10 years while keeping my fingers in the floral industry. Our company not only brokers commercial properties, but manages commercial and residential properties. At one time I was doing all my office tasks and managing 100 apartment units on Capital Hill.
As our firm has gotten busier and brought in more clients and properties, keeping my real estate license up to date took priority over keeping my AIFD membership up to date. As I approach my 66th birthday I look back at the time when I knew I would be retired by now, sitting on a warm beach writing my next novel. The reality is, my boss wants me to work until I am 80 and we have compromised at 70. I think I can make it that long!
This morning I taught my last floral design class at South Seattle Community College and it was a bitter-sweet moment. I so love teaching, but after pacing a classroom for 3 hours, my knees become like soccer balls and my arthritic hands can no longer work a pair of clippers. [Growing old is not for sissies]. Even though I have not lost my design skills, physically I cannot do what I did even five years ago. The Phoenix Group, my consulting business is officially shut down as the only uncommitted time I have for clients is between 2 and 4 a.m. and most potential clients think that early morning hours are suitable for sleeping. Some of you know that my four year marriage ended in September 2005 when it became violent and I had to seek safety and living an “unlisted” life. Changes are good, but changes leave unchangeable marks on a person and I am no exception. It took a year before I could get into an elevator with a man, and I still look in my rear view mirror to see if I am being followed. As a result of my growth from victim to survivor, I have joined a group called TAG [Thrivors Action Group] and our mission is to go public with our stories to cause social change, help inform, and encourage other victims to make that first step toward safety.
As you can imagine, TAG is my priority after my job. Self care comes first and eliminating tasks and eliminating over commitment is a result of learning self care. I have become more involved in my church which also requires re prioritizing my time. I have resigned a Soroptimist Federation position and have resigned as a contributor to Florist and Grower. The new editor/owner, Ian, has such wonderful words of wisdom that he shares each month and fills the pages of Florist and Grower with positive, profit minded, powerful words, so I know that you readers are left in fantastic hands. I thank you sincerely for all your words of kindness, sharing of ideas, critiques, and praise over the last 11 years. Know that you helped shape me as a writer and a floral professional. As I await the results of the judging of my first manuscript for publication, know that each of you have played a part in my growth as a writer, whether it was a comedy piece, an article, or a testimony.
I remember reading a little short story in Gary Ash’s flower shop on Mercer Island during a lunch break and having everyone say that I needed to write a book, to expand that story. That story became the first of 29 chapters that sat in my computer until friends urged me to get it out there for judging. Thank you! I needed that urging. I wish you all well and please know that my email: FenxGrp@msn.com will still be active and ready to receive your comments. My last swan song is this quote from Director Federico Fellini: “One of the greatest handicaps is to fear a mistake. You have stopped yourself. You have to move freely into the arena, not just to wait for the perfect situation, the perfect moment….If you have to make a mistake, it’s better to make a mistake of action and one of inaction. If I had the opportunity again, I would take chances.” I have certainly made my share of mistakes in my short 66 years, but have learned incredible life lessons from each one. I can tell you that becoming a member of this fabulous floral industry and writing for Florist and Grower were definitely NOT mistakes but wonderful experiences that I will not forget.
Be well, be successful, and get those mistakes over with so you can sore like an eagle…..or swim like a graceful swan.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |