Do What You Can

I’m about to call it a night. I’m trying to put the finishing touches on the last couple of patterns for a new collection for Boatman Geller, and my creativity is feeling stretched thin.

Today, I announced on I’m exhibiting at the NY Now show next week, officially offering the 2015 Day Designer as a wholesale stock product to retailers.

There is a lot of fear wrapped up in the decision to take this product wholesale. I know, all too well, the best and the worst of what I’m about to get into. The best, unfortunately, is usually short-lived, and all-too-quickly over-shadowed by the negativity that we let creep in.

I’ve been practicing some serious mental discipline to keep it out. I’ve flat out determined that I must insulate my heart and mind from the negativity, from the naysayers, from the people who don’t want to see me succeed, from the people who want to see me fail again, and worst of all, from the people who just don’t care.

It hurts, and it takes mental stamina to keep focusing on the people who DO care, when it’s so easy to backslide into the muck and negativity of those who would prefer to keep you down.

I was standing at the Vegas airport a couple of days ago, trying to decide what coffee to order for the flight home. During the course of my indecision, three janitors walked up. They were just getting ready to go on their shift for that evening, and they didn’t see me, and stepped in front of me to order coffees. First a lady, then another lady, then a gentleman, who finally realized I was there and apologized. “Don’t worry!” I said, “I have time!” and then I stepped back.

As they finished ordering their coffee, the gentleman waved a ten dollar bill at the barista. “I’ve got theirs!” he hollered, jerking his head in the direction of the ladies. I flashed back to an all-too-recent memory of not being able to afford one coffee, let alone three. So very few people knew about the struggle. Those that did, forever earned a place in my heart. Their help, big and small, touched me deeply.

Here this gentleman was buying these ladies coffee for the evening, and they were about to set out cleaning the bathrooms at the Las Vegas airport. I wondered who ever thanked them for doing that hard work. I wondered who ever helped them. I wondered if we ever even stop to think about who cleans the bathrooms, and if anyone ever stops to care.

I reached out and touched his shoulder. “No. I’ve got this.” The crew looked surprised, and as I got my coffee, paid for the lot, and walked away, they all had giant, goofy grins on their faces.

It was only coffee, but I hope they know someone cared.

As someone once said, “Start where you are. Use what you’ve got. Do what you can.”

I’m pretty sure a lot of differences are made one coffee at a time.