Update: Why 2014 is Such A Great Year, and Who is to Blame for That!

Vacation time at Edisto Beach, South Carolina with family.

Yes, 2014 has been a great year – one of the best for me. I haven’t worked this hard for many years, and I can only blame myself since I adopted a positive “can do” attitude through 2013.

Here is the recap.

May 2013 – Our daughter graduated from college. If you are under 50 years old, the significance of this achievement may not move you too much. The impact on the monthly household budget was enough to jump for joy!

July 2013 – The daughter gets a job in her field of choice, and remains employed a year later. This too is a major parental accomplishment, although my daughter deserves all of the credit for getting and keeping a good job.

October 2013 – Buddy died. She was sixteen years old and a faithful and loving pet.

Where once was an empty wall, emerges a new shop.

November 2013 – We moved into a new home. This took several months to accomplish, and 13 weeks of unloading boxes to complete. I worked 12 hour days, just like I was a young pup. It was crazy a time.

December 2013 – Coppell Piano Shop had its biggest month ever! I serviced 2-3 pianos every day of the week. I have no idea how I got through that month. We had a lovely Christmas. On December 31, my father passed away at 82.

January 2014 – I started with an empty garage and built a new piano shop. In my older shop, a room 20 X 8 at the head of a carport, every item had its place. I could work on 3 piano actions at a time, and the tools were neatly assigned on boards, in drawers or on shelves.

I did not fully appreciate how nice that shop was until I started building a new shop. Yes. I am now able to build the shop I really want, but it will take years before I maximize the efficiency of the extra space I now have. Most of the room however is dedicated to pianos: I acquired several pianos last year, and they are each awaiting repairs.

Enjoying a rainstorm on my new back porch.

February – May 2014 – When Spring hit, it was time to do the annual gardening – new chores associated with buying a new home. When I wasn’t working on pianos, I was building beds, digging, planting and watering.

June 2014 – I took a family vacation – the first in twenty years. We spent a small fortune traveling to the east coast and back again. We visited relatives in eleven states after spending a week in a beach house in South Carolina.

July 2014 – After the vacation ended, I recall having a “moment” on the porch where I felt that we were finally moved into the new home. It is now the 22nd of July and I have returned to the daily routines of being a piano shop owner. We are weeks away from the “Back to School” season, and that means I have a ton of work to do in preparation.

Lunch and a good book.

I am up at 6:00 each day and work for a few hours in the shop. When the mid-morning arrives, with its heat, I move indoors to attend to administrative chores.  Appointments start at 10:00 and go through the day. After dinner I return to the shop if the heat is not unbearable. Lately it has been rather cool, so I am pleased to have the extra time.

I have a hundred things yet to do. That is my fault. If I wasn’t so positive and driven, my life would be much easier. I need a serious attitude adjustment!!!