Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

I’ve spent the day cleaning my home, getting it ready for the holidays and guests. And now I’m at the computer just sitting still.  Except I grabbed the snow globe that Keith and Chris gave me one Christmas, turned the key on the bottom for the music, watched little snow flakes flutter down, and listened to Leonard Bernstein’s “New York, New York.”

I felt melancholy, which is a rare emotion for me. Watching the subway in the snow globe suddenly reminded me of my years with Fred Flare, my son and his partner’s business. I was the finance manager, and we were on top of the world then.

But the arrival of the Internet heralded the demise of small businesses. Who could compete with giants like Costco, Target, and Amazon? Fred Flare closed its doors, and I retired.

I rarely visit this time of my life mentally.  Instead, I forge ahead.  But holding the snow globe in my hands, listening to Bernstein, and remembering what a ride Fred Flare was makes me smile.