Sunrise's Sunset - a brief follow-up.

As we all adjust to life after Sunrise, I find myself still in a bit of a nostalgic mood. The Gillette Restaurant Supply trucks and crew that spent a few days last week disassembling and hauling off most of the kitchen equipment from Carl's bakery basement are gone. My electrician is right now rewiring one of his walk-in freezers to my electrical panel.

All that remains upstairs of what was a homey little bakery cafe is a nearly empty room, a few retired coffee makers awaiting delivery to the land of misfit appliances, some display cases destined for Craigslist, and a fading Dear John letter in the window.

The cycle of life, small biz style.

Like the end of any relationship, we find ourselves longing for the good times we won't get to have again while we lick the wounds and desperately try to focus on how we've grown through the experience. We take solace in knowing the person we are no longer with is ultimately better off, and that we too will find that same place when the dust is all settled. Endings are never easy, but to coin a kitchy song, 'Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.'

Ok, it was just a bakery, perhaps I'm being a little melodramatic. I just know that if it were the end of my biz, mixed in with the relief at no longer having the 24/7 responsibility would be many of those same feelings one gets during a breakup. As I mentioned in the last blog post, we were all surprised at how abrupt an ending it was, but I have to give Carl credit for pulling off that band-aid fast. Rumor has it, he's already got a 'normal job', 8-4 five days a week, and is quite content to have such a better shot at a work/life balance.

And we all anxiously await the introduction of the next residents of the Sunrise space. I understand there is quite a lot of interest, and our landlord is not taking the decision lightly. I, for one, look forward to that new beginning.

In the spirit of beginnings, I've started re-reading my original Ice Cream Diaries from those exciting and scary first days in biz, when Mt. Tom's was just a kicking and screaming infant. One of my writing assignments for the Fall is to dust them off, clean up a bit, and republish those meanderings for all who care to relive the early days along with me these nearly eight years later.

Oh, and there's my little Sundae Experiment I need to get back to as well. Volunteers anyone? I have a few people on my list who will be hearing from me soon, but there are plenty more free sundaes to be had. Just drop me a line at jim@mttoms.com or mention it to me next time you're in the shop.

So stay tuned, lots of fun writing assignments to keep you warm like a comfortable old dog hair-covered afghan during those chilly nights that lurk around the bend.