(Pictures above: My oldest friend of 34 years, Bob, who works for Disney Corp. in Florida, visits Naples, Maine! We met in math class in 6th grade Junior High. Some days just change your life forever, huh?)
Howdoooo from an inn in Western Maine!
Yesterday Inn at Long Lake's roof began its facelift and the inn is closed for business. The entire process should take about 2 weeks. It is a large capital expenditure that I did not necessarily want to make at this time. Still, I know "once it is done, it is done."
After this weekend's 20th Annual Holiday Craft Show here at the inn (which keeps me very happily baking cookies all weekend!), I begin a 2-week vacation! This is challenging for most innkeepers because while they may not have guests, I find myself personally getting to projects that I wanted to do throughout the busier seasons, and learning to be quiet enough to assess the future direction of this amazing inn.
"Getting quiet enough" can be very challenging! Throughout all our busy lives we feel compelled, perhaps, to worry. Worry keeps us "stuck." It does not allow us the chance to give ourselves power---power to dream, power to play, power to create. To me, there is always a certain Faith needed to dream. It is that happy place where your creativity is realized by you and others. In my job, I am glad to have a lot of that--when guests comment that they think "the theme of the inn is really cool," or that "that bread we had for breakfast was too die for," etc. Nonetheless, it is from the "being still" that enables us to (hopefully) spark an idea of joy.
Not all of these realizations of happiness are about triumphs in innkeeping. Some involve taking better care of my body and soul. Some about taking better care of close relationships. At this time of year, despite my joy of running a business, I allocate some time to these as well. And, through these times, cooking and baking and cookbooks (yahoo!!!) provide some form of rudimentary structure to my existence---and almost put me in the place where I can dream, and play, and create.
Remember today to take a few deep breathes and remember your playfulness found in "why am I taking Life at this moment wayyyyyyyy too seriously?" Perhaps, from that moment of being calmly still, you will access that inspiration to move forward. There, with just a little Faith, Joy may be born!
Keith A. Neubert
Innkeeper and Fellow Vacationer
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