Inspiration From My Drycleaner

Dear TIM,

Do you have any plans for this summer?

Occasionally, I'll have a customer come in and ask me this same question.

Of course, I would love to take a week off and spend some relaxing time in the mountains or on a quiet beach. But as any micro-business owner knows, this isn't a very easy thing for me to do.

Recently, I read an article that stated that because of the current economic situation, many Americans are either canceling their summer trips or, at the least, are shortening them and going somewhere nearby.

I'm sure that many of you are finding yourselves in the same situation.

So for all of you who, for whatever reason, aren't able to set up any summer plans, here's something I realized through my own experience:
A few years back, on a Sunday, I was walking on this woodland pathway in a park. And as I walked, I saw so many different kinds of beautiful plants.

There seemed to be everything from tiny blades of grass to gigantic trees. There were some plants that grew fervently out in the sunlight, and there were others that grew peacefully in the dark shadows of the forest.
There were even some vine trees that used other larger trees to support themselves. And even with these vine trees strapped onto their barks, the larger trees still continued to grow taller and taller.

But then, as I looked at all of these different plants, I realized something.
I realized that no matter what the circumstances, these plants never just give up, blaming the hard conditions. Instead, they endure even the most difficult of situations and continue to grow, forming the beautiful forests and gardens we see everyday.

As many of you have probably noticed when stopping by our store, dry cleaners get very hot in the summer. However, even in such blistering heat, if I just think about those strong plants outside, I am able to find the strength within myself to overcome the hot conditions and keep on going.

So even if you're not going on any exotic vacations this summer, I hope that all of you will enjoy this beautiful season just as the many different plants and trees do. And to those of you who are going on vacation, I hope you truly have a wonderful time.

Sincerely,
Chris & Eunice Yun
Rainbow Cleaners


Found
By Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Translation by Hyde Flippo

I was walking in the woods
Just on a whim of mine,
And seeking nothing,
That was my intention.

In the shade I saw
A little flower standing
Like stars glittering
Like beautiful little eyes.

I wanted to pick it
When it said delicately:
Should I just to wilt
Be picked?

I dug it out with all
Its little roots.
To the garden I carried it
By the lovely house.

And replanted it
In this quiet spot;
Now it keeps branching out
And blossoms ever forth.