Little Things Really Matter |
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Jay and Karen share thoughts on how often ‘little things’ turn out to be ‘not little things’ at all. |
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It’s funny how life works. You do so many little things – generally without thinking very much about them. You open a door for a stranger. You initiate a conversation with someone sitting beside you on an airplane or at a restaurant. You volunteer your time at a local nonprofit or decide to join a health club. Then, something good – and big – happens in your life. It all seems serendipitous – but when you go back and trace your steps, you discover that this wonderful ‘big,’ new success can be linked directly back to that ‘little’ thing that you did unknowingly. So, what does this all mean?
Here’s an insight. I was recently told the story of a friend's sister, Emily, who was a professor at a top university in the Midwest. At only 45 years old, she discovered she had a kidney condition that would eventually become life-threatening, meaning she needed a transplant. She had become a teacher and then professor because education was to her the most important gift you can give any person. She was faced with a very difficult feeling many of us can probably relate to: what did I do wrong to deserve this? Yet something incredible happened as news broke about her condition. Within hours, her students, past and present, raised a fund to help support her transplant. Even more, one of her former students was a blood match and offered to donate her own kidney. Naturally, it all brought her to tears. When she reached out to a few of the students about why they'd made such an effort, the response was resounding: you were always there for us when we needed you the most.
It's an incredible story. As I listened, it got me thinking about all those little things we may do in life that go unnoticed, or at least that we think go unnoticed. But as Emily's sister recounted, her students wanted to give her something in return for all she had done for them, something in this case that ended up being ‘life-saving’. What we tend not to realize is that life has a way of paying it forward, and it's often derived from the little actions we take every day. Maybe we don't see how they reverberate in the moment, but eventually, our own good doing has the ability to change the lives of so many, those we know, and those we do not and eventually, our own. And in doing so, we reinforce the idea that doing good is in fact, good. So, this weekend, as you hold the door for someone, give a friend in need some of your time, or play with the kids, know that these acts aren't forgotten, and what you may think is something small has the power to transform.
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The Fisher Cats – What’s in a Team Name? |
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League of NH Craftsmen – Marvelous Talent on Display |
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Positive Profile of the Week: Karen Bassett |
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This week we are delighted to highlight an inspirational entrepreneur, Karen Bassett of Laconia. Karen is a founding partner of a terrific venture, known as Wayfarer Coffee.
In 2008, Karen moved from Seattle, the ‘Coffee Capital’ of the United States and settled in the Lakes Region. Like so many people in New Hampshire, Karen is self-reliant and willing to take initiative. So, she when she couldn’t find coffee she really ‘loved,’ she began roasting her own coffee beans. Once people got a taste of her incredible creation, she was soon selling coffee beans at the Laconia Farmer’s Market and beyond. Not too long after that she, along with her husband, Reuben, and Ben Bullerwel, a friend and Laconia native, opened Wayfarer Coffee. In essence, Karen took her passion and turned it into an opportunity not just for herself but for the community. Wayfarer Coffee is located in the historic part of downtown Laconia. As a leader in the community, Karen, along with her team and the energy created by Wayfarer’s downtown presence, have made a huge impact in restoring and bringing back to life this vital section of town. Thankfully, she saw spotted a business opportunity with the potential for success and took the initiative to make it happen. But the story doesn't end there.
In 2020, deep in the midst of the global pandemic that took a major toll on small businesses across America, Karen started the process of opening her second coffee shop in the small community of Lakeport, New Hampshire, technically part of the City of Laconia, located only a short distance from downtown. And, in so doing, she chose a great spot in Lakeport for her second business. Wayfarer Coffee Roasters, the Lakeport Café is located at the beautifully renovated home of the Lakeport Opera House.
And, there’s more. This May, Karen and the Wayfarer team are partnering with local businesses and organizations to host the first ‘New England Coffee Festival.’ With a theme, ‘Making Specialty Coffee Available to Everyone,’ and Wayfarer’s commitment to ‘Coffee and Community,’ the Festival is on track to be a terrific success! So, please invite your friends and come up to Laconia, the weekend of Friday, May 20th and Saturday the 21st, to sample some amazing coffee and see firsthand the impact Karen and her team are making in the community. Visit https://www.newenglandcoffeefestival.com/
Thank you, Karen, for your inspirational spirit and entrepreneurial leadership! You and Wayfarer Coffee are making a wonderful, positive impact on the Laconia community, the Lakes Region, New Hampshire and now the whole New England region and beyond.
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“It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important.”
― Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
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