Life is strange. The changes that occur in us are silent and go mostly unnoticed! I pant as I walk up the hill that I used to jog up in the morning; I wear my old jogging pants that have become nubby and faded, but they are comfortable! And so is the Inn that we so diligently decorated, refurbished and made to look like “what we wanted our hospitality to be”, reflecting our values and taste!
Do I see the wrinkles on my face as I dry myself after my shower – only once in a while! Change in us and realizing what the going trend is, and the willingness to make these changes all over again, is not in everyone’s ability. To exercise, and to eat more respectfully, realizing changes to our metabolism, as we age, is no different than the needs and new appointments in our rooms; accepting the requirements of a new generation, of new guests, seems an unraveling of our accepted routine and daily tasks. These needs for change slip into our days quietly, continuous and unnoticed. It doesn’t come easy to see and feel that we are left behind, outdated, old-fashioned!
Styles in décor need refreshing; curtains prevent the guest from seeing what is out there: the moon setting silvery on the lakes surface, the sun rising over the mountain tops. Your guests are more active, more aware of the environment and more conscious of the food they consume!
When I talk with prospective Inn-keepers, after their visit to an Inn and hear them expressing what they would need to change if they bought that Inn, I tell them, “Yes! To make it yours is what you have to do!” But remember, you are buying a viable Inn business, so what you are expressing is your vision and your taste in creating an ambiance that will make the Inn relevant to your success!
That is life. That is growing and being wise about life and living it. It is very difficult when we realize that as people we can strive to be active, alert, staying aware, but then somehow life is kind in letting us slip into not seeing the wrinkles in our faces, appreciating more details, as we climb slowly, up the hill, or not getting up as early, our ambition lessening.
Isn’t that the right time we should find a new owner for our Inn?
