Publisher’s Letter: Don’t Let “Overwhelming” Get you Down

I’ll have to be honest, five years ago, when I purchased my burned property from the High Park Fire, I was a bit overwhelmed with all the work that needed to happen. It’s a challenge.

But I saw potential. I still do!

I have learned over the years to love to watch nature on the property. Nature is pushing its way forward. New life is popping up every season, and the burned remains are contributing. Baby trees are sprouting everywhere. Hundreds of them!

I have also learned to look at many things differently through the years. On the property, for example, I have fallen so in love with it that I want to make it my home. Using the resources that so many people would probably view as just “gone,” how could those resources still be used?

The forest, for example, was one time very thick. When the fire came through, it naturally cleared out the underbrush and left hundreds of dead standing trees. They still stand today. It’s an opportunity.

I purchased a lumber mill earlier this year after doing a tremendous amount of research. After I set it up, I taught myself how to run it. Within the past few months, I have been mastering the craft during my free time.

The mill and the property became an opportunity when I advertised in North Forty News that I had slabs and rough-cut lumber available. Many of the readers who have supported the newspaper are now taking advantage of this opportunity to not only mitigate future fire possibilities but also save a little cash on the lumber-related projects they have going on.

I have turned an overwhelming feeling into an opportunity, and I’m having a blast doing it! It’s fantastic to see nature’s progress in the High Park Burn area and to be a part of helping it along.

If I would have let “Overwhelming” get me down, my life would be quite different (and probably not in a good way). And, most likely, North Forty News would have gone away.

Hopefully, someone out there will read this story and realize that whatever their overwhelming situation might be, they too can overcome it. To date that, it takes focus and lots of hard work, but the end result is amazing.

So, thank you to all of you who read this column. Your support is what keeps North Forty News (and me) going!

By the way, if you need some lumber — I’m your man (see the ad on the front page of the newspaper).

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