Nudgies® 2006

You know, ever now and again you evaluate what's meaningful in your life and what isn't. I have an antique sheet music cabinet that doubles as the place where I hide my little treasures. Things that, in most instances, only have importance to me. Not long ago I was going through it and remembered that about a year ago I'd stumbled across this letter that I received from Oprah Winfrey in 1988 thanking me for sharing my greeting card collection - Nudgies® - with her. Nudgies®. My little card line had finally taken off and, it seemed at that moment, that it was about to blast straight through the sky. Then...

Well, then real life called. We owned another business. It needed all our time and attention, not to mention our money. So, my dearly beloved little Nudgies® had to go sit in the corner for a decade or so.

I guess I'm thinking about Nudgies® tonight because it is a brand new year and a few days ago I had occasion to talk to someone who a few years ago commissioned a number of Nudgies® prayer boxes from me for a major greeting card company. They flew off all the shelves in all the test markets she placed them in (Texas, Missouri, California), but - once again - Nudgies'® timing was off. That greeting card company was going through a major internal upheaval and - as well the Nudgies® boxes had tested - they got lost in the shuffle. The independent shops kept reordering, but that big, big thrust didn't materialize. To my surprise, the conversation we had a few days ago was one in which I was told the interest in those boxes was (yes!) still very keen!

So, perhaps in some cultures 2006 is the year of the dog, but I'm thinking it just might be the year of the 'stick man'! Okay, Nudgies®, I'm good for another round if you are!