Without Barnie Day, the Martinsville Blog Conference last August wouldn’t have happened. Well, maybe it would’ve but it certainly would not have received the glowing reviews it did thanks to his contributions. While the generous donation he procured from Smith River Community Bank was helpful, what really made the difference was that we “name dropped” him at every turn. “Barnie Day” is the “open sesame” to doors of those on both sides of the aisle.

Barnie has written an inspiring piece, published in today’s Martinsville Bulletin. Only Barnie could write about his battle with Parkinson’s disease and how fortunate he is. It reminds me of a story by Robert Fulghum (All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten) about a young hotel clerk who was miserable about his life. His work hours were long and boring, he had no social life, etc. He was further made miserable by the cheerfulness of an older clerk with whom he worked. How could this older gentleman be so happy all the time when life had dealt them almost identical miserable hands? The young clerk later learned that the older clerk was a survivor of a Nazi concentration camp. This experience had made him realize the difference between real problems and simple inconveniences. Most of us, while we’re quick to complain about our problems (when WILL Blognet be fixed?) truly only have inconveniences.

Go read Barnie’s story and come back a better person for having done so. I love Barnie’s writing and hope to see more of it . . .