In earlier times—the Renaissance, for example—it was assumed that people were capable of mastering many things. No one was accused of being a dilettante if they wrote poetry, ran a business, composed music, spoke several languages and fought a war or two. It was truly a self-fulfilling assumption since many people developed and enjoyed multiple talents and occupations.
Although modern times have been less than encouraging, more of us are questioning the notion that we’re only suited for a single path. When we were both speakers at a conference, I met a delightful man who has ignored the single career option and instead shares his passions in numerous ways . Here’s part of his biography:
“Bruce Richardson is a musician, innkeeper, writer and tea entrepreneur who has introduced a state known for bourbon to the grand celebration of afternoon tea. With his wife Shelley, Bruce has transformed a 150-year-old Greek Revival mansion into what travel writers commonly refer to as Kentucky’s premier tea room.
“In 1990, when Shelley and Bruce restored Perryville’s historic Elmwood Inn as their home, they included bed and breakfast accommodations and a tea room. Within five years, they ceased taking overnight visitors to concentrate completely on their tea business.
“After numerous requests from Elmwood’s customers, they began organizing their recipes into books. Their first book, A Year of Teas at the Elmwood Inn, was followed by a second volume, A Tea for All Seasons. Bruce also authored The Great Tea Rooms of Britain and The Great Tea Rooms of America. In addition, he did the photography for Elizabeth Knight’s Tea in the City: New York.
“In 1995, Bruce and Shelley founded Elmwood Inn Fine Teas, the gourmet food division which sells to gourmet stores in the US and eight foreign countries.
“An ordained minister, he also served as mayor of Perryville, KY; was founder and director of the Danville Children’s Choir and served as consultant to the Boyle Country Schools Gifted Program. He was the founder and past president of Boyle Country Habitat for Humanity.”
Obviously, this is a man who understands the concept of multiple profit centers. He’s also someone who values his personal gifts and takes responsibility for sharingthem. Is it any wonder that in the process Bruce also became a fascinating person?
There’s a passage in one of the Gnostic Gospels that says, “If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, then what you do not bring forth will destroy you.” That’s a powerful reminder of the responsibility we each have for excavating and using our personal treasures. All of them.
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