It feels forced and disingenuous if I’m depressed or preoccupied. Some people are good at faking it -I’m not- or snapping out of it but I can’t seem to shake it today. Usually I find a way to laugh amid misery but I seem to have misplaced my sense of humor; maybe it’s buried under piles of defeat. Today, this is all I can think about:
What the heck, you can amuse yourself by making a head stone too. Tomorrow I’ll feel embarrassed for having published this -assuming I’ve recovered my usual good cheer.
Kathleen,
I know sometimes we just gotta feel what we feel. But, keep in mind that this whole thing ride could have and would have been so much worse if not for your tireless advocacy. Being a leader is tough. For what it’s worth right at this moment, just know that we appreciate you.
p.s. Besides, rumours of our death are greatly exaggerated….
Kathleen,
I second Jody’s post! I would have been lost through all this had it not been for you! I’ve done my mourning and am trying to move on, but I’m still holding on to a little hope that this might get straightened out eventually. Thank you for your tireless work!
have the nails been driven into the coffin? thought there was still a glimmer of light.
I understand completely. Sometimes reading the forum helps, but typing anything is just too much… You have been running on adrenaline for months, and now that the big day is here, it can be a huge letdown. You have no idea how much your efforts are appreciated. The head stone made me laugh! Perhaps you could talk about brussels sprouts…
Ditto Valerie. This has been a discouraging time in many ways, but I am a ‘glass half full’ person…The head stone just reinforced my determination to not give up…And it made me smile. Thank you.
Victoria
Kathleen…my sentiments exactly! I feel like a big hammer is going to strike my head tomorrow.
Thank you for all you’ve done. I couldn’t have fought this fight without you.
With friendship,
Lisa
It will get worse before it gets better, but we’ll get the politics (or politicians) straightened-out eventually. In troubled times like these, I always recommend turning to the all-knowing Grouch Marx –
“Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies.”
Keep swinging folks!
Jason
There are times when only the blackest humor will do
And clearly this is just such a moment.
You had a heck of a first round and suddenly there was the bell.
After you sit on your stool in the corner and have the water splashed on your face
you’ll hear that bell again, and be back up on your feet.
But one person alone can’t win this prize fight.
I’m right there with you, Kathleen! Very frustrating and depressing. Just putting my daughter’s handmade monster hat on her head this am made me tear up.
“Great” guidance (if you can call a rough draft not even approved by the agency itself guidance) from CSPC this morning for small retailers. My favorite is the phthalates Q.16. After all this advice on testing for Lead, it basically states that there is no reliable way to screen for phthalates, but the limits still apply. Combine this with the fact that small manufacturers are not required to put out the Certificates of compliance yet, the advice as to not sell anything that you don’t “know” is safe is ridiculous. (No reliable test, no certificate of compliance, how exactly am I going to defend myself to the AG that I’m some omniscient being that “knew” they were O.K.)
Dear Kathleen, I am also grateful for your efforts, for your intelligence and your passion for the things you know are correct. Thank you for keeping up with this site….and for just keeping up with life in general. You are appreciated.
It is a roller coaster for sure. I hope you don’t feel embarrassed, perhaps the head stone should be on the cover to all letters in the future to our representatives.
Thanks for all your work Kathleen. There is just too much information for any of us to really wrap our heads around AND try to keep our businesses going. I have really appreciated and benefited from having one place to keep updated.
Thanks, Kathleen, for all the work you’ve done over the past few months. It’s not easy being on the leading edge, but I know that what you’ve done will help shape the future for all of us manufacturing for children under 12.
Dear Kathleen,
Thank you for all the time, sweat & tears you’ve put into educating legislators and us about the CPSIA. It is so complex; I have a hard time deciphering it all. I made the decision to discontinue selling all children’s items due to the law.
I had a mother call me last week looking for a custom made First Communion veil and headpiece. I had to tell her I couldn’t do it, and she was VERY disappointed.
I just feel overwhelmed by legislation, so I made a tombstone too. See it here:
http://veilubridal.com/CPSIA.html.
Maybe we could all send our tombstones to lawmakers?
Ditto all of the above. Your efforts have not gone unnoticed nor unappreciated.
Thank you.
Kathleen,
I was in this emotional ditch on Friday – testament is the blog post that had traffic through the roof. You will snap back – no one with the courage and dedication that marks your character is going to be satisfied to remain in this emotional stage, healthy as it is.
I want you to know that I am SO PROUD OF YOU. SO PROUD.
I’m working on refining my links / message on my homepage – posted a BOLD STATEMENT today to include your tireless efforts.
Further, in HONOR or your NOT feeling humorous, I dedicate my humorous post on my blog today TO YOU. I, like you, do not know how to put a face on – it just happened the feelings you have today, I had on Friday. I am FILLED today, with hope – because February 10 is not the end all / be all. ALL of your hard efforts and the efforts of so many others are NOT wasted. They are CELEBRATED today – and will be put to good use in the days and weeks to come.
I believe our job is not to simply raise our voices to our legislators and media, as you know. I believe we now share the burden of coming together and educating ALL of our FELLOW CITIZENS – to strike the chord that IS DEEP WITHIN them. People are ruled by fear when in solitude or abandoned. But fear cannot survive when we all come together and present a wall of shelter, on behalf of our children – to confront our public servants and rise up.
My mom, a well known poet in Monterey Peninsula, wrote two very political poems – one about the movement for solidarity / uprising in Poland and another about the student protest in Tiananmen Square, China. I have requested her permission to post these on my blog today – she has granted it and, once I’m done with this commentary, I am going to go and post them. I beg you to come and read these – the fact is, it is not over – we may have lost a battle, but the war is far from over.
The truth cannot be destroyed. You are a CHAMPION of TRUTH. I send you love from the deepest part of my soul.
Warmest Regards,
Tristan Benz
Maiden America
Blog: http://www.tristansepinion.blogspot.com
I echo the sentiments of Marguerite Swope, “Ditto all of the above. Your efforts have not gone unnoticed nor unappreciated.
Thank you.”
I don’t post here very often; I’m too busy dealing with my own stuff. But I’d like to say that after chasing my tail and putting bits of info together for nearly four years, I finally knew enough to actually get started after I read your book. And you provide a great service with this forum as well. Your efforts are very much appreciated.
Look…I’m a “see the glass as half empty” kind of person, and if you’re anything like me, then all this chatter may not amount to much; I know how it is. But hopefully it’ll amount to *something*.
Chin up, kid!
http://www.wzzm13.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=105312&catid=2
can we confirm that the law has been stayed — i hate to get all excited.
Hold your head high. It was a valiant fight. It was a fight for the people, for the small business’ of America. Many people feel your disappointment and sadness. You are not alone. Dreams and aspirations have been dashed today.
This is what happens when government gets involved in business; they squash the entreprenur. They make laws broadly that only the largest of companies can compete in. I’m still trying to figure out how toys and clothing are comparable except for the intended age group. I feel that went about this law all wrong; they looked at the end product and said it needed to meet this specification instead of looking at the raw material and saying that everything that goes into creating a product needs to meet the criteria. Is it not easier to have ink products from Company A do the testing before it gets to the manufacturer in Company B,C,D,E etc.?
Thank you for all your hard work and energy into this cause.
It’s all been said, but I just wanted to add my thanks to that of all the others for all your hard work on this issue. I hope you will not despair, but feel triumphant that you have been instrumental in educating so many people to the realities of this law. You have spoken to us and for us most effectively. Just look back to when you first brought this up. I know that my first reaction was “huh?” Now your blog is one of the centers of a community of people trying to establish a better law for all.
Thank you, thank you thank you. And keep fighting. But take a rest first.
I don’t think you should be embarrassed today or tomorrow for publishing your post. While I do not have a business that is directly affected, I have been following along (the best I can, some of it is so very confusing) and you are entitled to feel overwhelmed and defeated after all of your hard work.
The pessimist in me doesn’t have much faith in the government and their handling of things, this is one more massive mess up on their part…
Best of luck,
Chrissie
I closed my business today with more anguish than I even expected.
But it aint over.
I say like the above: take a rest first, be with your family, laugh….we will be here for you….thanks for pushing us forward and putting everything in perspective and understanding everything for us when the rest of the “pro’s” and “politicians” seams to not getting it neither “in” or “out”!
Kathleen, you are invaluble to us and so many others that benefit from your work and knowledge yet don’t even know it. Many thanks. Please rest and recuperate.
Kathleen:
Many kudos to you for all of the hundreds of hours you have put into this fight (and I know you are still at it!), and to everyone else who has been keeping the rest of us abreast of the CPSIA insanity.
We, as an entire industry, must stick firm to what we know is the truth and what is right. Unfortunately, we have people as the so-called consumer protective groups, Congress, and the rest of the government in charge of things that they truly have no knowledge about. They’re strictly going on the basic fear factor instilled upon them by the special interest groups. Sorry, but I am very tired of parents not taking the responsibility of their own children (hello, Octomom is a prime example of irresponsibility and madness for motherhood (i.e. more like publicity and quick buck) gone awry, but that’s a whole other story). That’s why this law was pushed so fast because it had the phrase “safety for our children” when in fact, it only does the opposite because truly good and conscientious businesses will be no more. It has been all so very sad.
We CANNOT give up. We have a lot of work ahead of us and hopefully something rational will come about sooner than later.