When we were scouring the region for awesome antiques to adorn our new pub, we dipped into a little store on a quiet street in Halifax. There nestled among some framed art was an unassuming photograph of a long forgotten team. Taking it to the counter along with a few old lacrosse sticks, Adam inquired about the cost of the framed picture. The clerk replied that she felt a little guilty letting it go as it had been handed down through various relatives, finally landing in her shop. She couldn’t recall the story but agreed to sell it to us for $20 when she learned that it would find new life in a pub we were opening. Little did she know that it would become the focal point of the Millstone Public House.
During the construction phase of the business there was, as expected, moments of stress and even a little trepidation in our hearts. Having sold our previous business and moving our family nearly 5,000km across Canada to plant roots back in Adam’s home province, we naturally wondered if we were making the right decisions and taking the right risks. Somehow this photo, dating back to 1895, became a source of comfort in the changing landscape of our lives. Whenever things seemed difficult we’d look at ‘the dudes’, as we call them, and imagine what they would think of our problems. Invariably they would stare back at us from their long gone moment in time and whisper ‘Carpe Diem’*. Whatever troubles they had and mistakes they made, died with them many years ago. Whatever money they made, or possessions they cherished, has long since been passed down or lost. The truth, they tell me, is that joy is the real currency of the living. While we draw breath we must find joy…search for it, plan for it, savour it. We are here but once, make it count.
