| Buckwheat pillows and American Chestnuts, an | | | | buckwheat pillow? I have one. I wouldn't sleep on |
| unlikely pair, briefly became a combination on Friday, | | | | anything else. I take mine with me any time I go |
| Jan. 15th, 2010, in Harrisburg, Pa., at the Pennsylvania | | | | away over night." Whereupon a woman says "Yeah. |
| Farm Show. I was helping man a booth for the Pa. | | | | They're the most comfortable things to sleep |
| Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation, an | | | | on.They're amazing." |
| organization dedicated to the re-introduction of the | | | | These two were seemingly trying to outdo each |
| American Chestnut Tree back into its original habitat | | | | other in praising the virtues of the pillows I was |
| of the Appalachian Mountains, where it once | | | | selling. |
| comprised about 25% of all native trees in many | | | | I just hid a grin and kept quiet. Everyone there knew |
| areas of the Appalachians, before the chestnut blight | | | | I was selling these pillows, so anything I said |
| nearly rendered them extinct. | | | | regarding them would have been taken with a grain |
| I deem this to be a worthy cause, especially now | | | | of salt, since I obviously had an axe to grind. Then |
| that we are on the verge of introducing blight | | | | several more of them chimed in validating what was |
| resistant American Chestnut Trees back to the | | | | being said. Then they all ended up asking me if I had |
| forests where they were once dominant, and were | | | | a business card, which I happily handed out to each |
| such a large part of the mountains' economy. | | | | of them. |
| However I digress, as the primary focus of my | | | | Now this man who was so enthusiastically promoting |
| dissertation pertains to buckwheat pillows, since that | | | | my pillows was not a customer of mine. I had never |
| is what I promote on my web site. So to put a little | | | | met him before, and everyone there knew that. |
| more cohesion to this story, let me explain. I was | | | | That gave his words much more weight than |
| preparing to leave after my stint at the Pa. American | | | | anything I might have said. |
| Chestnut Foundation booth. Several of us were | | | | The lesson that I see emanating from this is that if |
| standing around saying our goodbyes, when one of | | | | you have an enthusiastic person, especially one |
| them asked "Are you retired?" I said "Yes, except | | | | heretofore unknown to you, but known to the |
| for my web site, which really keeps me busy." The | | | | others, expounding on what ever you are promoting, |
| man asks,"What do you sell on your web site?" I | | | | just keep quiet and let them keep on selling your |
| answered "Buckwheat pillows." He says "What are | | | | product, because they'll have a far greater impact on |
| they for?" | | | | their friends than will you. |
| At that point, another man, who up to that point had | | | | Just keep quiet, smile, and hand out your business |
| said nothing, suddenly blurted out "Don't you have a | | | | cards. |