Dancing Toward 100

First off: No, I haven't replaced Maria as editor of G&DA — she's only temporarily relinquished this space to me.

As some of you may know, I've been with Gifts & Decorative Accessories for a long time — more than 22 years, in fact. Of course, when I first interviewed for the job, I had no idea I'd still be here this many years later. Indeed, during that interview (in late 1984), Gifts & Dec editor Phyllis Sweed said, "You know, in 1992, Gifts & Decorative Accessories will be celebrating its 75th anniversary, and we have to start planning for it soon."

Being somewhat naive, at the time, about how this industry and its people can get their hooks in you, I sat quietly listening to Phyllis while thinking to myself: "Why is she telling me this? I won't be here in 1992."

The joke was on me! It's now 2007, and I am still here for Gifts & Decorative Accessories' 90th anniversary. Here's looking to 100!

In the time that I've been working on this magazine, I've seen a lot of things change — both in the magazine and the industry. As we all know, when you're faced with change, either you embrace it, adapt and survive, or you don't, and you (a) falter and perhaps fail or (b) get out. I for one prefer to follow the first route, which probably explains why I'm still here. Nevertheless, being human, I approach some changes reluctantly — particularly when it means leaving my comfort zone, especially with regard to advancing technology or taking on the more public face of a byline in the magazine.

But writer/editors are communicators, and the gift industry is first and foremost a people business. Anonymity, in your business and mine, is just not possible. With that in mind, it's time for me to get personal. Starting this month, you can get to know more about me and my perspectives by reading my blog, "Dancer in the Aisles," at www.giftsanddec.com. New postings will go up every other week to begin with, and hopefully increase in frequency as I get comfortable in this new "zone."

And if you are curious about the significance of the title … well, you'll just have to log on to find out. See you on the Web!