Nine years ago, I met a woman who was a lunch lady by day. Each night, she would make meals for her coworkers which she sold the next day. I came home and immediately told my husband, “I could do that. Please support this dream.” And he did.

And so did you.

Unfortunately, sometimes we have to wake up. Or give up. Or, as a friend described it - “sunset”. But let’s call it what it is. I’m shutting down The Real Good Life.

Let’s first get the logistics out of the way.

Our last delivery will be Wednesday, November 6^th.

• I have several freezer meals and some of our favorite Local Flavors on the menu to keep the party going after I’ve shut the doors.
• I am limited by staffing and space, so I will probably sell out. Please order early if you want in.
• You can keep your bags and ice packs with your last delivery. (Though we will continue to collect through Sunday, November 3^rd. I’m going to have just enough to get us through!)
• If you have any outstanding gift cards, now is the time to use them!

I’m purposely using “I” language instead of “we” in this note. The “we” of this exercise have been so great and I don’t want you mad at them. Instead, I’d ask that you join me in finding new jobs for our amazing team. If you know of any positions in the food or delivery space, please pass them on. Any other business can only dream of being so lucky to have these folks work for them!

Now the big question – why? Being a small business owner is hard. And lonely. It’s also inspiring and life-fulfilling and the coolest thing ever! But golly, it’s all-encompassing. In short, this dream was starting to have nightmare-ish tendencies and I wanted to wake up before it broke me.

No, I don’t want you to feel sorry for me but I do want you to check in on your business-owning friends. Ask them when was the last time they were able to totally shut off their phone. Or sleep through the night without thinking about the biz. Or wonder how to help their employees through crisis without having any money to do anything about it. Speaking of which, take them out to dinner (at a locally-owned establishment!) because they probably aren’t making nearly the amount of money you think they are.

I am so, so, so grateful for this time we had together at uppercase The Real Good Life. I have met the best people because of TRGL. I hope to find ways to keep you in my lower case real good life, too.

Love,
Maggie

P.S. One positive to come out of this – I write the best when I am under duress. So please watch this space for more over the next couple of weeks. We might just get a Pulitzer out of this exercise. 😉

If you love fish, but the idea of cooking it yourself intimidates you, then try this recipe. It is totally foolproof. (And the pickiest eaters will love it! So basic and yet so delicious!)