I didn’t realize that there was an actual International Eat An Apple Day. It’s the third Saturday of September. The timing fits nicely with apple harvest. So, pick your favorite variety and enjoy.
Apples are kind of a big deal for my family.
Long ago, after our failed farming venture, Tom was searching for work. His father’s friend was a potato and onion salesman and he suggested Tom could sell apples. He had a small office with several desks, telephones, a secretary to manage the paperwork, and perpetual cigarette smoke from the other salesmen. They sold to grocery stores across the country, and having an apple man would be a good fit for their company.
Tom was a rookie, but he mastered the art of cold calls—dialing up potential customers. Rejection didn’t deter Tom. Within a few months he had several buyers in the Southeast.
As soon as he could, he moved out of the smoke-filled office, installed extra phone lines in our basement, and became a home-based business pioneer in the mid-eighties.
He embraced all the latest technology. With computers and digital photography he showed his apple buyers the fruit before it shipped. That was revolutionary back then.
Tom didn’t just care about sales, he cared for the people he sold apples to—buyers became friends. So did those he bought apples from.
And his oversea sales grew—the Middle East, China, Europe, Central America—places he’d never visit, but he knew through his customers who lived there.
Selling a perishable commodity, with price fluctuations and heavy competition, and being the one managing all the logistics made it a stressful career. But Tom never quit.
So, I salute International Eat an Apple Day. Apples supported us and we’re thankful for all the people who love apples.
Sometimes careers are things we plan for, but every so often the best careers are the ones that you’d never expect.
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