the editor’s desk 10 Years Of The Good Life by dean blinkhorn [dean@ocalasgoodlife.com]
T
ime is funny business. It’s so easy to keep the car pointed down the road that you may not realize just how many cool, wacky, and memorable miles have passed. One of my favorite quotes of all time is by John Lennon: “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” And, man, were we busy making plans a full decade ago! The Great Recession was lingering, companies were cutting back, and we were still getting our movies from Netflix in little envelopes that would come in the mail. That year, 2010, also marked the first issue of the magazine you hold in your hands. Back then, two fortysomething guys, my business partner Trevor Byrne and me; a handful of veteran advertising salespeople that knew a lot about selling to the unique demographic in the gated communities along SR200 and elsewhere; Sally Tinkham, our third partner and one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet; and a few key freelancers that we’d already done really nice work with over the previous decade, all decided to take a new journey. That journey was Ocala’s Good Life. Those early days, like any entrepreneur will tell you, were not for the faint of heart. There were a lot of sleepless nights over deadlines, local publishing drama, and trying to pay the bills. But do you know the two amazing things, the ones that carried us in those early issues as we were learning the ropes of the publishing game? The first was a core of incredible dedicated advertisers, many of whom are still with us today—and a few more that are understandably on the sidelines right now because of the pandemic and this new recession. Trevor, Sally, and I had our share of important client meetings in the Fall of 2010 and it was heartening to see how many people we knew from another local publication come on board immediately with this new project. We’ll mention a few of them in the pages to come, but I’d like to take this space now to thank any local business that sent a check back with that invoice. Your support means more than you’ll ever know. The second was you, our readers. You all got this concept immediately. Ocala’s Good Life was going to be
Your support means more than you’ll ever know.
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OCALA’S GOOD LIFE retirement redefined
a different kind of senior magazine, put together by two guys who still, by the way, can’t buy a home in any of our active-adult communities, although I’m getting closer than Trevor. You not only read our magazine voraciously, but you mailed us letters with feedback, sent us emails with story suggestions, and always came out in droves when I would speak at Master the Possibilities. Your support means more than you’ll ever know. Thank you. All the best,
Everyone who knows me well is aware that I love music of all kinds, so...
What Was Dean Playing In 2010? The Black Keys, “Brothers”— A classic rock album from start to finish, with “I’m Not The One” and “Never Gonna Give You Up” evoking classic Stones with a modern production budget that showcases every nuance in the gritty vocals, throbbing bass lines, and lead guitar licks. Ray LaMontagne, “God Willin’ & The Creek Don’t Rise”—The devastating “This Love Is Over” and the mournful “New York City’s Killing Me” grabbed me from the first note. Man, that voice... Sade, “Soldier Of Love”— Sade’s effortless voice works beautifully as the lead instrument on “Bring Me Home” and “The Moon And The Sky,” and although she’s never really developed beyond the promise of her stunning debut 25 years ago, Sade somehow evades sounding like she’s repeating herself. Pretty impressive.
