People often ask me, "So, what’s it like running a multi-million dollar corporation?" Okay, no they don’t. In truth, over the course of doing the strip and running JBiRD iNK, I am often asked many questions, with "Where do you get your ideas?" and "How long have you been doing this?" among the most common. But Kim and I have recently been faced with the prospect of trying to imagine what an answer to the first question might look like, particularly in regards to our life together. After all, I am planning on sticking with her as long as she’ll have me. Apparently, we’ve come to a crossroads. Again. On one hand, we could continue to keep growing Kim & Jason slowly, without much risk, hoping for some big corporate giant like Hallmark to see our stuff and rain down showers of generous contracts and promises of an hour segment on QVC. We’ve been at this two years, and so far we’ve found many of the decision makers at Hallmark to be a bit snotty, to say the least. The other option is to decide if we really want to stick our necks out and grow the business, and continue down the path of development that may very well lead to real employees with 401Ks and meetings with boards of directors. This route, of course, involves real commitment, both financially and emotionally. When I think of what my schedule could look like in five or ten years from now, I get scared to death and enthusiastically excited all at once. I feel like I have so much to learn in the business arena, and I’m way out of my league. But when Kim and I talk about being our own bosses, business trips to places we’ve never been, and being able to dictate what the company is involved in and how it can positively impact the lives of lots of people, we feel a real pull in that direction. I started all of this years ago after having Kim & Jason rejected by the newspaper syndicates. I decided then that I could either pack up the wagon or do what I could to make Kim & Jason a success without the help of the big business type know-it-alls. Once again, it appears that the choice is the same, only the stakes are higher. So, with a darn good banker and lawyer and accountant in tow, and a very generous investment from family, we’ve decided to take this opportunity to navigate this vessel into uncharted waters, hopefully doing some really great things along the way. God has blessed this mission richly. We expect a great Christmas season and a great 2003. But we know we have a lot to learn. We know that the state of the economy is not to our advantage. We are aware that our lives will never be, shall we say, normal. And we couldn’t be more excited about it.

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One of the very first things that attracted me to my wife Kim was her exciting and fun childlike spirit. I think that was one of the first things we realized we had in common. Of course, that’s how this whole "Kim & Jason" thing started. Had we both been pessimistic, stuffy, and cynical, I doubt cartoon drawings would have entered the scene at all.

Some of the reasons I’ve put over two years of my life into this so far is because I love to draw, I love to make people laugh, and I love to encourage them to follow their dreams. Over the course of the time I’ve been working on this dream of mine, drawing silly pictures and hoping that maybe people would be interested in them, I’ve pondered the bigger picture. What do I really want out of this? To make a living at it? For sure. To make a million dollars? I wouldn’t complain. To become world famous? From what I hear, that’s pretty overrated.

I think that, perhaps not unsurprisingly, the more time I spend on "Kim & Jason", and the more I tell people what I do, the more I think about childhood. Through "Kim & Jason", I try to encourage people to "remember childhood." I was fortunate to have a good one. And from the response I get from most of my readers, they did, too. But a lot of people didn’t. And a lot of kids won’t. And that really bothers me. I will admit, the world I portray with "Kim & Jason" is pretty saccharine and idyllic. Maybe I’ll someday be known as the Norman Rockwell of cartoonists. But although the world represented in "Kim & Jason" can seem pretty archaic, or even lost by today’s standards, doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Heck, I lived it. When I was a kid, the world WAS pretty saccharine and idyllic. But today, kids are made to grow up too fast. And I sense a yearning in our country for a return to some of those simpler times.

As time passes, I seem to be more and more drawn to topics relating to childhood. Kim and I sponsor a little boy in Ethiopia through Compassion International because we think it stinks that kids have to think about where their next meal will come from. I have supported the National Adoption Center because I think every kid should have a home, and someone who loves them. I love what St. Jude Hospital does, and support their research, because it doesn’t seem right that there are kids that have to spend their childhoods going through chemotherapy. What the Make-A-Wish Foundation does is extraordinary, because it helps make kids’ dreams come true. I think child abuse is one of the worst evils in our society, which I why I admire what Childhelp USA is doing. CareNet is an astounding program that helps young pregnant women facing difficult decisions and provides opportunities for them to make a better life for themselves and their children. And as a Kindergarten teacher, Kim is passionate about programs to help parents be better parents.

I’ve felt strongly about these issues for a long time, but it’s kind of sad that I only just recently realized they all concern the topic of childhood. As time passes, I’ve begun to consider that perhaps, just maybe, there’s a reason I’ve been allowed to do "Kim & Jason" aside from the possibility of being "world famous." I’m just one guy who wishes he could save the world (there’s that whole superhero complex again), but that’s not my job. I think Kim and I are making a difference simply by doing the little things that any regular person can do. As time passes, and I think about what I really want out of all this, my hope becomes clearer. I hope that somehow by following this dream, I may have the opportunity to contribute in unique ways to the causes I’m passionate about, thereby making a gigantic difference in the plight to make sure that the Childhood I write about in "Kim & Jason" is never lost.

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I consider burning the flag to be a bad thing. Burning marshmallows, on the other hand, I find to be quite good indeed. Burning a CD of my favorite songs; also quite good. Normally, burning bridges is a bad thing, especially in relationships with people. But with dreams - now that’s an entirely different story. Today I met with some retired business executives hoping to get some golden nuggets of wisdom about attaining financing and managing cash flow. As I summed up the last two years in a fashion that would make Chris Berman jealous, I could tell they were very interested in this unusual business I’m spearheading. One fellow complimented my artistic skill, and then went on to say that if this particular venture doesn’t pan out, surely there would be some large mega corporation eager to hire me for my creative skill. I didn’t know how to respond, but I think I nodded and agreed that the possibility of such a notion could exist. In reality, however, that scenario, and any similar scenario, are completely out of the question. There is no "if". The idea of doing anything else besides Kim & Jason has been eliminated from the play book long ago. When Kim and I decided to travel down this road we’re on over two years ago, I burned all the bridges behind me. Sure, the whisper of a different, maybe easier life still makes its way to the back of my head every once and awhile. But those images are just charred remains of bridges I’ve already burned. I think when you’re pursuing a dream, you’ve got to burn the bridges behind you. No more backup plans, because you’re leaving open the possibility that you will fail. When people think of following their dreams, many envision an exciting and fulfilling life. Those people are right. But pursuing a dream is also scary, and uncomfortable. And if you leave those bridges intact, it will be very tempting to give up and settle for plan B or C. I’ve found that mentally eliminating all life choices that won’t lead me down the path to my dream has been absolutely necessary. It has forced me to press on when I’m scared, with nowhere else to go but forward. And it has pushed me to do and accomplish things I never could have fathomed possible. Plus it has made me rely on God more than ever, which has been the greatest blessing of all. Someday when I’m eight-nine, and my grandkids think I’m senile, I’ll tell them, "Don’t burn rubber, don’t burn your toast. And for Pete’s sake, don’t burn the flag. But when it comes to following your dreams, burn all the bridges behind you." To which they’ll say, "Grandpa is weird."

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