The 3 Signs You Should Quit

As a society we are inundated with Nike’s, ‘Just Do It’ mentality along with Churchill’s “never give up” idealism. Often times it’s the driving force that gets us through a workout, a long day at the office or even a relationship. But, when do those idioms fade and we are left with the question “Is it time to throw in the towel?”

No one likes being the one to admit it, to quit, to volunteer the unavoidable truth that something isn’t working revealing a weakness that a series of unavoidable inadequacies has made something dysfunctional.

Nike should have stopped at Tiger Woods and sweat shops, and Carrie Bradshaw and the gang should have cut ties after Sex & the City 2. Because nobody likes an over drawn out series. What worked before doesn’t necessarily work now.

The 3 Signs You Should Quit

1. You start going backward. 

In a relationship it’s moving it out.

In a fitness routine it’s when you stop seeing results.

And at work if your boss pulls a Milton and sends you and your red stapler to the downstairs storage space… Quit!

2. You stop saying love.

If the late night kisses and ‘I love you’s stop that’s an EXIT NOW sign.

If you have stopped saying how much you love your gym since your favorite instructor left and there seems to be a New Years’ overload of sweaty people who don’t wipe the machines off- find a new gym.

At work always, always be able to say you love what you do.

3. Things don’t fit.

In a relationship, sometimes things stop…fitting. Your jobs, your futures and your needs become less than parallel to one another’s. The verbal cue of we don’t fit together anymore sounds like, “I’m not sure what I want.”

When finding motivation to work out means keeping that pair of skinny jeans in your closet that fit you 5 years ago after you just went through a break up diet. They don’t fit! And they never will. Cave and buy some Levi’s slimming Riders and move on.

Things may never fit perfectly at work, but sometimes you have a gut feeling you could be more successful elsewhere. Listen to your gut.

 

 

 

‘Sweet in Every Sense’

 

FUDGE

The chill of a rainy January day can’t keep the sweet smell of handcrafted fudge from carrying into the streets through an open door at Kilwin’s on Main Street in Annapolis. The door serves as beacon for passers-by and a refuge from the blistering cold.

Inside, the warmth from a recently fired copper kettle, combined with an almost narcotic blend of soft jazz and big band hits, creates an inviting atmosphere.

Rows of chocolate delights gemlike in their handcrafted perfection fill a long, glass display case. The variety overwhelms a casual costumer the cold pushes in.

Momentarily overwhelmed by the display of chocolate treats, the customer focuses on a store employee delicately adding more fudge to an already abundant shelf. A slow whispered “Wow” escapes the awestruck patron’s mouth.

For employees at Kilwin’s, creating the myriad of handcrafted confections for locals and tourists is a labor of love. Over 95 percent of products are made in store, said Kate Hessman, the assistant manager, who has been working in the shop for nearly two years. Even the ice cream is a Kilwin’s recipe.

Each treat, from fudge to hand-dipped marshmallow pops, is prepared daily or every other day to ensure freshness and meet customer needs.

The individually owned and operated shop, a part of a small franchise that originated in Minnesota, has been serving Annapolis locals and vacationers for the past six years. The store owners live upstairs. They are constantly in the store making products and interacting with customers. Their passion for creating confectionaries is apparent in the made-from-scratch approach taken with each treat.

“The fudge is a unique thing for this area,” Hessman said. “We make it right here in the store on marble slabs in the kitchen.”

Hessman’s trained confectioners work in an open kitchen visible from a bay window facing Main Street. The appeal of watching the creation of the store’s signature fudge attracts curious patrons.

“It’s one of those confections where making fudge becomes an art in itself, especially in massive quantities,” Hessman said.

Made into long cylindrical loaves weighing 20 pounds each, the fudge is delicately prepared in the Mackinac Island fashion, a technique developed by Don and Katy Kilwin, the couple who started the original store.

Hessman explains the temperamental process of fudge making, which begins with a huge copper kettle, several pounds of sugar, water and evaporated milk that is boiled to a specific temperature.

Once the fudge is boiled, a metal frame is filled with the 200-degree liquid fudge and left to stand for 10 minutes. After it cools, the mixture is paddled for 10 minutes. While the sugars crystalize, the fudge is formed into six-foot loaves and sliced. This culinary display is performed every morning and during peak business hours, said Hessman.

The half-pound slices are sold in a variety of flavors and seasonal varieties including pumpkin walnut,German chocolate peppermint during the holidays.

The variety of flavors, however, is not what lures in local Sarah Todd-Evans, an employee at the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Visitors Bureau. Instead, it’s one specific concoction.

Once a month during the winter Todd-Evans takes a reprieve from the mid-winter weather and goes to Kilwin’s to buy a slice of her favorite cookies and cream fudge.

During hot summer days, Kilwin’s refreshing seasonal “Lemon Cooler” drink brings her to the store even more frequently.

“It’s amazing,” she said.

The menu of sugary snacks offers something for everyone.

“We have enough variety that you can get a different flavor each time you come in,” says Hessman.

Whenever the Chesapeake Bay breeze kicks up, the savory smell from Kilwin’s kitchen can best be described as “Sweet in every Sense,” the store’s motto since 1947.

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