Settle For A Slow Down
There is beauty in being forced back into the grass roots way of living.
Growing up on a farm we spent A LOT of time outdoors, in the gardens, catching fireflies and not caring so much about the outside world off the farm.
Personally I have been quarantined to the farm since the boutique closed at the end of October 2019.
Not because I had to be, but because I wanted to be.
A 60 x 40 workshop was my oasis, and inside it not a care was to be had.
I designed, created, packed and shipped orders with a ton of love and a lot of Billie Holiday playing in the background.
January, February and then March came and as I was gearing up to buy product and supplies for the upcoming season in our boutique on Portage Street, LIFE STOPPED.
We are definitely living in uncertain times, but the reality of it all is that God has got this.
In the meantime the rest of it is up to us, and I am not talking about the TRYING TO FIGURE it out part.
What I am talking about are the things we do have control over.
Making dinner and eating together at the kitchen table.
Spending time with our Littles, something that those who are isolated without are wishing they had.
Settling for the slow down and watching things like deer come out of the woods to eat in the fields, or just noticing the smell of the air without all the pollution in it.
Sending Thank You’s to teachers, because we now know as parents what they are all faced with on a daily basis.
Reading a book that has been stuck on the shelf or bedside table and until now was collecting dust.
Or finally sitting down and taking the time to start writing that life story you always talk about writing.
Making a list of past contacts, reaching out to them, and diving into their lives and the things you missed over the years.
Living in the moment.
We got FORCED to take a slow down, and the reality is that it won’t always be this way.
Life as we know it will go back to whatever normal we deem necessary after this is all over.
We will go from staying home, resting, and surviving into a world that is unfamiliar to us all.
There is A LOT of beauty in all of the uncertainty.
So many closed businesses are revamping their entire buildings and working hard for the moment that they can open their doors.
As a small business owner myself I know what an event it will be to open the doors to the boutique when I am able.
For now I will keep creating, designing, making and looking forward to the day when I can push that key into my lock for opening day!
I have remained extremely humble through the entire journey of After All This Time, and doing so has taught me more about the business and myself than I ever dreamed possible.
I have learned OVER and OVER again that God’s plans are ALWAYS better than my own and that even when I think I have it together and figured out, I don’t.
I’m hopeful for the days to come.
Something A LOT of people in my Facebook feed have given up on.
Hope.
Without Hope and Faith we truly have nothing.
As of late I am relying on both more than ever before.
I scroll through my social media accounts and shake my head at the anger in the politics, the finger pointing, and the blame.
I learned A LONG time ago that when things happen that are out of my control, it isn’t my job to figure out how to fix it.
That is what our leaders and professionals are for.
Being forced into a slow down didn’t change my life so much.
Maybe that is why I am not living with the same fears that everyone else is.
What I know is that one day this will all come to an end.
One day we will all go back to the life we knew and some of you will have to atone for the way you acted on the internet or in public in general.
EVENTUALLY the doors will all open and life will resume.
Until then, for the love of mankind, TRUST, have FAITH, and retain that HOPE you had in your heart for life when you were 15 years old.
Look for the helpers, if you can’t find one (which is extremely hard these days) you should look into becoming one.
Above all else, ENJOY these moments.
One day you will look back at all of this and realize just how crucial these moments were in shaping not only yourself, but your children as well.
Their future and our own depend on how we continue to react to what is happening around us.
I will keep creating, designing, and making as I always have, do my best to keep the same peace that has always remained at the farm, and above all else continue to be hopeful.
Today, Tomorrow, and Always I am praying for y’all.
Philippians 4:13 ~ I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me.