"Happy Dance" For Small Businesses

My grandfather had a dream.  He wanted to own a business.  And he made his dream a reality in 1967.

His store was a small retail food market focused on fresh meats including chicken, pork and beef.  He also sold lunch meats for sandwiches.  Personally, my favorite items he sold were lollipop sticks, jams and crackers!  Out of pure love for children, every child that walked into his store left with a pretzel stick in their little hands.

When my grandpa retired, he sold the business to my mom and dad.  I grew up sweeping the floors and washing dishes.  And when I was old enough, I ran the front of the store including the cash register.  I worked evenings after school, holidays and throughout the summer.  Growing up in a family business helped me learn an incredible work ethic including customer service, time management and mutual respect for others.  

When my father passed away in 2008, my mother kept the business open.  A woman of great strength and determination, she has owned and operated the store since that time.  She continues to run the business with great success through the ups and downs that the economy has thrown her direction.  And with every sale, I imagine that she does a little "happy dance" knowing that the customers keep her business moving forward!  

A dream, that turned into a reality, has been a successful small retail meat market for over 55 years.  It is amazing how the store has changed over the years, and yet continues to flourish.  She now sells organic and natural foods, along with heat-and-eat items for her customer clientele.  My mom has many local customers and she also ships food all across the country!  While large businesses create struggles for this little store, the customer loyalty shines through. 

Sneakers, not high heels, are a much better fit while working at the family business.  Yet I know the story that supports this little store and all that it has to offer in its small town.  And when my mom is not working, she wears her heels honoring the legacy of this family business.

Love Note: With all my heart, I genuinely request that due to the content written, please seek the guidance of professional help should you feel you need it.

Finding My Way Home

This morning I was driving home from the post office, and as I pulled into my development a cat ran across the road in front of my car.  I slowed down in order to give the cat enough time to run safely onto the sidewalk.  However, as it ran, I noticed that it had a collar.  

This was not a stray cat running around outside.  This cat had a place to call "home".  And every part of my heart loves cats, so I safely pulled over and got out of my car.  I proceeded to scare the cat with my heart-felt attempt to get closer!  Yet, it did not hiss.  It ran away from me meowing loudly.  

It was, however, bitter cold outside.  So, I could not let the cat be alone, scared and cold.  Therefore, I knelt down and sat there calling gently for the cat to come to me.  It grew trust quickly and scurried over to me chatting with loud meows all the while coming closer and closer.  It finally got close enough that I could see the tags on the collar were no longer there.  Unfortunately, this meant there was no address nor phone number in order for me to contact its owner.  

I took pictures of the cat and posted them on our local social media pages in hopes that someone will see it and come claim their precious feline friend.  And after about a half hour of spending time with the cat, a truck raced loudly down the street and scared it into the woods.  I could see its little body sneak under the fence and then it was gone.  My hope is that my social media pictures will help, and this precious cat will find its way home. 

The story of this cat makes me think about times when I too feel lost.  And sometimes I feel so lost that I cannot find my way home.  Yet during those moments, I know that I am never truly by myself.  Sometimes I will call a friend for help, similar to the meows of my little cat friend.  Or I will run into the arms of someone I love knowing I can trust them, in the same way this cat found trust in me.  

But, no matter how I approach it, I know my soul will find peace and my heart will find love yet again.  And when I am ready, I know I will put on my high heels.  Because within the confines of those beautiful shoes, I will always feel home.  

Love Note: With all my heart, I genuinely request that due to the content written, please seek the guidance of professional help should you feel you need it.

The Faucet Was Dripping

 

The kitchen faucet was dripping.  I heard it while I was reading a book on the couch.  Drip. Drip. Drip.  It would not stop dripping.  Was there something wrong?  Is there a leak?  Do we need a plumber?  As all these thoughts ran through my head, I finally stopped and thought to myself, "Welp, you could sit here and contemplate all day what is wrong, or you could go evaluate the situation".  I got up, went over to the faucet and simply pushed the handle closed.  The last person who used it did not fully turn it off.  

I do this all the time.  I make up a story in my head.  It is usually a narrative with little value-add other than to provide anxiety and stress.  I sit there and worry about all the different "what-if" scenarios and then I process them and re-process them until I am mentally exhausted.  

Yet, I will tell you that I am also a problem-solver type of person.  I see an issue, come up with a solution, and proceed to act on it in order to rectify the situation.  I like to analyze circumstances that need attention and determine a way to fix them.  

The other day my mom called me and her cell phone was breaking up.  I could only hear every other word she said.  Until finally I hollered at the phone, "MOM!  Turn off and restart your phone then call me back!"  Click.  She hung up the phone.  About 5 minutes later, she called me back and the phone call went through without any issues.  Did she need a new phone?  No, she just needed to restart the one she had.  

It is really easy to jump to conclusions without enough data to support my concern.  It is very helpful to step back, evaluate what is happening and offer a way to make it better or fix it.  Is the faucet dripping because it was not turned off correctly?  Or do we need a plumber for a leak?  Can we restart my moms cell phone to reboot the system or do we need to buy her a new cell phone?  

Sometimes, the latter is true.  There are times when a simple battery cannot fix a broken toy.  When changing the spool cannot fix a broken sewing machine.  And restarting a computer cannot fix its broken hard drive.  And these situations can be very unnerving to determine the real issue and sometimes even very costly to get it fixed.  

However, the next time a problem occurs I will urge myself to stop thinking through all the different scenarios before fully evaluating the situation first.  I will offer problem-solving solutions before jumping to conclusions.  And I will put on my fancy shoes and waltz around the house knowing full well that this time, it was only a simple push to close the faucet in order to stop the dripping.  

Love Note: With all my heart, I genuinely request that due to the content written, please seek the guidance of professional help should you feel you need it.

In-Patient Hospital Stays

One of my readers asked me to explain more about my in-patient hospital stays.  They stressed the fact that I had previously discussed having stayed in psychiatric wards for a week at a time.  And they requested to better understand my experience during those hospital visits.  

This topic of conversation is very close to my heart and therefore very deep in my soul.  So, I will first say that sharing my experience with all of you is very important to me.  Yet, I will also admit that it is very hard for me to explain these times in my life where I felt so much despair.  

My stays in "psych wards" were very unique experiences.  Each day, we had a morning meeting at 9am and an afternoon meeting at 4pm.  We met in a common area with a nurse who guided the discussion.  We went around in a circle and talked about how we were feeling that day.  We shared one positive and one negative thought.  

Every day at 8:30am, we were called to stand in line for the nurses to administer our medication.  We were handed a small cup with our medicine in one hand and a cup with water in the other hand.  Upon taking our meds, we had to open our mouth and show the nurses that we had, in fact, swallowed them.  

We were served 3 meals per day including breakfast, lunch and dinner.  There were no butter knives, and all food could be broken up with a plastic fork or spoon.  And when we were finished eating, we had to show the food-service coordinator our plate, fork and spoon before throwing it into the trashcan.  Nothing was to be taken out of the dining area.  

I met with my Psychiatrist and Social Worker twice during the week to discuss and adjust my medications.  And I was allowed exactly one phone call per day.  A small journal was provided for me to write down my thoughts.

There was no jewelry and no elastic nor pockets on clothing.  Nothing was allowed to be hidden, so as to eliminate the potential for a patient to harm either themselves or someone else.  Visiting hours were every other day 5pm-7pm.  

The quote at the top of this post explains that even butterflies rest when it rains, and yet when the storm passes they fly again.  During the darkness of the days in the hospital, I did everything I could to find hope.  I colored, I did puzzles, I listened to music, and I painted in the arts and crafts room.  I read books to quiet my mind and allow my brain to drift into the pages of the story.  And I made friends so that we could help each other get through the worst of times.  

When it was over and my doctors deemed me well enough to go home, I knew the storm had passed.  I would gradually ease my way back into my life one moment at a time.  And when I was ready, I always spread my wings like a butterfly and yet again, I would fly.  

Love Note: With all my heart, I genuinely request that due to the content written, please seek the guidance of professional help should you feel you need it.