Creativity is a Blessid Union

Wine hung in the air and on my brain as I looked around the crowded room. Waiting in anticipation for the band to come down from the loft and start the show I began to chatter like I normally do when I'm excited.

"I hope they play 'Hey Leonardo'." I leaned toward my husband, grabbing his hand like a little schoolgirl. "I know they are going to play 'I Believe'. That's, like, their most popular song."

"I'm sure they will," said my husband.

'This is so surreal,' I thought. 'Blessid Union of Souls in Oakwood, Illinois. At a winery no less.' For a second I wondered how I was going to react to seeing a celebrity. I haven't seen that many and the ones I have seen I've seen from a great distance or they weren't very big celebrities but I never know how I'm going to act around even a slightly famous person. And here I was about to be 10 feet from the lead singer of Blessid Union. I wasn't quite sure what would happen.

Entrepreneur Torture & Vulnerability

My friend, Jake and I have shared a few booths at local craft fairs and Farmer's Markets. On a particularly slow day I looked at him and said, "Why do we put ourselves through this torture?"

I mean, we make all our products, we setup our booth (sometimes in the rain or extreme heat), we have to deal with all the customers and many times we don't make back what we put in.

Yet we keep going back.

Even though the last couple weeks in Midwest Illinois have been ungodly humid and in the 90s to 100s I keep setting up my booth at the Farmer's Market.After all the no's and false hope I still offer my homemade Tea Tree Lotion to every women (and sometimes man) who walks by.

So, why do we do it? A smarter person would just stay home or get a 9-5 job. But not Entrepreneurs. Oh no, we like to feel the hope when someone says, "Ooo, that's cute. How much is it? Not bad, my daughter would love that." And then the crushing defeat when they add, "Well, I'm just looking around at what everyone has." Or that woman who can't quite just tell you No. She has to string you along for a few weeks saying, "Will you be here next week? Ok, I'll buy some then." (This is a true story. The woman said this to me for 4 weeks in a row. Thankfully, she stopped.)

Bumber Stickers & Rhetorical Questions

I saw this bumper sticker on the way back from BloggyCon today that said, "What greater wisdom is there than kindness?"

At first I thought it was a challenge and I immediately started to think of answers. "Well, there's honesty and accepting humanity, both the messy and the beautiful parts and there's helping people provide for themselves..."

Frugality, Humanity & Money

I started reading a book this morning called Frugal Luxuries. I have found many books like this that come to me at the most perfect of moments. It's been sitting on the floor by my bookshelf for a while (the shelves are overflowing at the moment) and I almost forgot I had it until this morning.

For a few years, I've been trying to pay attention to the small comforts of life. My husband and I made a hammock stand last year and I try to relax in it as much as I can (although, I have to admit, it's not as often as I would like.) I've also been making sun tea for ourselves and to sell at our local Farmers Market. And the simple fact that I get to sit outside all morning at my booth at the Farmers Market has become a simple pleasure. I enjoy eating freshly made food at home and singing along with my Jazz CD while I clean or do the dishes.