Category: Time

The Golden Nugget

8/14/2018

After many years we finally traded our old car in for a new one. With major repairs looming and too many miles it was a choice that had to be made. So we signed the papers and went to clean out the contents of the car. There really wasn’t too much to remove. Just the usual stuff. A road atlas because we are still old enough to actually use real maps. Napkins, the car manual and odds and ends from the glovebox. Jumper cables, a Kleenex box and recharging cords. All easily tucked into two bags. And it was time to shut the door for the last time.

I’m not usually too sentimental about parting with a vehicle. What I drive is more a matter of practicality than a statement of status or good taste to me. Just get me from point A to point B safely. But this car and I had really seen some good times. Going back and forth to several jobs. Traveling across country to visit kids, their spouses and new homes. Three coming of age trips with the oldest grandchildren. And even some spontaneous jaunts with my spouse now that we have more freedom and time together. We have always given a name to all of the cars that we have owned together. And this one, due to it’s color, was the Golden Nugget. And I suddenly felt very sad about having to part.

It wasn’t about leaving the metal and plastic components of the car. It was more about leaving a certain time period behind. A span of years that has been very kind to me. I realized that the car wasn’t the true Golden Nugget. The treasures were the moments behind the wheel and the time sitting looking out from the passenger seat. And I can take those nuggets with me no matter what vehicle I have.

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My Adult Time Out

2/27/2018

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I just came back home after several days at a crafters retreat. It is a time to work on anything from any genre in the company of some very nice crafty ladies. In a cozy lodge in the middle of the woods it was a wonderful getaway. Some might call it a luxury, but after thinking about it on the drive home, I've come to a different conclusion.

If you've ever been around little kids you know that their behavior gets worse when they are tired, overexcited or bored. And when this happens what do we do? Many times it is to put them in the naughty chair or a time out. And what do we want them to do there? Sit for a while and think things over and perhaps talk about what has happened. After this attitude adjustment we hope there is a happier child who has the ability to cope with daily life better. Wait a minute...isn't that what I just did?

I may be an adult but I will never be too old for a time out. A quiet time. A removal from all that is distracting me. A time to listen to different perspectives and seek out the advice of others. Some things you should never grow out of. So yes, sign me up for another time out please!

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Evolving, not Resolving

2/6/2018

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Now that we are into February I hear a lot of talk about how people have all broken their New Year’s resolutions. I personally have never been much into that resolution thing. I don’t think it works, except to make you feel guilty. I would rather evolve than resolve. And getting older gives you a great gift. More time and the wisdom to figure out how to evolve into a better you. And that brings me to a quote that I have come to like very much.

“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” - Howard Washington Thurman

You will never come alive making resolutions because you feel you have to. You will never come alive staying in a place or with people that keep you stagnant or less than you are. Coming alive can’t be done unless you give quiet, purposeful thought into what you truly want. And it usually takes an uncomfortable or unanticipated change of direction and a leap of faith.

So it is February and I am working on evolving into a better more alive person. It isn’t easy. But it is what the world needs.

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A Crafter's Time

1/31/2018

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I have been spending the last few weeks planning the next year's activities. Being a crafter is not a simple business. Finding the correct venue for your products, matching your creations to the correct customers and ending up in the plus column at the end of the year is not easy. For all those people who respond to my new venture with the words “Well of course you do that, you have always made things...Must be easy to sell your stuff”, I would like to say: "Hold on a minute." So much about this journey is difficult. And the most difficult thing is the subject of my time.

I have heard customers walking by the booth discussing crafters. “They all love what they do so of course their prices have to be low. They don’t charge for their time”. Wait a minute. Seriously? Time is the most precious commodity in anyone’s life. Yes, I love what I do but I am trying to earn a living. Each piece in my display is literally a piece of me because it is a piece of time out of my life as well as a piece of my creativity.

I have a request for all of you. This year when you walk through your local craft fair and view what people have made, take a moment to think differently. Concept, design, gathering materials, crafting, setting prices, marketing and selling. That’s what you are looking at. And those things all take more time than you think. The price tag includes all of the above plus that magical spark of the person who created it. Just smile at the artist and appreciate. And of course open your wallet.

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The Golden Nugget

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