THINK LOCAL

Count your blessings.  How many times have we heard or said these words, but haven't really thought about what they mean?  I know I am guilty at times of not counting what is right in my life, but focusing on the negative.  Oh sure, I always think that I am grateful for my family and friends, but what about when I am wanting to shake the snotty tone out of my 11 going on 16 year old's voice?  Am I thinking about how wonderful it is that she has her own attitude and opinions, that she is finding her way, creating her own self?  No, but I am trying. 

A little trick that I have been doing lately is to follow up my complaints with gratitude.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not giving myself license to bitch about everything that isn't just how I think/want it to be.  No, just when I catch myself whining, I stop and myself and add "but at least I have a .... so I know I shouldn't complain.  Case in point.  I have gone back to work, its tax season.  I started 3 weeks later than usual, but at least I have a job!  Some days I only get a half day in, but that is 4 hours more than if I had the day off.  When I have an extra day off that week because we are slow (which has been at least on day everyweek for the past 3 week) I get a "bonus" day to take my granny to lunch and maybe work on some new art.

What a difference this has made in my daily outlook!  Trying to put a positive spin on each situation isn't always easy, but how rewarding to be "forced" to count your blessings and not wallow in what is not right in your life.  I have always told my girls that you can't control how other people act or what they say, you can only control how you react to it.  Do you let it get you down, or do you put your own positve spin on it?  It's about time I started practicing what I preach. :)

Today's blessings count.  I am blessed to have such a wonderful, loving family; supportive, encouraging friends; a job; Jim's huge increase in sales at work!; a warm, welcoming albeit messy home; a studio to create art in and nurture my soul; a computer to be able to connect, share and sell my wares; the sun that has been shining so much lately; my newfound confidence that I can create my future!; chanting as a way to bring peace into my life; my dogs for their sloppy wet kisses and unconditional love and devotion; Oliver the wonder cat for his wonderment at every little thing; meeting new people and their inspiring ideas on how to stretch my art into new directions; for ......

Isn't it amazing how the universe works?
Yesterday, my good friend Ida calls me up and invites me to her Buddist Womens meeting.  Now, I was raised Christian, so this was a little "out of the blue", but I was game.  Let me just say, "Oprah, I have had a life changing, Ah-ha Moment"!  I have always believed in karma of sorts, you know, what comes around goes around, do the right thing or it will come back to bite you in the ass, but had never gotten to the point where I had put faith into that idea.  Actually ASKING for something AND EXPECTING it to happen.  Amazing concept!  What became evident shortly after my arrival, is that this last week of my life had been leading up to this moment.
I have never been in a room with so much positive energy and love radiating from every single person present.  It was just so focused and powerful.  They practice chanting, and this was quite foreign to me, but the concept was clear- show gratitude, thanks and respect and know that you are worthy of asking for what you need AND that you will receive it.  At the end of the meeting I decided that I wanted to join this group of women and Ida being the wonderful, giving woman that she is, offered to cover my $30 membership and I could pay her back later.  Well, I thought no, I will write the check and I will expect the money to cover it will come.  Isn't that the idea?  While I was at the meeting my phone had  rang, but I had silenced it and forgot about it.  After I got home I checked messages and it was a woman calling to give me an order!  Now, let's back up a couple of days.  Thursday night I had said to Janelle that this lady had called me a few weeks ago and had professed her love of my cards and her disappointment in not being able to find them all year round.  Well, I had just opened my etsy shop http://www.thinklocal.etsy.com/ and proudly told her that she could look at my designs and just call me with her order.  So I was thinking, did she lose my number, change her mind, why hasn't she called?  Low and behold, I called her back and she placed an order for, you guessed it $30!!!  I was ecstatic!  But wait, there's more.  I also received two emails yesterday, one giving me some great ideas on expanding my artwork onto clothing ect. and the other was from a gal that is opening a shop and interested in buying some of my cards and possibly prints!  I am so grateful and excited and just brimming with joy.  Bring it on! 

So... I have been lying in bed for the last hour, too many thoughts whirling around in my pea brain, thinking "what can I write about today".  Lots of topics were popping up shouting "pick me, pick me" and then as often happens with aforementioned pea brain, I jumped into "what to do today".  Actually jumping on the treadmill was jumping up and down wanting to be IT, but then I thought that no, as I actually have yet to master my ipod, and when I say master I mean figure out how to work the damn thing, that lead me into thinking today I am going to put some new songs on that sucker, which then got me thinking about what to download.  E.N.D. by the Blackeyed Peas won out, but of course that isn't even on my computer yet since the whole thing decided to go belly up last month.  But not to be daunted I got out said ipod ready to go.  Of course, it is dead.  As in no battery, not dead like p.o.s. computer was last month, and there is the tiny problem of not even knowing where the cd is.  So... other grand plan of the day was to grab Miss Gracie and go out to the shop today to make stuff!  This got me thinking, why do I always refer to it as "my shop" as in workshop and not my STUDIO!  Who am I , Santa?  I am sure that it goes along with the artist hangup.  From now on we will refer to said space as "studio".  So fancy.  My studio in its past life was a daycare.  It is kinda funny, what used to be the "quiet room" naptime area, is where my saws and power tools reside.  There is nothing quiet about a table saw!  Of course whenever I go out there my two labs, Sara and Sophie, also think that they need to go too.  Sara loves the saws and the shop vac.  Whenever I get the vac out, which isn't often enough, she wants to be vaccuumed too!  Sophi on the other hand is like, what the heck, we don't need to drag that noisy thing into our peaceful exsistence of chewing on everything in sight!  :)  So off to the shop, er, studio!  Let's be an artist today.