Blooming In The Whirlwind

I always feel like the days between Halloween and New Years are a blur.  There are so many people to see, rooms to decorate, events to go to, cookies to bake, and presents to wrap.  Every year I look forward to the first day of my kids’ winter break.  I make plans for fun family outings during the day and envision the calm nights at home watching Hallmark movies next to the glow of the lights on the Christmas tree.  But…

Those fun family outings are mixed with heavy traffic, bitter cold, slippery slushy streets, and attitudinal teenagers.  Pure joy.  When we make it home the laundry piles, to-do lists, continuous dust bunnies, and daily stacks of junk mail met with “When’s dinner?” are enough to make me want to chuck all the Christmas cheer right in front of a snow plow.

After the holiday craziness has settled for a few days I reflect and think of how I could have done it better.

<<< At this point in writing this blog I reflected & realized it was the last day off of school for my kids so I stopped everything and took them to the movies.  That was the best 2 hours of the entire break. >>>

A lot changed with Junie Balloonie in the last 3 months.  It started with some terrible news that a local beloved shop that I got my start in was closing.  It was my main source of income for the 2016 holiday season so I knew I needed to do something to replace that.  I decided to do a few holiday vendor shows in cities that were new for Junie Balloonie, but still close by.  With those few shows came new opportunities, new friends, and new challenges.  I learned a lot and made a few mistakes…again… but if I never made mistakes I would never grow.  This isn’t a franchise business with a neatly organized handbook to show me the way.  I did learn a lot during this holiday season and now that my decorations are packed away I have 301 days to focus on getting ready for the next round.

In the meantime, I have plenty to keep me busy.  I have written down some resolutions for JB as well as for my personal growth.  The JB wedding line will be rolling out in the next few weeks.  I will be taking my son’s advice and drop new designs more frequently on a scheduled basis.  I have challenged myself to take 2 classes this year to learn techniques that will make my products better than before.  I will be collaborating with other artists, designers, and businesses, and will be blooming Junie Balloonie even farther than last year.

My personal goal for 2018 is to get back on track with my fitness.  That’s a pretty common resolution.  A few years ago I started from scratch and decided to run.  I put forth all the effort needed to become a “real runner” and complete a marathon.  Once I got on track with my nutrition and training schedule the work felt effortless and just became a part of me.  As I felt more personally confident because of my fitness I took my huge leap towards this Junie Balloonie life.  Unfortunately, as I increased my efforts in JB my fitness dropped off.  I know I can have both though.  A healthier me means a more productive, more creative me.  I just have to put in the effort. <– So that’s my word for 2018.  EFFORT.

For the last 2 years the word was BLOOM.  I’ve bloomed in the whirlwind and now I put forth the effort to get to my fullest potential.

“Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.”                        ~Winston Churchill

Amie

 

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