I don’t really know what I want to say. I am not worried too much right now about what is happening, but then I’m not really sure what is happening. I was suppose to go to work again on Wednesday. I got a message today that they weren’t sure we could. I don’t know if and when I will be going back to work.
This got me to thinking about my job history. I have lived here in Montana for 19 years. During that time I worked at Walmart for about 2 1/2 years. Then I got married and I went to work with my husband. I did that for around 7 years. Then I went to work at a hotel convention center for around 3 years. Then I was off into daycare. This is where things get weird. I worked at the first daycare for 2 1/2 years. They had a bomb scare and then they had financial problems and shut down. The two were not related. Then I started at another daycare. Shortly after I started there was a bomb scare on the College Campus that we were located at. Then when I had worked there nearly 3 years they were forced to close by the college. I wasn’t worried. I got a call on the last day from another daycare to go to work for them. Good cooks are in demand you know. So here it is 2 1/2 years later we are in a pandemic and I don’t know if I will be going back to work. I am beginning to wonder if I should look for another line of work. I seem to be a curse for daycares. I think it is kind of funny.
So here I sit wondering what I am going to do with myself. Will I be going back to work or will I be here wondering how we will pay the rent. Things are a little strange for everyone. I know that. I want you to know that I sympathize with you. I do know that if we are strong in faith and love that we will survive this.
Good luck to everyone this week. Keep you chin up and carry on.
The world is in a state of unrest. Okay, we know that. It is so strange to have to stay in your house and stay away from people. I have like most everyone else been off work going on the second week. I understand why. I know that it is a precaution for my own health and safety. I just don’t like it.
I was looking at an email the other day and it asked, “How has the virus affected your business?” It really hasn’t affected my business because I am not doing any cakes right now. But I thought about my job. I have been home going on 2 weeks, just like most everyone else. I have been staying away from people and working on things that I have been wanting to get to. I have really enjoyed this time to myself. My husband is still working so I have had all this time to myself.
Then I think about the financial ramifications of all of this. I was paid for staying home last week. What about this week? I am being paid for some of the time I will be off, but not all of it. Is that enough?
What about when I go back to work? I work with small children who have been able to stay home with their families for all that time. They will not what to go back to daycare when this is all over. I don’t know if I want to go back to daycare when this is all over. What I really want is something that gives me time at home and still have enough money to pay the bills. That was why I started my business. That isn’t happening. I don’t know if it ever will happen. Especially now.
That being said. I don’t feel any sense of panic, or threat. I am not afraid of what is happening in the world. I know that whatever happens it will effect me and my family, and it will not always be fun. I am hopeful for the future no matter what happens. I want to be a part of the good things that will be going on. I want to contribute something to help those around me. Things will not go back to the way they were. They can’t. That is a given. What can happen though is that we can all go forward with hope and help for those around us. Will we succumb to the fear, or will we look to those around us for ways we can ease their burden?
I hope that we can all look to the future and see the good things that can be there. That we can look at others not as someone to fear because they may carry a virus that will make us sick or possibly kill us, but look at them as our friends and neighbors that are in the same situation as we are and what can we do to ease their burdens and help them to not be afraid or panicked about what is happening. What can we do to help our neighbors who are just as overwhelmed with having their family home and isolated as we are. Bake them some cookies or some kind of treat. If you have a large yard and the weather is nice invite them to come to a picnic in your yard so that the kids can run around in safety. Something that will help the people around you and yourself to not feel so isolated. I know that there is a chance of infection, but I also know that that chance lessens when we connect not isolate ourselves from others. We have a chance of being infected from the things we get from our online shopping just as much as if we go out and talk to our friends and neighbors. The threat will always be there. It floats on the air and lands on everything.
I am not saying we shouldn’t take precautions. I would never say that. We need to be safe, but not at the expense of others. What I am saying is that there are people out there who are in need of help and we can find a way to offer it. You don’t have to be in direct contact with them if you are worried about getting sick. You can just leave something on the doorstep, or You can call or skype or whatever form of communication you use to contact people. Just make yourself known. Let others know that you are there for them. Try to connect and not isolate yourself from others. There are a lot of ways to do it. Be creative and show people that you care.
When this recent threat is over and we try to establish some sense of normalcy will we be able to say that we were able to help our neighbors and our friend?. Will we just isolate ourselves and not worry about others outside our immediate family? I for one want to use this time to connect to people that may need help.
Over the last year I have learned a lot. One of those things is that it is really hard to think consistently about your business and work at a full time job. I think that has been a lot of my problem. That and fear. I have learned that I don’t like to put myself out there and that if I am to succeed in anything that I have to.
I have been an introvert for most of my life. I have always deferred to someone else and tried not to let anyone know that I am an intelligent and creative person. Even writing that has just made me feel a tad bit uncomfortable. I guess that is why I haven’t done much with my life. It isn’t because I don’t want to it is, I think, because I just never learned how to. I don’t know. What I do know is that I have always wanted to be successful and to be the center of attention I just never know what to do with it when I am.
Why would anyone want to buy my cakes, or listen to my tutorials or whatever it is that I am trying to to? I will tell you why. My cakes are beautiful and delicious. My prices are reasonable and I love to make them. I am a talented and creative person that is willing to do what is necessary to give you a quality product. I am beginning to see that that isn’t always enough. I see people succeed that don’t have as good a product as I make and I wonder “What am I doing wrong?” I think that is the question that I will be working on for a bit. I am going to have to find out what I need to do to make myself more sell-able. How do I have to change in order to sell myself to other people?
If you can think of something let me know in the comments.
I went outside today and was surprised at how beautiful it was. The sun was shining and I could feel Spring in the air. Later that day I went out again and it was so nice to hear the birds singing. I was thrilled. I realized how much I have been missing that sound.
The world is waking up. The green is starting to come up and soon all the vestiges of winter will be gone again. I love to watch the world come alive after it’s deep sleep. It is exciting to know that in a few short weeks the flowers will start to come up and bloom. I can hardly wait to get my shovel into the ground.
As you can tell I like the Spring. It is a time of renewal and excitement. I would like to say I am in a Spring in my life. In a way I kind of am. I am recharging my batteries and getting ready to move into a new phase of my life. I am not really sure what I am going to be doing but I know it will be an adventure. I have plenty of new cakes I have been thinking about and new projects I want to tackle. I can’t wait to share them with you and I hope that I can keep up this excitement.
Last week I told you how discouraged I am about my business. I still am but I am trying to overcome all of that. I want to share my creations with you and I will. Today I just want to bask in the sun, through my window it is still a little cold to sit outside, and enjoy the feeling of Spring. I encourage you to do the same thing. Take some time to hear the birds and feel the sun on your face. Look at the new growth around you and look at the growth within yourself. I think through the winter I forgot that things don’t always look so bleak and cold. I am grateful for this time of renewal and letting go of all the darkness.
It has been a couple of weeks and I thought I should let you know how things are going. I have been a little discouraged the past couple of months. My business has not done what I had hoped that it would. I am at a loss as to what more I can do. I will continue to do cakes when I can. I will take orders if any come in and I will be here telling you what I am doing. That is about it. I don’t even get orders when I have specials and when I offer discounts. I am just really discouraged about this project.
I have to say that I did learn a lot about myself and my abilities during this time. I have found strength that I didn’t know I had. I stretched myself and did things I never thought I would do. I did a few shows and met some great people. I talked about my business and myself. I had never done that before. I have always kept to my self and tried to stay out of the way. For that reason this has been a good thing.
It seems my life has always been a world of opposites. I always want people to notice me but, I hide in the corner. I want to be the center of attention but always defer to someone else. Over the last couple of years I have been more comfortable in the center stage for things. Which is weird because I love to perform on stage. There I can be the center of attention and be right in the middle. When I leave the stage I want to hide. Doing this blog and this business I have become more comfortable off the stage so to speak. I am more able to open up to others.
Anyway, I had better close. I have things to do, and people to see. I hope you have a great week and I will talk to you later.
Karen's Custom Cakes 