Take two, a-a-and...ACTION!!!

I issued a blogging challenge to myself about 6 months ago: write a blog post every week.  I wrote 4 posts in 6 months.  :(

Life is all about second chances though, right?  None of us are perfect and very (VERY) few people (if any at all) get anything done perfectly the first time.  So now that the Christmas rush is over, and the kittens mentioned in previous posts have healed from their spays and been adopted, I have a little more free time.  In fact, this time of year, which I call "the post-Christmas blahs", I have a lot more free time than I'd like.  Oh, sure, there is always something to do at the store: paperwork, ordering, restocking, rearranging, dusting...I miss the hustle and bustle of the Christmas shoppers though...and not because the store makes more money at Christmas time (although I appreciate that too; like most retail shops, the busy Christmas season keeps me in business), but also because I like the excitement and energy of the season.  This time of year, it's easier for a sensitive person like myself to feel a little more "down" and pessimistic and stressed: Did I make enough during the busy season to actually stay in business until sales pick up in the Spring?  How much can I spend on replenishing stock and how much should I set aside in case business is slow to improve?  Will the Canadian dollar ever recover enough so that I can reorder items from my few American suppliers without taking a 30% hit?  See?  Stress!

And then there are the rescue cats.  I certainly didn't intend to get into rescue; it's hard on the heart and on the wallet!  Yeah, taking in a stray off the street is completely "free", but having them tested, vaccinated, treated for fleas and worms, and spayed or neutered certainly is not!  We also tend to take in a lot of the "special cases" who've had illnesses or injuries, which requires more vetting than usual before they're able to be adopted, if at all, as we've also taken on a few "long term" rescues who have various chronic issues (one that will likely require a leg amputation at some point, another that just had his third surgery, another with a chronic allergy, an unadoptable feral...).  Vetting our foster cats costs money of course, which means continued fundraising, which takes my focus off of my retail business.  But fundraising is only part of rescue; getting the adoptable ones into the right home is another, and we are full at present.  More stress!

One thing I'm not going to stress about, however, is blogging.  Yes, I like to write, but I don't have a lot of time to get into a good "writing groove" (I started this post three days ago...that should tell you something), so I'm just going to write when I can, no matter how sporadically that may be.

Thanks for "listening".

~ Leesa

*Waves a white flag!*

Okay, so the "blog post a week" challenge I issued to myself is NOT working out so well...it's been nearly a MONTH since my last blog post!!  Foster kittens, health issues (my own), foster kittens with health issues (we have one lil' rescue kitty who is the "runt" of the litter, and she's having a hard time gaining weight)...I've been a busy gal lately!  Oh well, to use a timeworn phrase, "it is what it is", right?  I've learned not to get so "bent out of shape" over such things as intentions that somehow didn't turn out as I'd planned.  Imagine that!  Me...the anxiety Queen...learning to let things go!  Whether it's because I'm tired, or getting old, or tired (yeah, I know I've already mentioned that one!), learning to say "Whatever!" more often (instead of hitting the panic button!) has been good for me.

Besides, it's really easy to take a more relaxed attitude, when the reason I'm slacking on blogging is because of things like THIS:

Miss Cleo, rescue kitty mentioned above.

Ha ha ha ha ha!!

There's an old Yiddish proverb that goes, "Man plans and God laughs."  Ain't that the truth?!?  I set a goal of writting a blog post every week...then I agreed to foster a litter of kittens, so I fell behind by a week.  I'm now fostering TWO litters of kittens, and another 4 month old kitten!!  Add this to my already-full-house of cats and I barely have time to blink, never mind blog, so now I'm behind by a couple of weeks!  All of those kennels to clean, boxes to scoop, spay incisions to check, medications to administer, bowls to fill, cuddles to give...I don't mind though, what else am I going to do with my time?

Kittens!! 'Nuff said!!

Okay, so I've been neglecting my blog lately, and recently posted about challenging myself to write more often.  My goal was a post every week...that's managable, right?  And then I had the bright idea to foster a litter of kittens!!  It sounded like a good idea; my "foster room" at home wasn't being used much, and I know from experience that you should get outdoor-born kittens inside and socialized while they're very young, otherwise they can remain skittish and aren't as adoptable as friendly kittens.  A foster home was needed for some kittens; I had a foster room...made sense to me!

But I'd forgotten how energetic kittens are!!

Don't get me wrong, they are sweet and adorable, and make me laugh with their antics, but I think I'm too old for kittens!  I'm used to rescuing sick, injured, or old cats; they're quiet and tired...like me!!

So.  This counts as a blog post.  Can I take a nap now?

I am a terrible blogger!

I started a blog because I love to write.  Sadly, I don't have a lot of time to write, so I've been slacking -- big time!  I thought of challenging myself to write a blogpost every day (week??), but I know I'd feel "schmucky" if I failed at my own challenge, and who wants to feel "schmucky"...especially when they did it to themselves?!  Besides, this blog is (was supposed to be) about my store, and while, yes, things change quite often around here and I'm sure I could write about a different product every week, I decided a while back that blogging about particular products is not ideal, since some are seasonal or one-of-a-kind (especially when it comes to consignment crafts), and I don't want someone to read an old blog post about a product and come in looking for it, only to discover that it sold out months ago.  

Hmmm...

Still...

Perhaps a challenge is just what I need...potential "schmucky-ness" or not!

Fine.  You've talked me into it!  <winky face>

Let's Talk

Wednesday, January 28, 2015 is Bell Let's Talk Day, a day to encourage people to share their stories, raise awareness, and help end the stigma surrounding mental health issues.  As a business owner who tries to give back to my community (both my local and global community), I support many efforts to make the world a better place.  As someone whom others seem to find it easy to open up to, I've seen the difference it makes to a struggling person when I'm able to provide an open mind, a listening ear, and a shoulder to lean on.  And as a person who has struggled with health issues and depression most of my adult life, I know how important it is to be able to talk, to put a face to this subject, and to bring the topic of mental health out of the closet and into the light.

So, let's talk.  Don't be scared, embarrassed, or ashamed; you're not alone.  Talk to each other, talk to a health professional, talk to someone who can help you find support.

~ Leesa

Where's my &%$! magic wand?!?

 "I  have learned silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet, strange, I am ungrateful to those teachers." ~ Khalil Gibran

It's sometimes so easy to get drawn into negativity, isn't it?  Sadness, anger, frustration...these emotions can often seem contagious, especially for highly sensitive people like myself.  If you're like me, knowing how easily you can get overwhelmed and how terrible that feels, you might attempt to diffuse negative situations by trying to explain, rationalize, or calm people...which sometimes does not go well!  I've gotten caught in a few "negativity sinkholes" myself recently, and it's been rather demoralizing and depressing. 

So what are we to do?  I wish I knew the "magic-wand answer" for that question, but I don't.  The best I feel I can do is to try to encourage, promote, and inspire positivity around me and hope it spreads!  As with most things, we can't expect perfection, and I try not to be too hard on myself when my efforts don't work as well as I'd planned.  It's hard to not take it personally when someone insults or rejects your attempts to be a good person, but it doesn't mean your efforts were not worthwhile; it just means that negative person was too wrapped up in their own issues to appreciate your attempts to be kind.  Try not to get discouraged, and don't give up!  Keep showing kindness to others, until you find people who will honour your efforts by not only reciprocating, but also by "paying it forward" and spreading kindness themselves.  And if you "slip up" and find yourself responding to negativity with even more negativity, be kind to yourself as well; realize you're not perfect, forgive yourself, and then get back to the business of trying to make the world a better place...one act of kindness at a time!

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." ~ Aesop