Sometimes I feel like a lousy friend. Not because I want to be, but because work gets in the way of connecting with friends and then...well, you end up having to give somewhere and these days, that seems like on the friend front.
I have some really cool stuff going on with work, and sadly I can't reveal what it is quite yet...soon I hope. But because I'm so busy creating and doing work stuff, I find that when the end of the day rolls around I am just too tired to sit down and try and reconnect with those I really want to connect with...ie friends!
I think we all feel this way sometimes, the last time I felt this way was when my kids were younger and I had a lot going on so life revolved around family and home. Thankfully, I still have that network of my kids and husband...plus my dogs, but for the past few years I feel like sometimes making time with my good friends has become hard.
And it's not just me, they are all really busy too, so we feel like power brokers trying to sneak in a lunch or chat on the phone. It seems crazy to me really since you would think that with our kids grown things would have slowed down a bit, but actually I think they have sped up...sometimes at breakneck speed!
And then there is this blog and all of the wonderful friends I have made since I started it just 2 years ago. I used to love the email chats, phone calls, and occasional meet ups that I had time for when I was just writing, but those days are long gone. And it's kind of like with my local friends, we are all so busy doing our own things that it's not just me finding it difficult to find a balance where we can stay connected without becoming completely frazzled in the process.
I sometimes lie awake at night thinking about the emails or comments I haven't responded to...ones I REALLY wanted to respond to, and it makes me feel sad and more than a little guilty.
For now I will have to pick and choose my battles though, because in order to get my business up and running I have to put 110% of my efforts toward that right now. And of course I just can't let my family fall to the back burner, so they stay at the top of my "to do" list always. I love that opportunity is knocking at my door, but I refuse to let it knock me off my feet, so I have to slow down sometimes.
But on days like yesterday, when I popped in to my friend Melissa Geimer's (or Missy's) beautiful shop, The Right Mix, in Leonardtown, I was reminded of how much I miss being able to just be, and having the luxury of hanging out sometimes.
Missy is a gorgeous person both inside and out, someone so generous of spirit that you think she could have been the heroine in a fairytale. I plan to do a whole photo shoot at her shop very soon, so stay tuned...and if you're reading this Missy, get a website girl! ;-) Up until a few months ago she was part of a local antique mall, but she recently branched out on her own. Her shop is perfectly named and she has a great mix of antique furniture, accessories, lighting, and artwork. Her taste is impeccable, and she has brought a little bit of Europe to quiet rural southern Maryland...and I love that!
After I visited with her, and she sent me on my way with the gorgeous antique blue and white creamer you see in this post (plus a few other goodies I will show you soon), I thought about how wonderful it was to see her. We last saw one another at a wedding back in September...time flies! She is going 100 mph trying to get her store up and running, and if you live in the area I highly recommend you pop by to check out her wares. She has everything from Russian samovars to breathtaking antique oil paintings framed in equally beautiful gilded gesso frames that would be at home hanging in the rooms and corridors of Downton Abbey.
We talked about our new endeavors and she told me how excited she was for me, the way true friends do. And I couldn't help but ooh and ahh at all of her hard work and feel happy that she was finally where she should be, in charge of her own destiny and in a place where she can showcase her many talents. I know that it's only a matter of time before designers in the DC metro area find out about her and come calling to snap up her amazing inventory!
When I got home. I thought about how really lucky I am, and that I just need to be patient and eventually I too will find my right mix. I will learn to balance a new career and still find time to keep up with the other things that are important to me. I've done it before, so I know I will learn again, but there are always growing pains I suppose.
So for now, I will focus on the things that need my attention the most and I will hope that I don't offend anyone as I find my way. I'm more excited about this new venture than I can even verbalize so I know it will all be worth it in the long run!
Do you feel pulled in a million different directions all at once? And if so, how do you make it all work?
Thank you Missy!!!
For more info on hours and the exact location for The Right Mix ...Antiques, Furnishings & Collectibles (located along Route 5 next door to Guy Distributors in Leonardtown, Maryland) you can email missygeimer@yahoo.com or by phone at 480-365-8871. She hopes to have a website up and running soon, and I will let you know all about it when she does.
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