is summer lost?!

Here it is the end of May and I'm still cold. It should be summer, it should be warm and sunny. We have the sun, but the temperature is still not what it should be. Perhaps summer got lost, or forgot where I live? I just hope It knows how to ask for directions...!!!

I've had some adventure this week. I got hit by a car yesterday when I was biking. (And now everyone is going, "What?!? Are you okay?" and your heart probably skipped a beat, right?) I had gone over to the east side of town to visit a friend from the SEA class who set up a neat dog bathhouse there. I wanted to see her shop and talk to her about her website - which she wants me to set up for her. So I biked over there in the afternoon, a nice ride, had a great visit with her and was pumped when I started biking back. Shortly after I started back, I went to cross a cross-street and there was a car there, waiting to turn right. He was stopped, so I went ahead to cross - I had the right-of-way and figured he'd seen me. He hadn't. Just as I pulled out in front crossing the street, he started to pull out into the main street, and his front bumper connected with my left foot and bicycle. Scary! I saw it in slow motion through a haze. He stopped really quick, and I had been knocked over a bit, so went to straighten up my bike and make sure everything was okay. It felt incredibly surreal! He got out of the car and asked if I was okay. My ankle was bruised, but other than that I was physically fine. Not the case with my bike however. I started checking it out and discovered that the front tire was warped pretty bad - couldn't even push the bike without lifting the front! So he pulled over into a parking spot and then offered to give me a ride and replace my wheel. I was cool with that. So to sum up, I went with him to Canadian Tire, and he actually bought me a whole new bike! Guess the guy felt pretty bad - who wouldn't? Was nice of him to take the time to replace my bike and everything though. So it actually worked out well for me. I have a brand new bike - and a nice one at that! The only negative thing is my bruised ankle, but I don't even feel that unless I press on it, so it's pretty minor. Quite the adventure though!

In business news, things are picking up. I have three new clients who want their websites started right away, so that should keep me busy for a bit, and will look good on my records for the SEA program. It's nice to see the business starting to gather some momentum. If I do a good job for these clients, I know they'll be glad to pass my name on to others - and of course I'll do a good job! Good to be able to build my portfolio and testimonials too.

growth pains

I'm sure we are all familiar with the concept of physical growth pains - the idea that as a physical body grows, there are certain pains that come with it as the body adjusts. Anyone who works out or exercises strenuously knows this as well. Astonishingly enough, this goes the same for mental, emotional and spiritual growth. I know, surprise, huh? For someone who is committed to lifelong learning and personal development, I am familiar with these growth pains. I am learning that the trick for me is to be able to look past the pains and not get focused on the side effects of the growth.

I am learning to handle pain better - I've often been a wimp when it comes to any kind of pain. When it comes to personal growth, I tend to get all excited and see things I want to change and improve, but then get overwhelmed because I can't do it all at once, or because it is not happening as fast as I want it to. I have always been impulsive and ready to take action, sometimes without thinking it through enough. This can of course result in even more growth pains than necessary. I am learning, though. That is the whole point of personal improvement after all.

Lately I have been finding myself tempted to get discouraged again. So much information, so many challenges to do more, be more, and so many areas to work on in myself or my business. It gets overwhelming when you don't know where to start, or what to focus on first. Again, a learning curve. It is possible to learn to prioritize and put things in perspective, so you don't get overwhelmed and know where to start. I am learning to do this for myself and am finding ways to cut back on multi-tasking, or write out to-do lists, and even using a day planner to keep myself more focused and to get things done that are important and constructive, as opposed to just time fillers.

Over all, I would rather be feeling the growth pains and having to learn new organization and prioritizing skills, than to be content staying in exactly the same place. Life is about growth, development, trying new things. And in the end, it is well worth the pain to be able to look back and see where you've come from and how far you have come. My 25th birthday is coming up, and as I look back over the last 10 years, I am amazed to see how I have grown and developed, and the path I took to get to where I am today. I am thankful to the people who have helped me along that path and encouraged me during the rough spots, and inspired during the high spots, but most of all I am thankful for the spirit and confidence inside of me that has pushed me to where I am today. After all, it wouldn't matter who was trying to encourage or inspire me if I wasn't able to accept it and use it.

[no subject]

I've been sitting here for at least 5 minutes, a blank blog box in front of me, trying to decide how to start it. I guess this is as good a start as any! Gotta love those blank mind moments!

I seem to be keeping busy. Business is slower than I would like, but I'm working on figuring out how to get more clients and get things to pick up. I have finally managed to get to some other stuff I've been meaning to do, so I am feeling pretty good about that. I've done up an image board - a collage with pictures of houses, landscaping and whatnot that I really like. A bit of a visual goal board of where I'd like to be as far as lifestyle and whatnot. That's something I've been meaning to do for a few months now. Then I got my guitar fixed. It needed new bridges - upper and lower - and new strings. Been needing the bridges for about two years now. Finally decided to just do it. Always feels good to get things like that done!

I've been doing more creative crafty stuff lately and loving it. Did up a table for Jon for the backyard, with a tile mosaic. Looks pretty fantastic, and was fun to do. Did some sewing on the weekend as well. Making another quilt, and enjoying getting creative with it. I love to see things like that come together, and to see the idea I had in my head turn out well on paper, fabric, internet, or whatever medium I happen to be using! I'll have to take a picture to post so you can all see it. Yes, I like to show off a bit - but who doesn't?

I've planted a garden as well and am enjoying watching that come up. Everything seems to be growing great - particularly the radishes and beans! Will be great to have some fresh stuff from the garden in a few weeks. I've missed doing stuff like that, so it's been nice to have the opportunity again. I even enjoyed the hard work of digging up the garden spot with a shovel! Still have callouses from that, but it always feels good to put my muscles into something and feel like I've done a good, hard job. I used to hate having to work when I was a kid, but now I love it - probably because I don't have to do it, so I can actually enjoy it. Funny how our minds work that way, huh?

On another note, I think I have my website all updated and where I want it. Feel free to check it out and give me some feedback! The link is on the right under my picture...

And that's all for now, folks! Enjoy your May day! :-P