Its Not a Job, Its a Gift - Originally published January 31, 2019

“Abundance can be had simply by consciously receiving what has already been given.” Sufi Saying

So, so, so, much to be thankful for. Abundance of many types coming out of my ears. Life is good, life is full, life is sparkly, and yet it can be tricky finding balance. Nobody, including me, can be of use to others if we don’t take care of ourselves. Fill the vessel. Serve. Repeat.

“Life is a balance between rest and movement.” Osho

“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” Muhammad Ali

Lina and I have our new little business – Lina’s Lemonade Stand- just starting out; and its blooming. (if you missed that blog post…check it out here)We have really been having fun making and packaging our sugar scrubs and candles, and dreaming up new products. Lina is looking forward to the lip balms, on next week’s agenda. This special business was a good decision, and yet it took me so long to get here. I’m going to be honest, I have been saying for years “I don’t want to ‘have’ start a business just so my daughter can have a job, parents of people with special needs shouldn’t ‘have’ to do that.” And I meant it. It doesn’t make me sound very good, but it’s what I was feeling. I would think things like, “its hard work parenting someone with special needs, but I would not have been entrusted with her if I couldn’t do it”. And yet I was trying to figure out how to not let that responsibility get in the way of the path I saw for myself. I was looking at it sideways; like it was a ‘job’ instead of a gift. It took a lot of experiences, over busy-ness, searching, frustration, being self employed, hibernating, and coming back round to the beginning to realize that the thing about it is, this little business of ours provides me with a chance to spend more time with Lina. Not ‘taking care of her’, but BEING with her. Being present in each moment. She is someone who spreads joy, exudes happiness, and truly knows how to enjoy every part of life. Just carrying her cat around or watching him chase his toy through the house evokes happiness and laughter. What a gift. If I can just watch and learn. And yes, I am tired at the end of the day, but I truly ‘live’ each moment of my days and there is nothing better than that.

“Sometimes when you lose your way, you find YOURSELF.” Mandy Hale

Life is always complicated, until you decide its not. This is my current note to self after spending more time with Lina. I’m going to be honest, its not as hard as it sounds. I’m still mucking it out, but every time I feel overwhelm I remind myself of this note, then it gets better. Too much ‘stuff’ on your plate? That’s me, the full plate queen. Asking for help – that’s not always easy is it? Its never been easy for me. Why is that? I deserve help if I need it, there’s no prize at the end for toughing it out and handling it all by myself – we all deserve help when we need it. I’m right now creating an exit strategy for those commitments I made that suck too much of my precious time and don’t really bring me joy, but rather feel like busy-ness. Guess what? I’m not irreplaceable; someone is out there to step in as I step out. And they may even do a better job. Or it may be what brings them joy, if I just let it go so they can pick it up. It can be tricky when you have a lot of things you enjoy doing, but maybe some tug at you harder and when you turn your attention their way they feed your soul – for me those are the ‘things’ I want to keep in my life, and the others, they’ve just got to go. I need to let go. I’m constantly on this spiral journey. I start out saying yes to helping too many people and taking on too many responsibilities. Then I get overwhelmed and start saying no to everything, re-evaluate, simplify, and start over again. I may have a few more trips around before I get it right, but each arc gets me a little closer. And I have a pretty strong feeling spending more time with Lina is a good move…she knows when to ask for help, when to say ‘when’, when to say no, when to jump in – all in. Does it bring her joy? Then she’s there, if it doesn’t she’s just not. I think I can learn a lot from my girl, she is a lamp. I just need to keep watching and learning. I’m one lucky soul. We all should have a Lina in our life, do you?

“Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder. Help someone’s soul heal. Walk out of your house like a shepherd.” ― Rumi(or notice the one being offered to you! That’s not Rumi, its Shannon)

Light, love, and laughter,

Shannon

Oh! Here is what’s going on with Lina’s Lemonade Stand! Check it out!

http://www.linaslemonadestand.com

Instagram @linaslemonade_stand_

#linaslemonadestand #boldmovesstudio

Hop on over to the website and check out our products! A few pictures are below…