Monday 16 June 2008

Buttercups and Roses


So, we've been bumbling along like this bee we saw a few weeks ago, alighting on this leaf and that flower, trying to find the sweet nectar we are searching for to make our own honey!

We've hit a few snags, that's only to be expected, but on the whole things are actually ok - they really are... we are learning to have faith that we will get there - we will be able to live our dream!

It's been a hard couple of weeks for us - the uncertainty and pressure has been immense and I have had to deal with the impending loss of a job I both adore and feel very confident in. I am going to grieve for the passing of this stage of my life - but I am also excited about the space it leaves for a new chapter to begin...


In recent weeks T and I have taken every opportunity we have had to return to nature, to touch base with our roots, and really try to forget about the worries that are crowding into our minds and filling our hearts with fear. All we create through our fearful thoughts is more fear and without these moments in nature we might have gone mad!!

In taking this time to simply "be" I have realised that once again my heart has been over-ruled by the expectations of others. Any of you who know me well or have been following this blog for a while will know by now how much I yearn to run my own business. I cannot tell you why this is so important, I just feel like I want to - it's almost like all the ambition my university lecturers think I was lacking has never been lacking at all - I just never had the right sort of ambition for the kinds of careers people always expected me to go into.

After all - one of the few things I always knew I wanted to be without a doubt was a mother - I adore children and nurturing them - why else would I settle for such terrible money and such long hours if I didn't desire to encourage and nurture others? I want this to work in my favour - I want to have a business where I can use my passions for nature, writing, photography, sewing etc to inspire and help others. And I want a business I can run from home when I have a family of my own - rather than spending most of my life away from my children.
I'm incredibly blessed to have found a partner who not only supports me in this dream but wishes to be a major part of it. Some of you may remember how I have tried a few things in the past to little avail - mostly because I wasn't thinking in a business-like way. On a more spiritual level I wasn't living in line with my beliefs - I was blocking a potential move through fear of rejection (working on something you believe in but others may find a ridiculous concept is quite scary!!). Yet since meeting T I have become far more connected to my spirituality once more and feel so much more connected to the Earth I want to realign my life not just for me but also for the planet...

Through the hardships recently T has helped me realise that we can do this and that I don't have to do it alone. I was working all hours to expand my Reiki blog to perhaps expand it into a business idea. I added a forum (having helped to run one whilst at uni and having met many of my dearest friends through such a medium) as a way to encourage people to interact and share skills and advice rather than always relying on money as the only form of exchange. I then set up an eBay shop to firstly sell some of our books we no longer want to get a bit of money to help fund the initial costs of the projects we have in mind. I was doing this all after 10 hour days at work and I was exhausted. I finally hit a wall yesterday and T finally managed to make it clear to me that I didn't have to do it all... what a relief!

And this works well for him too - as he was feling immensely guilty about my going to work whilst he stayed home. Now he has a purpose and a list of things that need to be done to get our business off the ground. Instead of sitting around, simply waiting to see the specialist and find out what can be done about his hands, T is using the time we have both been given to do the hard legwork we'd never have time to do if we both worked full-time.

We have a shared dream - I am no longer living my own dream but that of another as well - and it feels good. As bumbling bees we occasionally land upon a rose!!


Wishing you all a beautiful week - thank you for all of your love and support
Amanda and T xx

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Amanda,
I wish you all the best for your plans!!! As my little company turned five this year and is running really well - I feel relieved. To start business is great and challenging in every way. I started from scratch at a moment where not many doors were opened, I made it, and after 8 months my dear one was part of the business too. We had amazing times and really tough times - and it was definitely worth it. We were not able to do 40working hours a week for a lot of times. It is easier to start with a little "pillow" and less stressing, but there are many ways to go. Being mother and raising a child, it might have been sometimes easer to "just be employed", have regular paychecks and regular times, but on the other hand I was able to "take off" when she was ill, had a party or when we just felt having a swim would be nice... computers and the internet don't have opening hours, I worked a lot in the night. But I should have more often just stopped and smiled or said when it was enough - if you love to work, always keep in mind how important is to relax and that burnout is not just for 30+, 40+. Selfemployment and being a mother is not always the most comfortable way, but it has its moments, can't deny it ;-))) And it is so okay, to stop one thing, but it is about the trying! You don't know, if you'll never try. And failure is a part of business. Wishing you all the best!!!

mamapé said...

hey hun,

firstly, congrats on you and Tim having had each other in your lives for a year! it's sad about Tim's job, but i think it's a blessing in disguise, especially with him getting a redundancy instead of being fired. i'm crossing my fingers for you both that the financial situation will sort itself out soon, and that some of the cool jobs you applied on will open up for you, giving you a stepping stone to having your own business... if i were 'religious' i'd be praying for everything to go well... as it is i'm just thinking nice thoughts for you and hoping for good energy to fly your way and cling to you both!

Baby Blog Directory said...

Good luck with your business endeavors! I hope it all works out just like you hope!!