Looking good in public, at least.

 May I just say I have never been so physically tired in my whole life. Even though everything in the move went like clockwork I underestimated the actual physical VOLUME of everything that would be invovlved with the move to the Old Screen Door in Delaware and parsing out the various components out of the building on Broad Street. After our big moving sale we dropped 3000 square feet of merchandise by half but my space in Lewes is less than 500 square feet.

 So the rest is taking up half of the family room at the cottage, my dining room in Falls Church oh and in the 16 foot long storage container parked in our driveway.  EEK!!!!!! I also broke the cardinal rule of moving of not touching something more than once.  BEcause we had to load the big storage and display pieces intot the truck forst (to make sure that they would all fit.) we had to UNLOAD the entire truck to get those pieces out of the vehicle to set them before we could start unpacking. After unpacking, then we had to decide what was going into the Old Screen Door- Round 1. And then hump all the excess inventory back to the Lews Cottage. Holy Moly what a mess!

 And then it was back to Falls Church to clean out "what was left that didn't fit on the truck". Double eek. 4 vehicles, 4 cheerful volunteers, 4 trips to my house later and my home looks like a VERY artistic episoide of "Hoarders". Luckily for me I have a crazy wonderful supportive family, truly amazng colleagues, friends and clients who stepped in to help do the schlepping.

At the end of the day here's what was left. A sunny clean space.  Rumor control says it's going to be converted into a day spa or a wellness center.  We shall see. It was hard leaving this high ceilinged sunny space. Taking the last walk about by myself I remembered getting the space ready, learning so much from artistic colleagues while ogling their works in progress, helping people launch their brands, laughing about the time we hosted a blues trio in the "dress department" because it was raining and they couldn't play outside, and all of the hundred of people who we helped and who helped us make me what I am today.

 I am a firm believer in the "things happen for a reason" universe and while I will miss the daily contact and ebb & flow of the Falls Church shop I am envigorated by the possibilities of going back to creative art practice.  I am going to be 55 in a couple of weeks so I have declared this the Year I Actually Get Into Shape. Can only assume that clearing this debris field of a home counts as cardio!

Thanks for all of the kind emails, phone calls and texts you sent me this week.  They are SO appreciated.  I am a little fried mentally but am looking forward to sorting it all out and moving on the next chapter. I hope you will join me!

PS thanks for the flowers Anne & Mel.- They are beautiful!

Not exactly a day at the beach - yet!

Yesterday went just about as smoothly as we could have asked. The guys showed up on the DOT to load the truck and filled a twenty foot trailer in exactly 2 hours. Amazing. We made it to our place in Lewes in less than three hours (again, amazing). Treated my Driving the Truck Dad to fish and chips at the local tavern, watched a little Adam Levine on The Voice and off to bed.

Couldn't fall asleep right away though (not exactly amazing). Basically unpacked the entire truck in my head. Set up the shop in my head also.

Must be why I am so tired this morning!

Wish me luck!!!

Bittersweet but Optimistic

Today was the last retail sales day at Stifel & Capra in Falls Church.

I won't lie, it's been a ROUGH week (month, 60 days).  After all of the soul searching to decide to NOT renew the lease here locally I had to come face to face with my feelings of failure.  I don't do well with not winning.  Actually not so much winning (as in "We're Number ONE!" NCAA tournament anyone?) as in being successful on my own terms.

And not being profitable enough to take the hit of over the last year of the impact of construction AND absorb a twenty percent increase feels like failure to me.

Luckily for me, The Tribe that has assembled over the last few years reminds me that numbers aren't important. Since the news broke they have brought me:
hugs,
outrage,
champagne,
encouragement,
tears,
more hugs,
laughter,
gifts,
letters,
notes,
even more hugs,
stories,
praise
&
eye contact.

When I am not so sure about WANTING to look anyone in the eye because I feel like a failure- these people have DEMANDED me to look at them while they tell me how impactful the place I built has meant to them.

It's humbling.

Also humbling is that everyone, everyone that I have approached so far to collaborate with has told me YES.  And if you know me, you know I LOOOOOOVEE to start some stuff. So, hold onto your hats peeps, it's going to be fun.

Come ride with me.

And thank you for today.  Especially for the hugs,

PS- A special shout out to my lovely friend Fran Casey.
I grew up in a very loving but not terribly demonstraive family.
Until I met Fran and her husband John Brian I NEVER greeted people physically but was more of a hand shaker or waver (if I was feeling frisky.)
But Fran didn't know that and hugged me anyway.

Leading me on the path of actually being able to receive affection from folks that care.
I haven't seen Fran in months but she was there today.  To give me a hug.

xo