So I've been on a quest to replace the fence - which is easier said than done since we live in a community that has numerous restrictions about what you can and can't do to the outside of your home. And believe it or not, I'm fine with that policy. Our community is one of the best-kept in the entire area, due in no small part to the "rules" that are in place. But....it makes it a challenge to take care of this pesky fence issue. Long story short, it looks like we'll have to replace the fence with a "buffer" of plants that will grow fast enough and tall enough to provide some privacy. It will be wonderful - at some point in the future - but it will require finding a landscaper who wants this "small" job and me paying attention to whatever is planted so it doesn't die!
That's just one small change in our lives right now - we have several major ones coming in short order. Guy is closing his music store next week after 5 successful years. Things have changed in the retail environment in that time. There isn't much loyalty to the "local small business" anymore, which is terribly sad. People want to come and play his nice, high-quality guitars so they can go buy one online - ARGH. Or...they bring in the guitar they did buy online so he can put strings on it (hard to pay the retail rent with profit from a set of strings!). Anyway, it's time - he's anxious to get back out on the road, buying and selling, so he's a happy camper in that sense. But still...it will be a significant change having him around more - especially since I work from home and am used to having just Murphy and Grover (the kitties) to aggravate me :-) on a daily basis!
And of course, as some of you know, I'll be graduating from UF with my MBA in just 7 weeks and 2 days - hoooooooooooray!!! That, too, will be a drastic change - no more late night conferences with the team, trying to spur them on to getting our assignments done well - and on time. No more going to campus one weekend a month to sit in classes for 11+ hours on Saturday and another 9+ on Sunday. No more trying to carve out a few hours during the week to read the hundreds of pages of case studies and articles necessary to complete assignments. Wow! What will I do with all that extra time?? HA!
And then there's the new doggie, which we hope we'll find by the first part of May. And we're also hoping she'll have the temperament to become a therapy dog. It's something I've been pondering for awhile and I think it would be very worthwhile - but it will be another change in our "routine" for sure.
Changes will be coming in my work as well, I hope. I love, love, love the training I do, but that, too, is always up in the air with this economy. My clients have been very faithful to me, but they are constantly struggling with funding. My MBA is meant to help me find some classes I can teach online as a complement to my training. That will be fun - but a whole different way of "teaching" people than I'm used to. Change.
And we all experience the small changes in our lives without even realizing it sometimes. Maybe that's the whole point of this post...sometimes we need to take a step back and be grateful for the changes that have made things better - and be grateful, too, for the changes we would rather not have gone through but that are at least OVER :-)
Don't forget, too, to step back and appreciate all the good in your life that hasn't changed for you - whatever that might be...friends, family, hobbies, pets, home....
As the saying goes, "It is what it is, but it will BECOME what you make of it."
Make it GOOD!!!
Blessings,
Linda
www.LindasWorkshops.com
