Maintaining Perspective at the Grateful Dumpling

Wow, it seems like you blink your eyes, and suddenly a week has passed. Sorry for my absence in my blog. Needless to say, there is a lot going on, and it doesn't take much for things to start sliding down that slippery slope.

I've been trying to maintain perspective in the face of all that we are trying to do, and it ain't easy. There is so much that needs to be done on a daily basis that it is difficult to get any of it done and maintain any sense of sanity. The farmer's market is responsible for a lot of this. It just takes so much time.

However, even though it has made our lives difficult, I have to confess that we are, for the most part, enjoying it. Beyond the money, which ain't much, there are satisfying aspects to it, all driven, of course, by our egos and the need for external validation. We enjoy making something that people like, and look forward to our regular customers coming and expressing their appreciation for something that we've sweat blood and tears to bring to them. Also, we really enjoy the sense of community and the kids have a great time being at the market, interacting with the vendors and seeing their friends. It's a wonderful experience for them.

Most of all, it's a good example of trying something and placing ourselves outside the warmth and safety of our comfort zones, something we, as well as probably a majority of the population, find difficult, if not impossible, to do. Of course, this is only an issue if there are things you want in life or changes you want to effect and are unable to initiate them.

In many ways, the abrupt and surprising nature of our endeavor is what made it all possible, because given enough time to ruminate over it, we probably never would have even started the Grateful Dumpling.

Things just took off without us really realizing it, and before we knew it, we had to take action, and fast. As a result, we didn't have time to cogitate and succumb to self-doubt and pessimism. We were literally thrown to the lions.

Mind you, it hasn't been easy, and everyone has suffered a little, but nothing life threatening, though at moments I've felt that way. We've learned a great deal about what we can accomplish if we just assert ourselves, but more importantly, we've learned a valuable lesson about taking chances and assuming a few risks and realizing that life goes on. You can try things and whatever be the outcome, you can always change directions.

I think it's good for the kids to learn this lesson as they approach life, and to know that there are many paths to take , and rather than live in fear of all the choices as I did for all of my life, they should embrace the wealth of experiences and look to the world as a wondrous place, worth exploring. I really think this is an important lesson.

If anything, you benefit from taking the chance because it really gives you perspective on what is going on all around. Otherwise, as you blindly go about your routines, you lose all perspective and stop really giving much thought to your life. It's just so much easier.

Anyway, I need to remind myself of these things, because life is fairly challenging at this moment and I find myself saying, on a continual basis, that I can't do this anymore, when in fact I can, if not so much more. There is value to reminding oneself of this fact.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to girinath gopinath for the pic.