Random Thoughts

Does anyone else have those days where you run and work all day and you seem so busy, then when you sit down at the end of the day you realize you didn't get a thing accomplished?
Did you not use your time wisely? Did you come across things that weren't on your to-do list but needed done anyway? Did other people have other plans for your day than you did?
I call those days "my headless chicken days" I run around like chicken with my head cut of, all flappy and in a panic about something but not having a clue what do to about it. I think I even cackle a bit on those days, which is odd because a chicken without a head wouldn't do that.

And then there is days that you wake up with all this ambition and great plans, and ready to take on the world. And by about mid morning all of a sudden you ran out of steam and come crashing down with a pile of projects you've started and now don't have the energy to finish them. And you don't even really know why you thought you needed to do that in the first place.
Maybe those mornings I've made my coffee too strong?

How is it that stress can build up for an entire week, sometimes even two. Then one nice relaxing day in the sun near the water takes it all away. What is it about sunshine and water that makes it so relaxing? It's so cleansing to my spirit. Sometimes even just imagining myself sitting on a dock with my feet in the water and the sun warming my shoulders, will make my heartbeat slow down.
In the winter, when my favourite lake is frozen solid and the sun is not that warm on my shoulders, in time of need a nice long hot bubblebath will do.
But a trip to somewhere tropical, with sun sand and surf and a lot of tequila would probably be better

Why is sometimes the thought and the anticipation better than the real thing? Some afternoons all I can think of is a glass of wine and my kindle in the windowseat, in my mind it's all so perfect. I can feel the weight of the kindle in my hands, and the taste of a Riesling wine on my tongue. I even feel the pillows in my back. All afternoon long I look forward this scene that is so vivid in my mind.
Then after work, I get myself all installed in the windowseat with all the paraphernalia of my daydream, only to find out that really I'd sooner have a cup of coffee and play bubble puzzle on my laptop until my eyes bleed.

When you bang your shin, or stub your toe and it hurts so bad, you feel like crying, and then when you check out the damage there is not even a mark. Doesn't that make you feel like a wimp?
But then the next time you whack yourself and it didn't even hurt that much, but a huge bruise appears anyway. Doesn't it hurt much more all of a sudden?
And is it wrong of me to use that bruise that I received rather effortlessly to get my husband to wait on me for the rest of the night?

defrag and delete?

I’m studying, I’m learning about internet marketing, retail floor layouts, “branding” your store and so much more that will help me with the expansion.
It’s not as easy as it once was. Maybe studying is best left to the younger generations?
I feel like my brain is full, and in order to cram more information in there I need to let go of some of the previous stuff I put up there.
There should be a process that defrags the brain and deletes or backs up the no longer used facts that are stored up there.
I still know how to create a painting of a perfectly round apple, with highlights and shading, that’s information that could be backed up to disc, in case I would like to use it again sometime. Same with the things I know about Tridekon Cropsavers, their dealers and the different makes and models. Great information, just not needed at this time. But I don’t necessarily want to get rid of it completely. Or how to run a Massey combine.. Put it on the back up disc.
There is knowledge up there that really can just be deleted all together. I doubt I’ll ever need to know how to fold and iron a hanky or a pillowcase. Or I don’t need to be able to recall the exact sound my brothers car made when I rolled it end over end a couple of times, back in 1981. I don’t want to cringe anymore every time I recall slipping on the tiled kitchen floor when I was 5, hitting my head and giving myself a concussion.
There is however a few luxury memories that I’d like to keep up there in a file that only gets opened when I have half an hour of time to myself for pure basking.
The weight of my kids heads on my shoulders on that perfect day at the beach when they were 7 and 8. The way that wooden crate of freshly picked apples looked and smelled when my cousin and I picked it up at the neigbour’s orchard when we were about 9 years old. That breathless lightheaded feeling when I was trying to stifle a horrible case of the giggles at the most inappropriate time when I was a teenager and my friend made fun of the teacher. Those memories should stay in a locked file, and I should only remember the password for that file when I have a few minutes to daydream.
I need to clean and organize the new compartment in my brain for today’s information. The new fabrics that clothes are made of, and how they react when you heatpress or embroider them. What are the hot colours for this fall. How many tops should we be bringing in compared to bottoms? Who is a summer shopper and who is a winter shopper, what colour and size preference do they have? Do we order more boots or more shoes for the winter? I need room for new information such as online advertising, social network marketing. Things like how colours, smells and music affect customers. The best layout for the customer in a store versus the best layout for the staff at a store.
There is so much more but I forget now, because my mind keeps visiting the beach on that perfect day when my kids were 7 and 8. The way their hair tickled my face, and the way their tanned little faces smiled up at me…while I felt that sweet sunshine on my shoulders…

Argh where is the defrag button?

by my daughter Adrienne Mack

This was the letter to the editor in the Neepawa Banner earlier this spring.
I'm very proud of her!

I love Neepawa!I just got back from the 2nd “Ladies Night” at the Roxy. Tonight I enjoyed coffee, dessert, and a great movie with a full theatre. I looked around and waved at many friendly faces and it made me realize that this does not happen just anywhere. I was overcome with this warm fuzzy feeling to be part of this wonderful community. I wave to the same people at the same spot at the same time every day. I know where they have coffee in the morning and where they’re off to after that. It is neat to wake up with the town and be part of it’s daily routine. I love walking into any business in town and being welcomed by name and with a smile. I enjoy being able to chat with other customers in line and chances are they know what I’m up to before I tell them. I can pull up to a drive thru and be greeted with “What can I get for you today Adrienne?” A walk downtown will usually lead to many conversations. I can’t help but feel happy after running errands in our town. It’s not often I experience such hospitality anywhere else, including being offered rides when I’ve bought to many pink Christmas ornaments to carry home alone!I know this is happening in all small towns around the country, but I feel so happy to be part of Neepawa. Neepawa has given me a home, wonderful friends and boyfriend, and an awesome job, what more could I want? Having been to Europe a few times, I realize the importance of experiencing the world, but there’s nothing like seeing the Neepawa sign at the top of the hill after an eight-hour flight and two-hour drive home! I am fortunate to be part of the Yellowhead Roadrunners Auto Club and Rotary; as well the Manitoba Homecoming and Lily Fest committees. I enjoy seeing our community come together in one place, and to be able to contribute to such events. We live in a unique town and I hope to call it home for many years!Adrienne Mack

A trophy case of sorts....

We spent the weekend in the basement of our store, enjoying the breaking down part before the rebuilding part. We broke down shelving, walls and closets of businesses that have been there in the last decades.

The oldest sign we found was a signature of Sandra Strock, 1957. Strock’s hardware was in this building from 1954 to 1972, and apparently they built the bathroom downstairs in 1957.

We found signs from “the Denim Den”, “the Kids Closet”, Ebners men’s and ladies wear,

Posters of fashions from years ago (the seventies are really better left in the basement, especially the men’s fashions… leisure suits anyone?!) Decorations for sales events and grand openings. Customer appreciation gifts from businesses that no longer exist.

It was very interesting to say the least, but it made me sad and anxious for some reason.

I felt I was wading through people’s broken dreams, and unfinished plans. I felt that everything that had come to an end and was buried in our basement.

All day yesterday I walked around with a chip on my shoulder and a heavy hart. I felt a sense of doom and desperation, without really knowing why.

This morning all of a sudden it dawned on me, I was picturing our own burial in the basement! I was imagining our past before we even hit our future.

And then I started thinking how ridiculous it was for me to see the history we discovered as broken dreams and unfinished plans.

Aren’t they the opposite? Aren’t they accomplished goals and achieved dreams? I imagined previous business owners carefully storing away left over shopping bags with their store’s name proudly displayed on them. No longer needed but too good to just throw away, hours spent on coming up with just the right logo and just the right colour plastic bag to put it on. Posters with Starsky and Hutch look-alikes sporting tight leisure suits, smoking and looking so cool. Of course way to cool to throw away, better store them in the basement, because they were an important part to accomplishing someone’s very successful sales event plans. Balloons and little flags with a store name on them, no doubt used for a very successful grand opening.

Our basement is not a burial ground for broken dreams at all, it is a testimony to the entrepreneurs and dreamers that were here before us. It’s an entrepreneurs version of a trophy case. We’ve kept a few of everyone’s trophies and carefully stowed them away again.

Now “It’s Time” to achieve our own goals and dreams. I feel about 50 lbs lighter after my light bulb moment. Today is going to be a great day J

pretty plans to pretty reality

So today it finally feels real.

We're expanding!! Up until now it was a pretty plan in my head, I projected the pretty plan into my husband's head and into my staff members' heads.
Step one was give our basement tenants a 4 month notice, so in those 4 months the plans got prettier and prettier. But as with a lot of plans it seemed to just stay a plan.
Then all of a sudden the 4 months were up, and the tenant moved out.
A huge big blank canvas was created when they left and took all their things with them.

How exciting it is to walk down the stairs in the store and see this vast area full of possibilities and imaginary scenery.
Imagine new carpet, imagine new walls, new racks, new desks. Imagine too how organized and grown up we'll feel with an actual beautiful space for our promotional department of the business!

I can hear my husband taking down one more wall as I'm sitting here typing this.
When that last wall is gone we will have almost 2000 square feet to play with.
We can build and create a gorgeous showroom for all our promotional wares. We can even have mannequins dressed in soccer jerseys, or canvas work jackets, or sometimes even gymnastic windsuits! We can have t-shirt ladders, shelves piled high with soft and beautiful coloured hoodies, Racks of bright jerseys, warm winter jackets, fun windbreaker jackets and golfshirts. Shelves with stainless steel mugs and water bottles and all the other items we can do for our customers, a wall full of hats for the guys. Machines purring away contently in the back behind a carefully planned work counter.
All the computers set up just the way we want them, wherever they are handiest and easiest to get to. Staff members bustling around like elves in Santa's shop, creating wonderful embroidery and heatpress work for our customers.
Shelving along the walls, for receiving and sorting shipments of blank garments, and counters for packaging and shipping garments now proudly sporting our customers logos, names or team mascots.

Oh and upstairs on the main floor..... wow, all of a sudden a 1/3 more room for retail. Imagine the pretty plans for that!! A thousand square feet more to fill to the ceiling with fashions and fun. I envision a place where any woman regardless of size, age and taste ,will feel welcome and at ease. Sweaters, tops, dresses, pants, skirts...ahhh sigh!
And purses, purses and more purses, wallets, maybe some journals, some compact mirrors or pillboxes? Which girl doesn't want to open her purse and see beautiful things in it? Funky jewelry, bracelets, earrings and watches. colour coordinated displays with fashions, scarves, belts , purses and jewelry. I can see it now.
Oohhh and shoes and boots!! Such fun we'll have buying to fill the store for this coming winter with boots, leggings, sweaters, dresses and jeans and everything else.
We'll dot some seating areas around here and there, because us girls, we like to sit and rest when we've shopped. And we especially like to sit and watch our friends model the things they took into the much bigger new changerooms we're planning. Display tables, more mannequins?...yeah why not?!

As I hear my wonderfully patient husband hammering down in the basement on a Friday night at 9:30pm of the July Long weekend, it hits me: this is for real! The plans just kicked into action.
A month or six weeks of mess and construction, and the pretty plans will be pretty reality. i can't wait!