Wait. There's More.

Wait. There's More.

I kept seeing that there would be another 30 day blogging challenge and I just smiled.  Inside my head I thought “been there, done that” and I moved onto the next topic (because as we all know, there is so much to think about :)

And then as the day went on I started thinking about blogging topics and what I would write about.  You see, we did the first 30 challenge successfully and the younger Bloom did the majority of that one.  Now, its my turn and what I’ve decided to share is about how we are constantly needing to push ourselves forward. 

Before becoming an entrepreneur,  I was an international aid worker in Panama, Fiji, Russia and even living in Hawaii for 4 years.  During those years, I was grateful to have been educated as a school teacher because I used every single skill I had learned in the classroom.

From there, I evolved into different positions including being a chaplain at the local university (and yes I could write a book on that chapter of my life).  Many more different adventures and sometimes I got stuck. In fact, for the last few months I’ve been feeling a bit lost, not sure I was following my destiny.  And yes, I work at my business 24/7 but I am one of those people that is happiest when juggling several jobs.  So just last week I decided that I am NOT too old, too old fashioned or even obsolete.  There was still life to be lived and I could indeed reinvent myself once again. 

And so when a local charity (Baskets of Love – Down Syndrome) that we’ve supported in the past announced that they needed baby blankets and baby hats I wrote back immediately and said “I’ll donate blankets and hats”.

Problem is, I’ve never made either of those things.  But I was willing to try.  Years ago I had bought an old, vintage bedspread meant to be passed down to generations.  This morning I cut it into baby blankets and got my 50+ year old sewing machine out and painstakingly sewed up the quilt. 

Then I cut some cotton tea towel fabric I had bought and cut out tiny baby hats and even practiced my new screen printing on each hat.  By the end of today I had made one hat and one blanket – I was hysterically happy.  I’ll never meet these parents or see their precious bundles, but I was doing something to help and suddenly that was all that mattered.

Age really is a number but more importantly its an attitude, so read that title again and say it out loud to yourself “Wait, there’s more…for me to do”.

Stay up to date with our new blog home.

Caron is one of the blooms of Two Blooms Design Studio Est. 2002. She is the dreamer, production manager and the social media wannabe. Caron is married to the word adventure and she will never stop dreaming.

Do you need a cupful of joy?

Do you need a cupful of joy?

Today is a guest post by Victoria Guzzo.

In Canada the flowers have faded, and are preparing for their winter’s nap.  Their colors have been replaced by deep colored autumn leaves.   Big orange pumpkins and other colorful squash are shining in the grocery stores.   Cooler weather brings out the woolies and a warm throw over the sofa.  Nesting in with a bowl of popcorn while watching a move and relaxing at the end of the day,  is something we all look forward to in the Fall. 

This is so not your life, I can hear you say.

How do you find joy when you can’t find it?  Or do you even know what brings you joy any more?  So many needs around you and so little time.  And so many demands on that time.

Do you remember the last time you just burst over with joy?   When you finished the 10K run?   When you endured to the end of a spin class? When you reached the top of that mountain climb?   Is joy really that elusive?

What can you be grateful for today?  Who can you rejoice with?  Can you phone an old friend because you want to hear their voice and tell them you miss them?  It’s as simple as thanking a person for a favor, sending off a quick e-mail, or acknowledging someone that supported you in a work project.

Thanksgiving is this week end.  A time to pause and think about what we are grateful for.  I am sure what you are not grateful for comes to mind first.  But as a small boy said when asked what he was grateful for.  “I am grateful for just being me.”  I think he said it best .   Are you grateful for being you?  There is no one else like you.  

Yes, this blog is about joy, as being grateful leads to joy. 

Life is full of joy, find that cupful today and pass it on.  

If you like this post stay up to date with our blog.

Joyfully,

Victoria

Victoria Guzzo is world traveller and lover of people.  Two Blooms products are her favourite.

Smoke & Mirrors

Smoke & Mirrors

Today is a guest post by Caron (the other bloom of Two Blooms Design Studio.

You have to admit, those photos with inspirational quotes can just be the best.  Growing up I had a giant poster of a ballerina in leg warmers filled with holes, her toe shoes were taped up and I don’t even remember the quote – something about working hard to make your dreams come true.

And when people say “oh, you’ll have to work hard if you have your own business’ you imagine working night and day filling orders non-stop.  You have to hire busloads of staff and you buy city blocks of factory space.  Yes you’re working hard, but the money is falling from heaven.

Well, that last story is definitely about us, in case you were wondering.  While I type this, I can hear the hum of the factory next door – thousands of bars of soap are being poured and the post truck comes by 3 times a day for pick ups.  It’s a glorious life and maybe I’ll post an inspirational photo for you all to attain to. (KIDDING).

Are you still with me?  Here’s the thing.  So much of what we see out there is ‘smoke and mirrors’.  Yes, we were interviewed 3 times in 2 weeks by a national tv station and a local one, yes when you look at our page you can see our media coverage and as someone said to us the other day “you’re just killing it”.  And yes, after THIRTEEN YEARS we are indeed thriving.  But there are still days when you lose accounts or don’t get chosen for the ‘it’ store.  Suddenly you feel like the kid who didn’t get chosen for the baseball team.  Everyone got scooped up quickly and you were left, the very last person.

Being self employed is like that some days.  It seems like EVERYONE ELSE is killing it and you’re in your studio pouring over new recipes and ideas.  Their Facebook feeds are filled with the 87,000 new accounts they just picked up, how everyone loves their stuff and how amazing they are – and you’re plugging away.

The dream will take time.  There will be fabulous days.  And there will be many more days when you feel like you’re not doing it right and its soul crushing.

 It doesn’t matter.  You stay in the game.  And when you’re called, you get up and you play the best you can.  Maybe you don’t hit a home run, but you show up.  And every day you show up and put one foot in front of the other and you keep going.  And along the way dreams may happen and sometimes you spend your days helping other people find their dreams.  Just keep going because its true, the dream really does take a lot of time, relax, we’re in this together.

Like this post? Want to see more? Then stay up to date with our blog.

Caron is one of the blooms of Two Blooms Design Studio Est. 2002. She is the dreamer, production manager and the social media wannabe. Caron is married to the word adventure and she will never stop dreaming.

Are you living between the season of life?

Are you living between the seasons of your life?

 

   

Fall is my favourite time of year.   It seems like most people love summer and I think each of the season has their beauty. Fall has always held this mystery to it, the majestic trees changing colours, the cooler weather, cozy nights, excuses for warm hot drinks, sitting by the fire, watching TV, layering sweaters.  What still brings a thrill to me after all these years is stomping on fallen leaves. That crunch beneath my feet takes me back to when I was a kid (see my post about kid like ways here and here ). The same excitement and glee still fills me with delight.

Walking takes on new meaning as new plants begin to stretch their limbs. September always brings about order. Kids are going back to school and college students are working towards degrees. Living near a university I often get a glimpse of that life as I make it part of my daily walks.  It wasn’t long ago that I I was there working in an advisory capacity (perhaps more on that in a future post). There is a bit of envy when I see students who seem bright eyed and bushy tailed as though the world is their oyster and I remember that feeling all too well when I was a student. Everything seemed possible. I know that it still is but life has marched on and I see things with new eyes and more wisdom and maybe a bit of cynicism.  There is still wonder in my soul and I treasure all the moments when it comes to the surface.

So instead of waiting for the next season to come, embrace the season that is and learn from it’s towering beauty.

See our home blog for up to date posts.

Hi, I’m Michelle the founder of Two Blooms Design Studio Est. 2002. I’m in charge of production, designing all of our labels in house, photography, customer service, alchemist behind all of our scent blends, designer, creator and pretty much whatever else needs to be done.

Are you paralyzed by the words I can't in your life?

Are you paralyzed by the words I can't in your life?

 

Just. Go.

There are a dozen reasons why you can’t.  In fact, there were 6 reasons why I couldn’t write this blog today.  If I told you the reasons you’d roll your eyes and probably utter an ‘oh brother’.  They weren’t life threatening moments but I couldn’t get started.

This reminds of some friends.  Wildly talented women that could take the world by storm.  But they can’t.  They have their reasons and we are the lesser without their contributions.

Let me share something with you – the words “what would you like to do” paralyze me.  I’d rather be told what to do then have the whole world of options open. 

What is my potential now and am I reaching it?  Am I reaching for the stars every day?  Am I standing on tiptoe to dream the impossible dream?  Probably not.  I tend to look at the lack of instead of what there is.  Like counting out your change and realizing you don’t have enough.  But what about what I do have?  Why don’t I feel like that’s enough?  Why must I compare and come up lacking?  I met with some friends the other day and they were so complimentary about our website/products and I kept shushing them down.  But I came home and rewound what they said and I thought “I need to start listening and believing and dreaming more”.  Because seriously, we can do the impossible.  And today is the day to stop listening to the inner critic.  Together.  We need to do this.  No more“I can’t” and more “well, let’s do this, even if I do it slowly”.

Are you with me?  Are you willing for the next 48 hours to say more yeses to yourself?  Ready.  Set.  Go.

Like this post? Check out our blog home.

Caron is one of the blooms of Two Blooms Design Studio Est. 2002. She is the dreamer, production manager and the social media wannabe. Caron is married to the word adventure and she will never stop dreaming.

Are you living the dream?

So in my haste yesterday I forgot to include the  link to the rest of the post from the flax seed crackers. I've added the rest of the steps and you can find the full recipe here.

Are you living the dream?

   

“There’s always tomorrow for dreams to come true” just came swimming into my head.  Thought for sure it was a Disney movie with a lovely princess but actually its from “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer” – Christmas anyone??

Been pondering dreams a lot lately, not the sleepy time kind, but dreams we hold in our heart.  Things we’ve held on to for a long time (hello size 6 jeans hanging in my closet) and things we’ve haven’t let go of yet.

My sister and I have been toiling for the past 13 years on our dream.  To be fair, it was off the side of our desk for the first 9 years, we attended weekly farmers markets and kept our full time jobs.  It was fun, it was exciting but it wasn’t our full time job.

 

 

Four years ago, we decided to sink or swim, jump right in and make it happen.  We left our lovely jobs and started working full time on Two Blooms.  We didn’t really have a plan, we knew we had a good product but we didn’t have a business background.

So we relied on our brilliant sense of humour (“oh, you wanted a receipt?  Oh, sorry I’ll email it to you when I get back”.)  And we continued with our amazing customer service.  We bent over backwards for everyone making customer scents and products for customers, rushing orders to get them on time (or early) and never really charged enough money. 

Now we’re smarter (I hope), we’ve found some good people to align ourselves with and most importantly, we’ve started believing our dreams.  Its not just hard work because we both work non-stop, one of us is on social media all day, sprucing up photos and text, plus photographs and on it goes.  Its more like a marathon to get to your dream.  You will hit walls and you will cry and want to give up, but the next day you’ll fall in love all over again and decide to make a new product or dream a new dream.

So if I could amend Burl Ive’s song I would. Its not just tomorrow for dreams to come true, its getting a solid group of people to walk through your dreams with you.  Who will love you enough to tell you when to either stop or find another way.  So yes, there are always tomorrows for dreams to come true, but its more like there are always tomorrows for more 24/7 work weeks.  Dreams don’t always come true, but you just never know when its going to happen and chances are, it may be better than what you could have ever dreamed.

P.S. We are checking our comments. We noticed some comments from posts back and tried to respond to all of them.

See our posts as soon as they are published.

What happened to the lost art of penmanship?

What happened to the lost art of penmanship?

The other day I had to hand write a thank you card and it was agony. It’s not that I never jot down notes during the day but I print quickly and get on with the next task. What happened to the art of handwriting?  The reason writing was such agony? I had to slow down, concentrate on forming letters and write as neatly as possible.  The card stock was beautiful and naturally I made mistakes but covered them up with my hand drawn loops and hoped the recipient didn't notice.  The whole process made me sad. What had happened to me?

Years ago I remember getting letters in the mail and writing all the time. In fact I love fountain pens and started collecting them years ago. To this day I love the feel of the nib on malleable paper. There is something majestic about the whole process. In this fast paced world of constant technology and trying to do things quicker we’ve lost something in the process. Even typing on a computer loses that connection to the paper and to the art of penmanship. 

Writing that card made me realize I have to more of it and often. It forces me to think, to connect, to slow down and use concentrate. I simply can’t zone out.  It takes me back to my childhood and to a deep appreciation of the past. Using a fountain pen makes me feel I’m in a different century where life is meant to be savoured and not rushed?

When is the last time you hand wrote a letter? Why not give it a try.

Like what you've read? Check out our main blog page. 

Hi, I’m Michelle the founder of Two Blooms Design Studio Est. 2002. I’m in charge of production, designing all of our labels in house, photography, customer service, alchemist behind all of our scent blends, designer, creator and pretty much whatever else needs to be done.

Are You Taking Time For Yourself?

Photo Credit:  Pinterest

Are You Taking Time For Yourself

After an unexpected week I'm back to blogging. Our goal is to blog 2-3 times a week aiming for 3 times a week. Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday are the planned days but that may change depending on the week. So continue to check in often.

I lay awake the other night and couldn’t fall asleep. I’d spent the last 5 days working hours on end to build up stock and didn’t leave the house and barely stopped for meals.  My list was a mile long and my mind was hyper focused on all the tiny details of what products had to be made, orders that needed to be filled and labels that had to printed, products that had to be wrapped and labeled, clean up and then the process would begin early each morning and go late into the night.

When I work up early on the 5th day I laid there and my body felt sore to the core and I felt I had worked to the bone. Yes I’m being dramatic here but that is how it felt. Every muscle was taxed and my mind was exhausted.  There was still so much to do that morning and the words my friend had asked me earlier in the week echoed through me again and again. His question: “Are you taking time for yourself?” The answer was a resounding no I wasn’t at all especially this time of year. Market season is in full swing, we are filling orders and so much stock has to be made.   I realized that next day how I enjoyed simple pleasures like taking a long shower and using one of our luxurious organic soaps. I stood in the shower and thought about the experience. It was quiet uninterrupted time before the day began and it was a calming time, the rich lather, the deliciously scented bubbles. This was the only time I was taking for
myself and I wondered how many of you are taking time for yourself these days?  This brings me back to an earlier post I did about “Being In The Moment.”

Once the dust begins to settle I realized I need to make more time for myself and spend time with loved ones, learn to savour each moment more then I have and force myself to get outdoors and experience more of life during these busy times.

So I’m challenging myself and you to do the same.

See our posts the moment we publish them.

Hi, I'm Michelle the artist, visionary, creator and designer of Two Blooms Design Studio. I moved from a big city to Vancouver Island and fell in love with the west coast. My world is surrounded by beautiful scents, on trend design and endless possibilities.

S T R E T C H E D

Follow my blog with Bloglovin
 

Photo Credit:  glogster.com

S  T  R  E  T  C  H  E  D

What do you do when you are stretched for time? You have so much to pack into a week and so little time?

This past week I was involved with Maker Cities (a new Etsy prototype) and their first one was launched in Victoria. It was a week of free workshops for the community to learn about Etsy. Workshops such as: “How To List on Etsy,” “Building Your Brand,” “Listings, Tags, How To Get Found on Etsy,” “Sea Glass Jewelry Workshop,” “Beginner & Advanced Photography,” were some of the many offerings. They also had a lovely launch party on Thursday night in the Fort Commons.

Caron and I were out every night this week, I continued to blog during the craziness and to top if all off we had the Moss Street Paint-In yesterday where we were selling our line of Organic Apothecary.

I was learning so much this week and dying to implement new ideas but I had to keep growing, learning and being present (see my post about being present here). It was one foot in front of the other and the knowing that eventually and end would be in sight.

Today I’m teaching the “Photography for Beginners” and looking forward to sharing my knowledge with others.  It’s also been wonderful to meet so many new people who live in my city and have a passion for creating unique handcrafted items.

Catch up on all our bloom worthy news.

About Michelle
Michelle is one of the blooms and founder of Two Blooms Design Studio Est. 2002. She is in charge of production, designing all of our labels in house, photography, customer service, alchemist behind all of our scent blends, designer, creator and pretty much whatever else needs to be done.

Back To The Beginning

Reflected Rainbow | Senja, Troms, Norway | by Seffis via deviantART

Back To The Beginning

It’s interesting the way life works. Years ago when we moved to Victoria, I had a group of friends who were all artists like me. I even started a “Dead Poet’s Society” gathering  (we had a different name but at this point in time I can’t remember what we called it) in our back yard complete with a tent and tiki torch where we would all get together to read poetry. There were many friends there that day and Randy came when he could. He was my age, very wise and I always appreciated his input.

Years went by and I didn’t see Randy anymore. I went off to university and moved through many different phases of my life. I always knew Randy was in Victoria but our paths didn’t really cross. Then about a year ago Randy came to one of the markets my sister and I were selling at and it was so nice to see him. I didn’t think anything of it at the time and wondered if our paths would cross again.

Then about 8 months ago my family and I had gone through a really difficult time. We were part of a group of people we really cared about and suddenly there was a dramatic change and everything became fractured and broken.
The story isn't that important now in hindsight. The point is we were all reeling from this experience and felt very isolated and alone.  It was Randy that came back into our lives and encouraged us, met us for coffee and offered wise words of wisdom.  He spoke into our lives and really breathed new life into me and helped me realize my potential. Now we are good friends again and I marvel at the fact that he knew me way back when and was a part of a special poetry group I started. Not many people know that side of me and it was wonderful to reconnect with an old friend.

Has life surprised you lately with it’s twists and turns?

See bloom worthy news right when it happens.

About Michelle
Michelle is one of the blooms and founder of Two Blooms Design Studio Est. 2002. She is in charge of production, designing all of our labels in house, photography, customer service, alchemist behind all of our scent blends, designer, creator and pretty much whatever else needs to be done.

Discipline Through Doing

Photo Credit Left:  harpersbazaar.com Right:  moneysavingmom.com

We are now on Day 28 and I can hardly believe it. I accepted this 30 day blog challenge with hesitation not because I couldn't do it. I mean coming up with things to say wasn’t that hard and the mechanics of actually writing every day was doable but I think what scared me the most was the day in and day out of writing every single day and being accountable to a group of people. I said I would do this challenge and I wanted to see it through and stick to my word.

Week one was great, ideas flowing like the river through my head. I decided to stick with themes for 4 days of the week with Caron (the other bloom) guest posting one day a week and leaving 2 days open for whatever, which typically ended up being deep thoughts. This theme idea helped me tremendously because at least I had some idea of topics for those days. Week two went okay as well but it started becoming a little harder. Week three and now week 4 have been so difficult. It’s the sheer determination of writing and trying to come up with original content that is a challenge. I’ve written when I was sick, unmotivated, tired, during time crunches etc.

A very dear friend of mine once said about writing “You’ve got to sit your bum in the chair and just write” and it’s really as simple as that. Not every post is going to be earth shattering (although I’d love it to be and I try my best to write the best possible content I can) but you just keep going. The writing has become easier for me, and I’ve learned I love to write and have for a long time.  I never made time for it except when I was in university and had to write  papers. I still write poetry all the time but writing paragraphs has been more challenging in the past few years. I’m also learning to let go of some preconceived ideas of what others might think about my writing.  When I am thinking that way writing is never great. With anything in life you have to work to accomplish something and that is where discipline comes in. You just keep going no matter how you feel.

I chose two photos above. One of the always classic Audrey Hepburn who was very disciplined in her ballet classes but also in her life. When looking up photos for the word discipline I saw photos of Audrey and several with discipline quotes included so decided to find a motivational quote that worked. The second photo is in relation to exercise but it applies to any discipline because for blogging you do need to make healthy choices with your time in order to get it done.

So I continue to press on until the end of the challenge but where do we go from here you ask? Well I’m planning on blogging at least 2-3 times a week. Thinking Tues, Thurs, Saturday might be good days. What topics would you like to see me chat about or are you enjoying what I’ve chatted about so far?  Do you like the idea of 2-3 days a week for blog posts? I’m listening and really want to hear from you. After all I’m writing with you in mind. #IBN30

Catch up with us at our home blog page.

About Michelle
Michelle is one of the blooms and founder of Two Blooms Design Studio Est. 2002. She is in charge of production, designing all of our labels in house, photography, customer service, alchemist behind all of our scent blends, designer, creator and pretty much whatever else needs to be done.

6 Men and 2 Blooms

Photo Credit:  tiffanysavion.com

Today is a guest post by the other bloom Caron.

We were meeting a friend for coffee (and in our business, that’s considered a vacation :) and we were relaying a recent disappointment. He listened intently, bought us coffee, gave us a hug and tried to help.  We loved him for it and at the end of our time he said, “you need to come to a group I meet with every two weeks”.

Sure enough, two weeks later an invitation comes to a local restaurant for a breakfast meeting at 7:30am.  The morning of I was thinking of excuses why we couldn’t possible attend.  But the other bloom was up and getting dressed so I figured we could do this.

We get to the restaurant and 4 men were sitting over coffee laughing, too late to make a run for it we grabbed coffee and sat down.  Soon a copywriter and a government employee sat down and we were surrounded.  Awkward.  Where could we go?  How could we get out of this?  

Soon enough the leader started engaging us, what did we do, how long had we been doing this and soon enough we had 6 men completely immersed in our story.  They asked intelligent questions, they laughed at the right times and offered wise counsel and guidance.  By the end of the hour we didn’t want them to go.  They had looked at our business from a completely different perspective and given us advice that was golden.  Things we had been struggling with they dismissed kindly and told us to move on to what we were doing right.

Later that day the facilitator send us some materials that were spot on – we were in love!  And grateful that 6 men put aside their own agenda that morning and helped us see the other side of things.

Our takeaway - look for people not at all related to your business or even in your field and ask them what they think.  You might be surprised at the results.

Stay up to date with our most recent posts.

About Caron                                                                                                                                                             Caron is one of the blooms of Two Blooms Design Studio Est. 2002. She is the dreamer, production manager and the social media wannabe. Caron is married to the word adventure and she will never stop dreaming.

Shake It Up

Photo Credit: theperfectpalette.com

Remember when you were a kid and you built forts, skateboarded, made mud pies etc. Then your mom would or dad would say let’s go for ice cream and you’d drop everything and just go.

When you're an adult it’s more difficult to just do something spontaneous because there is always something to be done and especially if your in business for yourself you always have a to do list a mile high and things just seem to get in your way. You stop and think about all the steps involved in spontaneity like you have to finish what you are in the middle of, check to make sure everything in your house is unplugged, make sure you are properly dressed and not in your PJ’s.

 McFlurry Photo Credit:  Caron Somers

So yesterday I was in the middle of designing a soap label and my sister was reading. This past week was a hectic one for us.  Victoria is experiencing very hot weather and we had just finished a day selling at our local market and were wilting in the heat.  So at the spur of the moment we decided to run out for ice cream but the rule was we had to wear what we had on and not change into something else.  My hair was a mess, I had an old dress on that was nice and cool.  So the instinct was I gotta  change, finish up my label design, get dressed etc.  Instead I saved my document and closed it, did a quick check that nothing was plugged in and we headed to McDonald’s for an ice cream sundae with nuts and giggled at our messy style.  I wasn’t really in the mood for ice cream but when we got to the drive through we saw they had the McFlurry and our eyes light up with glee (yup simple things amuse us).  It’s a Canadian thing and it’s like an ice cream shake with crushed up Oreo’s or Smarties or Skor bits. I got the Oreo Cookie and Caron the other bloom got the Smartie (a Canadian M&M) one.  We parked and hoped no one noticed us in our unfancy unkempt garb. The stress of the day, the rude customers, and the blazing heat melted away and for that moment nothing else mattered.  We enjoyed our ice cream and I felt like I was a kid again.

What fun things are you doing in this summer heat?

Why don’t you shake up your world and do something out of your comfort zone.  It just might provide some clarity.  #IBN30

See our latest posts right when we publish them.

About Michelle
Michelle is one of the blooms and founder of Two Blooms Design Studio Est. 2002. She is in charge of production, designing all of our labels in house, photography, customer service, alchemist behind all of our scent blends, designer, creator and pretty much whatever else needs to be done.

You Big Ole Beautiful Soul

Vintage Books Photo Credit:  blog.jennibick.com

Looking for yesterday's post? I forgot to post it so you can find it here. 

This is the second version as I write through tears because I lost that moment of the first draft when my browser decided to quit and I lost everything I had written.  It was a moment I can’t get back but through tears I choose to write it again in the hopes that this version will be even better because of it.

I saw him (at least 4 generations older then I) and thoughts took me back to two months prior the first time I laid eyes on him. This time I was grocery shopping and exiting the store and whispered to my sister “I think that’s him”.

Rewind two months ago and I was shopping at this same grocery store with my mom. We decided to have coffee and relax after we finished shopping.  There was a man nearby sipping his diet coke and eating a candy bar. While I continued in conversation I was riveted by this man. Did he fight in the war? Was he married or alone? Did he have anyone living who cared about him? What kind of job did he have and I wondered about the pages of his life he left behind. I fixed my gaze on him and I wanted him to know that he and his story mattered.  I wanted him to know for that moment that he wasn’t invisible and that his story was just as important. 

For that one moment in time I wanted to shout it to the rooftops that he and every other person mattered and were special no matter how they felt. Tweet This

Today this older generation is often forgotten and ignored. Media is all about the trends the young, the famous, those who have accomplished so much but is anyone more important than this man sitting in front of me?

I wanted to say hello to this man and ask him about his story and his life but I didn’t know where to begin and didn’t want to disturb him. He got up after finishing his snacks and stumbled away. He couldn’t walk very well but he was managing. I really wanted to know where he was going and was he okay?

Window Frame Photo Credit:  comeinjus.tumblr.com

After coming home I tried to go on with my day but I couldn’t stop thinking about him. So as I tried to fall asleep I cried over this man who I didn’t even know and through tears I prayed for him.  I worried he was discouraged or sad or had no one and I wanted him to feel loved and special because he deserved that.

For that one moment in time I wanted to shout it to the rooftops that he and every other person mattered and were special no matter how they felt. Tweet This

 

Today as I was exiting the store there was a narrow pathway and he wasn’t looking in my direction. He had a walker and bike helmet this time and seemed to be on a mission heading towards customer service. I told my sister I thought it was him and looked back but only saw the back of his head.  In seeing him again today I knew I had to write this post and not save it for another day.

The title of this post is “You Big Ole Beautiful Soul” and I don't mean the man was big in size but big in accomplishments and he had a rich soul that I’m sure could fill museums.

I’m still not sure why he tugged at my heart that day and maybe it was because he was a kindred spirit in disguise or maybe it was to show me the beauty and richness of this man’s life. Or maybe someone reading this needed to hear it.

What has moved you lately? I’d love to hear it in the comments below if you feel comfortable sharing.


See our blog posts right when we publish them.

About Michelle
Michelle is one of the blooms and founder of Two Blooms Design Studio Est. 2002. She is in charge of production, designing all of our labels in house, photography, customer service, alchemist behind all of our scent blends, designer, creator and pretty much whatever else needs to be done.

Through Her Eyes Don't Judge What You See

Maui, Hawaii Photo Credit:  Caron Somers

As some of you know, I have a teaching degree which I received from the University of Victoria.  I’ve had many great experiences with children but after my degree I had the opportunity to work as a teacher’s assistant with a special needs child. Now why would I want to do this when I was a teacher? Well I wanted to work in the background and work one on one with a student. I had not worked with a special needs child before but I had worked at a deaf camp as a teenager and had studied Sign Language.

I had no idea what to expect but I was open to meeting this student. She had Williams Syndrome and had an outgoing personality.  I learned so much from working with her. Let’s call her Julie as a reference point.  What moved me most about her was her willingness to say it like it is however she felt and I admired that about her. She longed for friendships and wanted to belong like everyone else. It was hard for her because she was in a regular classroom and often other students didn’t want to work with her because she worked at a different pace or wasn’t able to contribute the way they expected her to.  What I grew to love about Julie was her outgoing nature, she wasn’t afraid to chat to people and she had such a vivid imagination.

Tom Hanks in "Castaway" with Mr. Willson ball. Photo Credit:  hdmovietrailers.au

She loved Mr. Wilson from the movie “Cast Away”  starring Tom Hanks in which his character talks to the basketball. Well Julie had a basketball in her locker and one day and she kept calling it Wilson. She would look at her wrist (which had no watch on it) and talk to it and the basketball.   It was quite comical and I played along of course. For me the challenge was to teach her and help her in her education but at the time I had to learn to work around her challenges and get involved in her imaginary world.

The bond that Julie and I made  was amazing and I wouldn’t change it for the world. In the end I really was her teacher and I did her whole curriculum and her report card but I was only paid a teacher’s assistant salary. I loved the job though so the following year I worked as a teacher on call and got to teach Julie several times but it was hard for her to see me in a different role then she was used too.

This was many years ago but I still see Julie from time to time and it’s like time has not passed because she chats to me just like she always did with that same outgoing personality and endearing nature.

The next time you see someone who looks or acts differently then you do, realize they are just like you and they want to belong and be accepted. Tweet This

They just see the world and you a little differently.  Look past what you see and recognize their beautiful soul.
Has someone in your life impacted you lately? #IBN30

See our blog posts right when we publish them.

About Michelle

Michelle is one of the blooms and founder of Two Blooms Design Studio Est. 2002. She is in charge of production, designing all of our labels in house, photography, customer service, alchemist behind all of our scent blends, designer, creator and pretty much whatever else needs to be done.