January 15, 2010

Frustration! (and reassurance)

How many times has this happened to you? You receive an email telling you that new beads are available, so you rush to the website, only to find that they're already sold out! What's going on?

The short answer -
     It's me - I just don't make enough beads.

The longer answer -
      The mailing list has been steadily growing, but I'm still a one person operation - every bead is made from scratch, with my own personal hands. There is a physical limit to how many beads I can make at a time without injuring myself. I also have a short attention span, and am easily bored, so I'm not able to make large numbers of the same bead without wanting to cry, or lie down and not get up.

Here's the reassurance -
      You haven't missed the new beads forever. As soon as I fill initial orders, I will restock the new beads - usually within a week. I keep restocking them as needed for the next 6 weeks or so. I try to post restocking dates at the top of the catalog so you don't spend time fruitlessly checking. If you'd like an older bead that's out of stock, you can add yourself to the Wish List, and I will notify you personally when the bead you're looking for is back.

I know that sometimes catching the bead that you want in stock can be a frustrating exercise, so I want to thank you all for the patience and good humor you've shown me while you were waiting for me to restock!




"i imagine that yes is the only living thing."
-- ee cummings

We're a month away from the beginning of the year of the tiger. Tiger years are traditionally times of massive change and upheaval (not all of it good), but if you are flexible and open minded, the tiger year can bring out the best in you.

My natural tendency in times of trouble is to stop and hide - to say "no!" to whatever has gone wrong. This quotation reminds me that to go forward and prevail, I do have to say "yes."



"in time of roses(who amaze
our now and here with paradise)
forgetting if,remember yes"
-- EE cummings

Here's another stanza from EE cummings' poem, "in time of daffodils(who know".

I found this poem by accident, and fell in love with it. Sooner or later, I'm sure I'll have used the entire poem on beads - I chose this one now, for what it says about "yes."



"Disappointments should be cremated, not embalmed."
-- Henry S. Haskins

Anyone who makes a habit of beating themselves up for past failures or grieving over split milk (I'm guilty on both counts) might want to give this quotation some thought.

It would be wonderful to have an internal policeman who could be dispatched to the scene of one of my (perceived) disasters. He'd stand there and say, "Nothing to see here folks - let's move along", reminding me to go on with my life, leaving my disappointment behind.

I think this quotation will do job for me just as well.