What Does A Tree Do When It Stops Growing?

I’d had a post started based around something that my boss said to me one day. We were at lunch, having a pretty intense conversation about life and the direction that my path is taking me. I’d been unsure about a lot things, for a lot of reasons. He knew this, and looked at me and asked quite simply,

“What does a tree do when it stops growing?”

It stopped me in my tracks. I remember giving him a weird look until it hit me. I looked up at him and said quietly, “It dies?”. He nodded. I sat back and thought about it a bit more, and it made sense to me. I knew then that I wanted to base a blog post around that because it seemed very profound to me. But I’ve been stuck.

The other day, I was scrolling through my blog feed, and came across this post from Jeff over at Every Day Power Blog. I think this says it better than anything I could possibly say. One step further, the metaphor used here is PERFECT for my life, since I’m a florist, lol.

Jeff wrote:

“We will all reach the day where we have to decide between the risk of doing what we have always done or the risk of doing something we never dreamed we were capable of. We will all have to decide between the risk of settling and playing it safe with the risk of seeing what we are truly made of.

If we look at the laws of nature along with what this quote art image is alluding to – if the flower wanted to, it could have stopped at the bud, since it  was already a foot or so out of the soil! At that point the flower could have said, “I’m Good, I need to go no further!” But that’s not what flowers do! If you look at what a flower does – regardless of where it’s planted, it will attract the necessary resources to it, with its values and beliefs..oops, I MEAN ROOTS! After it attracts the resources, it breaks the line of soil and rises to the sun. Then, after it seems to have reached it’s full height and potential, it BLOOMS! And it doesn’t just bloom once, it does year after year, after year! Season after season! Not to mention the flower will share it’s seeds of knowledge and abundance to anyone willing to pick them up!

Who knew, we could learn so much from a flower!

So! With that said! I ask: Have you bloomed? What are you waiting for you?”

Reading this was a blend of a slap across the face and a lightbulb turning on. It was almost like he’d written it directly to me. Settling and playing it safe is no longer an option for me. It’s time to make the leap, and to quote Jeff directly, see what I’m truly made of. Like the flower who decided that it needed to be more than a bud poking up into the sky, I also need to keep going, to continue growing, and find out what I’m meant to be. A lot of you already know this, but for those of you who don’t, my path is leading me away from Michigan. I’m most likely headed for Virginia by the end of the year, and Sean and I are going to go full time (or as close to full time as we can get) with SPP. I’m really excited, and really cannot wait for this change. I’ve felt like I’ve been losing myself for a long time, and this is going to give me the chance to find myself again. I couldn’t be happier.

Counting Your Blessings – A Challenge for All of You

On the blog over at SPP this week, Veronica wrote about how important it is to count your blessings, especially when times seem dark. And then she challenged not only our readers, but specifically called Sean and I out to take part as well. Challenge accepted. J

It was kind of funny because she came to me, looking for potential blog topics. I tossed a few her way, and this is the one she chose. So very timely! This week has been especially stressful for me for a number of reasons, and I’ve been feeling pretty down. You know that feeling, where you feel like nothing is going right and you’re not sure how things are ever going to go right again. (I know they always DO, but it doesn’t always feel that way). Yep, that’s been my week. We’re going to ignore the fact that it’s only Wednesday.

So here goes, a list of my blessings:

1. I have a home. It’s small, and I complain about my neighbors, but I’m pretty blessed to have a comfortable home that fits my needs.

2. I have an amazing family, especially these two. This is my brother Alex and his girlfriend, Michelle, and we’re all super close. I really don’t know what I’d do without them most days. They’ve been there for me through thick and   thin, and even as I write this, my brother is detailing my car. Why? Because he wants to. He’s pretty awesome like that.

3. I have a job. I might complain about it sometimes, but it’s definitely one of my bigger blessings, and probably should have been mentioned before #3. I’ve been here for 13 years, my entire adult life. We are more than just coworkers, and more than just friends. We are family, and like my real family, we’ve seen our shares of ups and downs through the year, but we always stick by each other. My bosses are incredible, and more like parents than bosses. What more could a person ask for? Oh yeah .. that’s right. I get to spend my day around beautiful flowers. Amazing, right?

4. I’m in fairly good health. I stumbled a little bit earlier this year when I had to have my gallbladder removed, and I’m still adjusting to that, but for the most part, I’m pretty healthy. If you don’t count the fact that I develop a sinus infection from hell every time I book an airline ticket. Seriously, body, get a grip. Vacations are a GOOD thing, really.

5. I have AMAZING friends. Like…you don’t even know. Be jealous. Everyone should have the awesome support that I do. I don’t know what I’d do without my girls in my life. No matter what’s going on, or how long its been since we’ve seen each other, when one of us has an issue, we’re all there, no questions asked. That’s pretty damn cool.

6. This guy, right here. Sean. They say that everyone comes into your life for a reason, and I firmly believe that. Such an odd and random chain of events brought us together, and I couldn’t be more grateful. Not only is he one of my closest friends, but he’s a killer photographer and I’m proud to be joining him and building SPP into something truly amazing. He also should have been listed somewhere before #6, but I guess I was saving the best for last. I’m really, really blessed to be on the path that we’re creating for ourselves. 🙂

So .. when all seems dark and you think that life just isn’t gonna get better, take a few minutes to remember all the ways you’re still blessed. Better yet .. right now, take a few minutes and think about all the ways you’ve been blessed. Leave your list in the comments, and then pass this along. Challenge your friends to count their blessings as well. The world just might be a little happier if we all took the time to do this.

The one where I couldn’t come up with a topic

So, I’ve been kinda busy lately. Between the flower shop, home, SPP, and Scentsy, there hasn’t been much time to think of things to blog about. So, I decided to click the  “Inspire me!” button that WordPress offers. Complete duds. I don’t even remember what they were.

But this sparked a thought. Maybe there’s a list of topics on Google somewhere. Better! I found a topic generator. And I’m giggling my butt off. I wouldn’t actually write anything about these topics, except to list them all out and pick on them, lol.

Suggestion #842- “How do you feel about Algeria?” …really? Someone would see this and be inspired to write about Algeria? Fair enough, maybe. Not me. I’ve got some pretty neutral feelings regarding Algeria, if you must know.

Let’s see what happens when I push the button again.

“I love Sunny Day Real Estate” …mmmkay. I don’t know what that is, but good for you. 🙂

Let’s give it another shot.

“A review of hair gel” … ooh! I could totally do that one! Okay, let’s save that one for later use.

Next up.

“You know what/who is better than NYPD Blue?” … Um…all of the things. *shakes head*

And .. last, but not least.

“Here’s what infuriates me about Nuclear Proliferation” .. I think the person who has strong feelings about Algeria might be able to help you here.

So, I guess this generator didn’t actually help me with a legit topic, but it sure entertained me. I will give it a little credit: It sure make me feel better about the topics I come up with on my own.

My Newest Endeavor (like I needed another one, lol)

So, in addition to working full time at the flower shop, dedicating a huge chunk of my spare time to building up a photography business (two, rather… Sean Purcell Photography and Different View Photography), I’ve added one more thing to the pile, and it’s something I’m SUPER excited about.

Wait…not that I’m not excited about the rest, because the photo thing thrills me beyond words.  😉

So, here it is …I’ve become an independent consultant with Scentsy! I’m not gonna turn this into an advertisement, so if you have any questions, shoot me a message, but they really do have awesome products, and I’d be more than happy to hook you up with a party. Or, if you just wanna place an order, I can totally do that, too.

Here’s a link to my Scentsy store…. amandabuckland.scentsy.us. Facebook page coming soon. 🙂

Day 25 of the 31 Day Blog Challenge – Describe my location

LOL…as I sit here chatting with a friend about where I’m located, this topic pops up on my phone. Perfect!

Right now, specifically, my location is…COLD. Earlier this week, it was in the high 80s, quite possibly 90. I was wearing shorts and a tank top on Monday, and still sweating. Yesterday? It snowed. For real. In May. Today it’s starting to warm up, I think it’s in the 50’s.

But in general…. I’m in Southeastern Michigan, in a town that’s almost literally a stones throw from Canada. I’m a pretty big fan of Michigan in general. We’re not only surrounded by water, but there are hundreds, if not thousands, of inland lakes and rivers throughout the whole state. There’s so much to do, all within a couple hours drive. It’s not uncommon for me to jump in the car, drive for a few hours, fill a few memory cards, and drive home. It’s kind of a photographer’s dream 🙂

Day 23 of the 31 Day Blog Challenge – Do I have a hobby?

Heck yeah, I have a hobby!!

Wait…is it still a hobby? I like to think it is. It’s how I spend a LOT of my spare time. Whether I’m actually doing it, or thinking about it, or reading about it, photography is a HUGE part of my life. I love it to the point that I’ve partnered with a good friend of mine, and we’re going to make a career out of it soon. 🙂

Most recently, I spent the day on the west side of Michigan, with two cameras(three, if you count my iPhone, lol). It was an amazing day, and I netted several good images. But most importantly, I had FUN. It had been a long time since I went out shooting for an entire day, and it brought me a great sense of peace. It also exercised my photographer’s eye a little, too.

Here’s a link to my Flickr page, where you can find more images from Saturday’s trip. I’m working on getting some of my past work uploaded, but ….I have a LOT of images to go through 🙂

In the meantime, here’s a preview of some of the coolness from Saturday:

Day 20 of the 31 Day Blog Challenge – Things I Collect :)

Well, when I first read the challenge for today, I’d planned on writing about my extensive collection of eye makeup. Or my obsession with shoes. Or the insane amount of hair product I have. (Which is just plain weird, since I only use one kind of gel, but whatever. I don’t argue with myself)

HOWEVER….

After just having been in my garage with my brother, I’m going to have to say that I collect…*sigh*…everything. There’s a certain level of packratism that’s been taking place over the last few years. Is it because I’ve lost everything in the past, and now feel the need to hang on to every scrap of everything? Who the heck knows. But in the next few weeks, I’m working on getting rid of it. All of it. Well…almost all of it. 😉

 

PS. We found some WICKEDLY cool photos while we were out there. I’m talking stuff we’ve never even seen before, and some stuff I’d assumed was lost forever. I’ll be posting some of those jewels in the coming weeks.

Day 19 of the 31 Day Blog Challenge – 5 Blogs that I read regularly and why :)

 

Veronica, MD – The top blog that I read every day is my good friend Veronica’s. She is an amazing writer, and keeps me giggling on a regular basis. Check her out, and I’m sure she’ll make you giggle, too.

http://veronicamarcettidimick.blogspot.com/

 

The Modern Tog – I would say that this my next most-read blog. I find a lot of useful info over here for the photography business. (Actually, the rest of the links are probably photography related, lol. I’ve been doing a lot of reading in these early stages)

http://www.themoderntog.com/

 

Photo Mint – Again, LOTS of useful tips here. A lot of her stuff could be applied to anyone starting out a sales-based business, so take a look 🙂

http://www.photomint.com/blog/

 

Skip Cohen  – More useful business tips 🙂

http://www.skipcohenuniversity.com/scu-blog.html

 

I guess there’s not really a fifth blog that I read on a regular basis. I’ve started following several blogs since creating my own, and I’m trying to get in the habit of reading them more regularly than I do now. 🙂

 

Day 16 of the 31 Day Blog Challenge – My Biggest Accomplishment

I struggled with this for a little while this afternoon, but finally decided that where I am in my life is a pretty darn big accomplishment. I talked with a few friends today, looking for input. And while I haven’t accomplished what they have (I don’t have a college degree, I’m not married, and I don’t have kids), I think I’ve come a long way from where I was when I started. I’d mostly planned on writing about my career at the flower shop, but I’m gonna step it back on more notch.

My confidence and the fact that I’ve pretty much beaten the level of shyness that I used to have, is a pretty big accomplishment, maybe even bigger than everything I’ve done at the shop. They probably goes hand in hand, since without confidence, I wouldn’t be half of what I am in that regard. I was the girl in English class who took a zero on her oral reports, just so that she didn’t have to speak in front of people. Bet most of you didn’t know that, eh? 😉

I started at the flower shop fresh out of high school, and completely shy. I wasn’t sure how I was going to manage to keep this job, since it involved talking to so many strangers on a daily basis. The thought scared the hell out of me, but I needed a job, so I stuck with it. I’ve come a LONG way since that shy sales clerk. I’m now the head designer and assistant manager of the shop. Next month will mark my 13th anniversary with them, and the more I think about it, the more I realize what I’ve accomplished through the years. I’ve gone from shy sales clerk to designer, to lead wedding consultant, to assistant head designer, to head designer/assistant store manager. After I’d been there about a year, they started training me to design. I picked it up very quickly, and progressed  to a wedding consultant in no time. I’ve had no “formal” training, everything I’ve learned, I’ve learned right at the shop. Two years ago, I stepped into the head designer position, and had to learn some management skills REALLY fast, lol. I thought I’d known what the job entailed, since I’d been the previous head designer’s assistant for a few years. Wrong! I’d been in charge of ordering things before…not in charge of people. I’m guessing I have a knack for it, since I was bumped up an assistant manager position soon after, lol. I’m gonna share a few of my designs from the last few months with you.

And now, my confidence and sales abilities are leading me in a new direction in life … photography. I’m sure I’ll have more accomplishments to write about in a couple years. 🙂

Day 15 of the 31 Day Blog Challenge – 10 things that make me AWESOME!

I’ve given this post some thought today. I don’t like to come across as conceited. So, this maaaaaay have been written tongue in cheek. Or it may not have. I’ll let you decide 😉

10 Things That Make Me Awesome

1. I have amazing hair.

2. I’m a loyal and true friend.

3. I have wicked sales skills.

4. I’ve managed to bring extreme amounts of organization and order to the design room at work.

5. I have a pretty good sense of humor.

6. I have an uncanny ability to read peoples moods, leading back to #2.

7. I like cats.

8. I have an incredible amount of inner strength.

9. I transferrred eleventy billion blog posts over to the SPP Blog Page last night

10. My rear looks pretty darn good in a pair of Levi’s 😉