SHEsaysWITHaSMILE.blogspot.com

ROI of Creative Energy by (me!) sandra, tvgp #IWA @writeousmom

the vision..   in my imagination only, was of my parents; my mom and dad, as they are in real life write now:  75 years old, current time.   And they were standing next to each other, (although in real life they are both remarried and have spouses of 31+ years)


but they were standing next to each other, and they looked at cyndee.   -and cyndee, in real life, and write now, currently  -she is the GM of Alden Lane Nursery

and so, they looked at cyndee, and they both smiled, and they said, almost in unison,

"now you know what it was like to raise Sandra"     -And Cyndee, having just reluctantly ok'd a creative idea of mine; in real life..

she just nodded in agreement.   and no other words needed to be, or were, exchanged.

and then the vision faded, and I knew I had to blog about it

****

with love, and dedicated to my parents, Sharon and Dan

***

the rest of what im writing is not just in my imagination.  it just happened, for real.   let me see if I can bullet point the experience:

I was working in receiving/accessory department at alden lane, and Heather, one of the buyers, had purchased this whole spectacular variety of colorful, glass mushroom yard décor, in a wide variety of sizes.

   -way charming.  all of them, in any size...    and because I had to price each one individually, I ended up spending extra time appreciating the colors, sizes and styles..     these sure would be fun to play with!  to create with!    but I just got the pricing job done, and that was that.

***

once a month, we have an all staff meeting that often begins at 7:30am.    On said occasions, we are scheduled for longer lunches, so that on that day, we do not exceed 8 hours on the books, because we still work til closing.

with my 2 hour lunch on the last all staff meeting day, I realized that if I left to take myself out to lunch, or shop...   I would only end up adding to a debt.   And so I was trying to come up with ways to pass 2 hours without spending any money...

and, these pictures are the result of how I spent my time

  

 

and to transport the mushrooms, find a place where they could stand up, take pictures, remove and clean and put them back..

took exactly; almost to the minute! my two hour lunch.

***

Mother's Day  -one of Alden Lane's biggest days of the year, was comin' write up.. and the vision hit me,  Love You Mom spelled out for all our guests! with those super cute mushrooms!

but, having learned over the years, and having no autonomy to take immediate action, I created a note for Cyndee, the GM   -who, by the way, is already doing the job of 12 people,

I spelled it out, the way GM's need to hear it...  like, these are the materials I would need... some sod, which would make an awesome background.. and then something to hold the sod..but that the mushrooms could poke through and stand upwrite…   so, a metal trellis...   and then lots of mushrooms!   and it would take... 1 to 2 hours..

and then..   mentioned how I totally understood if this wouldn't work this year, because the notice is short, it takes me off the floor, on and on, etc.  -I did give her an out; in writing..

and we would pass each her in the nursery, and she would say things like..  "i'm giving that some thought.."       and, then...    "I'm still thinking about it...    "       "not sure we can...   "

and I had hope... then lost hope...  then had hope...  then lost hope..

and eventually, she asked me some extra questions about my vision..   and I over-enthusiastically explained how I had already worked everything out..  "like, let me show you the trellis..  how it has all those open squares so the mushrooms can poke through the sod..."

and then she shared about how much all those glass mushrooms cost...    and how the sod was really awkward and heavy.. and how, the metal trellis might not even hold the weight of the sod, it might bend, and then we would not be able to sell it damaged..

and all she could picture in her mind was the trellis falling and all the mushrooms breaking...

and I over-enthusiastically explained how..  yes..   but, I wouldn't use every single mushroom.. and how I would be very, very careful...

and she talked about how the mushrooms  -once inserted through the sod, would be dirty and we wouldn't be able to sell them..

and I over-enthusiastically promised to clean each one after I was done...

and she was wondering how long that might take, and if I could really get them clean enough..

and she asked me if I realized how heavy the sod was..

and I had to admit...     no.

I mean, I had ordered sod...  I had sent customers to the sod area to look at it; to purchase it..   I had over three years, sent countless carry-out co-employees to pick it up and bring it to customers trucks and cars..

I had walked over it; near it; around it...   admired it...

but, I had never myself ever actually laid it down or picked it up.

and so, cyndee, in a slow and reluctant surrender to my vision...  well, i'm quite sure, she thought once I tried to lift the sod myself, on my own..

these 2 x 5' rolls...     i'm just guessing, but I think she was pretty sure that would discourage me.



"oh my!   -these are heavy!    I had no idea!"

and she smiled, like...    let's not do this then, and we can move on...

but, I had already made it past the first several obstacles...   getting her to read the note/vision; getting her to acknowledge in passing conversations even a fleeting chance...    getting her to see the metal trellis I had picked out..  the cute mushrooms..   and "the awesome sod background!"

"is there any other way to present the mushrooms?"  she asked me..

and I was like..    "sod is the most awesome..    anything else would be like... why bother..."

and so, she didn't exactly say an official okay you can do this.. but rather, I went and got a blue cart, and we just kind of started lifting that super heavy sod and getting it ready to move near the entrance oak.   and I did have to call for extra help

***

we make our way to the entrance oak, and I lean the metal trellis against the mighty oak..  and cyndee and I start to

-with all our strength and might-

lift the sod rolls from the cart to over the trellis.  

this was ….      this was...        -almost...   can't quite...      oh my God...    let me try one more time..

and I must of dropped the rolls 5 times...

and then they slid write off the trellis..  and had to be re-lifted and arranged multiple times..

and Tristan came to help.. and we almost had it   -but it needed to be shifted a few inches … and so, when we went to shift it

everything we had just accomplished slipped write back down to the ground and we had to start all over again.   -by this time cyndee had been called to solve 12 other much more important issues, and I was left to either surrender..

which was not an option, like  -at all; whatsoever

or, keep trying, keep trying..

and cyndee did try to tell me..    several times, in several ways..    how heavy the sod was; how the metal trellis would buckle

and everything she said was true.

the sod was obnoxiously heavy and awkward, and I had to readjust the trellis several times so it could borrow strength from the entrance oak and not buckle, plus hold the weight of the sod rolls, and hold the weight of the upcoming mushrooms

I prayed to the saints..

by the time cyndee came back by, Tristan and I had successfully negotiated the trellis and sod..

and, yes...  yes

it wasn't leaning perfectly..   and it was lower than in my vision..

"how are people going to take a picture next to that?!  its so low"   cyndee said,

and I said with a smile, I said, "well, …  I guess they're not going to take a picture with it... but!  they can take a picture  -of it."

and so, she was very gracious to go with me to collect the mushrooms...

I will skip the amount of time and trips, and cut to the part where she helped me out quite a bit with the spelling of words because    -well, we needed to speed things up

my goal would have been to write LOVE YOU MOM, using a variety of every size and color mushroom in a thick, fancy, beautiful font of my own design..

and I would have,

on my own, gone consciously, creatively..   until I liked each letter, then move on..

she suggested  -based on how many mushrooms, and how much time..

well, first thing she did was edit my vision to..    Love U Mom

and she started spelling MOM, while I worked on, LOVE...  because with two of us, we could get the goal accomplished much faster..

and,

just like cyndee was write about the sod being heavy, and the trellis buckling...

turns out I was write about how beautiful the sod would look as the background

and how cute those mushrooms are for spelling things

***



and, all of that was for    -what?

it was for mother's day.   and because I was so inspired by those pretty glass mushrooms.

and it was for...      a couple days only.

and, just like I promised, on the Monday following Mother's Day, I took the display down..  cleaned each and every mushroom and put them away.   cleaned the trellis of all the sod debris..    and had the sod placed in the green waste bin.

***

was it worth it?

***

that's a very fair question...    if you add up the time spent..   energy...   human resources...  product...

but,

the answer really depends on what you value most

-write.

***

and, I here thank cyndee for green-lighting my creative vision..

and smile and laugh here too, because..    I keep seeing my parents looking at cyndee

"see.   now you know what it's been like raising Sandra"

***


Robert knows now too...     and God bless him, because..   in our recent trip to hellyer.. I just want to say..

at first we were going to write hellyer with the those tiny, tiny daisy flowers, but it was too windy.  there was no where we could anchor them..

then I grabbed some white, fluffy stuff..  anchored it in some plants near the water, and was like, "baby.. look!  this will work!   the wind doesn't bother it..."

   -but getting more of the white fluffy stuff became a bit of a chore...     we had already put away our bikes, and it was after the bike ride, after the picnic..   energy was lower..

so I convinced him to just walk a little further...    and we saw a whole line of the cotton like white fluffy stuff,

and it looked from appearance like you could just run your hand and arm along the side of the road and come up with plenty of cotton...

but, it is very deceiving!   it had to be slowly, painfully, selectively accumulated, and then filtered/weeded out from other plant debris..

and I saw him loosing enthusiasm...

but..

"we have to do it baby!   see that sign that says cottonwood...   this is the essence material of this park..  its the one we are supposed to use!"

and he hung in there with me..     and we made it happen.



and there is something very    -very-     sexy about watching him collaborate with me.

a turn on of the biggest kind.

and so I thanked him appropriately when we got   home  

***

In Jesus made me this way's name...    amen!

posted by SANDRA HARRISON KAY @ 6:20 PM