Hair New Era

A week ago I opened my Etsy shop. That was a really big leap for me, something I was scared of and excited about at the same time.

I had been dreaming about my Etsy shop for quite some time - way too long, actually, before I finally started to make it happen. Even before Kelly Rae's "Flying Lessons" did I know that I wanted my shop, my own little space where I hoped to sell the pieces I created.

Why did it take so long? In the end, it certainly was fear. But I think it also was being sick for such a long time without knowing it. When your body isn't healthy, it lets you feel that without you realizing it. You're tired all the time. Your energy level is extremely low. Your optimism shrinks quite a bit. There are times, sometimes several days in a row that you feel downright depressed. You're the worst company you can imagine.

Since my surgery almost three months ago I do feel like a new person - just as my surgeon had promised. I feel healthy, energetic, optimistic. These days I have more energy than I had for a very long time - I've almost forgotten what it feels like to be healthy. I will never ever again take that for granted.

With this new energetic me I've felt confident enough to deal with my fears and see them as a challenge. I told myself that opening my own Etsy shop really does not carry a big risk - I can't lose anything, but I can gain a lot instead. So why not try it? In the worst case I am not selling anything. That would hurt, of course, but it is nothing that would ruin me. And I can tell myself that I tried and it didn't work out. Still better than not trying at all because I'm scared.

With these thoughts on my mind I set up my shop and finally opened it last week. I only told a handful of people. Of course I feel like a complete newbie which I am, but everyone at Etsy once was a newbie. I'm slowly making my way, finding connections, building up my "circle" and just getting familiar with the Etsy environment.

Yes, it is scary. It is also exciting and exhilarating. It's discovering new things every day.

It makes me feel ALIVE !!!

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Maria at Simply Cool Stuff chose the word for this week - rock.

The very first thought that shot into my head was 'Rock', the German word for skirt. A rock is 'Felsen' or 'Stein' - completely different words.

Second thought - rock 'n roll.

As a third thought I saw a beautiful little spirit rock with an engraved coyote that I bought several years ago at some Native American store and that I carry around with me pretty often. And this rock stuck with me.

Hello! After a little bit more than two weeks I am back to my blog, relaxed and happy. We just spent wonderful family time in British Columbia, exploring, camping, hiking, hanging out with relatives. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking and we were incredibly lucky with the weather (a few sprinkles was the closest to rain).

We first visited Vancouver,

then headed into the Rockies

and finally spent some relaxing days with our relatives at the Okanagan Lake.

There will be more about this trip on this blog and what fed my soul during those exciting days.

The best thing? We didn't switch on the TV a single time and I also succeeded in staying away from the computer completely. After Vancouver we had pure nature, stayed in primitive campgrounds and just enjoyed the rich beauty of British Columbia.

The most impressing? The howling and yipping of a pack of coyotes close to my relatives' property. What a concert!

A trip I'll remember for a long time.