Getting Stuck in Your Shirt…

“Help!” uttered a small voice from the backseat on my cousin’s family vacation. Holly’s motherly instinct kicked in and she quickly turned to see what was going on with her youngest son. The little guy had apparently gotten hot and tried to take off his shirt while strapped into his car seat. Now he was stuck! I received an email with this photo attached. (Holly’s motherly instinct was superseded at least temporarily by her desire to catch the humorous situation on camera first)

What strikes me as great about this photo is his expression. Here’s a kid, completely stuck, can’t see, probably feeling confined and helpless, yet he’s SMILING. He knew it was all going to be alright and wasn’t stressing out. I immediately decided I could learn from this little guy.

I occasionally find myself feeling a bit “stuck.” How great would it be to just realize that something is out of my control, laugh, and find help? Do you ever spend too much time trying to do something on your own, only to finally get frustrated, cranky, and then ask for help? (Guilty as charged). Next time, I’m going to remember Cooper. Will you?

In the words of Beth Moore, “We are wise to force ourselves to keep differentiating between simple inconveniences and authentic tribulations.”

Making it in a Recession-Crazed World

Admit it. All of the press and hype about this awful recession has started to get to you a little, hasn’t it? Even if you haven’t lost your job, you probably know someone who has, or you are concerned about your own.

The fact is, that yes… people have lost some jobs. They are being forced to get a bit creative and seek out possibly a whole new career path. Is this necessarily a bad thing? I stand that it is not.

I am a freelance artist. You can believe that I’ve been getting a lot of questions and concerns about how I’m doing in these uncertain times. And a couple of months ago, I might have told you that I was concerned. In my little corner of the world, people weren’t spending the usual big bucks on custom portraits for Christmas gifts. Portrait commissions accounted for the majority of my income, so I realized that I had to make some changes in how I do business.

The recession caused me to change my plan of action.

I started learning more, researching some creative ways to further my business. It so happens that I have a very marketable set of skills in the area of graphic design! The wheels started turning, and it went something like this: “People are spending less on ‘unnecessary’ items right now (portraits). But businesses need more help than ever, and many new businesses are starting up as a result of this recession… Maybe, just maybe I need to find ways to connect with these people for awhile.” And so I did.

Top 15 Benefits of Having a Husband

1. You have a solid reason to do your hair and makeup each morning.

2. You never have to make the bed again (this may just be a personal benefit, but it’s one that I find quite satisfying).

3. You have a great excuse to have cookies in the house.

4. Husbands can move heavy stuff.

5. Saturday mornings can now be spent talking with someone other than yourself.

6. You no longer have to wait 2 weeks to have enough laundry to run a dark load.

7. You can use him as a plausible excuse to leave a dull social event early.

8. Two words: Grocery runs.

9. Husbands will almost always laugh at your jokes.

10. Someone besides you can possibly be to blame for your cluttered garage.

11. A lightbulb needs changing? Doorknob is loose? Weatherstripping needs to be replaced? You are no longer the default person for these tasks. These are man jobs.

12. The heating bill is lower because he doubles as an electric blanket at night.

13. Your vehicular problems are now potential opportunities for him to morph into Superman.

14. Leftovers are no longer an issue.

15. Making a baby just got a LOT easier.