New beginnings

Every now and then life throws you a mean left hook out of nowhere and catches you…POW…right in the kisser. A week ago, I had one of these blows. I received a call from the CEO of the entrepreneurial company I worked for as a Marketing Director for the past 5 years and was told I was being laid off. As in any life changing event that happens unexpectedly, I tried to take stock of the situation and the enormity of its impact and think about my next step. And then I cried. It’s not that there weren’t signs that things were slowing down, but it’s that I hadn’t anticipated the urgency of the situation that hit me so hard.

I was overwhelmed with a sense of shock. And grief. And fear. And I was left with a foundation that felt wobbly, shaken, and cracked for the first time in years. My heart remained heavy over the course of the weekend, vacillating between feeling sorry for myself, unwanted, and utterly terrified (after re-hashing horror stories I’ve heard of the ravages of these uncertain economic times). Failed mortgages. Drained retirement accounts. Financial ruin.

On Sunday, I decided I would try to stop feeling like a victim and start taking stock of my skills, talents, abilities, and assets, the latter being the supportive and positive friend network I’ve acquired through the years. I set out to arrange a lunch meeting with one friend each day for the following week, ensuring myself it would combat my sense of doom. My first lunch was with a friend who is a dynamic professional woman whom I admire. And who, incidentally was recently diagnosed with cancer that she is bravely fighting with her heart and soul. Sitting across from this lovely young woman with her adorable loose-knitted cap draped over her perfect round head, I was struck by the magnitude of fear and loss that she must be facing. Here she sat, someone with every reason to be filled with self pity, but instead she radiated hope, joy, and resiliency. And I was inspired.

As I bid my friend adiou and made my way to my car, I vowed to stop the negative self talk, to stop feeling sorry for myself and take that first step into the wild unknown. I don’t know where my steps may lead me, but I believe that very first unemployed lunch date was scheduled through divine intervention and was designed to fill me with hope and inspiration for whatever lies ahead. And I am ready to face my new challenges head on, and get back in the ring.

Springtime renewal basket

Spring time is the time for renewal and this upcycled craft will help you celebrate the new season beautifully. With that, I am also launching a completely new blog design to usher in the positive energy of renewal. To make this project:

Step 1) Find a wicker basket that you no longer find useful. If you like the color, don’t change a thing. If you don’t like the color, pick up a can of spray paint in the desired color. Spray paint both inside and outside the basket and let dry before moving to the next step.

Step 2) For the next step, you will line the inside of the wicker basket with plastic so that soil and water will not seep through the wicker basket. Find a piece of plastic that fits inside the basket and trim it so that the plastic is only 1" below the top of the wicker basket. Staple the plastic to the top of the wicker basket inside. NOTE: I used two grocery bags but you can use garbage bags, plastic garden sheeting, etc.

Step 3) Fill the bottom of the wicker basket with a couple of handfuls of pebbles or marbles to provide some aeration for the plant.

Step 4) Add soil to the inside of the wicker basket.

Step 5) Place flowers in the soil and pat down so they are seated properly in the soil. I used Hyacinth flowers because they fill the house with the most amazing fragrance.

Step 6) Add an embellishment of some kind to the wicker basket. I tied a piece of rope to a ceramic heart that I had at the bottom of a craft drawer but you could use any little trinket you like to make it interesting and tie it through the holes in the wicker with twine, ribbon, wire, or whatever you choose.

Happy Upcycling!

NOTE: This post was first published on upcycled.com on April 5, 2013.