Three weeks have passed since first coming down to stay on my parents property. It has been quite an adjustment from the busyness of Colorado Springs with its grocery stores at nearly every corner, fabulous coffee shops, and my friends just a short drive away. Now I am living nearly 3 hours from the Springs and 30 minutes from the nearest town in a place described as: an unincorporated community and U.S. Post Office. A little known fact to those outside of this “unincorporated community”; the post office no longer exists.
Life down here has its own sort of busyness and interruptions. My dad and I are in the process of renovating an old barn, (previously made livable) which I will move into in approximately three weeks. It is proving to be quite a feat however. My jobs thus far have been to scrape cement off the old bricks, which a month ago made up the floor. Once we fix and fill the holes that rodents and time have created, the brick floors will be reinstalled. Currently, I am working on reputtying the single paned windows to ensure more warmth this winter. Thus far, many unexpected trips into town have taken place, large orders of gravel and road base have been delivered, and the supply of firewood outside my door is begging to be restocked. You never know how much work it takes to keep a large property in good shape till you are a part of the goings on.
After a very labor intensive seasonal job working on a flower farm, sitting at my computer or in front of the many art pieces I am working on is proving to be an adjustment. My days tend to go as follows; work a few hours in the morning on my business endeavors, which is a good exercise in self control and persistence, in order to accomplish all I hope for this winter. After lunch, I join my father in working on the barn until the sun goes down. At some point, I fit a workout in or go for a run (only two days a week for now, but for those who know my athletic journey this is a big milestone!).
What do I hope to achieve this winter? Well I'm glad I asked the question on your behalf. The list is not exactly extensive, however the projects demanding my attention require a great deal of research and work. I have several art pieces in my mind's eye. Two in particular that I am working on is a commissioned painting and a tapestry of tea bags, but more on that later. In addition, I have been building a website for my business ‘Discovering Authenticity’ and putting together a plan for its future growth and expansion. Essentially, I am learning how to be an entrepreneur. I’ve dabbled in entrepreneurship before but never worked full time on making my own dreams become reality. It is a thrilling yet terrifying experience thus far and I am learning just how much I have to learn, not only about how to grow and run a successful business, but about myself and how I handle things.