Category: letterpress

Figuring it all out

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I haven’t.

Oh, I keep thinking I have everything under control. But then I get that rapid heart beat, the stomach rolling, and I recognize it. I am anxious again.

Once you’ve experienced it, you will know immediately.

So what to do? Well, I know I’ve taken on some extra volunteering lately. I’m on the Board of NICA, (Nopes Island Conservation Association) and on the marketing committee of Mental Health America of Fredericksburg. Both are important organizations that do so much good. I’m helping with social media and writing newsletters among other things.

I had also volunteered to print some wedding invitations for a sweet friend, and since that’s normally out of my lane, I let the whole process drive me crazy. Mistake after mistake and –rushing! When I get anxious, my thoughts start swirling and whirling, and the next thing I know, my actions follow my thoughts. I’ve been going too fast.

So, big breath today. Slow down. Stop overthinking. I need to remember the patterns I fall into, and then also remember- I can stop.

“Stress is an ignorant state. It believes that everything is an emergency. Nothing is that important.”
—Natalie Goldberg

Forcing the Issue

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I have to say– I really don’t like Valentine’s Day. It seems artificial. Forced. Stiff.

So why do I print cards for the occasion? I’m not sure. Maybe because it’s expected. But I have realized I don’t need to. I don’t want to. I am really trying to shift my priorities and lower my stress. (I know– how can a retired person have stress?)

So once I close my Etsy shop again, I am going to clean out all the cards I no longer want to print… and relax.

xo

Working in Gray

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What does it say about me that gray is my favorite color? Well, second to teal.

I’m not sure, but these days when we are in need of “calm,” it seems to help. I’ve decided to open my online stores again since people can’t get out to my favorite local shops. Send a card to someone today and make their day! All profits go to Mental Health America of Fredericksburg :)

Etsy

Shopify

Here it Comes Again

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Do you have a “default” story you always tell yourself? Of course you do. We all do.

It took me a long time to understand and face all the stories I had buried: that women defer to men, that I shouldn’t express my opinion, that I am disorganized and lack attention to details. There are more.

These stories shape us, and as we narrate the stories in our head, send us on our journeys. I was finally able to realize where the stories had come from (culture, parents, experiences) and, more importantly, figure out how to break the cycle.

For example, I am a little disorganized. But that doesn’t make me a bad person. I have also learned to compensate. I have been a success in many aspects of my life. When I lose something these days, I try to laugh and not let myself get dragged down into “I always do this. Why can’t I be more organized?”

All this to say, I’m sure the reason I letterpress print sayings and quotes I love is the reminder to myself that I am fine. A change of thoughts translates to a change in actions. Sometimes I need to pause for a moment, shake those negative thoughts out of my head, and then I’m on my way.