Holiday Madness

I think we've all cried at least once in the last couple of weeks. Sometimes from joy, but often from frustration and exhaustion. The breaking in period here has definitely taken its toll on each of us at one point or another. I say this as a statement of fact, not as a complaint. We're barely 10 weeks old and the growing pains have been ongoing and persistent. There's no question that we all want to "get it right" with each and every customer and put this store on the map.

One of the most difficult aspects to ignore right now is the busy-ness of our fellow friends in the business. Most of them have years on us but we compare, even if silently, whether we are standing up to what they're doing. I'll admit, I'm the worst. I won't even try to put it on Jeff or Donald. I make myself crazy with worry when we don't have a sensational day, especially now. I'm honest, however, so I can say this without embarrassment. I'm proud of my friends and their success even as I'm impatient for ours. I think I blogged about this before, but allowing things to unfold naturally is not one of my stronger traits. I'm more of the smash-it-through-the-smallest-opening-and-make-it-fit kinda girl.


In our location, which everyone seems to deem a "goldmine", we have a distinct traffic and shopping pattern. Unlike other stores located along the Post Road, we're at the Westport train station. This "goldmine" doesn't conform to any rules, and frankly, when called by that name, my reaction is to quickly cross myself and say 20 Hail Mary's. The store has a rhythm all its own, one I can't seem to alter. Yet. This is why when my other friends are "getting slammed" for Christmas, we're forced to bend to the cadence of what this location provides thus far. It may one day be a "goldmine" but for now it's firmly, and not so effortlessly, showing us what it's used to being: a commuter's store, and one that's history makes it almost curmudgeonly.


So, at the risk of sounding like Scrooge, let me clarify that I feel very blessed to have this opportunity. Jeff, Donald and I are working hard to turn around the prior damage and we feel confident this will happen. I believe this blog, in many ways, however, is more a metaphor for my life, as well as a lesson. You can't read this without discovering something about me, typically a struggle I'm having, and it's usually rooted in my past. Unlearning deeply ingrained behaviors is probably one of the hardest tasks to undertake. The rewards are tremendous but the grueling step-by-step process is like losing those last ten pounds. Arduous.


I wish everyone the happiest of holidays. Hug your family. Say I love you. Be kind to your fellow travelers.


Peace.