Beauty in the Chaos.
allison tetzlaff
Space designed by the one and only Sarah Martin of Beautiful Chaos. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram she truly is living in 'beautiful chaos' and I promise she will inspire you. www.beautifulchaoscompanies.com
Life. Every. Day. Life is full. The days scoot by so fast and as we're in the busiest season of our business I am left feeling stretched... very thin.... trying to keep myself healthy - body and mind... trying to keep my family in clean clothes, fed and ran to wherever it is they need to go... managing orders, store inventories, new product designs, painting, schedules, marketing... planning and preparing for a store opening... but the piece that I'm struggling with the most is 'being present'. When the lists go on and on I find myself hurrying from one to the next, to the next. Yes, I feel a sense of accomplishment when my to do's are checked off, but I'm left feeling empty because I have not been present in the 'quiet' moments.
When I’m in the presence of my kids and I see them hunched over their homework or creating one of their many masterpieces I catch myself reveling in the idea of what life must look like through their eyes. When school days seemed endless and the weeks drew on forever; when the backyard could transform into a kingdom and the sandbox was my bakery. I'm brought back to the excitement of getting picked up early from school to travel to Omaha every Thanksgiving to see my cousins where we'd all gather around the table and give thanks.... we'd play tag on the elevators and play spoons in our hotel rooms.... the feeling of how special it was to shop the Black Friday ads with my aunts and cousins to strategize our early morning shopping adventure. It's the tear in my Aunt's eye every time we would leave that I could see how beautiful a family's bond is no matter the distance or how often we would gather. It's these moments and feelings that leave a forever mark on our souls. And I'm learning that time is a relative concept, and it’s reiterated that everything around us is a matter of perspective.
So in these next few weeks of travel and holiday preparation, I’m making a conscious decision to revel in the beauty and magic of the holidays, as I did when I was a kid. I’m committing to pause at our Thanksgiving dinner to breathe in the moment surrounded by friends. I’m committing to playing in the first snow of the season and acknowledging all the blessings bestowed upon me as I shop for loved ones on my Christmas list. I’m committing to telling the real story of Christmas throughout the month of December, interspersed with some of our favorite traditions and memories. And I’m committing to being present in every moment of this season, as I will never experience Christmas with my husband and children at this age again.
I thank God for all my gifts including my family and friends, talents and treasures, and the ability to share my life’s passion with you, my customers. Have a blessed Thanksgiving holiday with your loved ones. Love, Allison