It is indeed a Happy New Year, 2014 has started out quite well and for that I'm Grateful, since 2013 had been a really rough year for our Family.
I'm always quite Optomistic at the beginning of every Fresh New Year, but I must say the Energy at the start of this one has been particularly Positive and Encouraging.
Most of the Family that live locally have gotten together intentionally to spend more quality time together, in spite of distance now being a factor with The Son moving to the East Valley and us here in the West Valley.
In many ways The Man's Catastrophic Accident and near death experience last year has made us all even more acutely aware of the fragility of Life and to take nothing and no-one for Granted. To Savor the Moments of Life and Cherish each other all the more and make Time for those things and people that count the most .
I received a Sweet Surprise New Year's Gift from my Friends Michael and David at Pho 43 Vietnamese Restaurant in Phoenix... an assortment of their Fresh Home-Made French Macaroons!!!
The French Macaroons by Binh are like eating little flavored Clouds, they're that Heavenly tasting... there are over a dozen different absolutely Divine Flavors to choose from, my favorite, by a slim margin, is the Bright Green Matcha Green Tea flavor.
But you will Love them ALL... I practically put myself into a French Macaroon induced Coma sampling them all when I got Home! *LOL* Thanks Guys, it was a Wonderful Surprise Gift and so Generous. *Mwahhh!* My Flavor Sampling was Matcha Green Tea, Strawberry, Red Velvet, Cappuccino, After Dinner Mint and Pistachio. *YUM!!!*
That's right, I didn't Share... the G-Kids had gone with The Son and Family for the Weekend so I had them all to myself! The Man isn't very adventurous when it comes to Cuisine he's not familiar with... and I hadn't had a Great French Macaroon since my Dad had Passed. Dad was a "Macaroon-Meister" {my description... Winks} and a Master Pastry Chef, which completely Spoiled me in this Lifetime... and Binh's measure up to my Dad's Macaroons, so I'd highly recommend them.
I've been having exceptionally great Luck on my Picks since the New Year began...
Both for Fresh Inventory to put into the Showrooms...
Honestly, you should have seen me trying to contain my Excitement and Enthusiasm and Inconspicuously gather them up so as not to draw undue Attention to myself before I could get them into my cart without others suddenly becoming Zombie-Like Interested and swarming around the bin they were in! *LOL*
That's a Picker's Heads-Up for those that don't realize that if you show too much Excitement or Interest in ANYTHING, then anyone standing around will suddenly become Interested and scramble over once their Attention is drawn and their Curiosity is sparked by whatever it is causing your Buzz!? It just reminds me of a bad Zombie Movie! {Insert them stopping whatever they're doing and cocking their heads to look your way and then descend like a hungry Zombie Apocalypse!} *Le Sigh*
I personally find it to be a very Annoying Phenomenon, especially if they can't recognize on their own what it even is you've shown an Interest in and probably passed it over already with total disinterest or indifference. But suddenly now they want to compete for it too because someone else is Interested, even if they don't even seem to know what it is or have a Clue as to why they want or need it?! *LOL* Pickin' can become very cut-throat with some people so I've learned to be more Guarded than I initially was, which is unfortunate, but the Nature of the Beast I suppose.
It's the unexpected Dark Side of the biz and you have to decide if you're going over to the Dark Side or not to procure your stuff, I choose not to as I consider it Bad Karma to get what you want at any Cost or with cut-throat Methods. I want a clean conscience and Hope to always do the Right thing and do Right by everyone. I genuinely like People and Socializing, I always keep it one-hundred percent, so I prefer to Assume others will do the same... but beware, some don't and are Wolves in Sheep's clothing, they are not your Friend. I find it hard to Believe they'd be anybody's Friend and could be Trusted... but to each his own I suppose.
And it gets even Zombie-Stalker-Creepier if they begin following you around like their personal Treasure-Detector because you seem to know what you're looking for... I call them Hyena Pickin' Opportunists! If they didn't come with you and don't know you it's terribly Intrusive, Distracting and Annoying. Sure, it's a Competitive biz, but I refuse to compromise Character or Integrity over Junque... there's plenty of it and besides, I only want Good Karma coming back at me... but you do have to recognize and learn the ropes, I'm still New enuf at it to be Idealistic and still learning what and who to avoid like the plague. *Smiles*
The disingenuous ones are the worst, who feign or try to push trying to establish a rapport with you, but with an ulterior motive that is not the least bit sincere and is typically Transparent enough to pick up on because the M.O. is so similar and recognizable. If not, just let them talk long enough and you'll recognize their Angle because they'll unintentionally Reveal it. Out of the abundance of the Heart the Mouth will eventually Speak and they'll slip up.
I'm mentioning this because my Pickin' Buddy and I encountered a couple of such disengenuous Types that approached us during this particular 'Pick' and I Hate when that happens. My Friend was so much Sweeter and more Tolerant of them than I. I refuse to Engage the Type anymore and if I get a bad Vibe or Gut Reaction about a Person, I don't want them around me and try to make it crystal clear early on. These Types can threaten to ruin or intrude upon an Enjoyable 'Pick' where you're just chillin' and having a good time and want to be left alone to do what you do without someone running their Game, hovering, asking too many questions {passive aggressive interrogating} and being Fake, I can't Respect that so I have Zero Tolerance for them.
But, in spite of a few Obstacle People *LOL*... we are having Good Fortune at the start of this New Year and our Picks have been so much Fun and a great Stress Reliever and Release. I get really 'Zen' when I'm on a Pick because it's such an Enjoyable Activity to me and the Thrill Of The Hunt in and of itself is exhilerating, even if I don't find much. But I've done quite well Sourcing the Inventory that I particularly Love and Appreciate. Things like Vintage Religious Objects, Ornate Cigar Boxes, Ephemera, Flower Frogs, and especially anything Quirky and Odd. *Smiles*
Yes, the most Simplistic of things can Excite and Enchant or Inspire me... and that's part of the Thrill of it all... the Simplicity of Discovery or anything and everything that might Delight your Eye and you have an Appreciation of!
I realize how very Fortunate I am that I'm getting to Follow my Bliss and my Heart, focusing on doing what I Love more at this Season of Life than I've ever been able to before. Doing what you Love really is Living The Dream in so many ways.
And I really do Love doing this and have found great Purpose in doing it actually. I no longer Discount the Gifts of being a superb Scavenger, which has always come effortlessly to me and I Loved but without really knowing or understanding why I Reveled in it so Completely. *Smiles*
And it is indeed a Happy New Year as I've had more Clarity of Purpose than ever before... and just moving in Purpose without regard to Outcome. Just the pure Joy of it all and allowing the Blessings to follow and catch up to what I'm Feeling so very Purposed to be doing.
I Hope that you too will be following your Bliss and your Heart this year... and moving in Purpose... without allowing anyone or anything to throw you off or discourage you with their perceived logic, reason, opinions or Agendas... however well intended... or not?
I'm going to Focus ever so much more Intently upon my Passions this Year.
And feed my Soul with Creativity and doing what I Truly Love!
Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian
I've been having exceptionally great Luck on my Picks since the New Year began...
Both for Fresh Inventory to put into the Showrooms...
And to expand Favorite Personal Collections. Yes, recently I 'Scored' an epic sized Box Lot of an Amazing selection of Twenty-Nine Vintage Metal and Crystal Flower Frogs that must have been someone's Collection. {Be still my beating Heart!}
Honestly, you should have seen me trying to contain my Excitement and Enthusiasm and Inconspicuously gather them up so as not to draw undue Attention to myself before I could get them into my cart without others suddenly becoming Zombie-Like Interested and swarming around the bin they were in! *LOL*
That's a Picker's Heads-Up for those that don't realize that if you show too much Excitement or Interest in ANYTHING, then anyone standing around will suddenly become Interested and scramble over once their Attention is drawn and their Curiosity is sparked by whatever it is causing your Buzz!? It just reminds me of a bad Zombie Movie! {Insert them stopping whatever they're doing and cocking their heads to look your way and then descend like a hungry Zombie Apocalypse!} *Le Sigh*
I personally find it to be a very Annoying Phenomenon, especially if they can't recognize on their own what it even is you've shown an Interest in and probably passed it over already with total disinterest or indifference. But suddenly now they want to compete for it too because someone else is Interested, even if they don't even seem to know what it is or have a Clue as to why they want or need it?! *LOL* Pickin' can become very cut-throat with some people so I've learned to be more Guarded than I initially was, which is unfortunate, but the Nature of the Beast I suppose.
And it gets even Zombie-Stalker-Creepier if they begin following you around like their personal Treasure-Detector because you seem to know what you're looking for... I call them Hyena Pickin' Opportunists! If they didn't come with you and don't know you it's terribly Intrusive, Distracting and Annoying. Sure, it's a Competitive biz, but I refuse to compromise Character or Integrity over Junque... there's plenty of it and besides, I only want Good Karma coming back at me... but you do have to recognize and learn the ropes, I'm still New enuf at it to be Idealistic and still learning what and who to avoid like the plague. *Smiles*
But, in spite of a few Obstacle People *LOL*... we are having Good Fortune at the start of this New Year and our Picks have been so much Fun and a great Stress Reliever and Release. I get really 'Zen' when I'm on a Pick because it's such an Enjoyable Activity to me and the Thrill Of The Hunt in and of itself is exhilerating, even if I don't find much. But I've done quite well Sourcing the Inventory that I particularly Love and Appreciate. Things like Vintage Religious Objects, Ornate Cigar Boxes, Ephemera, Flower Frogs, and especially anything Quirky and Odd. *Smiles*
Yes, the most Simplistic of things can Excite and Enchant or Inspire me... and that's part of the Thrill of it all... the Simplicity of Discovery or anything and everything that might Delight your Eye and you have an Appreciation of!
I realize how very Fortunate I am that I'm getting to Follow my Bliss and my Heart, focusing on doing what I Love more at this Season of Life than I've ever been able to before. Doing what you Love really is Living The Dream in so many ways.
And I really do Love doing this and have found great Purpose in doing it actually. I no longer Discount the Gifts of being a superb Scavenger, which has always come effortlessly to me and I Loved but without really knowing or understanding why I Reveled in it so Completely. *Smiles*
And it is indeed a Happy New Year as I've had more Clarity of Purpose than ever before... and just moving in Purpose without regard to Outcome. Just the pure Joy of it all and allowing the Blessings to follow and catch up to what I'm Feeling so very Purposed to be doing.
I Hope that you too will be following your Bliss and your Heart this year... and moving in Purpose... without allowing anyone or anything to throw you off or discourage you with their perceived logic, reason, opinions or Agendas... however well intended... or not?
I'm going to Focus ever so much more Intently upon my Passions this Year.
And feed my Soul with Creativity and doing what I Truly Love!
Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian