The Best Time And The Second Best Time

Oddly enough over the past few days I have come in contact with several people who have intimated to me their time has past.  Their dreams were not realized and now it is simply too late.  They told me "I could have done this, I could have done that.....Why didn't I finish school?  Why did I pass up that opportunity?  Why didn't I take the job with all the security instead of gambling on myself?  Why didn't I have children, get married, get divorced....why didn't I eat better or exercise more?

"The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, the second best time is today."

I believe it is never too late.  There was a time I did not think I was capable enough, smart enough, or healthy enough to start a business.  But we had to, there was no other way to make a living.  After searching for jobs my husband and I discovered we were largely unemployable.  And facing the fact the recession had cleaned us out the future looked pretty bleak.   So we started our own business, and we have had some brilliant successes, and also made some pretty big mistakes.  But we keep going.  When things don't go our way we just say....

"Now what?  So What."

Does this take work?  This kind of care free attitude?  Yes we start over every day.  Every day we pray, we read, we tell ourselves we can do it.  I believe God wants us to succeed.  Believing that has helped me a hundred fold.

Last night I asked a very successful, hard working colleague of mine if he ever wanted to give up.

"I wanted to quit day before yesterday.  But I didn't because I can't.  I just get up the next morning and start over.  I believe that, and because I believe that,  solutions come, panic wanes and emergencies abate."

Our journey began with realizing what we had to work with.  What do we already have?  Well, we can cook, we can entertain, we have nice serving pieces, a sense of style (love adding that)  Raymond is a brilliant floral arranger, and we have great friends.

Catering...our little business was born.  We gave it the whimsical name of Ray Ray's.  That was my husbands nickname as a little boy.

It has not been easy, but doors have opened, word is slowly spreading and we do better all the time.  As the saying goes above, we built a windmill.  There are a million reasons to fail.....but we won't. God wants us and you to succeed.  He helps us build a windmill.

We are starting now to make a brand new ending, in a life we never expected to have.  When I hear people say, "I never thought my life would turn out this way,"

I want to ask them "Isn't it great?"

....please understand, that is how I feel on a good day.  But many, many days I haven't felt that way.  I have sat in a puddle and thrown dirt on my back, I have been resentful life didn't play out the way I imagined...I have cried, screamed into my pillow, bemoaned my fate and been angry as hell.

But I am better.

And as we get better at what we do I am not as nervous....that's a simple word, the truth is I have been terrified at times.

I am not as angry as I was.  Still very far from where I want to be, but at least I am on the path.

Build a windmill....you can do anything.