Live with an attitude of gratitude!
I don't want to sound trite, but I am welcoming this new year with an attitude of gratitude. God has so blessed me in 2013! I am excited about life, having fun each day, and accomplishing goals I never realized I could meet.
So what did 2013 present to me?
- Early in the year, I experienced great difficulty. In March, I took a fall that has not been explained yet. One moment I was walking on a perfectly flat surface, and the next I was down on the ground. No ice, no cracks in the pavement, and no memory of how I got there. I was so banged up because I did not protect my fall, that they called an ambulance and took me to the hospital. I had a dislocated wrist, broken ulna, my face was bruised from top to bottom, and to me the worst was the hematoma of my brain. I was off work for three months to recover and went through every test in the book to figure out why I fell. The outcome is that I received outstanding care, had great support from family and friends, recovered and feel better than ever. I did a lot of praying and thinking about my life, and what I want to do. Life is a blessing!
- As I went back to work I found less satisfaction in my job with the hospital system. I didn't have my heart in it. My desire was to work full time developing my Plum Beadacious shop here online. I knew I did not earn enough from my Etsy shop to live on. So I seriously set goals and was able to increase my revenue from that source every month. In addition, I started putting one of my two paychecks from my full time job into savings, to see if we could meet our bills with a lesser income. Most importantly I prayed to the Lord each day for guidance and blessings on my little business. The business grew immensely, and by early fall I had doubled my monthly sales.
- Next I got the wild idea that I could quit my day job and work the Plum Beadacious jewelry business full time. I was 63 at the time, and knew I could collect Social Security. My IRA was growing and thriving as well. The big monster in the picture was health insurance. So just for grins I called our benefits department to ask what COBRA would cost for the plan I have with the hospital. I was pleasantly surprised. I also went through the hoops of checking out the insurance exchange plans offered under the new Obamacare. The COBRA was the better deal for me. Can you believe it?
- I turned in my resignation in late October, and my last day of work was December 6. I actually had time to make Christmas cookies without doing a marathon baking session. I went to my grand-daughter's preschool Christmas concert during the day. I attended a performance of the Messiah. I enjoyed Christmas with my daughter and her family. Best December ever, and my jewelry sales went through the roof.
- Here I am in January planning a trip to Taos and Santa Fe NM. Plus I am working hard to learn more about ecommerce, to create new products, and to enjoy the experiences along the way.
