Arrange the Pieces

Life is a puzzle. Virginia Woolf would have us arrange the pieces as they arrive.

Her quote bowled me over when I read it last year. I was going through some tough times. Nothing earth shattering, but they say when you make a big move - such as moving home, house, and business from Colorado to New York - it’s one of the most stressful things a human body/brain can endure.

I so agree. That move tried to kill me. I am only exaggerating a little bit. There was so much to do, so much to pack, so much to consider, my feet hurt, my stomach hurt, my brain hurt!

It wasn’t the rush of moving. We thought long and hard about it. Leaving our home in CO, which we loved, to be nearer to family, whom we love, was the right decision. However, making it real was definitely taxing, both to body and mind.

I saw the Virginia Woolf quote during that time. I had taken a break from packing, putting the pending move aside, including the fact that we had yet another showing of our current home later that day, and I went to my computer to clear my mind and write a bit. Writing always soothes me.

An Unfinished Work of Art

“Arrange whatever pieces come your way,” I whispered to no one. To myself, perhaps.

My mind immediately created a beautiful image of trees, and flowers, and calm. I could see myself at a large table, in a dimly lit room, surrounded by windows. The sun was shining in the windows, a soft breeze was fluttering the leaves on the maple trees. Evergreen trees stood like strong sentries about the house I was in. There were bright pink roses on a bush outside one window. The other window showed morning glories, reaching their blue faces to the sun.

On the table was a large, mostly unfinished, puzzle. A work of art; the puzzle of my life. One corner was complete and much of the edge down the right side was complete. I saw pieces of my life that I had forgotten about. And, scattered everywhere, I saw more pieces of my life, waiting to be added to the puzzle.

If you can think of your life that way - as a giant puzzle with pieces scattered about, but always within reach, you can begin to build the story of you, the story of your passion for this business you want to build. You can see the power of being a woman, a baby boomer with years of experience, and a desire to build something in her second act - a time for that encore of you.