09/28/2022
Yesterday morning I woke up really upset…
I spent Sunday making a bunch of arrangements for Monday’s event, only to sell a couple of them. I thought about trying to sell them at a discount to make a little of the expenses back, but decided to just give them away to friends and family to enjoy.
So, when Tuesday rolled around, I just kept thinking about how much time and money I wasted (A LOT - and some of the local, seasonal flowers were already fading) on a design I was really, really proud of, but no one wanted.
I was feeling sorry for myself while working from home yesterday morning, only to overhear a segment in the background on with about the 25th anniversary of his book, “Tuesdays With Morrie.” I was honestly (embarrassingly!) crying along with Hoda and Jenna when Albom recounted lessons from Morrie Schwartz: ‘Taking makes me feel like I’m dying; Giving makes me feel like I’m living’ and ‘When you get to the end, nobody’s going to care how much you work…It’s going to be the friends that you’ve made, the family that you have.’
Talk about a perfectly-timed reminder. I’ve often said that I’m a pretty terrible business owner, and would make a much better philanthropist; Yesterday reminded me why I think this way — Serving others, sharing compassion, giving your time and talents (and, sometimes, unsold flower arrangements) really let’s you feel like you’re living well and makes you appreciate the friends you’ve made along the way. No time or money is ever wasted when you can give someone even a second of happiness.
I’ll happily continue to be a “terrible business owner” for as long as I can. Glad to know that even after 25 years, another Tuesday was turned around thanks to lessons from Morrie… and I think it’s time for a re-read.