The musings of a local business owner

When I was a kid, I remember having a keychain that said “Stop the world — I want to get off!” While that was an amusing anecdote when I was 14, it has become, from time to time, an honest plea as an adult. Funny thing that is — adulting … “Adulting” wasn’t a word when I was a kid, or even a teenager. “Adulting” became a verb when I became an adult, and I must say, sometimes I just don’t feel like doing it.

I think we all might be feeling a little bit like that today. Could we just stop the world, please? I’d like to get off the tilt-a-whirl, put my stomach back down into my abdomen where it belongs, and go back to life as normal. Or, do I?

I have a confession to make. I’ve silently felt “stop the world, I want to get off” many times before this current virus crisis. In fact, what exactly has the COVID-19 pandemic done so far? Stopped the world. So, to look at it one way; I and any other introverted working moms out there with too much on their plates, just got our way. The world has stopped.

I have more time right now than I have in a long while. I’m catching up on some projects. I’m organizing things that I’ve never had time to clear out before. I’m at home all day, every day, with my favorite people in the world — my husband and my children — and Spring is coming so I’m outside working on gardening projects in my favorite place on Earth. I am blessed beyond measure.

But, I am unsure about things to come. I am trying to figure out how to use my time wisely, not to squander it; to get all those important projects done, while still preparing for a hopefully busy Summer for retail, and somehow getting my kids (one of whom has autism) on a homeschool schedule.

As a local shop owner, I am unsure about the future of my business and my finances. I am unsure about my friends who also own small businesses, or our employees that we’ve all had to let go because we had to close our doors. When will it end? Can the world start again?

When I was in my early 20s, a wise business coach of mine once told me that I had to learn to live with “unfinished business.” I’m the type of person who doesn’t like unknowns; I don’t like surprise birthday parties, and I never stop a house renovation part-way through. I like to know what’s coming, who’s involved, how much it will cost, etc etc.

But, I’ve had to learn to live with unfinished business. Sometimes life keeps moving and doesn’t give you the answers, and you have to move ahead regardless of the unknowns. I don’t know what’s going to happen next month. I don’t know if my kids will be back in school, or if I’ll even have an income. But, I do know that each day is a gift of time, which is more precious than any amount of money or schooling combined.

For me, I will focus this week on celebrating Resurrection Sunday, and rejoicing in new life. I will reflect on my blessings, and I will sow time and love into my family. We, as a community, can do the same. Don’t count your blessings — they’re innumerable. Share your blessings instead, and then they will multiply.

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Nancy Croll is a representative of the Bonners Ferry Chamber of Commerce and co-owner of Boundary Consignments.