On One Hand, and On the Other

When I was a little girl, my sister and I used to play office in our basement. Thick Sears or JCPenney catalogs were presented for the “customer” to peruse and then place orders. Orders were written down in receipt books using carbon paper, and final calculations were made on a calculator that had a tape for printing the receipt. There were always customers, and they were always buying, and they were always satisfied. (Well, mostly, we’re siblings after all!)

If only doing business were so easy today!  (Side note, there is one similarity with then and now is the use of receipt books with carbon paper, I kid you not!!)

As I reflect on the past month, I am waffling between feeling encouraged and discouraged.

On one hand, we have hired new staff in preparation for our new cafe space, made big decisions and purchases on equipment, and begun reorganizing the kitchen space. On the other hand, the final build of the barista bar will take longer than anticipated, and the designer is not moving with the same intensity I am. However, we are making slow but steady progress.

On one hand, we have met and interviewed some great potential line cooks; on the other hand, they have not joined us for various reasons. 

On the one hand, working with the sales and marketing consultant has helped identify the steps needed to get our granola into stores and grow sales. On the other hand, it feels like we are months away from being ready even to approach stores, let alone sell packets in bulk. 

That is a lot of hands! 

As I think about hands, I also think about the one who holds my hand through it all. As children, my sister and I would pull our parents into our office to show them our catalogs and make them place orders. They would abide and play along, sometimes (most of the time?!) half-heartedly. I think about the Father who delights in the work I am  doing. As I pull him around to show him the photos I have chosen for the cafe wall, with intent and care, he beams. As the construction work begins on the barista bar, he is thrilled. As I seek to find the right person for key positions, so that they shine and make others shine, he waits expectantly. As I take time to plan a strategy for a sales stream for granola, he is present and cares about the details. He doesn’t come half heartedly either; he comes with excitement and wonder. He celebrates the little wins and is not discouraged by the setbacks. 

With his own excitement and tenderness, as the situation calls, he also pulls me along to show me new opportunities, things he wants to invite me in to. On one hand, he delights in my excitement. On the other hand, I delight in his.