I had the bright idea last Tuesday to call my dad and ask if I could do a little bake sale fundraiser in his shop (he's a managing partner for Firestone Tire and Service) the
following Saturday. And my dad, being awesome, said to bring it on.
So I busted my behind on Friday. I went to Target and spent $30 on baking supplies and then I went to Party City where I spent $20 on plastic party trays and some napkins. I drove to my mom and dad's house where I picked up some baked goods that my mom made to help me out. I got home and spent several hours baking...5 dozen cookies, a box of brownies, and two batches of rice crispy treats. And then after the kids were in bed, Jeff and I spent two hours wrapping everything in
cellophane and pretty ribbon. We were seriously exhausted, so we went to bed a little earlier than usual for a Friday night.
Alarm went off at 5am. I rolled my behind out of bed and hopped in the shower, got dressed, and ate a quick bowl of cereal while Jeff loaded the car. One small glitch...he couldn't find my card table. We looked for 30 minutes and then finally threw up our hands because there was no where else the table could be. I realized it was a lost cause and decided to pick one up at
Lowes on the way. That was another $50. Nice.
I get to my dad's shop and set all my stuff up. The lobby was PACKED. So I sat, and I waited. And then I sat some more. And then I started to feel really stupid. NO ONE was even
acknowledging that I was there. Thankfully, I had a book with me so I read a little bit. And then, about an hour into it, I got a customer to donate $1. And then I sat. And felt stupid. Then my dad put in a $5 bill. Around noon (5 hours later) the SAME customer gave me another dollar. And that was it. My mom came in a little bit later and put in $3 and some shop guys gave $2 total. I made $16, $2 of which was from an actual customer.
During this time, I had given my dad the keys to my van for an oil change and check-up. I ended up needing a tire...another $140. UGH
As soon as my van was done, I packed up my stuff and got the hell outta there. Not a good day. Not a good experience. I was in a horrible mood...ready to pounce on anything that breathed in my direction. I was tired. I was hungry. I had spent an ungodly amount of money on an event that was supposed to make money.
When I got home I decided to walk, even though I REALLY didn't want to. But the fresh air did me good...I had time to think and process. I remembered that this is part of the journey. It's not supposed to be easy...I didn't want easy...I didn't sign up for easy. I signed up for BOLD and audacious and life-changing. Well obviously "BOLD" and "audacious" and "life-changing" aren't going to just fall into my lap. That's the whole point.
One of the things that I would like to change throughout this process is my tendency towards negative thinking. It doesn't have to be so absolute. I was using words like "epic fail"and "the worst day EVER"...that's a tad dramatic,
dontchya think? There was some good that came out of it...I made nice with my brother that I hadn't talked to in a couple of months after an argument...I didn't eat ANY treats throughout the baking or sitting process...I got a little break from the kids...it gave me a chance to get the oil changed that was about two thousand miles overdue...I still convinced myself to walk and do my P90 work out even though it was a hard day. And I learned some things about fundraising...maybe bake sales are just not a great way to raise the money...that's okay. I will just have to find another way.
It's about the process. I want to soak it all in. Upward and onward.
