Making a Fresh Start

Every week, Jamie Ridler throws out a question to those who play at her studio.  If you haven't participated in one of her Wishcasting Wednesdays, I suggest you do.  Her inquiries can spark an avalanche of self-awareness. 

(Pssssssst Hey Jamie!  My pug Sassy asked me to find out more about the little one whose photo is posted today.  Is she yours?  Pug people are an exclusive and elite little group unto themselves dontcha know?  Pugs rule!)

But I digress...

Jamie's brain tickler today is:  "Where do you wish to make a fresh start?"  After mentally assessing the 27 areas of my life where I'd like to "begin anew" (the usual stuff...exercising, eating better, organizing the house, bla bla bla ad nauseum) I knew the answer. I wish to make a fresh start with Liz's Garden.

(Here is the background of my wish.  Skip down to the bottom line if you're in a hurry or bored.  I'll understand.)
Liz's Garden Aromatherapy was born in 1997 after several aromatherapy classes when my students would announce, "okay, Liz, we're convinced that essential oils are fabulous and we're excited to get started.  Now just where can we buy these oils?"  This was a real dilemma.  Here in rural Pennsylvania and pre-World-Wide-Web, there were few options for obtaining aromatics.    So to accommodate my students, I began ordering essential oils from reputable companies, researching where to buy bottles, make labels, etc and gradually gave birth to a modest cottage-industry business called "Liz's Garden Aromatherapy".   Initially I resisted this whole process.  Oh how I resisted.  I had no idea what I was doing having never created a product line, had no mentor and pretty much no idea what I was doing. But I learned and slowly but surely, Liz's Garden has survived and grown.

As the internet has become an integral part of daily life, students and clients have begun asking for a Liz's Garden webstore.  Oy vey.  Here we go again.  Once more, I resisted. Where do you find web designers? Who could I trust? What is involved in running a webstore?  

After two experiences of hiring unscrupulous web-designers and losing hundreds of dollars, I had given up on having a web presence for my line of oils.   Then, out of nowhere, a brother/sister web design team manifested in my life in January of this year.   I trusted them.  They were patient with me (only one screaming battle of wills - not bad).  They have been honest, trustworthy and have done everything they can to create a website that works for me.  In early August, www.lizsgarden.com came to life in cyberspace. 

Being nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.  I'm still working and re-working the text.  I can't leave it alone.  I'm like a new mother fussing over her baby.  Then there's that old friend worry.  What if no one orders and the site just sits? What if everyone orders and I can't keep up? What if What if What If What if...  There is still so much to learn and comprehend. 

Nevertheless, deep excitement lies underneath the trepidation because the possibilities that lie ahead for the future are exhilarating!

The bottom line:

My wish for today is to make a fresh start with my online company Liz's Garden Aromatherapy.  My wish is that Liz's Garden continues to grow in it's new cyber-habitat, becoming a trusted source of essential oils for my students and clients and a garden of inspiration and education.

Where in your life do you wish to make a fresh start?