Orders Out Today :)

Today was an Orders Out day, which means it was a day I took them to the post office.  This is not an unusual thing, as most businesses ship their items out, but let me tell you why my business is different :)

For the time being, my printer is down, so I hand write out the packing slips for all my orders.  I don't see this as a bad thing--we're losing our ability to hand write things out, and it's keeping me in practice.  I'm very much in favor of practicing the skills we have.  It also means I'm using a pen instead of printer ink, which I'm finding is getting more and more expensive.  Hooray, a way to save money!  :)  I also include a personal hand-written thank you note in all of my orders.  I think my customers deserve that, and have used many boxes of thank you cards and note cards.  I want them to know I appreciated their business, and not just on a printed form thank you note.  And I've received the most wonderful comments in return.  For me, it's been well worth the effort, even though it takes a little extra time to do :)

I'm also transportationally challenged, at least for now.  That means when it's orders out day, I'm either walking the mile to the post office or on an unreliable bicycle (it shifts when it feels like it, not always when I want it to).  It's not a bad thing, I remind myself.  Every mile I walk or bike is good excercise, and it's another mile traveled that I didn't put auto exhaust into the air either.  Days like today are really a treat too.  It was 50 degrees out, the snow is melting off finally (which means it's wet, not good for boots that are snowproof but not waterproof lol), and you can see spring in the buds on the trees or the tiny shoots of grass beginning to sprout under last year's thatch.  I was even able to walk part of the way with one of my adult sons, who had his own errands to run.  This particular one of my kids doesn't talk often, so it was a good opportunity for us to talk about casual plans for the future, which I really enjoyed.  I'm thinking about keeping this routine even after my vehicle is running again, because it's so environmentally friendly, and the excercise is doing me good.  I'll have to get a new bike if I'm going to do much of that though :)



I think the best part of orders out day is knowing I'll have the time, when I'm walking, to think about the projects I need to get done, or plan out the projects I want to do.  Sometimes I find the inspiration and new ideas for all sorts of things on these walks.  Or sometimes it's more like a meditative time for me, where I just let my mind rest, so I can be more productive later on.  With my backpack slung across my shoulder on my old brown aviator's jacket and the wind tossing my ponytail around, it's an enjoyable part of my journey :)

Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day everyone.  For those fortunate enough to have partners, I hope you have a great day appreciating each other, and for those whom a partner is not a part of your life yet, may today find you at peace and in hope for days to come :)