Motivational Monday - Break

 Good Monday morning.  Are you in need of a little motivating?  I woke refreshed and ready to go.  Want to know why?  I took a much needed break.  Shannon, who helps me, said, "what are you guys doing on vacation?"  I said, "making hay."  She said, "you guys are always making hay or working."  That stuck with me.  First, you HAVE to make hay when the sun shines or doesn't, hay NEEDS to be done.  We chose to live this way and the work comes with it.  However, working all the time isn't good, even if you have things you have to do.  

Saturday, was so frustrating for me.  Facebook wouldn't let me post under my event for my virtual sale.  Customers were trying to message me, that wasn't working all day Friday and Saturday it all wasn't working for me.  I did sell some stuff, but it was a headache.  So, as I was struggling with all that and trying to put together some interesting items for my LIVE I looked up and saw Al on the edge of the field.  I watched him for hours, as he tried to disk the field, seeded with a grain drill pulling a cultipacker behind - what a sight - good idea, but WORK.  What are we doing? I thought to myself.   Then I hear it, Shannon say..."you are always working."  Right then and there I knew I was going to go dip my toes in Lake Superior.  No plans, I just needed to see the lake.

One thing good about Al and I, our relationship, we don't have huge expectations for our fun.  We could skip rocks on Norrie Lake (about 10 miles from here) and it be a great "date."  So, we woke, hopped in the car and took off going north.  Any point on Lake Superior from here is at least a 3 hour drive.  While driving we saw a sign for Stormy Kromer (cool hats made in Ironwood, MI) and I said, "let's go there first."  Sunday morning, it wasn't opened, but I really only wanted to get my picture taken in front of the hat. 

Then, we drove downtown and an antique shop was open so we went in.  This shop was packed, Al went one way I the other.  While I was digging downstairs, I heard a guy say "Ringle" I couldn't see him, just heard it.  If you know me, I know no stranger, so I hollered "Ringle?"  Long pause of silence, then this younger guy comes around the corner and says, "someone upstairs said they were from Ringle" and I said "oh, that's my husband, I thought you found something with Ringle advertising on it...ahahah."  I asked where they were from and they said EauClaire.  

So, this is what happened too:  "Where are you folks from?"  Al says "Wausau, WI (as no one knows Ringle)"  "Well, I'm from Antigo" he says.  Al says, "well, we really are from Ringle, but I didn't think you'd know where that was."  "Well, I'm really from Phlox, I didn't think you'd know where that was."  I know this is local humor but, it just shows you what a small world we live in.  Then I asked "how did you end up here?"  He tells me he worked in the woods, but fell out of a tree 30 years ago and broke his neck.  Unable to do that work again, he decided to do what he was passionate about, antiques.  I mention my uncle's logging business in Crandon.  He knew him and my other uncle who was a State Senator.  What was sad, was that his shop was only deemed "essential" 2 weeks ago and he missed out of months of sales.  He told me he didn't know how to do virtual.  I'm afraid some of these brick and mortars are not going to make it.  

Next door was a Ben Franklin, this town still had one, so we went in.  On the counter was a postcard "World's Largest Hiawatha" so I asked the girl, "is this here?"  She said, "yes, you can see it from the stop sign."  Sure enough, when we left there it was, so I had to get a picture in front of that.

Then we drove down to a state park near Saxon, Wisconsin that had public access to the lake.  The beach was almost non existant, the steps and bank of the lake were all caving in.  Lake Superior is at it's highest levels in decades.  We or at least I, grabbed a stick and hobbled down the rocks.  I had to dip my toes in the lake.  It was cold, but I walked out a bit.

I guess, I tell you all of this to say, motivation can come from taking a break.  If you are working at something and it starts to become a struggle, stop and take a break.  Take a break too, if you've worked hard and accomplished something big.  Take a break, just to regroup.  Take a break, if you've reached a plateau at something.  Give yourself, body, mind and spirt the break it needs to move forward.

Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.