this little piggy went to market.

Yesterday's storm brought with it some near-freezing weather (maybe I'm being a little dramatic, but it was cooold). So, naturally, my first day flying solo at the farmer's market would be today. I woke up at 5:30a because my overactive brain was terrified I'd oversleep. I showered, spiffied myself up, and started packing anything and everything that might come in handy into my car.

Let me just mention here, in case I forgot, that it was so cold this morning. My bones are used to warm weather. Hot, sweaty, melt-your-makeup, humid, hot weather. So this morning was a bit of a shocker when I needed to pull out my winter best to stay remotely comfortable.

I loaded up the car and headed to the nursery. There I packed even more into my car. And, because I think you'll be impressed, I'll share with you that I managed to fit: a zillion toddler books and toys, six tall blueberry plants (in soil, of course), five tables, a chair and countless signs/crafty things in my little Jetta. I felt so accomplished.

Then, the reality hit me as I was driving to the market. Here I was, driving to the market by myself. No one to help me along. No one to answer questions. No one to watch the booth while I leisurely eat my breakfast in a cafe. And though all of this seems quite obvious... I mean, duh, you did sign up for this, Mindy... It was both terrifying and invigorating. On one hand, I kept telling myself that everybody had to start somewhere, and on the other, I was happy to begin this day to see what it had in store for me.

As I arrived at the market, I drove onto the sidewalk, trying to dodge the pedestrians. I parked my car on the sidewalk, at my assigned spot, took a deep breath, and went for it. I'm sure I looked nutty out there, fumbling with tables and craft supplies with numb fingers. Yep, you read that right - numb. I thought of everything winterish with the exception of gloves. Dear me. However, I pressed on like any lady would. I decorated and placed my plants just so perfectly.

Ya see? Here's my simple booth. You can't see so well here, but the plants are right behind J's head. Speaking of J, I forgot to mention that my hubs and little lady came to visit. It was good to have company. And now, thinking back, we should have stood together closely (like penguins) to warm up. Hindsight is 20/20.

It felt like, for a first market, everything was going my way. I mean, I almost saw a dog fight, ate breakfast while standing and smiling (which is nearly impossible because I was terrified that every smile was full of bacon and eggs and brussel sprouts), met some cool folks, and even had a super nice lad running the booth beside me. Before I knew it, it was time to shut 'er down.

Like a streak of lightening, I had the whole thing packed up and back in my car. Wahoo! My first market was done. I was an accomplished business woman.

Then, on the way home, J called. I answered, all chipper with such a big day behind me.

"One question," he said. "Did you sell anything?"

I hadn't even considered the answer! I had been so busy with the preparations, setting up, keeping warm, interacting, and trying to re-pack my car that, I hadn't even thought about much else.

"Nope!" I said.

And as silly as it sounds, it didn't even matter. I mean, do I want to sell the plants? Yes. Do I want to make some extra money? Of course. But was I so proud that I went and did it all by myself? You bet! I feel like it was a successful day. No rain, no mishaps, no crazy questions I couldn't answer. What more could I ask for? A sell? Nah, I'll ask for that another day. Today, I just wanted to be fearless. To do something I never would have seen myself do. To step out of my comfort zone. To be a nursery owner. And that I was! Numb fingers and all. ;)