A Business of One

Several years ago I wrote a poem inspired by someone I knew who worked 24/7 and never took the time to enjoy or even notice anything else, including his family. It is probably the only poem I ever wrote that was a bit on the negative side, but it got the point across to the person it was aimed at.

Congratulations
Congratulations you finally have what you wanted all your life
a business
You have fought and fought for something that you own
a business
Working and scrimping and saving and struggling to hang on to
a business
Your life your family your friends left waiting for attention in place of
a business
No time allotted during an hour a day a month a year for anything but
a business
As God welcomes you into His kingdom at the end of your life,
He probably won’t say, Congratulations, you did well tending to
a business.

About the same time I was struggling to figure out what I was supposed to do now that I was divorced and the job of raising my children had ended. I used my writing and photographic skills to create objects that friends convinced me were saleable. Forging ahead I created a home based business, “Cibola Images”. I obtained a business tax number, had a rubber stamp made, purchased office supplies and advertised locally on TV, in print and word of mouth. I was even listed in the yellow pages. I participated in craft shows and left samples of my creations wherever an opportunity appeared.

Nothing! What does one have to do to get noticed I wondered? “Build it and they will come”- yea right!

It took a few years for me to realize that I didn’t really want a business. I for sure didn’t desire to rent a building, pay extra utilities or buy liability/property insurance. I especially did not want to pay business taxes. Because I had listened to other (well meaning) people I was walking on the wrong path. I just want to make a difference in someone’s life.

All I really needed to do was operate a business of one- by being me and following my own intuition.