Episode 49 - You Do Have Something to Share

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The State Fair, the Sheep, and What You're Bringing to the Fair

Have you ever been to a state fair?

There’s something I love about a fair. People come for all kinds of reasons.

Some people come simply to enjoy the work of others. They walk through the buildings, look at the quilts and paintings, admire the flowers, taste the food, and enjoy seeing what other people have been working on.

And some people come because they have something to share.

Maybe they’ve spent months growing something in their garden. Maybe they’ve made a quilt. Maybe they’ve baked a pie or painted a picture or raised an animal.

Everyone brings something.

And some things win blue ribbons.

Some things don't.

But behind every entry is someone's time, effort, creativity, patience, courage, and willingness to try.

And that's what I want to celebrate with you this month.

What Are You Bringing to the Fair?

Our September Tiny Village Post is all about The State Fair.

And the reminder is simple:

Every effort is worth celebrating.
Share with the world what you have been growing.

Because I think sometimes we forget that we have things to bring, too.

Maybe you haven't made a quilt.

Maybe you haven't grown the biggest sunflower.

Maybe you haven't won any blue ribbons.

But perhaps you've been growing patience.

Or courage.

Or wisdom.

Maybe you've learned something new.

Maybe you've created something you've never created before.

Maybe you've been caring for someone you love.

Maybe you've been working through something difficult.

Maybe you're becoming more confident.

More peaceful.

More willing to step outside your comfort zone and give something a try.

Everything counts.

In the envelope I encluded a little ticket. Its says…

🎟️ ADMIT ONE

I love thinking about this little ticket as an invitation.

Not an invitation to do more.

Not an invitation to accomplish one more thing.

But an invitation to come in and be part of it.

To look around.

To notice what you've been growing.

To recognize the things you've been learning and becoming.

And maybe even to let someone else see them.

So here's the question I want you to carry with you this month:

WHAT ARE YOU BRINGING TO THE FAIR?

What have you been growing?

What have you been learning?

What have you been creating?

What are you becoming?

Sometimes we are so busy looking at everyone else's lives and what they are creating… that we forget to notice our own.

We see someone else's finished quilt and think, "I haven't done anything like that."

We see someone else's beautiful creation and think, "I'm not that talented."

We see someone else's blue ribbon and forget that we've been growing, too.

Your life doesn't have to look impressive from the outside for something meaningful to be happening on the inside.

And that brings me to my favorite little character in this month's post.  Do you stop and vist all the animals at the fair?   I had a little challenge deciding which one to include in this mail envelope…. But as I thought about it, I realized that

The Little Sheep image fit perfectly.

I have to tell you...

I have a soft spot for this little guy.

There is something about his face that makes me smile.

He looks a little sheepish.

A little unsure.

Almost like he's thinking the thougth….

"I'm not sure I want everyone looking at me."

And honestly?

I understand him.

I, more often than not, have been that way myself.

I don't naturally like calling attention to myself. If someone compliments me, my first instinct can be to deflect it or turn the attention somewhere else.  I remember being at my own baby shower and feeling so uncomfortable having everyone center their attention on me. 

And yet If I'm completely honest, I would love to be noticed.  That is a basic human need that we all have…to be noticed…given attention to.

I would love for someone to see what I've made.

I would love to feel like what I have to offer matters.

Maybe you've felt that way, too.

Maybe you've been a little sheepish about stepping forward.

Maybe you've thought:

"Oh, it's nothing."

"It's not really that good."

"Someone else does this much better than I do."

Or maybe you've simply gotten used to being the person who stands behind everyone else and cheers them on.  Seriously, doesn’t that sound easier?

But what if, just for a moment, you let yourself step forward?

What if you allowed yourself to be seen—not because you need applause, but because what you have to offer is worth bringing to the people that you have in your world?

I think that's why I love this little sheep.

He may still be a little sheepish...

But he looks like he's deciding to be brave.

And sometimes brave doesn't mean you're no longer nervous.

Sometimes brave simply means:

"I'm going to step forward anyway."

You can be a little sheepish and still step forward.

You can be nervous and still share.

You can wonder if you're good enough and still decide,

"I'm going to bring it anyway."

You don't have to become someone else to be brave.  You don't have to suddenly become the loudest person in the room.

And speaking of the loudest person in the room...

I set up a booth at an event last Saturday, and I happened to be across from a woman who had the loudest laugh.

And I mean loud.

It wasn't really a "that's so funny!" kind of laugh.

It was more of an "I'm here! Look over here!" kind of laugh.

And it made me think about how interesting it is that we can sometimes believe that, in order to be noticed, we have to make ourselves noticeable.

But we don't.

We don't have to manufacture attention.

We don't have to be the loudest person in the room.

We don't have to make ourselves bigger than we are.

We don't need to draw attention to ourselves in an artificial way.

Being seen and demanding attention are two very different things.

There is something beautiful about simply bringing what you have and allowing it to speak for itself.

Maybe your creativity is quiet.

Maybe your personality is quiet.

Maybe you don't naturally walk into a room and say, "Here I am!"

That's okay.

You don't have to become loud to become visible.

You don't have to become someone else to let yourself be seen.

And you don't have to feel completely confident.

You can simply take one little step forward.

Maybe that's sharing something you've made.

Maybe it's telling someone about something you've learned.

Maybe it's letting yourself accept a compliment instead of immediately brushing it away.

Maybe it's trying something you've been afraid you won't be good at.

Maybe it's simply saying,

"This is something I've been growing. And I'm going to bring it anyway."

And maybe that's why we need a little mail in our mailbox.

And Maybe That's Why We Need a Little Mail in Our Mailbox

This is actually one of the reasons I created Tiny Village Post and the Mail Club.

Because I know there are women who love the idea of creating...

but aren't necessarily in a season where they want another class.

Another project.

Another thing on the list.

Maybe you're tired.

Maybe your creativity feels a little rusty.

Maybe you've been taking care of everyone else.

Maybe you miss having something that feels just for you.

Or maybe you love art, but you don't always have the time, energy, or inspiration to sit down and make something from scratch.

That's where I want the Mail Club to be different.

It's a little invitation.

A little reminder that says,

"Hey...there's still a creative part of you in there."

You don't have to be an artist.

You don't have to finish anything.

You don't have to make something worthy of a blue ribbon.

You don't even have to be particularly inspired that day.

You just open the envelope.

And there it is.

A little piece of inspiration from the Tiny Art Village.

Something to look at.

Something to think about.

Something to make your own.

And now, I'm adding little things you can do with what arrives—like a puzzle, a prompt, or a tiny creative invitation—because I don't want the mail to simply be something pretty that you receive.

I want it to give you a little moment to pause, notice, create, smile, and participate.

It's a tiny connection to our little village.

A way of saying,

"You're part of this, too."

And maybe that's what the little ADMIT ONE ticket really means.

You don't have to bring a blue-ribbon project.

You don't have to prove anything.

You don't have to be the most creative person there.

You simply have to come in.

Come as you are.

Bring whatever you've been growing.

Bring what you've been learning.

Bring your curiosity.

Bring your little bit of courage.

And if you're feeling a little sheepish...

That's okay, too.

You can be sheepish and still step forward.

You can be uncertain and still participate.

You can be quietly creative and still have something worth sharing.

So this month, I want you to look at those two little images and remember:

🎟️ ADMIT ONE
You belong here. Come in.

🐑 And bring the little bit of courage you have.

Because somewhere along the way, I hope you discover that you have more to bring than you realized.

And if you're one of those women who isn't quite ready to jump into a whole art project...

Maybe Tiny Village Post is your place to begin.

I'll send the inspiration.

You make it your own.

That's the beauty of the Mail Club.

It's not about winning a ribbon.

It's about remembering that you still have something to bring.

And I'd love to send a little bit of that encouragement your way.