When you love what you do :)

I’m in Poland on vacation these days and while doing some daily errands in my hometown I passed a small haberdashery shop. Suddenly, out of the blue, I was reminded of my childhood as the shop has been around since I was a child. And that’s been a while….

I was struck by an array of feelings but mostly I felt joy and appreciation that the shop was still there. In I went and explored their beautiful stock of different coloured ribbons, reels of thread, zippers & buttons. Everything was as I remembered. Nothing has changed and time seemed to be on pause. I really liked it!

So, I bought some lavender ribbon for my Jokamin scarf boxes and started chatting with the lady behind the counter. And, as you know, when you are genuinely curious about other people’s lives, they are happy to share their stories. The owner of this store is a Mrs. Zdzislawa Ormaniec and she has run the shop for the past 45 years – which is all my life! 

We had a great conversation about life, the importance of a good laugh, and what keeps us going. I found out about our changing purchasing habits as well. Did you know that buttons don’t sell these days? When some lose a button they discard the garment – people are simply too busy to sew! Despite this Mrs. Zdzislawa still sells buttons. And thank goodness for that. There is something calming and reassuring about the presence of Mrs. Zdzislawa Ormaniec and her store in my small town – and that stores like this can still exist in our fast-changing world.  She reminds us that if you love what you do, then keep doing it. It gives us purpose, makes us feel alive. It’s a great message for us all. 