Who is Chocolategirl?

I've asked myself that question a lot lately. All summer actually. Like Bob Seger, I've questioned, "what to leave in, what to leave out." Sometimes I feel like I'm making progress; sometimes I feel I'm running against the wind. So Fall is almost here, with its downhill slide all the way to the holiday season, and the questions still nag at me.

I read this week, that when tackling a big project, you should be willing to commit five years at least. I guess opening a new store qualifies as a big project, so that puts me not quite two years in, huh? Where do I want to be in five years?

I know I want to grow, duh...but how? And I know I want to expand what I do? But how? I've toyed with so many new recipes and ideas over the summer...home-made, from-scratch marshmallows, hard candy lollipops, fudge, brittles. Someone suggested I add a line of gifts for chocolate lovers...mugs, tees, the like...that's a thought.

Since the questions outnumber the answers, I decided to make a list of Things I Know. THAT would help, right? Yup. It did. Here's what I came up with, in case you're wondering...

I know that I love chocolate.
I know my family will support whatever I do in life.
I know I have faith.
I know I have confidence.
I know I love the people who come into my store.
I know that chocolate-dipped pretzles are divine.
I know that kids sometimes have the best ideas.
I know that word-of-mouth is the best form of advertising.
I know that I'm impatient with myself and patient with others. Hmmm...
I know that I love having my kids in the shop with me.
I know that it's cool to make people smile.
I know that over the past two years, I have made lots of new friends.
I know that I'm good at this job.

The list went on and on for a bit more, and some of the items got a little silly, so I won't bore you with the entire thing, but think about it...maybe sometimes, it helps to lsit things we know. In a world where there is so much uncertainty, having some fundamental truths makes me feel more relaxed, calm, secure. So, who is chocolategirl? Just like that line from the who-ville song, she started off low then she started to grow. Against all odds, with just a cute smile and an indomnitable spirit...little Wendy-Lu-Who is almost two. Whoo-hoo!