Happiness does not lie in more, more and more

It was less than seven years ago that I left nursery school and started an online store in antiques.
It was a leap of faith for me and initially not much happened. I started with some small things that I kept in boxes. After a while it became too much and it was no longer possible in those boxes. I displayed some things under the canopy behind our house. That turned out not to be a solution. When it rained, some things got wet and textiles became damp. We had sliding glass doors installed and now I had a real showroom. But after a while that turned out not to be enough and products were placed in the living room. In the meantime, almost the entire living room has become a showroom and we only have the sofa and a few other pieces for ourselves. It's grown so much and that's fine. This was the only way for me to expand my webshop with a wider range.
My store grew and with the store the number of customers and therefore also the number of guests who came here. Customers came almost every day, often several times a day. Of course very nice and cozy, often with a cup of coffee or tea and something tasty. Oh yes, I love it, but at some point it grew a bit over my head. Still, I kept going.
I was just working. And in the evening when no one came anymore and the work for my webshop was finished, there was still a household waiting for me. There was often no time left to actually cook and I often told the children that I had no room for their visits. Jos regularly avoided the house because he could hardly be himself in our own house due to the customers who came.
And then a pandemic hits us...
it is suddenly quiet in the house. My online store remains busy, but people are no longer coming in. I don't have to clean up all day and I can iron a load of laundry in the middle of the day. I can pay attention to my food again and there are moments of rest. I notice that it does me good. I sleep better and feel more relaxed.
And in those times when we are so thrown back on ourselves, I discover that wanting more and more does not make you happier.
It makes me think and I realize that I went way too far in my work, that the line between work and private life had become much too thin. In these times we are confronted with the facts and I am more aware than ever of our vulnerability. I'm thinking about organizing a customer day.
Then my eye falls on the article 'star chef works magic with words'. And that piece is the deciding factor for me.
This star chef is going to take a smaller, but no less good, approach with the following motto:
“happiness does not lie in more, more, more
You should cherish what you have”
I made up my mind.
When I receive people at home again in a while, I will open our ground floor to guests one day a week. You can then (usually) come and take a look around on Fridays by appointment between 10:30 am and 4:00 pm while enjoying a cup of coffee/tea and something tasty. You can then pick up your ordered products and/or buy something.
On other days it is possible to collect your order at the door by appointment, but our house remains private.
I am happy with my decision and I look forward to the time when I can open again. In the meantime, everything in my webshop remains as it was.
Continuing in this way will bring everything more into balance for me, because happiness does not lie in more, more and more….