The Woods Are Magical

On Thursday, my bib overall-wearing buddy and I made a quick trip to our little building at Shaker Woods. Most of you know I struggle with live shows. Sales are not my strong suit; social interactions stress me out, and being "on" for hours is draining. I definitely have my comfort zone, and that is behind the scenes. I feel like The Bean and The Bibbed Wonder take better pictures than I do, so I like to put them in front of the camera. However, hiding in the soap studio is not an option for me all the time…sigh. Don't get me wrong; I am fine once I am at a show interacting with our soap family. I stress about live shows for weeks on end prior to their arrival. I find that the older I get, the worse my social anxiety becomes. I know I'm weird.

Pulling into Shaker Woods and seeing our little building amongst the trees gave me a bubbly feeling. I found that the idea of the festival did not create that tight knot in my stomach or that feeling of being overwhelmed that usually happens when I am faced with the prospect of a live show. Instead, I felt happy and excited. I was talking to my friend Trisha, from Canine Confections, about the wonder of the festival sight, and she reiterated my thoughts. Trish summed it up well, "The Woods are magical."

There is a sense of wonder and magic about the place. Perhaps it's all the love that goes into the planning of the event. Maybe it's because when people enter the woods, they are transported back to a simpler time. Perhaps, it's that when people enter the woods, they are happy, excited, and having fun. It's all about good energy, and The Woods are full of good energy.

I love our little neighborhood in The Woods. We have terrific neighbors. Sara and Erica from Missing Piece Art have already reached out to us to schedule a dinner date. Jenn from Light Shine Jewelry has become a friend. She will join us at our Fall at the Farm Event in October. Our furniture maker friends let us know they won't be attending this year but wished us well. We are looking forward to seeing our talented artisan friends and neighbors.

We will spend this week getting ready for the festival. We have soap to box, moisturizer to make, boxes to pack, and a hand-washing station to build. Surprisingly, we are much calmer than last year. Maybe because we now know what to expect. I feel pangs of anxiety, but it's not all-consuming; I can't sleep at night kind. Instead, it's more excitement and anticipation than stress and anxiety.

I hope you can join us and experience the magic of The Woods. It is a lovely event. The first two weekends will be crowded, but by the third weekend, especially the third Sunday, things will have settled down a bit. If crowds stress you out, I suggest the last weekend. However, if you are a die-hard shopper, the first weekend offers the best selection of goods. Columbiana, OH, is a two hours drive from our farm. It's an easy drive through a beautiful country. We hope to see you there. If you do come out to see us, please be sure to introduce yourself. Often, we recognize names from the website, and it is nice to put a face to a name.

On this stormy August day, stay safe, be smart, plan a road trip to The Shaker Woods Festival, and keep washing your hands.