Working hard on being that positive person that I think I am!

Yesterday I walked into Griffin Bay Bookstore all smiles and ready to do business! The owner wasn’t in but the woman I spoke with had…wait for it…sold WORDS! I couldn’t believe it! The thought of them selling a book hadn’t really crossed my mind! I was thrilled! Since the owner wasn’t in I said I would email her to see what she wanted to do…like how many copies she was going to NEED to buy! One had already sold in a matter of four days! I skipped out of the shop like a six-year-old girl with a huge lollipop!
My husband, a friend of ours, and myself went and had lunch and I couldn’t get the smile off my face, one of MY books was in someone’s house that I don’t know! They bought it because they thought it was good, not because they know me and feel a slight obligation to buy one. I was on cloud nine!

As we were walking back to the boat to leave Friday Harbor I got an email from the store. As I read it, I felt like I was a balloon loosing all of its air and buzzing in all directions until finally I hit the ground. She didn’t want to order more; she wanted to give me back my books. Wow, didn’t see that one coming. I walked back trying my best to not dwell on the fact that she didn’t want to keep my books and tried to focus on the fact that ONE HAD SOLD!

I walked in all smiles and she handed me the price sheet I had left her, an envelope and the two remaining books. Then I politely asked her why she didn’t want to keep them. She fumbled a bit and then asked if I had been in her children’s section of her store and said that she had lots of counting books and that mine is just like all the others. Then I said, NO THEY ARE NOT! There is not one counting book out there that has this concept built into it. Yes, there are tons of counting books but they have ABSOLUTLY NO educational value to them. They all have randomly placed pictures on a page counting from one to ten. I see you didn’t even look at my book or you must not have even read the back or you just don’t get the concept. Okay I didn’t say any of that but I wanted to. One day I’m going to be able to say all that in a way that doesn't come off so childlike! 

So I pulled myself together, I hope I wasn’t standing in front of her for a long time with a stupid expression on my face while all this played out in my mind! Finally I thanked her and with my head held high I walked out of her store.

People say that business is hard. I guess that’s a saying because it’s true. If it wasn’t true it probably wouldn’t be a saying!
So I’m going to keep the four dollars that she nicely folded into a triangle with two quarters inside and always remember my first sale. And when the day comes that I’m on the Ellen Show hopefully she’s watching so I can have the opportunity to explain to her why my books are DIFFERENT than all the counting books she has in her store. (I promise I’m not bitter!  I’m really working hard on being that upbeat, positive, can’t break me down person. Working hard on it!J)