*"Wherever you go, there you are!"*

It's an aging truism/quote... and the more I think about it, the more I also find myself interpreting it to suggest that when you are *"there,"* you can't also be *"here,"* no matter how much you might *need* or*want* that to be true. 

![0694-Booth1.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/denmarkguy/23wMY18Sunm6eQEhLCPSR8bfh3jGayQ8DSC4vWbsy89LNyhrEDfDU47GDcvfg2j6RXqYc.jpg)
*Yours truly, manning our vendor booth at last weekend's show*

## *Arts and Crafts*

This past weekend, Mrs. Denmarkguy and I went off and set up as vendors for your creative endeavors at the last big arts and crafts fair of 2022. Of course, we were glad to do so... it's nice to be back on the *"show circuit"* after 2020 and 2021 were totally wiped our by the whole corona/pandemic circus.

On Friday, we spent the better part of six hours loading all the *"show stuff"* into the truck in cold pouring rain, then *un*loading it into the festival hall in cold pouring rain and setting up our booth for the Saturday/Sunday show.

Part of the joy of living in the Pacific Northwest is that everything here is always very *green,* and the *"price"* of all that greenery is that it *rains* an awful lot...


![0222-Reflections.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/denmarkguy/243BRbeEmESsPM3TnRtAd6hBoNHM6fdCCBt3qUWv9WunnAHWiM45cW69j2vFGa8SPXjBT.jpg)


Then we spent all of Saturday and most of Sunday engaging with show visitors, until it was time to pack everything back up and haul it back home again... thankfully there was a break in the rain for that, and we were grateful.

As other events we were part of this year, the end result was *so-so,* good enough that it didn't feel like a waste of time, but not so good that there really was much of anything to celebrate. The event was actually quite well *attended,* but people seemed *very* cautious with their spending... not basing that on *our* sales, by the way, but on the fact that relatively few seemed to be carrying bags/boxes around, in spite of being in the presence of a cornucopia of creative gifts, food and holiday decorations from more than 120 vendors.

Maybe it was all just a *"sign of the times in which we live."*

At the end of yesterday, we were both pretty exhausted — and since we're both introverts — we were basically just fit to sit still and stare at the wall!


![0366-SheepsBelly.JPG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/denmarkguy/23tHCF8APM7C7ohro3v2hHEnwXLyh3idZRNab2ZHeyUYB3dN9huwwKVnL9iVib7naiJuZ.JPG)

## *Maybe This IS "The Time of Our Lives..."* 
On reflection, I find myself wondering to what extent this is all part of the *"new normal"* of the 2020's: You work hard, do your best and basically end up with... *just about staying afloat.*

If you're lucky...

Anyway, what brought the quote up top to mind was the reality that when we're off *"doing shows"* I don't have even a nanosecond of time *(or energy)* left over to do things like write blog posts on Hive, or keep up with my *other* ventures.

We make *choices,* and those choices all have *consequences.* 

But how does it work when those collective *consequences* — to grossly oversimplify — pretty much amount to a choice between *"not enough,"* or *"not enough"* or *"not enough?"* Is that *also* part of the new normal? A *"normal"* in which people actually can have full-time *jobs* and in spite of that *still* end up living in their cars? 

![0372-NotReady.JPG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/denmarkguy/23yd1hmdBoFUpHwGhBPXPVfZa1FVQJ1Kf2P52EnLwLRDi1hWQmox6kv8J6GhkJCNrWuTD.JPG)

Seems like there's some sort of fundamental *dignity* or *humanity* missing, there...

Not going to wax philosophical on it, at length, but it *is* a little alarming... and small wonder that so many people turn to the *"lottery approach"* of getting ahead by somehow scoring instant riches through things like a cryptocurrency suddenly mooning, or winning big at the casino. And yet? Has crypto really and legitimately been anyone's friend in this day and age... or just another gateway to sliding people even further down the slippery slope on which they are caught?

Well, enough of this... time for me to head to the post office to mail the *(inadequate)* holiday orders that came in from eBay, over the weekend!

Thanks for reading, and have a great week ahead!

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Created at 20221212 14:47 PDT*
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