Dear Angry Driver

I've made jokes about my own road rage (aka road mild-moderate irritation) recently on my personal FB page. Because it happens while driving, I don't usually have the opportunity to hear what the other driver has to say about any incident. But today I was the other driver. I know the person I encountered probably won't read this... but maybe someone else can take something away from this like I hope to.

Dear Angry Driver,

I don't know what I did in that brief moment that I was distracted by my child, but it must have been big to warrant you following me into the bank parking lot and parking right at my back bumper. For you to have been angry enough to want to confront me, even though you had children in your own car, I must have almost caused a massive accident.

So, just so you know, I'm really sorry. I don't even know what I did. I heard a horn honk, but it didn't register that it might be for me until I saw you on my rear bumper long after the intersection. It really didn't sink in until you peeled out from behind me and sped out of the parking lot once you realized I was headed for the ATM and not getting out of my car.

In any case, you're right. I shouldn't have been distracted and no amount of excuses would have helped had I caused an accident.

Also, I want to say thank you. Thank you for doing a better job of paying attention in that moment than I was, and for doing whatever you had to do to avoid an accident. Thank you for your watchful eyes and evasive maneuvers. I have to believe you likely saved us both a lot of pain and heartache. That is the blessing that I choose to take away from this incident.

Because my business sign is on the side of my car, I was expecting an angry email when I got home. Since I didn't have one, I wanted to reach out first. I hope you believe that my apology and thanks are both sincere.

In closing, I would like to ask you one thing if I may. Next time someone makes you angry while driving, please hear my sincere and heartfelt apology in your head and pretend it is them saying it. Next time I'm in your position, that's what I am going to do. I'm going to attempt to take a deep breath and let it go while being thankful for what didn't happen.

I'm glad this ended well today and I pray you have a blessed and relaxing evening.

Sincerely,

Kindall Nelson
Owner, Hire A Housewife

What is your "why"?

Have you ever done something that you thought was going to be great that didn't go as planned? The end result wasn't what you had hoped for. Or, maybe you just realized you just didn't like doing it. There is a good chance that it is just something that doesn't support your "why" ... your purpose.

As the owner of a small business, others often suggest services we could or should offer in addition to what we do currently. Some of the ideas are great and I do consider them. But, what always makes my decision for me is the answer to this question...

Does this service support our "why"?

Hire A Housewife exists to make a positive difference in people's lives through both our services and our personal connections in ways that other companies can not.

I knew from the beginning that we could do that through cleaning, organizing, running errands, and taking care of other things for clients in order for them to spend their time the way they want to spend it.

Along the way I've shared my story and other encouragement with our clients and really anyone who
would listen, hoping to continue to make that difference.

Late last year I realized that we could also make a positive impact on lives by giving others lessons on cleaning and organizing. This is why I started the "Love Where You Live" program.

This past month I took on a new project. It was something we had never done before. But I was more than willing to try because I knew it would help a good friend. So, Hire A Housewife sorted through several generations of items, decided what should be donated, what should be sold, and what the family might want to keep. Then we ran our first estate sale.

We learned a lot from that sale. The number one thing we learned? Hire A Housewife doesn't run estate sales. Setting up tables, researching, determining monetary value, pricing, and holding a sale... just didn't go well for us.

If you ask the client, she will say nothing but good things about what we did. We made a huge impact for her family. And yet, by the time we were done, I knew it was something I wouldn't do again. The answer why was quickly obvious to me. There are many estate sale companies in the area. That isn't the part of it that made the impact.

Estate sales don't support our "why," but a part of what we did for them does... 

Photo taken by Clifford Braden during WWII
What treasure might be hiding in your family's home?

It was the careful sorting through boxes that would have likely ended up in the trash, pulling out things of value, sentimental as well as monetary.

It was saving WWII memorabilia from a grandfather and uncle so that they could be treasured by family.

It was contacting a friend with the Peoria Historical Society and, with the family's permission, taking all the snapshots from that family member's time at war to be digitally archived and preserved before returning them to the family.

It was hugging my friend through her tears as she saw the progress and realized what they might have lost had we not sorted through everything in the house.

A positive impact, on an entire family, that will be felt for generations. 

That is definitely part of our why.

So in addition to asking you what your "why" is today, I want to let you know that if you have a project that you don't have the time or energy for (emotional or physical either one!) give us a call and let us help you out.

You get the best results from someone when the service they are performing supports their why.

So, here's the question... we've told you ours. What is YOUR why?

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. 

Use them well to serve one another.

~1 Peter 4:10