Lightning hit the ground about 200 yards from our house — and somehow that’s not even the most dramatic thing that happened in the last six weeks. Welcome back to the Joyfully Prepared Podcast! I love doing these little six-week updates — they keep me humble, grateful, and honest about really living what I talk about here. This time it’s two successes and a failure. First, the win I’ve been waiting for: I cashed my very first real estate commission check. Then the failure (it involves fabric): I committed to quilting 15 minutes a day and stalled out — and learned just how much a mentor would have saved me. Then the storm: lightning fried our well pump and left us without water for 24 hours, which turned into a real-life lesson in why “emergencies come singly” and why I’m so grateful for running water. And finally, my favorite success of all — a neighbor who asked to see me “in my natural habitat,” and the kind of friendship that reminds you what it feels like to be truly seen. If any of this hits home — the wins, the flops, the lightning — I’d love to hear from you. 🧵 Got an easy jelly roll quilt pattern? Send it my way! 📧 wendi@joyfulprep.com · 🌐 joyfulprep.com · 👥 Find me in my Facebook group. Thank you so much for listening. I love you — enjoy your day. 💛
🌟 Highlights & takeaways
- Celebrate the first one. My first commission check mattered far more than its size — proof I’m doing the thing God called me to do, even when it means leaving my “comfort hole.”
- A goal without a plan stalls. I could sew the jelly roll strips, but with no quilt pattern I had nowhere to go. Failure isn’t the end — it shows you what you didn’t know.
- Find a mentor and a “hype man.” A mentor would’ve saved me three weeks. We all need someone sincere to cheer us on.
- Emergencies come singly. They’re usually personal, not community-wide. Being prepared (water jugs, wipes, pool water, water for the animals) turned a 24-hour crisis into a manageable inconvenience.
- Gratitude bridges the gap. Running water, hot showers, and flushing toilets sit at the top of my gratitude list for a reason.
- Let people see you. The kindest gift is someone wanting to truly know you. Be brave enough to ask, and to be asked.
💬 This week’s challenge
Is there someone you admire that you could simply ask, “Can I come visit you? I want to see you in your element and learn more about you.” Imagine how much lovelier the world would be if we did more of that.
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