I’m a chain! Well, sort of. I think, technically, I’m about to be part of a franchise – same name, different managers – but that’s not the point. The point is I have something tangible and productive I can do that complements what I’m working on here.

My mother has rented booth space in a craft store in southern Illinois, and invited each of her daughters to contribute things we’d like to sell. As the daughter with the most free time (now that my work calendar has been cleared), I have enthusiastically embraced this project, thinking about how to display things, coming up with simple marketing and PR for a place you can’t even Google, challenging myself to create things with what I have on hand. Because I’ve already got a brand and online presence, we’ll use Making Something of It as our moniker (thus my yelling “I’m a chain!”).

I fall more in love with that phrase – making something of it – every day. What started out as just something to call this website really has grown into a personal mission statement. I’m making something out of this unexpected batch of free time. I’m making something out of all the cast off items I’ve adopted over the years. And, maybe, this will help me make something out of myself, as I continue to explore my career options.

They say “find your passion and ________ will follow” (money, work, happiness – I’ve heard those and more used to fill in that blank). I see no need to wait for something to follow. Now that I know my mission, I prefer to find my passion and make something of it.