Married to the Military: Finding peace in my creative space – Lifestyl…

My family and I have been so blessed during this pandemic.

Many, though, are facing financial hardships during this rough time that seems to have no end in sight. Military members have been blessed with stability and that has allowed for many of us to explore side hustles, enroll in school, work on our mental health and work on passions we never knew they had, myself included.

This stay-at-home order has given some small businesses an opportunity to stand out and for local and handmade items to be the at the forefront of buying, despite what you may read or hear. I’ve experienced it firsthand; although many businesses closed and suffered a great deal, it did not stop us from coming up with creative ways to support our community.

During all of this, I’ve taken advantage of the opportunity to help support small business and shop locally. I’ve used my free time to stress myself into a rut, hide from my kids for a moment of peace and explore my other passions, such as baking, like many others, apparently (maybe you’ve seen the bare baking aisle at the stores).

My passion turned into a small business faster than I expected and with almost two hundred customers, I’ve been busy. I’ve had so much support from friends and family through this endeavor, and I encourage everyone to take this time to explore your creative side and spread joy to your communities.

Focusing on other things rather than social media and the killer hornets invading America, things seem to be back to normal when I am in my own little cooking world, and I hope that in your creative space you can find peace as well until things get back to our new normal.

Columnist Lauren Creamer can be reached at [email protected].