Rerouted, Rescheduled, Still Showed Up
This weekend, I had two side quests lined up that didn’t end up working out the way they were supposed to. Take for instance, I had tickets to another Puff and Paint, this time it was going to be in Gilbert, at an axe throwing place, which sounded hella cool, so obviously, I grabbed tickets for Diego and I. Unfortunately, something fell through with the venue and ChillxChel had to pivot, and for her and the team, that meant taking the event to a different location in Phoenix. I first saw the video of her letting people know and said that those who bought tickets would be getting an email.
I will be honest, I was a little bummed, because the premise of being able to puff and paint at an axe throwing place seemed so fun. Imagine? Lol. I mean, I did, that’s why I bought the tickets. The venue cancelling sucked.
I know that had nothing to do with ChillxChel or the team, shit happens, so they pivoted. I was glad they were able to find a new location and not have to push the event. The thing is, I don’t do Phoenix for side quests, at least not puff and paints or sip and paints, really any event in the evening where I would be partaking in anything, because I uber to those places. And an uber to and from Phoenix on a Friday night was not in the budget, and honestly, I just don’t like being that far from home anymore, especially in this timeline, where mass shootings are almost commonplace, with the sprinkle of ICE seemingly everywhere on top of it.
So when I got the email from Chel letting everyone know of the venue change and offering to attend a different event at a later date, I asked her if she was going to have any future events in the east valley, and if so, I would just prefer to use the tickets then. She said she did, in June and July, in Tempe. I told her to send me details later because I knew she was dealing with the venue change.
No biggie, I still had an incense dip and candle making class on Saturday, so at least I had that to look forward to. Until I got a text from Mya, the owner of Cyan Candle Co, who was the person I was taking the class from. She told me it was a small class to begin with and unfortunately the other people weren’t able to attend. She offered me to still come, it just wouldn’t be a class, it would be a one on one thing. Or I could use the credit at her store. I felt bad, because that meant she would have to set up everything just for me, and that seemed like a lot of work for one person.
I told her I would use the credit in lieu of having her set up for just me. She assured me it was fine, and if I wanted to still show up, I could. In the end, I decided to attend and get some nice incense out of it, oh and a candle too.
But I was in it for the incense. I have really gotten into incense lately. I found a nice calming eucalyptus and sage incense from Five Below of all places. Lol. I was actually into incense cones, until I learned that they don’t last as long as sticks. So naturally, that meant I needed to find some good, affordable incense. Five Below had it. Lol. When I saw the class offering on Cyan Candle Co’s website, it was a no brainer.
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In the end, I decided to still attend the “class.” Mya was great, but then I already knew that. She was at the last Puff and Pour event that ChillxChel hosted last month. She was the one who led us through the pouring part of the event, to which I of course didn’t follow directions. Lol.
Turns out, she kinda remembered me. I spent the hour chatting with Mya, smelling different scents. Obviously I chose eucalyptus for the candle. I know. I know. Shocking. It was actually a really strong eucalyptus scent that Mya suggested and said was one of her personal favorites, and a scent she called Happy Days, with a citrusy undertone that I love. I don’t know what it is exactly, but if happiness smelled like something, it just might smell like the incense I hand dipped.
Talking to Mya during the process of dipping and mixing the scent into the candle was nice. She shared how she used to have a storefront but had to step back and downsize a bit, and now is getting back into focusing on her business again. I shared a snippet of my chaotic life. Lol. I told her about my blog that I write and just put out into the ether, since I suck at self promotion. To which she agreed she struggles with posting too. I was a willing participant in her taking some pictures for her socials, as long as I wasn’t fully in the frame. Lol. I really do struggle with the whole perception and being seen thing. I have tried and have made some progress, but like with anything else, I have to be in the headspace for it, and most times, I just don’t want to. Lol!
I told her about other events I had attended, and I even encouraged her to reach out to Raquel, the creator of Side Quests Social, to see if maybe they could connect and collaborate on an event in the future. I mean, who wouldn’t enjoy a chill candle making class indoors, away from the Arizona heat?
I know for me, any side quest from here until November will have to be indoors, or someplace with a fuck ton of misters and shade, otherwise I ain’t doing it. Nope. Not when it’s 100 degrees in March. I can only imagine the grossness of a heatwave summer in Arizona. Yeah. No. Also, with the war, gas, oil, everything will yet again reach a new level of cost, which is always passed down to the consumer. Not to mention all the aforementioned things that aren’t going away anytime soon. So, it might just be cheaper and easier to stay my ass inside.
While we waited for the candles to set, I placed my order for my Uber home. Once the candles were somewhat settled and the incense was dryish, it was time to head out. I selected a woman driver, as I do, and it was a nice, quiet ride home.
On the way back, I sat with my bag of incense and my eucalyptus candle and just kind of let the weekend wash over me. Neither side quest went the way I planned. One got rerouted to a city I wasn’t going to, and the other lost its whole class before it even started. But somehow, I still ended up exactly where I needed to be, in a cozy space, talking to someone interesting, walking away with things I actually made and actually wanted.
There’s something to be said for showing up anyway, even when the plan falls apart. Sometimes the detour is the whole point. And the incense? Chef’s kiss. Absolutely worth it.
