The Veil of Timeless Pondering

A Cautionary Tale: How I Spent 2 Months in Nowhere and Tanked my Business in the Process

Feb 06, 2025

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From the Glittery Pages of Ophelia’s Journal:

The Silver Lining That Wasn’t

Dear Diary, I was minding my own business (sort of) in another dimension, helping a sentient cloud name its silver lining, when suddenly I found myself wandering through the Veil of Timeless Pondering. Just saying the words makes my scales itch. What a beautiful, dangerous, and utterly unproductive place.

When I finally managed to wander out, almost 2 months later, I tried to put a smile on my face and act like it was no big deal and that everything was fine.

But everything was far from fine.

Let me tell you—getting lost in the Veil for two whole months doesn’t exactly do wonders for your bottom line.

So let me just start this brutally honest tale with an apology to all of my readers, customers and friends. I'm sorry I was gone so long and let you all down. I hope that you'll forgive me.

Ok, that done, I learned a few things and thought I'd share the true story of my adventures with you.

Inside the Veil: A Tempest of Overthinking

The Veil of Timeless Pondering is an enchanted liminal space between moments where time is as slippery as a buttered salamander. Trust me, it’s as disorienting as it sounds - even for an experienced time traveler such as myself.

It all began innocently enough. I was helping a sentient cloud name its silver lining -- we were debating between Nimbus Glimmer and Puff McSparkle. After my existential run-in with Mortimer the Angsty Squirrel, I was feeling... let’s call it “philosophical.” I thought focusing on a silver lining might help.

My brain was all abuzz with questions like, "Was chasing runes just my version of Mortimer's hunting acorns? Was switching to a focus on my art and writing over Enchanted Acorns a mistake? Maybe life really was about the scamper. Or maybe, just maybe, I should stop letting squirrels shake my worldview?

So, there I was, trying not to ponder life, runes, acorns and squirrels, when I noticed a shimmering in the air—a silvery, gauzy curtain of light hanging in the air near myself and the cloud. I thought it was the silver lining resonating with the names we were discussing and finally manifesting itself. It practically hummed with possibility. Naturally, my first thought was, “Oooh, sparkly! Let’s poke it!”

Bad idea.

The moment my claw touched the Not-A-Silver-Lining Veil of Timeless Pondering, I was pulled in faster than you can say “enchanted catastrophe.” Everything shifted—up was down, the out of side was in, and minutes stretched into hours, yet somehow it felt like mere seconds had passed. I tumbled through an endless sea of thoughts, half-formed and chaotic, as if the universe had spilled its collective tea.

At first, it was thrilling! I saw fragments of dreams, snippets of otherworldly conversations, and runes glowing in the ether. There’s no sense of urgency, no ticking clock, no external demands—just an endless swirl of thoughts, possibilities, and “what-ifs.” It’s mesmerizing...

Until you're so tangled up in your own swirling, tempest of ponderings…

“What is the meaning of acorns?”

“What is my password?”

"Where did I put my journal, blog, and cache of polaroid photos?"

“Why does pudding skin exist? Who decided that was a good idea?”

"Am I making a HUGE mistake with my business?"

"Should I use blue instead of purple in my logo? Maybe I should use green?"

"Is my activity book good enough? Maybe I should rewrite the story…again? Maybe the images aren't interesting enough? Is the cover the wrong color? Are the puzzles boring?"

Friends, it was relentless. The Veil of Timeless Pondering does exactly what it says on the tin. It traps you in an endless loop of overthinking until you’ve spiraled so far down that you’re questioning the aerodynamics of bumblebees and the meaning of perfection.

And the worst part? It’s like stepping into a bubble of timelessness where the hours, days, and weeks blur together. Time doesn’t move the same way in the Veil.

Two whole months of missing pie season because I got stuck contemplating whether 20 sparkles are too much or if 18 are too subtle. (Spoiler: You can never have too much sparkle, unless you hate sparkles, in which case you're just a horrible, horrible person. There I said it.)

The Business Fallout

Eventually, I snapped out of it. How, you ask? Well, it turns out that when you ponder long enough, you circle back to the most basic truths. And for me, that truth was this: “I really want pie.”

That singular, pie-driven focus pulled me out of the Veil like a gust of wind sweeping away cobwebs. I stumbled back into the forest, sticky with Veil residue (it’s sparkly, like glitter, but somehow more sticky and just overall icky) and muttering about pudding skin. When I finally made it back to the Business Witch Academy, Cheryl nearly dropped her tea in shock and that's when I knew something was off.

The Veil of Timeless Pondering is mesmerizing...

Until you realize you’ve been there for TWO. WHOLE. MONTHS.

When I finally reappeared, my inbox was overflowing, my shop stats were alarming, and the Substack I’d been so excited about? Crickets.

I had orders sitting unfulfilled, customers wondering if I’d disappeared for good, and a pile of inquiries about my Rune Adventures coloring book launch that had gone completely unanswered. My entire business—the enchanting, whimsical world I’d worked so hard to build—felt like a ball of beautifully wrapped red yarn after a kitten's gotten ahold of it.

And let’s not even talk about social media. I’d lost followers, my engagement had plummeted, and the algorithm had clearly forgotten I existed. It was like shouting into the void, except this time, the void wasn’t answering.

The Inner Struggle

But the real kicker? It wasn’t just the logistics. It was me. My confidence took a hit. The little voice in my head (which, let’s be honest, sometimes sounds suspiciously like Cheryl) no longer had her positivity and confidence. Now, an ugly little raspy voice had taken up residence. It kept whispering, “What if you’ve ruined everything? What if you can’t recover from this?”

I felt like I’d let everyone down—my customers, my readers, my little Doxie self. I even started second-guessing the Rune Adventures book launch, wondering if anyone would care about it after such a long silence.

And then there were the new doubts that Mortimer and the Veil itself had planted. What was I even doing all this for? Was chasing my dreams just my version of Mortimer’s endless acorn hunt? Would everyone hate everything I did because I'm an amateur and nothing I do will be perfect enough? The questions swirled around me like an unrelenting fog, making it hard to see the joy and purpose I’d felt when I started this journey.

Getting Back on Track

Rebuilding hasn’t been easy, but here’s what I’ve learned:

Authenticity is Magic. Cheryl shared a story about being your authentic self in business. So, here I am sharing the brutal honesty of what happened, where I am now, and where I'm trying to go. I'm trusting that Cheryl is right and you'll not only understand, but you'll forgive me and maybe, if I'm really lucky, you'll tell a few friends about me to help me regain some momentum. I’ve been waylaid, but I'm working hard to make things right.
Share Ophelia's Bazaar
Lean on Your Team (or Your Cheryl). Cheryl was a lifesaver. She helped me prioritize what needed immediate attention and my Dark Side Study group have pitched in to help me clean up the mess that is my room so I'll have the mental and physical space to get creative again. (If you don’t have a business support group, please get one! I highly recommend this one.)
Done is Better than Perfect. She also reminded me that not everything had to be perfect. And not only that, but the only way to improve is by doing it, and doing it again just a little bit better. She even convinced me that the fastest way to improve is to put something out there so I can get feedback directly from my customers (a terrifying but necessary move). —So, I’m inviting you to comment below. Let me know what you think of my posts, my activity book, my merch, whatever. How can I improve?
Small Wins Add Up. Instead of tackling everything at once, I'm focused on little victories: fulfilling one overdue order, replying to one email, posting one update. Every small step is helping me rebuild my momentum—and my confidence. I was actually surprised that it only took me 15 minutes to make a final change to my book cover and get it live on Amazon! I’d built it up SO much in my head, I thought it was going to be a ton of work.
The Joy of the Scamper. Remember Mortimer’s existential crisis? His words kept echoing in my mind: “What if the acorns represent something deeper?” And you know what? Maybe they do, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the scamper. Nothing brings me more joy than creating, one enchanted sticker or coloring page at a time. I keep reminding myself that, if others enjoy my creations, that the chocolate fudge topping on my ice cream sundae.

A Fresh Start

Now, I’ve officially launched my Rune Adventures Part 1: The Compass of Forgotten Lore activity book. It’s been a long time coming, and I’m more determined than ever to make it magical. Yes, I lost two months. Yes, I’ve had to rebuild from a place of doubt and chaos. But if the Veil taught me anything, it’s that time is slippery and precious.

My friends and my book have helped me find my bearings, they're the best compass a Doxie could ever ask for.

So, my friends, let this be a lesson: Too much pondering will stop your business in its tracks! If you ever see a sparkly Veil hanging mid-air, look, just in case it's a genuine Silver Lining, but resist the urge to poke it!

Or, at the very least, bring snacks and an exit strategy.

So, here’s to scampering, to dreaming, to rebuilding—one enchanted step at a time. And if you ever find yourself in the Veil of Timeless Pondering, do yourself a favor: leave before the glitter sticks.

Leaping out like a squirrel in spring,

Ophelia 🌈
From Tiny Acorns, Mighty Magic Grows

P.S. I’m dedicating my Compass of Forgotten Lore Coloring Book to all the overthinkers out there. May your pondering always lead you back to pie. 🥧✨