Recharged!

There's nothing like a long weekend to recharge the soul.   The past few weeks have been hectic, one day bleeding into the next. At the end of the day it's hard to say if I could have accomplished any more with the time I had left. I am especially thankful for this Memorial Day holiday.  

A little more sleep, a lot more time to enjoy with my son. More time to shop for the week, plan meals, do laundry and to read.  I picked the first ripe strawberry from our garden for my son & husband to share. We cut a few peonies to enjoy ~ they will be gone before we know it.

I'm more than halfway through Harvey Mackay's "Use Your Head To Get Your Foot In The Door." One of my favorite chapters thus far is one called "Use Your Head, but Follow Your Heart!" It's the story of how Harvey first met Tony Dungy & the path their relationship took over the years. There was a lot of give & take of opinions & advice between the two - the student & the mentor. The decisions Tony made in his career often took an unconventional turn. Nonetheless the result in the end was priceless - Tony couldn't have made any better choices if he tried & the rewards he has reaped along with his stellar accomplishments have made it all worth it. The chapter's three key takeaways were:

1. "Don't ever give up in the aftermath of a setback."

2. "Accept detours if they contribute to your ultimate goal."

3. Most important of all, follow your heart."

Over the past couple of weeks I've wondered if I've missed out on anything because I haven't had as much dedicated time to network & search for a permanent role.  After all finding a job is a job & it takes so much time & energy to fit all the pieces together and then wait for someone else to agree that the final picture is a thing of beauty.

You are never guaranteed what tomorrow will bring, so be thankful for today & make the best of every minute. 

Harvey consistently reinforces the importance of building & nurturing one's network. It's not a one & done type of proposition, it's a journey of constant discovery.  People are constantly flowing in and out ~ up and down in priority on our personal lists.  You need to regularly re-evaluate what each person brings to your table as well as what you are able to bring to theirs. You need to know that there is a high level of integrity & trust among your network - your connections.  My conclusion: Building and maintaining trust in your business or personal relationships is essential. Don't lose sight of that truth. Always trust your gut. 

In this case, I'm going to continue to trust that this contract position is the right move at the right time and that by being agile & doing things that perhaps I didn't intend to be doing, I'll learn even more than what I expect about what my next role should be. We all should take each day as they come and breathe deeply. After these last few days, I consider myself recharged.

Lovely Morning Surprise - Random Act of Kindness

Our family's routine changes on a day by day basis it seems.  I had a late meeting scheduled at work, so knowing that I'd have no chance of making my evening tee time (my Mom's night out), I let my hubby go & play softball for a change.  That meant my schedule was moved around a bit and I would need to catch a different bus in the morning as well as the evening. 

After the morning drop off I settle down onto my seat on the bus only to discover I'd left my breakfast sitting in the refrigerator.  Already behind my usual schedule, I skipped the long line at Caribou and tried a new place "Beyond Juice - Meal in a Cup".  While I was standing in line trying to figure out the menu & what I wanted to order, the woman in line ahead of me turns back & says "It's 2 for 1, you can have whatever you want, on me." I was thinking - you can't be serious, but it turns out 2 for 1 was the special of the day.  My breakfast was free and a perfect stranger had made my day after my hectic early start. It was a lovely morning surprise.

How beautiful a day can be when kindness touches it! ~ George Elliston

Since I didn't have to pay, I tipped the kid at the counter, which I normally never do at those types of places. I just hope he appreciated it as much as I appreciated being on the receiving end of someone's random act of kindness.

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. ~Aesop

The best part of the story is that on the way home, a polite middle aged woman with a rolling walker came up to me at the bus stop & asked if I could spare any money to help her pay for a bed in a shelter tonight.  I asked her how much she needed & she said she was trying to come up with $12.50 and that she had $2 and change so far.  I dug into my purse & found that I had $8.00 that I could give her, so I did & she thanked me, moving on to the next person in line who looked like they would listen.  That next person pulled a couple of dollars out of his pocket to give her as well, perhaps he overheard what she was going to use the money for.  I'm hoping that she had enough to get that bed, so she could have a peaceful night's sleep tonight.

I was standing there at a time I normally wouldn't have been because of that late scheduled meeting. I don't think it was a coincidence that she came up to me after what happened to me that same morning.  At least I'd like to believe so.  

What would you have done in that same situation? The trick is to just do something - don't even stop to think. Pay It Forward, do what your heart knows is right and you too will be able to sleep peacefully at night.

  
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Not You?! You don't look homeless!

Not You?! You don't look homeless!

I took a day off on Tuesday in order to attend a Perspectives Series Breakfast - "Homelessness in Minnesota. A Closer Look" at the Wilder Center in St. Paul.  This is an issue that has affected my own extended family in years past, and thus me indirectly.  I was interested in learning more about the key findings of this study, as well as what various organizations are doing differently today to address the core reasons contributing to this epidemic in our communities.

It was also an opportunity to meet @TCManWalking aka D J, who I've been following and chatting with on Twitter. If you happened to walk past him on the street, you would never be able to guess that D J was homeless.  He looks like any other person who might be sitting in a cube or even a corner office where you work. You might say to yourself "Not You?! You don't look homeless!" He has a vision: to raise awareness about an under-served and unacknowledged homeless population.  These are families and individuals both who are living and sleeping in their vehicles, camping out in non-traditional locations, or moving from friend to friend and family member to family member, places where outreach programs typically do not extend.

The morning conversation focused on the latest statewide data which estimates the number of homeless physically counted on October 22, 2009 to be 9,654 people. Of that number, 1/2 are youth aged 21 years or under.  It's hard to swallow that some of those youth are living on their own, without an adult family member at the tender age of 9.  The number of people who are homeless on any given night in our state they suspect to be closer to > 13,100. While there are percentages of this population who are dealing with serious mental illness, chronic health issues and substance abuse, an amazingly high 26% of homeless adults have NONE of those problems.

The usual suspects contributing to the increasing problem include the battered economy, foreclosures on rentals and owned properties, as well as extended joblessness.  Many of the homeless have seen an already low median monthly income of $400 drop 25% to $300 in the time since the last study was conducted.

Photo courtesy of:  

Danilo Rizzuti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

This isn't the government's problem to issue to be dealt with.  We all have some responsibility to those less fortunate in our communities.  One of the speakers at the conference was Miss Erica Skuta, a senior at Hill-Murray High School.  Please check out this wonderful & inspiring tool for youth that she co-developed for the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless: “A Students Guide to Ending Homelessness.”

There isn't a truly integrated approach to working this problem.  The process of determining what assistance someone may be eligible for is disjointed and cumbersome, plus it assumes that people have easy access to services & technology like internet, a computer & a phone. Cuts in the states budget are directly & negatively affecting the numbers of homeless clients these supporting organizations are able to help.

I asked this same question on Twitter, LinkedIn & Facebook the other day: Do you work with a major organization or company who is involved  with funding critical community initiatives? If so, then please read one of my friend D J's last posts to find out how you might be able to help him succeed in his mission: Time is my worst enemy http://shar.es/mjtJ5

"May all beings everywhere plagued with sufferings of body and mind quickly be freed from their illnesses.  May those frightened cease to be afraid and may those bound be free.  May the powerless find power and may people think of befriending one another." 
- Traditional  Buddhist Prayer

Everyone should be inspired to reach out & volunteer for a cause they feel is important & where they feel they can make an impact on another person's life for the better.  Everyone deserves to begin & end their days with dignity & hope. My wish is for everyone to get involved somehow - to do their part to make their community a stronger & more secure place for all of us to coexist.

Wordless Wednesday - Anticipating Back Yard Freshness

Basil's Resurgence

Berries Taking Shape

 Oh Tomato!

Herbs Galore & Mint Gone Wild

Awaiting The Peony Grand Opening

 A Bit Of Color

Survived Week One

I survived week one of the "back to work" routine.  This experience thus far has made me view life through an entirely different lens.  The words I'd use to describe the first couple of days would be restless & unsettled, but by today, it all started to feel somewhat familiar & calm. It's also been like getting to test drive a car & kick the tires a bit before you buy it - a guided tour under the hood.    

Humorous details:

1. The daily scene at the park & ride station in the morning & at the numerous bus stops downtown in the evening are eerily reminiscent of assembly lines in a manufacturing environment. People line up in silence in the most orderly fashion waiting for their turn to board the express buses.  The scene is almost jarred out of balance if someone comes running up the street - late - trying to catch a bus that's quickly driving away. 

2. The similarly silent long line of employees waiting in the elevator bays for their turn to ride up to their floor in the elevator. A totally learned behavior, but far from ordinary if you are an outsider looking on!

3. Caribou has seduced me. I've treated myself to a hot Chai Tea every day since I started. Day 1, I called myself being environmentally conscious, buying a reusable cup cozy on sale for $1.25.  What a steal.  The problem is that on the way home on the Metro Transit that evening, I realized I accidentally threw away my new cozy with my empty cup. Brilliant! Oh well. Hopefully the cleaning person was smart & retrieved it for their own use.  I bought another on day 2, but have managed to remember not to throw the new one away!

Simple pleasures:

1. Getting in 8 of 9 holes of golf this week - First the bus was late & then traffic was horrible, so I was late for my tee time. Even had to change in the back of my car! The starter was a dear & drove me up to the 2nd tee, so I wouldn't miss playing another hole.  It was a beautiful evening & it was so relaxing & mind clearing to walk and play those eight holes with some wonderful ladies.

"Giving thanks for the moment is the only way to glimpse eternity."

- Modern meditation from Seville, Spain

2. Realized this evening that our Irises had finally begun to open up & snapped a few photos. Our neighbors with different exposures had Irises which opened up earlier this week:

Should be interesting to see how week two of "back to work" shapes up!

Wordless Wednesday - A Few Varieties In My Renegade Garden

I love my landscaping, 
but this particular garden has grown out of control on me.

Poppies
(My favorite)

Endless amounts of 'Gardenview Scarlet' Bee Balm

 Chives everywhere

Daisies 

(At least that's what they look like to me)

Asiatic Lily 
(one of 3 Lily varieties) 

Should I try to save it? 
Or start all over from scratch?!

 

Revisiting Work-Life-Balance

Photo Courtesy of:  
EA / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

And so it begins. Back in the rat race again. One can't help but be thankful and fortunate during this fragile state of our economy, yet at the same time, I'm having all sorts of mixed emotions about what lies ahead. This time it's a little like the 1st day of school as an exchange student. You're only there for a short period of time, but while you're there in a strange country, you do your best to blend in, learn the culture of the family that's hosting you & the expectations of the school that's teaching you. It's truly a peculiar place to be in your career during your early 40's.

 Photo Courtesy of:  
Francesco Marino / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Our family is having to find our new normal. New schedules, responsibilities & expectations all around. We'll be searching to find a balance between the comfortable life we had before I was laid off, the cautious reality of the past fifteen months and the relative uncertainty of the months ahead.

 Photo Courtesy of:  
Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I'll miss the limited amount of alone time I had.  Doing those simple things on every mom's to-do list in solitude, like shopping for groceries, doing the laundry, planning meals, cleaning house.

Photo Courtesy of:  
Mantas Ruzveltas / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

What's my greatest wish? To have the patience and the strength to begin each day with purpose outside of myself & to end the work day prioritizing the most important people in my life - my son & my husband, what their needs are, but not to forget my own. 

I'll squeeze out time for my workouts, to get my hair done, and maybe have a massage once a year.  I'll ask my husband for his help & support when I need it, because I really don't have to play Superwoman to be successful. 

"Night is drawing nigh -
For all that has been - Thanks!
For all that shall be - Yes!"
An Evening Affirmation by Dag Hammarskjold

But more importantly, I know that it will all come back to me... remembering how I did it before, how I found the time in every day to get it all done. I will find my Work-Life-Balance.