I'm off on VACATION! But before I go I have a story to share:
"During the monsoon time in Kerala, the state in South India from which I come, the paddy fields stretch like an endless emerald carpet towards the horizon. It is a time of great growth and joy for all creatures. As a little boy, I used to walk beside my spiritual teacher, my mother's mother, across those rice fields to our ancestral temple.
As we walked, I would often see the cast-off skin of a snake, lying like a lace ribbon beside the path. One day, I asked Granny, "Why do these snakes have to lose their skin?" Her reply was full of wisdom. I realize now that she was speaking of more than snakes. "If snakes do not shed their skin," she replied, "they cannot grow. They will suffocate in their old skin." I often remember her words. Today we too need to grow. The intense restlessness of our young people, the dissatisfaction and stifled idealism which haunts so many older people - these are signs that our society is ready to shed an outworn definition of who we are and what we can become. While I appreciate the attempts made by governments and distinguished groups and some corporation to solve our environmental or social problems, the solution lies ultimately in your hands and mine. What kind of image do we have of ourselves? What is our purpose in living?
By undertaking to answer those questions from our own experience, we will be laying the foundations of a truly sustainable society."
LOVE THAT!
Now I'm off to enjoy my last minute packing as I envision myself - driving to the airport - flying on an airplane - taking a bus - riding on a ferry - and staying in a hotel room - ALL BY MYSELF - with no husband - and NO KIDS - and not a care in the world - time with my brother and sisters - a wedding - a spa - an ocean - a massage - a pedicure - and PEACE.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
LOVE a productive 3 DAY weekend!
What is it about the 3rd day of a 3 day weekend that makes me suddenly more productive?
I'm pleased to report that I just cleared about 2 years worth of stuff out of my house. 2 Years! Kira is 14 months old so that's part of my excuse. Let's recap what has happened during that time while it's fresh in my mind from sorting through all the mess.
Months of morning (all day) sickness. Months of gestational diabetes - which will suck every ounce of energy you've ever had. Delivery of an almost 9 pound baby in the occiput posterior position. (I use the real name because "sunny side up" just doesn't cut it). Healing from that delivery. Maternity leave with both kids at home. Returning to work full-time. Sending Kira to daycare. Getting her to take a bottle. Pumping at work. Nursing all night long. Sending Will to school and figuring out Kindergarten and homework. Finding the balance needed to be a full-time working parent of two with one in his first year of school and another in her first year of daycare. Figuring out how to pick up one from daycare and one from school and carry everything into the house through the snow and eat snacks and make dinner and eat dinner and do dishes and do homework and give baths and wash clothes and get everyone ready for bed all within the 5pm - 7pm window. Speech therapy. Doctors appointments galore until we figured out what Will was allergic to and why he couldn't breathe. Learning about immunizations and doing them differently with Kira. Collecting every piece of artwork a Kindergartener can make. Helping Will learn to read and write. Tying shoelaces. Riding bikes. Swimming. Diapers. Kira - learning to crawl - learning to walk - eating solid foods - learning to talk...
Whew!
Plus we'd been SAVING all our boy stuff since we didn't know if Kira would be a girl or a boy and so we'd accumulated 6 years of toys and clothes that would have been hand-me-downs had she been a boy. She's not. And we're NOT having any more kids so I am in "get rid of this stuff" mode! We've been giving away all the baby stuff that she doesn't need anymore. We've been donating toys and clothes to the "give away store" like mad.
And today....it was time for the PAPERS to get the boot. It is insane how much paper one can accumulate when their method of cleaning is to shove it all into a laundry basket and then stick the laundry basket into the closet...at least quarterly...for 2 years.
But now - thanks to this 3 day weekend - the attics are clean and the closets are clean and the papers are tossed or organized.
We are ready for a new school year! BRING IT ON! I'll try not to save every item of artwork my first grader makes. If I do, I'll put it right into the "WILL KEEPS" box! I will use my files and folders and organizational system that I've spent countless hours creating and re-creating and labeling with my label maker over the years.
Next on the "to-do" list: getting back in shape, catching up on the last 6 years of photo albums and scrapbooks, and filling in those darn baby books.
Here are a couple of gems I found while cleaning:
Quote from Will - "It's good to be alive 'cuz then you can do lots of good things!"
The 1st sentence Will wrote - "I SEE MY CAT ON A HAT."
Kira in her swing fussing from boredom turns into loud cry of pain. Mom hears change in cry and enters room to find Will on couch with rubber bands. Will says, "She's not crying because I shot her! She was crying before I shot her!"
I'm pleased to report that I just cleared about 2 years worth of stuff out of my house. 2 Years! Kira is 14 months old so that's part of my excuse. Let's recap what has happened during that time while it's fresh in my mind from sorting through all the mess.
Months of morning (all day) sickness. Months of gestational diabetes - which will suck every ounce of energy you've ever had. Delivery of an almost 9 pound baby in the occiput posterior position. (I use the real name because "sunny side up" just doesn't cut it). Healing from that delivery. Maternity leave with both kids at home. Returning to work full-time. Sending Kira to daycare. Getting her to take a bottle. Pumping at work. Nursing all night long. Sending Will to school and figuring out Kindergarten and homework. Finding the balance needed to be a full-time working parent of two with one in his first year of school and another in her first year of daycare. Figuring out how to pick up one from daycare and one from school and carry everything into the house through the snow and eat snacks and make dinner and eat dinner and do dishes and do homework and give baths and wash clothes and get everyone ready for bed all within the 5pm - 7pm window. Speech therapy. Doctors appointments galore until we figured out what Will was allergic to and why he couldn't breathe. Learning about immunizations and doing them differently with Kira. Collecting every piece of artwork a Kindergartener can make. Helping Will learn to read and write. Tying shoelaces. Riding bikes. Swimming. Diapers. Kira - learning to crawl - learning to walk - eating solid foods - learning to talk...
Whew!
Plus we'd been SAVING all our boy stuff since we didn't know if Kira would be a girl or a boy and so we'd accumulated 6 years of toys and clothes that would have been hand-me-downs had she been a boy. She's not. And we're NOT having any more kids so I am in "get rid of this stuff" mode! We've been giving away all the baby stuff that she doesn't need anymore. We've been donating toys and clothes to the "give away store" like mad.
And today....it was time for the PAPERS to get the boot. It is insane how much paper one can accumulate when their method of cleaning is to shove it all into a laundry basket and then stick the laundry basket into the closet...at least quarterly...for 2 years.
But now - thanks to this 3 day weekend - the attics are clean and the closets are clean and the papers are tossed or organized.
We are ready for a new school year! BRING IT ON! I'll try not to save every item of artwork my first grader makes. If I do, I'll put it right into the "WILL KEEPS" box! I will use my files and folders and organizational system that I've spent countless hours creating and re-creating and labeling with my label maker over the years.
Next on the "to-do" list: getting back in shape, catching up on the last 6 years of photo albums and scrapbooks, and filling in those darn baby books.
Here are a couple of gems I found while cleaning:
Quote from Will - "It's good to be alive 'cuz then you can do lots of good things!"
The 1st sentence Will wrote - "I SEE MY CAT ON A HAT."
Kira in her swing fussing from boredom turns into loud cry of pain. Mom hears change in cry and enters room to find Will on couch with rubber bands. Will says, "She's not crying because I shot her! She was crying before I shot her!"
Sunday, September 6, 2009
PREPARE/ENRICH
So I was driving home from the store yesterday and drove by this building that said:
PREPARE-ENRICH
It was so exciting because I had this professor in college who shared with us the assessment tools he'd developed to give people feedback about themselves and their relationships so that they can identify their strengths and areas to work on and grow as a couple...and I knew immediately that he is still out there helping people. I love it when people's dreams and hard work pay off and I want to give a shout out to Professor Olson! You rock!
PREPARE-ENRICH
It was so exciting because I had this professor in college who shared with us the assessment tools he'd developed to give people feedback about themselves and their relationships so that they can identify their strengths and areas to work on and grow as a couple...and I knew immediately that he is still out there helping people. I love it when people's dreams and hard work pay off and I want to give a shout out to Professor Olson! You rock!
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Full Circle & Synchronicity
I love it when things come full circle. I thought I had 2 examples...but it magically turned into 3!
1) I was having a discussion with someone about something. I called this particular thing going on "growing pains". That person thought that was an interesting way to think about it. Then time passed and I have a feeling that person talked about it with at least one other person because suddenly I was having lunch with someone else completely when I heard my own words come out of this other person's mouth. She was talking about how this particular thing was like "growing pains". So funny! So either it was just an interesting coincidence; or that whole thing just went FULL CIRCLE and I got to hear my own words be said back to me!
2) I follow this blog called SYNCH-RO-NI-ZING. She had this video that I liked by Will Hoffman. So then I did a search on You Tube for Will Hoffman and found another video by him. It wasn't as great as the first one but it was fun since he's talking about the law of nature. So then I get done watching that and end up watching this video about...(you guessed it!)... SYNCHRONIZING!!! I love that! I love when life works like that!
I highly recommend watching it. I could go on about how it relates to life and human behavior at work but I have boundaries and try not to write about work on my blog - especially on labor day weekend! Anyway - this all led me to an interesting looking website which I haven't spent much time on but have a feeling I'll enjoy.
3) Totally off-topic but really quickly:
There is this ridiculous article in the paper today. I almost felt like I was reading the tabloids there was so much spin in this thing. I gave an earful to my poor husband when he asked me about it and he told me I should write them a letter in response. I told him that I'm sure the 'powers that be' will have that covered. Don't believe everything you read folks. Even if there are kernals of truth - there is ALWAYS MORE TO THE STORY. You have nothing unless you have all the facts. It reminds me of Gossip.
I read a study once that said people believe the gossip they hear more than the facts in front of them. MORE THAN THE FACTS IN FRONT OF THEM. That's some powerful stuff folks! I hate gossip. Can't stand it. Try to stay away from it. Try not to spend too much time with those who love to hear and spread it. Gossip only gives you one side of the story and often that one side of the story isn't 100% accurate.
I always like to get my facts from the SOURCE. Go to the CORE. Go to the ROOT. Get to the HEART of an issue. Get to the BOTTOM of a matter. I love that. I love writing that.
When will our workplaces evolve into places where "office politics" is a thing of the past?! I think we're getting there little by little my friends. The reason I know this is because the very thing that will help us get there - is the very thing I was talking about when I had those "growing pains" conversations. How's that for life bringing this blog post FULL CIRCLE for me?!
Seriously folks. I'm not making this stuff up. This is how my life works! LOVE it!
1) I was having a discussion with someone about something. I called this particular thing going on "growing pains". That person thought that was an interesting way to think about it. Then time passed and I have a feeling that person talked about it with at least one other person because suddenly I was having lunch with someone else completely when I heard my own words come out of this other person's mouth. She was talking about how this particular thing was like "growing pains". So funny! So either it was just an interesting coincidence; or that whole thing just went FULL CIRCLE and I got to hear my own words be said back to me!
2) I follow this blog called SYNCH-RO-NI-ZING. She had this video that I liked by Will Hoffman. So then I did a search on You Tube for Will Hoffman and found another video by him. It wasn't as great as the first one but it was fun since he's talking about the law of nature. So then I get done watching that and end up watching this video about...(you guessed it!)... SYNCHRONIZING!!! I love that! I love when life works like that!
I highly recommend watching it. I could go on about how it relates to life and human behavior at work but I have boundaries and try not to write about work on my blog - especially on labor day weekend! Anyway - this all led me to an interesting looking website which I haven't spent much time on but have a feeling I'll enjoy.
3) Totally off-topic but really quickly:
There is this ridiculous article in the paper today. I almost felt like I was reading the tabloids there was so much spin in this thing. I gave an earful to my poor husband when he asked me about it and he told me I should write them a letter in response. I told him that I'm sure the 'powers that be' will have that covered. Don't believe everything you read folks. Even if there are kernals of truth - there is ALWAYS MORE TO THE STORY. You have nothing unless you have all the facts. It reminds me of Gossip.
I read a study once that said people believe the gossip they hear more than the facts in front of them. MORE THAN THE FACTS IN FRONT OF THEM. That's some powerful stuff folks! I hate gossip. Can't stand it. Try to stay away from it. Try not to spend too much time with those who love to hear and spread it. Gossip only gives you one side of the story and often that one side of the story isn't 100% accurate.
I always like to get my facts from the SOURCE. Go to the CORE. Go to the ROOT. Get to the HEART of an issue. Get to the BOTTOM of a matter. I love that. I love writing that.
When will our workplaces evolve into places where "office politics" is a thing of the past?! I think we're getting there little by little my friends. The reason I know this is because the very thing that will help us get there - is the very thing I was talking about when I had those "growing pains" conversations. How's that for life bringing this blog post FULL CIRCLE for me?!
Seriously folks. I'm not making this stuff up. This is how my life works! LOVE it!
Friday, September 4, 2009
Labor Day Weekend!
I got this quote of the day from someone at work today:
"Many people worry so much about managing their careers, but rarely spend half that much energy managing their lives. I want to make my life, not just my job, the best it can be. The rest will work itself out." Reese Witherspoon
Amen Sister!
"Many people worry so much about managing their careers, but rarely spend half that much energy managing their lives. I want to make my life, not just my job, the best it can be. The rest will work itself out." Reese Witherspoon
Amen Sister!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
