This spring I worked with a business coach who needed Pro Bono clients to finish up a leadership program for her Masters Degree. To say she helped me is a serious understatement. It was a fantastic experience that I would highly recommend to anyone feeling a little bit stuck on an idea or needing some accountability to kick their butt.
During my sessions with this coach, we talk a lot about my book theme. After we wrapped up working together, I got an email from her:
“I saw this today and it made me think of your safety net analogy.”
…with this photo attached that made me smile:
Amen!
Here’s to building a safety net by building yourself, and to not being afraid of the adventure.
Here we are a week after BLR Play It Forward 2015 weekend. Thinking about our time together makes me smile. As I work on page updates, stories about what happened during our event, get photos from our photographer, etc. I wanted to share this one:
This is one of the only 2 photos I managed to get during our alumni game time. Things were so busy it was a blur, but I had to grab my friend Kate Emma right after the game while we were nice and sweaty to get a quick shot. Kate Emma suggested the idea of an alumni game when I saw her for the first time in years during the fall of 2011. I’m so glad she did. I took that idea and ran, and now 4 years later (with a lot of help from people like her to make it all happen), we have this amazing annual event that’s done so much to bring our hometown community together. People like Kate Emma mean the world to me. The ones you grow up with know you, they get you, and they love you in a way like no other friends. There’s a unique bond with old pals like Kate Emma that never go away even if our lives run in hundreds of different directions. I feel pretty darn lucky to have such a large core group of hometown ladies who support and love me so much.
Thank you Kate Emma, and to all of my girlfriends from MAU for helping to make my Vermont time each summer so special.
My annual July adventure up north for green space fresh-air & BLR Play It Forward Event time ended up being way more than I bargained for/planned on/expected/hoped/dreamed of/wished. Like way more. Some good, some bad, and some really ugly.
As I sit in my office back at home base, surrounded by piles of things to take care of (that’s literal and figurative), I look at this photo from a couple weeks ago when I was peacefully sipping coffee at a boat house and think- ahhh…wouldn’t it be nice if life was that calm & easy. (Then I think maybe not so much because we’d never learn how to handle the bumps and bruises that come along.)
My brother sent this video to me via text the other day when I was on a long drive and just feeling awful. I laughed so hard in my stomach hurt. This is absolutely hilarious, with my favorite line being about the “3-ring sh*t-show” of life. Be warned; this is for adults, lots of eff-bombs/inappropriate language:
Seriously, how can you not laugh at something like this, especially when life is handing you so many lemons every kid on your street would be able to make enough gallons of lemonade to sell & finance their 4-year education?
It always seems by the time I end up sitting down and logging on to write here, I have too much I want to share about my experiences that I don’t even know where to begin. For now I will say that I continue to be so incredibly thankful to all my family & friends for being such a big part in why life is beautiful. (And “brutiful” as my friend Laura says.) Also, Play It Forward 2015 was an amazing success and I am one happy camper about that. (More on our event here soon. Our generous volunteer photographer, Nicole is editing photos as I type.) Beyond those two things today, I will share some things I have learned and re-learned from this crazy summer of 2015 so far:
*Life is too short
*There’s a lot of fear floating around this earth
*If you feel like you want to do something or say something, you should start doing it right now
*There are few things better than spending time with good old friends
*You will never forget that time when you were a grown adult that your Mom literally had to hold you up and hold your hand at a funeral- otherwise you would have never been able to do it. (I love you so much, Mom.)
*If you compartmentalize deep/heavy/important/significant stuff for too long, it will rear It’s ugly head sooner than later
*We must wake up everyday even when we are drowning in that sea of lemonade that has come rushing toward us (see above making lemons out of lemonade), and be inspired to do better, be better, and live better- even when we feel like total crap
Feeling scared, sorry for yourself, or overly bummed about tough stuff or things that are happening that are not so awesome? Think about those people (we all know far too many) who no longer have a choice; The ones who if they did, would give anything and everything for a chance to just be free and feel healthy, to spend just a few more minutes doing something they’re passionate about, to have just one more hug from the ones they love.
Now that’s motivation.
Go get it, ya’ll. Put the courage belt on, clip yourself in tight for an incredible ride, and start driving. Live. Time’s a wastin’
Play It Forward is so much bigger than just a soccer game. It is about bringing people together, honoring loved ones no longer here, and celebrating memories and time together. It is a reminder about what’s important, where we came from, and is meant to inspire us all to truly live while we are living.
This is year four, and I can’t believe it! Countless hours and efforts have been put in and I as I type this with a big smile I could not be more proud. I am humbled and honored to host this event, and so thankful for all the love, support & help from so many friends, family, alumni and community members.
