Blue Lollipop Road

From A Confederate

Below is an email sent to me by a perfect stranger who became a follower here. Someone I met via email with work I do and then happened to be lucky enough to meet in person about a week ago. I wanted to share this with you because of those times we all have when we think our words or actions don’t matter or that they might go unnoticed- we couldn’t be more wrong. Someone, somewhere is watching. 

Thanks B. Having someone like you who has lived and experienced many more years than me write this- certainly means a lot. It’s especially great to know that we all can relate to each other because we all have our own rocky roads. Life is oh so good- isn’t it? Don’t you worry. I will never stop believing it’s all possible. Glad you’re a fellow walker down the Blue Lollipop Road.
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Damn girl, you are good! No matter how hard we try, no matter how caring we are, no matter the depth of our acquired knowledge and skills as we learn about this rather bizarre planet, sometimes it just seems to rain ferrets.
For days on end, f’ing ferrets. 
After reading portions of BLR over the past couple of weeks, I flashed back to times and people I have known – good people with fire in their eyes and that desire to see and do it all – who have been caught in multiple ferret storms. (A few they conjured up themselves:) Some went down. Many changed to a safer course. After the clouds lifted a few emerged stronger, more than just survivors, still on course. They became hope for us all. I decided then you were one of those.
Nothing I saw Friday night of you doing-what-needed-to-be-done changed my mind. But I worried. You all worked your asses off to make a great Wilmington evening that would not have otherwise happened. I hoped then that the lack of a sell-out would not dishearten. I was already concerned for my Richmond transplant (and honorary Virginian) when I thought of her sitting in a furniture-less apartment, broke, with a mouthful of gummy mac ‘n cheese. The halfway through “Bring It” I cringed; “holy shit,” I thought, “what next?” Then Diane reappeared, laughing. Then, “Chillin,” she demonstrated the considerable power that comes from whatever is the inverse of “kick, scream, cry and fight.” No, the externals still may not be “absolutely perfect,” but the internals are close. I really admire those internals.
So happy Tuesday Diane. Things will be better. Probably uneven, but still better. You have confederates along the Blue Lollipop Road, some you barely know.

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National Chocolate Day

Declared by the National Confectioners Association; today is National Chocolate Day. A holiday for chocolate?! Love that. Twist my arm- I’ll have some please. How could I, the everyday eating, can’t shut up about chocolate-loving girl have not known about this until now? I would’ve had a sweet soiree planned if I did. There’s always tomorrow. Every day is a chocolate celebration for me.

Here’s some information on the health benefits chocolate- (You know I had to throw some good reasons to eat my favorite stuff in here) so make sure your well-balanced diet of fruits and veggies include something chocolate. That and a glass of red one and BAM! You’re the pillar of health.
Do you think there’s some irony in me deciding to call South n’ France out of nowhere yesterday and just happened to set up a meeting with them for today? I can’t wait. What serendipitous timing.
Off to eat a bon bon or twelve…
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Be Good

I got an email from an older, wiser and much more experienced person than I about our company/events we have done recently and a portion of it said the following:

“No one will hire you because you are rich- they will hire you because you do good work.”
When you’re in your younger professional years, hungry for success and still believe in “old-fashioned” stuff like being an honest and hard working person- in 2009 you sometimes find yourself feeling a bit crazy, like you’re living in the twilight zone or that you’re out-dated because apparently “things are different these days.” 
What does that mean? We are supposed to be lazy and entitled? Hmmm….
Thankfully the combination of wonderful friends, family and a random email like the above from a professional who’s been around the block and then some in the business world- pop into the inbox to help give that little push to a young professional so they will keep believing that yes indeed, doing good work means everything. 
Thanks M.W. Glad we snubbed you first (HA!) so you’d ask us why and the conversations could start. Now we can be friends and do good work together. Everything really does happen for a reason.
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Sugary Oink Oink

I just heard the average American eats 12 pounds of chocolate a year. Come on people! Open up and say ahh. We have some catching up to do! The Swiss are putting us to shame eating double that per year. I must have some serious Swiss blood in me because I easily eat 50 pounds of the sweet stuff a year all by myself. 

I never met a chocolate I didn’t like. I’m not sure about chocolate covered bacon though. Ok, ok I lie. I’ve said even if chocolate was on a sock and I would eat it, so hats off to you for creativity Vosges. I guess I’ll have to try this stuff with my pancakes some morning.
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Chillin’

Sitting here this morning working on a productive start to the week and thinking about my last post about the piles of, well- lets call them challenges that have been going on in my life this year, I have never been happier or felt more positive about things. Isn’t it weird how that works? Perhaps it’s something about getting older, feeling more at ease and peace with things and really understanding that you can’t control everything. People have told me to relax my whole life and while I’ve tried, I’ve never been a bit good at it until now. 

Boy have I been missing out. 

For all of you out there like me, who instinctually want to kick, scream, cry and fight- all the time and about everything; Just relax. The sooner you do, the sooner it will all work out. Promise, and no- I didn’t believe it either until now.
Happy Monday.
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Bring It

You know that saying “If I didn’t laugh I’d cry?” Here’s one for you:

Recently I have worked my fingers to the bone and body to exhaustion on a couple of events that were a wild success in every way, but still made no money. Yesterday I was stuck outside in a downpour with shelter far away as it rained cats, dogs and ferrets, this after last week being delivered a slip from the sheriffs office informing me that a guy who I was potentially going to rent a room from was taking me to court (what?!) and a woman had smashed into my car, ripping the front end off on Friday- I just laughed.

Yep. 
Laughed.
Because why? That moment when you’ve cried enough after life has told you to screw off a hundred times and you realize it does no good and it makes you feel worse anyway- standing drenched in a downpour, wondering how you’re going to pay your rent, what you’re going to say in a court debacle or how you’re going to get your car un-smashed; you’re still somehow a happy, proud person and believer in everything- and laughing feels just perfect.
Absolutely perfect. 
Whatcha got next world? Throw it here. I’ll spit you back some sunshine:)
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I Need To Pay My Bills…

…plus Grace Potter and the Nocturnals are pretty much just totally incredible musicians, it’s going to be 80 and sunny in Wilmington, NC tomorrow, hanging out with random people is fun- especially at an amphitheater- on a lake, we’re sponsored by a local micro-brewery and cold beer is delicious, not to mention we’re raising money for a local nonprofit. 

Um- can you say, win, win, win, win? 

Please buy yourself a ticket at our website and get ready to rock and roll. We will be there with bells on along with 900 other people. Yeah baby! 
VERMONT GIRLS RULE.

(Yes, this is my shameless plug. Actually, there’s nothing to be ashamed about loving my job and encouraging people to get out and spend a little dough so we can keep bringing awesome music and events to our cool little city to help it grow:) 
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Just Wait

Sometimes when you just don’t think you can wait a second longer for something to give…a minute passes and something surprises you. Or- you surprise yourself. Just when you want to give up, someone steps in your life and challenges; “Are you kidding me? Screw so and so and such and such that says you shouldn’t or can’t!”

Resilience. A great thing.
My friend Scott calls me Phoenix, as in- rising. I think that is awesome and flattering, but I often look forward to the day I won’t have to “rise” from anything. Then again while being “there” already would be a little less exhausting, that would mean the journey and adventure would be over and that would just be boring.

Here’s to fighting through the exhaustion and being able to say screw it, I’m doing it anyway.
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