postaday

What Is Your Story?

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We each have a story to tell. Whether we had a tough childhood, or one full of fun, play, and laughter, there is a story in everything we do. I am the kind of person that walks into a room and accesses who else is in the room, what are the dynamics, the mood and energy level. I think it tells you a lot about how individuals will or may interact during the time spent in that room or social situation. In the end, each individual has a story to tell. Each in our own unique perspective.

If you listen to how another individual tells a story, you can learn about the art of a story, you can watch how they captivate a room. What brings others into their story? What is interesting the story they tell? What makes others laugh? What keeps them captivated? Over time I have begun to watch for those nuances when someone else tells a story, in the books I read, and in how people interact. Are they more dramatic, are they comedic? Do they start the story with a good opening?

Recently I came across this quote from an Oprah email:

“You have to live your story before being able to write your story.” – Amy Shearn

It has me thinking. What is my story to tell? What is your story to tell? What did you observe today that will help you tell your story? There is rich material in each encounter we have, we just have to be open and willing to watch for the color, the nuggets, the humor, and thread together the web that connects each story.

Unforgettable Impact

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Are there people from your past that have had an unforgettable impact on you? They came into your life at a specific time, left that imprint on your heart, they may or may not be in your life anymore, but you remember the lasting effect they had on you.

There are so many people in my life that had that kind of impact on me. Children, other families, parents of children I took care of, friends, the list goes on. I can remember when I was in elementary school, a neighbor on my street would let me come over after school. She had been an art teacher and took time off to have a baby. I would come by to play with her son, and she would often have an art project out on the kitchen table and ask if I wanted to join her. I learned a lot from her, and often wonder if her encouragement and interest is what ignited my interest in art. If she had not left that imprint on my life, would I have pursued many of my creative and artistic endeavors? I will never know, but I am grateful for the connected afternoons of playing with baby + paints, paper, pencils, wax, and my imagination.

Why is it that I remember very specific details of interactions outside of my family, but many details of life inside my home are a blur? I could list off many experiences I had babysitting kids in my neighborhood, or from my church. Families I came close to in high school and college. Often I spent more time in their home and with their children than I did in my own home. Many times it would begin to feel more like my home away from home. I would have meals with their family and the parents would tease me that they wanted to adopt me. So why did I find such solace and comfort in spending time with these families? They had a definite impact on me. They taught me different ways to live, politics, things I wanted in my life, and things I did not want.

The unforgettable impact continues in adulthood. Whether a colleague, a friend’s precious child, or that night out to dinner with friends. I can walk away from an experience and feel the imprint internally. The deep conversation that changed me, taught me to look at myself differently, or helped me to appreciate all the goodness and greatness already in my life. I am honored to look back and appreciate all the individuals that have changed me.

Who has made a great impact in your life?

Naked Juice + Pound of Fruit = Fed Family

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I grew up hating vegetables. It was not until at least the age of 25 when I started to eat them, and now I crave them. For the most part eating vegetables in my youth sucked. They were either frozen or canned, and many times microwaved or overcooked. All around gross. Now I am passionate about promoting vegetables. When I hear that parents have a hard getting their kids to eat their veggies, I think two things. That will change as they get older, and there are now creative ways they can get their kids to eat amazing green, leafy veggies.

Whenever I travel and have little to no access to vegetables, I defer to bottled green juices. There are many brands I have tried, but my favorites are Odwalla, Naked, and a few local brands. When I found out about Naked Juices campaign to help families receive fresh produce I thought – brilliant! Naked Juice states that there is an entire pound of fruit in every bottle of Naked Juice. Their green juice version has veggies too.

They have teamed up with Wholesome Wave, a non-profit that helps provide underserved communities with local produce. You can download a coupon from the Naked Juice website, that gives you $1 off any 15.2 ounce of Naked Juice. For every coupon downloaded from their website, they will donated one pound of produce to families in need. It is definitely a clever marketing campaign. It means more Naked Juice customers, which means more knowledge about their brand. It allows their consumer to be their customer evangelists, and families receive fresh produce. A win-win situation.

You can find out more details by going to the “Good Deeds” page on their website. You will want to be sure to watch the slide show. Naked Juice has started their campaign by donating 50,000 pounds of fruits and veggies.

If you crave kale, spinach, banana, and other nutrient rich foods, download a coupon, pick up a bottle of Naked Juice, and know you have helped to provide necessary foods for a family.

#winwin

A little wedding cake ten years later?

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My wedding was different. We both wanted it that way. We wanted it to be about us. The focus was about two distinct and unique individuals coming together to take vows to spend our life with each other. We did not want to get caught up in making other family and friends happy, or to cater to everyone’s little need. I have seen it happen so many times, where the bride and groom get so sucked into the wedding and party afterwards that they forget to breathe and remember why they are bringing their lives together. The most important moments of a wedding day is not what you look like, if your hair looks perfect, or if your mom is happy, but those precious moments when you promise to keep your vows. That is what a wedding is truly about, the vow and promises that are the beginning steps of a marriage.

Now that you have heard my rant and thoughts about a wedding, you can probably guess that Chris and I got married just the two of us. We did not elope per se, because we alerted folks that we were going to run off to the beach in Hawaii to make our promises to each other at sunset. Getting married with just your life partner in tow might not be for everyone, but it was so right for us. We still comment on how perfect it was for us, and have not regrets.

Yet a few things could have been easier. Those things had nothing to do with our vows, or family, or even because we almost missed our appointment to obtain our marriage license. The parts I might do differently were the silly, unnecessary wedding details. My dress. A cake.

the cake made for our after wedding party

the cake made for our after wedding party

Finding a dress was complicated. At the time, I could choose a big ass dress from David’s Bridal, spend more than I was on my wedding and get something unique, or do what I did and purchase a dress at Banana Republic for $100. There was not a wedding dress line at J. Crew or Banana Republic at the time. I know I might sound old, or many other women before me might say that I had more options than they did, but whatever they may say, the options are now endless.

When I recently came across the website: Loverly, a Pinterest site of sorts that specifically focuses on weddings, I thought: “Bummer, wish such a site was available when I got married.” Sure, theknot.com was around, but it was more for creating a website and registry pages. There was not a pin board type site where you could find endless creative ideas. Even though I have been married for almost ten years, I recently had so much fun exploring the different boards on Loverly. We did not have a wedding cake, instead a very generous friend made a cake for us for a party after we got married. It tasted amazing.

Maybe for our upcoming tenth anniversary, I will have a cake made, invite friends over, and eat to our hearts content. The dress, well in the end, mine was perfect for a beach wedding.

We need to be ALIVE

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“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” –Howard Thurman

Alive. What is it that makes you feel that way? What makes your heart beat fast, gets you excited and energized to be present in each moment? I love the way my heart pounds after a really good workout. It feels like a feat each time. A sense of completion. Some days are easier than others, some harder, some are a struggle. The hardest part is getting dressed, lacing up, and going. Once I start moving, I feel alive. Proud. Happy. Sometimes exhausted. On those tough days, at least I laced up and tried. I moved. I pushed myself. I started.

What is it that you do that makes you come alive? Is it solving a problem? Exercising? Listening? What lights your fire, gets you excited, and brings the true you to the surface? Sometimes for me it can be that aha moment with a friend or co-worker, when you have solved that problem together, or when you connect on a level you never expected. Other times it is when I am sitting on the couch reading a book and I have an idea pop into my mind. It is the answer I have been needing, or patiently waiting for, it was the resolution to a problem.

If I were to go and do the same job every day, with no variety, no changes, no ambiguity, then I would be bored. What keeps me feeling alive is the ever-changing landscape of work, family, friends. It is the question of how to do what we do, but better. How to be a better wife, a better sister, a better friend. Evolving as a person, learning, growing, changing, that is what makes me feel alive. Whole. That is what makes me roar, sing, and laugh.

What makes you feel most alive?