Happy New Year, 2023!
You already know I believe that sharing is caring, even things like grief, but that cuteness is just so much better!
Since we’ve been too busy DOING all the things to even post about them before now, I thought that I had better share at least a highlight reel from 2022 with you before you think that I don’t care at all, because I do.
I really, really do!
But now maybe you’ll see why you haven’t heard much from us lately!
We’ve been a little busy…..
You already know I believe that sharing is caring, even things like grief, but that cuteness is just so much better!
The littlest Littles have brought the cute AGAIN – and since we’ve been too busy to talk, too busy to even type, it ALL had to wait until I had time to breathe…
Well, fine. I still don’t have any of that, but since we skipped sharing a video of the sh!tshow that was 2020, I thought it might be time to share the highlight reel from 2021 with you before you all think that I don’t care at all. Because I do. I really, really do.
But now maybe you’ll see why you haven’t heard much from us lately (we’ve been a little busy):
So my last post talked about how “that’s quite enough, thanks” (and in case you got here from somewhere else, you can catch up on it HERE), right?
Well, that’s what I get for thinking…..
Literally within the next 72 hours of publishing it, I was:
But I’m fine. Really.
Usually, this is where I want to know how you’re doing, and get your input – but I’m afraid the universe is listening and will take it as an invitation to show me more crazy, so maybe later…..
Holy guacamole, y’all.
And we thought 2020 was the only year that needed therapy and chocolate and fuzzy blankets.
Spoiler alert: this is not a real post with anything particularly useful, but if you have it in you to hang through it, it might help to at least explain SOME of what all is going on around here.
I’ve been too busy everywhere but HERE for a while.
But I didn’t desert you.
I had my moments of temptation, though.
BUT if I ran away, I know that there would just be fires there for me to put out too, so no point in leaving all of my favorite stuff.
I have watched some $hitshows.
My own life became more chaotic than usual, and there were days that even ‘The Machine’ shut down because there was just not enough caffeine on the entire planet to handle so much crazy.
I guess its not ALL bad, though.
Here’s the recap:
Captain Helpful reminds me that work-wise, I am getting everything I have worked so hard for, and I know he’s right, but still…..
Any surprises or big changes for you this year?
20/20 vision is a term used to express perfect clarity and sharpness of vision. Too bad no one wanted to see ANY of THIS
Please forgive the language (theirs, not mine).
Remember those New Year’s Resolutions or affirmations or whatever the h-e-double-l we were making when we were younger, and had more hope? We were just precious.
I have purposely not complained or really even mentioned the pandemic or the presidential election in any public spaces. I have also respectfully declined most opportunities to discuss them when someone is attempting to provoke me. Why, you ask? For one, there are already WAY too many opinions being yelled at each other out there to add MY one more. For two, it’s all just too…..what’s the word…..depressing? Stressful? Anxiety-inducing?
Found it.
I still don’t have anything necessary or thought-provoking or profound to add, so I’ll just leave us with a few more images that seem to sum it all up:
How are YOU coping with 2020?
Have you ever been surprised by things you have been told about yourself?
Many of us feel we are a wide-open book. We have the same families and most of the same friends for most of our lives and just add new ones to the pack as we go. I have also been with the same small, independently-owned company in daily interaction with the same core team for almost 15 years. Social media has us connected to each other (and some of us waaayyy oversharing) just as often as we care to be.
After ALL of that, we think we know each other pretty well, right?
Well, I am still surprised to find out that this is not always the case!
For someone who has been accused of being too honest, too blunt, too direct more times than I can count (now those are no big surprise), it DOES surprise me when someone has a brand new observation or perception of me that I just never saw coming.
Here are the most surprising (to me, anyway!) things I have been told about myself, all within the past year:
I thought I was pretty open and have a lot of people in my life to be hard to know or hard to be friends with – but that last one shocked me right out of my socks. This is a person who has seen me through complete, full-blown meltdowns, who knows everything about me (or so I thought). How does she think I have a wall up with HER? Is it my RBF (resting b!tch face)? Hey, that one is NOT my fault.
And I thought I knew myself pretty well already. I have completed every personality and character identifier known to exist. I know my IQ, MBTI type, DISC profile, Kolbe index, Enneagram number, astrological sign, and what factors birth order play in things. Let me just tell you, EVERY SINGLE ONE of those reports some pretty strong warning labels traits. I suppose it is natural for some feathers to get ruffled along the way!
Random feathers have never concerned me very much, but the ones in my own pack DO. So I am doing some self-reflecting…..
While I am still figuring out how to be better at this whole “human interaction” thing, I have THIS:
NOW I want to hear more about YOU!
What have you heard about yourself that you thought was completely untrue?
Remember when we first started talking about ourselves online?
Now, we ALL know WAY too much! Just in case you didn’t know, though…..
The following was originally posted as an FB Note – January 28, 2009
25 Random Things About Me:
1. I used to be a gymnast and kickboxer – before I got old and tired and lazy and fat and busy and…..
2. I am a huge IT-geek, and own every technology and gadget on the market.
3. I love ALL kinds of music, and need it like a drug. I am never without my I-Touch!
4. FasTaco is my guiltiest pleasure.
5. My husband is an incredible cook, and along with random fact #4 above, is the reason I now need a gym membership!
6. I still miss working with my hubby all day.
7. I have been in love with Sammy Hagar since I was 8 years old, and absolutely plan on retiring to Cabo San Lucas eventually.
8. I am seriously contemplating our need for a housekeeping service!
9. I truly love and enjoy my in-laws (most of them, most of the time :).
10. I have a gorgeous son who is a senior graduating from high school this year.
11. I adore my stepchildren, and appreciate their emerging strong personalities.
12. I wear a tattoo that I designed myself, and a navel ring on under my suits!
13. My favorite flavors are chocolate-hazelnut and raspberry-lemon.
14. I have never tried drugs of any kind, ever. (Alcohol doesn’t count!)
15. I CAN’T WAIT to get back to Vegas this spring!
16. I have ABSOLUTELY NO PATIENCE when it comes to stupidity, dishonesty, cowardice, or pettiness.
17. I have an obsession with all things retro, and dressed as a classic television for Halloween.
18. My ultimate career goal is to become guardian of the archives at Nick-at-Nite.
19. I don’t deserve my beautiful family, but neither does anyone else, so I’ll just keep them for myself!
20. My friends ROCK.
21. I am a rebel who doesn’t follow the rules, so I think I’ll stop at 21 (my age of course), and go enjoy my day off!
UPDATE: The details of my life have changed, but I have definitely not! 05/21/20
Empowerer. Empower-er. EMPOWERER.
Auto-correct keeps flagging this one, and I don’t know why! It may not be a recognized word in our dictionary, but it absolutely should be!
I am not a rescuer. I am not a fixer. I am not even a very good commiserator. My truest nature is that of an empowerer.
I discuss this in another post, you can catch up on that HERE.
Expecting myself AND others to bring their best game on and really show up is what makes that happen. EVERY SINGLE TIME. I know there are times when this seems difficult. I also know that one of the greatest gifts we can give is to help create those “lightbulb moments” for others, so that is what I do whenever I can.
Then I stay around long enough to help devise the ‘how to’ strategies, help develop the methods to accomplish them, and encourage the entire time.
Usually. this also means that I am worked out of a job.
We raised an independent kid who didn’t NEED anybody (including us!). My mom-heart hurt sometimes over that, because there were moments I REALLY missed the little boy who would launch himself at me for a big squeeze. It was worth it though, as raising a kid who will always NEED you (just to satisfy your own co-dependent baggage) WILL hurt the kid eventually. So I did the right thing by him and raised the kind of man he wanted to be. The one the world needed…..not the one I needed for my own selfishness.
I also teach clients, knowing this may lead to them doing my job themselves and not needing to pay me to do it anymore. That is okay. There is plenty of work to do and not enough qualified people to do it as it is, which is why I am also happy training other professionals (and learning from them!).
The nonprofit organization I founded, The FLIP Group, Inc. exists solely to support-equip-empower young adults – but I am currently spending most of my time and energy on a specific few that work for/with me. Knowing that I am empowering them to be their best selves and teaching them everything I can, mentoring them instead of “bossing” them, means that I WILL lose them. They WILL leave me for other opportunities. I WILL be okay about that too, when that time comes, because sometimes working yourself out of a job means you did your job.
Please don’t be afraid to do your job when you have to, even when that job is hard.
QUESTION(s): How can I empower YOU or YOUR BUSINESS right now?
You already know I believe that sharing is caring, even things like grief.
BUT CUTENESS IS SO MUCH BETTER!
The littlest Littles are learning to share and OH, THE CUTE!!!
I almost can’t even stand it.
So I’ll share a highlight reel from 2019 with you.
Are you ready for this? Because I wasn’t!
First, Love
Before you get mad, please trust that I didn’t trick you with a click-bait title, and hang in there with me even if it takes me a few extra words. Hey, I already warned you I was wordy. There IS a point, I promise.
Have I ever lied to you before? Of course not.
Talking about romantic love is too icky for me and I am definitely not going there.
If it helps, use another word or phrase you are more comfortable with – care, help, serve, minister, pay forward, show up…..
However, (and I’m sorry to break this to you, I hated breaking it to ME), all of those are ways we love others.
There is a best-selling book by author Gary Chapman called The 5 Love Languages® that talks about different ways people show up with love. That title and way of describing them are cringe-y to me, but the information is solid, I promise. I am going to mention a few of them for context – and if I get in trouble, just remember that I do it all for you…..
For years, my sweet husband has been sending a devotional or at least inspirational text every morning to a circle of people (that is still growing), and this looks like ‘Words of Affirmation’.
We recently found out that this is really a very necessary public service…..
He also makes enough for an army when asked to cook or bake for events and gives it all away so that could look like ‘Receiving Gifts’.
He’s actually showing up with these AND his true love language, which is by performing ‘Acts of Service’. He’s extra too, doing two at once.
So, that went somewhere else…aaaannnnddd now I’m distracted…..ok, bringing it back now…….
My truest nature is that of an empowerer, and that is how I love others, but that can seem disguised as other things, too. I have been told I was too direct, too demanding, too REAL, for expecting myself AND others to bring their best game to the table and show up for themselves and you know what? Most of the time, we do! That can happen during ‘Quality Time’ or ‘Words’ or ‘Acts’ but however they happen – aren’t those one of the greatest gifts, helping to create those “lightbulb moments”? I think so too, so that is what I do whenever I can.
We need to remember to look up once in a while. Just knowing that someone showed up for us is more important than how they do it, because sometimes it comes in disguise.
We also need to remember that no matter how smart we are or how much we think we know, we still get it wrong sometimes. The picture you see featured for this is really people showing up for each other after surviving a terrible ordeal, disguised as friends having a beer. All my love to y’all.
QUESTION(s): How do you love others? What is the most unexpected way someone showed up for you?
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