A Life Or Death Situation…

A Life Or Death Situation…

We were on our way to the Social Fabric Conference being held in Rogers, Arkansas near the home of Walmart. The weather was less than stellar, as we had been driving on the road for over two hours in constant rain. The new decked out Kia Soul we were loaned was full of technological advances, so we are listening to tunes on Spotify via iPhone being sent through the car’s speakers with a techy wire. Everything seemed great; two close friends taking a road trip together to get some learning and networking done. Then all of a sudden, things took a turn…

We hit a slick spot on the road while going about 55 miles per hour during a steady rain. The car begins to spin as you feel like you are losing control of the vehicle. We are spinning and spinning—you don’t hear anything. It’s pitch black—no lights, no nothing, just darkness. There’s no noise other than the music coming from the speakers. My friend was mostly silent with an occasional grunt or moan. No screams, no yells of help. The road is black and desolate. And we are spinning and spinning  and spinning out of control. It seems like an eternity and you just want the car to make impact if it’s going to. We both are bracing for it because, at any second, we going to hit something. Or a car coming our way is going to hit us.

More spinning. You try not to panic but you know it’s not looking good. You can’t think straight because this may be the end of your life.

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What Do Your Friends Look Like?

What Do Your Friends Look Like?

I don’t want to toot my own horn, but I feel like I have  a lot of friends. Good friends. Who would like, loan me money if I was in a pinch, or let me stay with them if I lost my home. Real true blue friends who are down for me and vice versa. I feel so blessed to have these wonderful people in my life. But what I love most about my friends is that they are varied—my confidants look like the United Nations—white, black, Asian, Latina, Indian—I am friends with them all. For a long time, I thought that this was how everyone was, having friends of different ethnic backgrounds and nationalities, but I found out during the last year or so that that isn’t the case.

So I ask the question: What do your friends look like?

When I say friends, I am not talking about people who you chat with online or in passing at an event. I am talking about people you put in time with—people that have been over to your house and vice versa. People you have traveled with, cried with. There are so many people I know that have friends, but ones that look just like them—no variety. Not that you have to have that in your life, but why wouldn’t you want to?

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My 2013 Goal: Live With Intention

My 2013 Goal: Live With Intention

2012 was a year of tremendous ups and downs for me. I got to do so many things I never thought I’d get to do. I also lost my father at the age of 58. It was a bittersweet year, so much to be thankful for and so much that I wish I could do over. I am still dealing with my father’s death and taking it day by day, yet I know that he would want me to continue my life and move forward on my journey without him. He is always in my heart.

I moved into 2013 with a new perspective and agenda. Living life is good. Living life happily is even better. But living life with intention. Now that is where the good stuff lies.

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I’m Turning 37: Feeling Some Kind of Way

I’m Turning 37: Feeling Some Kind of Way

In just a couple of days, I turn 37. Labor Day marks the day in which my mom and dad brought me into the world. There are times when I feel that I am just getting started, and there are other times when I feel that I lived and seen so much. When I was younger, I was afraid of getting old. Afraid of getting gray hair. Afraid of wrinkles. And while I don’t have any wrinkles or gray hair (well, just a strand or two), growing older gracefully has become appealing to me. I am no longer afraid, but rather grateful for being the gift of seeing another day each morning when I open my eyes.

I am much closer to 40 now than I am to 30. That does bother me a bit, I guess, because I never felt like a grown up. I keep wondering when that “grown up gene” will click on, but alas, I still sometimes feel like I am riding a bike with training wheels. I continue to make mistakes, but I also make sure to learn from them and not continue to repeat them.

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