Moments - D43; Scarf Dancing, Barcelona Bags, and Random Flowers

Today's smile comes from complete randomness on my drive into work. Normally I wait until the end of the day to share the moment of the day, but I had two moments that brought smiles to me that I simply couldn't wait.

When I arrived into work and logged in, I had a lovely (digital) bouquet of peonies waiting for me from a dear friend. She knows I've had a couple of challenging days and even though she's just moved and has been busy she made time to reach out to me. Why have I not surrounded myself with people as glorious as this woman sooner? (Something to delve into perhaps in another type of blog!)

But, back to the randomness. As I drove through the Beach, I saw a lady walking a very cute pug with a black Barcelona bag, kinda like this one:

As I approached my office building, I saw another lady riding on a bike with the same bag. How random is that? How strange that I saw two people with the same unique bag in a 15 min drive. The pieces that had to align for that moment to occur astound me! What is the universe suggesting? Perhaps it's time to explore Barcelona? Hmmmmm.

The second bit of randomness was just before reaching my office building. There was a young girl, perhaps early teens, playing on the corner with two scarves. She was dancing and twirling and tossing her scarves. It was quite a beautiful moment. If only we could all remember to be so carefree.

Moments of love. Moments of alignment. Moments of beauty.

Yes, today I've already had many moments.

Moments - D42; Bruises

Yes. Seriously! Now I know you must think me crazy. But hear me out.

Bruises can bring me smiles. Not all bruises. Definitely not. But there are some that remind me of OTHER moments. Moments of a caught ball, moments of a big dig.

Today, I smile and appreciate the new bruises on my arm. Tonight's pickup volleyball was challenging (I played 2's for awhile and held my own!) and I managed to dig out some really challenging balls.

My bruises will make me stop and smile for the days they live with me. A reminder of the plays made. A reminder of the cheers and the camaraderie with new players. A reminder of the fun had on the beach on a Tuesday evening in the setting sun.

Moments with bruises. Sure - why not?

 I'll bet you are smiling now too!

Moments - D41; Revelations of Strength

Have you ever had one of those days where you wondered if you'd make it through the day?   Have you ever wondered if you would be able to deal with all the "stuff" that life is throwing at you and survive with a smile?  (And I do love to smile...even if the world around me is challenging!)

Today was one of those days.  Between the chaos at work (we are going crazy now ramping up to our tradeshow) and my personal turmoil, it's been a challenging day!

But, in spite of or perhaps because of these challenges, I've come to realize just how strong I can be.  Finding this inner strength and believing in this inner strength is such an important part of "self".  Don't get me wrong, I'm not always strong (not even close really to always), but when I am, and when I am aware of being strong, it is a moment that should be celebrated.  It is a moment that should be acknowledged and understood.

We all have a well of strength to draw upon during our darkest days.  I, for one, will  stop for a moment and celebrate this ability, for without it the bleakest of thoughts would take over.

A moment of strength.  A moment to smile and appreciate one's self in troubled times.

Moments - D40; Healing Sunshine

Today they were calling for rain. I cancelled my pick-up volleyball due to the high POP. Sadly, it didn’t rain until much later in the day. Talk about disappointed! It was also a hard day for me on a personal level with much emotion flowing from me.

Still, there was a moment within that cloud of disappointment and angst that brought a smile. A smile beyond the the turmoil.

This came to me early in the morning when the sun broke from the clouds and washed over me in warmth. I sat in the sun, feeling its warm upon my face for quite some time in the quiet of the cool morning. I let the tears flow. I let them dry in the sun.

Yes, some moments can really be that simple. Appreciating the healing warmth of the sun on a cool morning.

Moments - D39; Shrimp hugs

Today’s moment bright a smile to me at the strangest time.

Today I watched a shrimp and a fish be friendly with one another. The fish was nestling into the shrimp’s antennae. It looked as though the shrimp were petting/stroking the fish.

At first I thought I was crazy. Why would this be happening. Surely I was projecting and humanizing the shrimp and fish.

But I watched for a good long time (I do love aquariums!). At one point the shrimp moved to another part of the tank. It didn’t take long for the fish to follow and nestle itself back into the shrimp’s antennae again, where it stayed and was petted by the shrimp.

A beautiful, strange moment between a fish and shrimp.

A moment I had to share.

Moments - D38; Winning and losing

Today was a productive day but nothing spectacular stood out. But, even so, this evening did provide a moment where I smiled and giggled and enjoyed.

Tonight I managed to win $6.17. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing. Shortly afterwards I realized that I had lost a card if mine. It wasn’t significant, but out still bummed me out. (I really hate to lose things!)

Then I remembered. I won $6.17! And I did a little happy dance!

Yes it really is all about how you focus on the situation. I think our core selves struggle to keep sight of the wins in our lives. For some reason it seems easier to focus on the losses. Why is that? How did we evolve to be that way?

Life needs to be more about the positive moments. Our wins. No matter how insignificant they make seem.

Winning moments.

Moments - D37; Proud Papas

A co-worker today shared this email with me about his daughter's recent promotion.  It's beautifully written and brought tears of joy to my eyes.  I will share the email exchange in its entirety, though I have changed the names for privacy.

From: Mr. B
Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2012 10:42 AM
To: JP
Subject: FW: Want to be successful? Ask yourself, What Would Kylie Do?

Thanks JP. I’m so proud of her. I hope she one day becomes as smart and as good at what she does as you.

From: Daughter of Mr. B
Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2012 10:33 AM
Subject: FW: Want to be successful? Ask yourself, What Would Kylie Do?

It’s official.

From: Kylie's Boss
Sent: May-31-12 10:27 AM
Subject: Want to be successful? Ask yourself, What Would Kylie Do?

I am happy to announce that Kylie  has been promoted to CEO and Chair of the Board effective immediately.

In her time at XXXXX, Kylie has proven to be the most extraordinary human on the face of the planet. Since I started wearing my “What Would Kylie Do?” bracelet I’ve become a better person. You should all wear them. Kylie is my hero.

And for those who have seen her in action, you know that negotiation is the most impressive of Kylie’s amazing skills. (In retrospect, I now regret agreeing to negotiate the content of this note and getting talked into letting Kylie write the first two paragraphs of this email.) Needless to say, the unique skill set and industry knowledge Kylie brings to XXXXX has raised the reputation of our company.

Kylie started at XXXXX as our very first events person and quickly proved her mettle with CT and their hockey program. It was at the NHL Heritage Classic in Calgary in February 2011 where we first saw Kylie in total lockdown mode for an entire week. To visualize this mode, image a hungry lion that has a zebra in its sights. It sees nothing else. It knows exactly what it wants to do. It will not stop until it kills and eats its bloodied prey. That’s Kylie in lockdown mode. If that image grosses you out, imagine a kitten chasing a ball of string. That’s Kylie, too. Either way, you want Kylie in your corner.

And she has been in the corner for some big events – many store launches and classic car road shows, but also for Mark’s and Amex events. She also was a driving force for XXXXX’s Big Day last August, from concept to execution. As we’ve all learned just how amazing Kylie is, the more her role has grown, including to help win new business such as additional projects with ZZZZZZZ. Kylie is never short on ideas, and sells her ideas driven by a sincere desire to create the best events.

And for the record, Kylie really can negotiate down any price and talk people into things they never wanted to do. But people also love working with Kylie, and deeply trust her. I mean, I could have sworn we promoted her to Account Supervisor, Events. But if Kylie says she’s CEO and Chair, then in must be true.

Congratulations your majesty.

BOSS MAN

From: JP

Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2012 10:50 AM
To: Mr. B

OMG Mr. B.

First of all your compliments make me glow!

Secondly, *I* am so happy for Kylie. It sounds like she is an incredible woman and someone that is appreciated and highly respected by those she works with. In some regard, I’m a wee bit jealous. I long for a day when I am part of a team that works so cohesively and respectfully.

And finally, Mr. B, YOU are an incredible man. You had much to do with Kylie’s personality and drive for success. I only know a slice of you from the work world and that man is pretty damn impressive. I can only imagine that the whole you is ever more so. So be a “bursting-with-pride” papa. You deserve it.

Thank you for sharing such a personal, important moment in your life. It brings tears to my eyes as my heart fills with the shared joy!

From: Mr. B
Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2012 10:52 AM
To: JP

Jen, 30 feet away my eyes, like yours, are filled with tears. You are too generous.

Yes - this is my very special moment today.  

Actually, I was quite fortunate today.  I had quite a few special moments today.  From missing a speeding ticket, to winning a baseball game where I caught the last ball for the out, to revisiting old moments to reveal new smiles.

BUT - none of those special moments trump this moment proud papa.  I was so happy to have been included in the joyful moment.

These are the moments that define us as people.  Nothing else matters.  Just the people around you.  (IMHO)

Moments should be shared and celebrated.