Happy Fall Ya’ll… Summer Edition

These last several weeks have been a lot of moving and shaking in the world of work. I have been on and off too many planes to count and working with some of the most phenomenal clients around. I have been doing everything from keynotes to breakout session to leading full multi-day training classes. Things were going so great, and I also had a few vacations worked in to spend a little down-time doing some R&R (which usually for me means planning for a ton of activities on vacation too). I had just finished a great week of work and headed to the Dominican Republic for a seven-day vacation. What I didn't know was how much R&R was really in store for me because for the first time in forever *cue the iconic song from “Frozen”… I fell down.

Like literally, physically fell down…hard. Walking in from my swim-up pool on our little cute swim-up suite to the bathroom I made two very big mistakes.

• One - I did not dry off.

• Two - I did not put anything on my feet before walking in soaking wet from the pool in a hurry.

So, I found myself slipping not once, but three times hitting the same knee on that amazingly beautiful, super hard tile floor. Well in short, I spent the final three days of vacation both in a Dominican emergency room and then in bed with ice on my knee - and with a lot of down time. The funny thing is, I needed it.

I, like a lot of people, don’t know when or how to sit still. Even when I am “relaxing”, it tends to be in motion. I love to be in motion and sitting still for me is hard. Yet life has a way of getting you to do what you need to do, even when you don’t want to. Those last few days of vacation just invited me to really rest, sleep in, skip the excursions, enjoy the room service and alone time with my husband. It gave me some calm and realization that a few days of rest can go a long way to sparking creativity and long-term visioning. It allowed me to enjoy the little things like conversation, laughs and all these amazing shows I never have the time to watch. (If you need a list, let me know! I have watched everything on every network these last few days.). I also had to get comfortable with having to wait to know what is going on with my knee (finally seeing the orthopedic doctor today) and not having a plan for what the next few weeks will look like —which is hugely uncomfortable for me. It is also growth and maybe what I needed in this season to be ready for the next season.

So as I sit here… like literally sit here…lol… day ten since my fall, I am grateful for this unexpected downtime I have had and really thinking of how to make this a part of my self-care routine going forward. Take the time to plan a day or two to do nothing at all, and see how it works for you!

The Principal’s Office

One of my most visited places during my school career was the Principal’s Office. I had a very “dynamic” personality even as a child , and was often what I would call misunderstood. I definitely loved challenging things — whether it be information, assignments or just having to have the last say when a teacher was correcting me — which often led to a “GET OUT OF MY CLASSROOM” from the teacher and a trip down to the front office. My rebel instincts formed way early on in life as you can see :) So my journey would often begin to the Principal’s office and in high school, it was often to the office of Mr. Lenton Pruitt. I would open the door, his secretary Ms. Hollis would see me and say “Girl, what you do now?” I would vehemently plead my case to Ms. Hollis who would then send me back to Mr. Pruitt’s office and during this exchange someone from the class would show up with my write up slip from the teacher to hand to him.

While I knew I was in trouble, I never feared going to see Mr. Pruitt. He would read the write up slip from the teacher , then allow me to plead my case and he would honestly listen to me as I did so. He would then proceed to explain why what I did was wrong and what consequences I would face, if he did’t find me to present a strong enough arguement. Even if I didn't agree with him, I would listen because he was one of the few adults around school who I felt actually listened to us kids. It always made me want to do the same to him, then I would take whatever punishment I received (not necessarily happily) and deal with it.

Even though the “Principal’s Office” is usually NOT a place of good memories, Mr. Pruitt has often been someone I looked back at fondly during my life. While most don’t reflect on this place as a place they learned and grew in a positive way, I actually do. Mr. Pruitt’s punishment often came with a lecture and an assignment. I would hear from someone who would calmly and patiently discuss the reasoning behind the actions he was about to take, and explore with me what I needed to do differently next time. It would often end with me being put to work on some tasks in his office — filing paperwork, organizing folders, answering the phone — things that I now realize he probably did to give whatever teacher I was giving the “blues” a break. To me it communicated that even if I was wrong and being corrected, I still had value and could be an asset to someone AND I was learning valuable office skills. I used to enjoy the tasks I would get around the office helping Mr. Pruitt and Ms. Hollis out, and I think sometimes I got kicked out of class just to go there and help out.

I had not seen Mr. Pruitt since shortly after graduation and this weekend when I attended the Columbus, GA Mayors Masked Ball benefitting the United Negro College Fund, he was the last person I expected to see. As he approached the table at which I was sitting, my mom said “Here comes your Principal,” and I was a little nervous because I realized I probably drove him crazy as a student. When he sat down with his wife, she introduced herself to me and I did the same. I then told her that her husband probably doesn’t remember me, but I was a frequent visitor in his office. He looked at me, smiled and then proceeded to tell my mom and everyone at the table about our visits. He talked about putting me to work when I was in trouble, and how after a while I was just always popping into the office just to talk or hang out — which I did! There were a lot of laughs about those times and I told him I turned out pretty okay after all. He said I turned out more than okay and he was proud to see it!

We don’t often get those full circle moments in our lives, yet when they come it means so much more. Glad to let him know what a positive impact he had on me and to apologize for being a regular in his office…LOL! Even more glad to show him that what he was pouring into us young folks never goes away and is a big part of who I am to this day!

Wings

#mondaymood
My mom tells this story of when I was very small, I was climbing up on the sink in the bathroom and slipped-- biting through my lip requiring stitches. Then she adds how it didn't stop me from climbing up on the sink again and again. Definitely a testament to my "hardhead-ness" as a kid 😂 😂. It was definitely my childhood superpower and still one of my favorite skills to rely on as an adult...although now we call it "tenacity".

When I saw this picture posted by my colleague and friend, I KNEW it had to be a staple in my home. Thank you Steve Sheranian for reminding me of that story through this image and reminder. Although I cannot remember why I was climbing on that sink, I am glad that fall didn't stop me then and doesn't stop me now. #keepclimbing

Artwork by the amazing Clifton Henri “Wings”

#womanentrepreneur #entrepreneur #smallbusiness#womanownedbusiness #womeninbusiness #womanempowerment#girlboss #femaleentrepreneur #supportsmallbusiness #entrepreneurship#womenempowerment #womanpower #womensupportingwomen#businesswoman #woman #womanowned #business #motivation#entrepreneurlife #femalebusiness #bossbabe #womenentrepreneurs#femaleentrepreneurs #success #marketing #bhfyp 

Mossy Musings

On any given day, I have some thoughts that sound pretty cool in my head. The problem is that’s where they often stay, or at least hang out a while until I forget them…lol. Every now and then, someone is present when I have those thoughts and they actually make it out of my mouth as well.

Sometimes it’s my kids riding in the car with me, maybe it’s a random piece of advice to a friend, and there are even times when it’s during a keynote on stage or leading a coaching session . Very often it is appreciated and so I thought …

Why not drop these musings into the atmosphere more often?

So here we are! Welcome to the blog of my musings appropriately titled that because that is EXACTLY what you will find here. A capturing of my thoughts and reflections in a space where you and I can refer to them at any time in the event we need a little affirmation, inspiration or a little chuckle… ENJOY!