Taking the victory lap
A friend of mine who made millions in Marin County on real estate said that he wanted his tomb stone to say only, “Had a nice day.” He was a real collector of smiley faces – an artifact that I actually loved then and now.
And today, well dear readers, today, I had a great day. An awesome day. I’ve been HIGH AS A KITE all day.
I started my day with a phone call with a woman who has been doing the work I am just starting to do and she was instantly a mentor and a loving, kind and gracious one to boot. I then had a visit from an old friend who has come in and out of my life and we connected on a zillion levels being in the same place at the same time and it felt so good to face to face connect with another human being who is on that same road I am on. It was truly just a lovely visit as we sat outside in the back yard and caught up over biscotti and coffee.
I then had an encounter of the past kind, the kind that is not really going the way you want but now you are so aware that everything about it is wrong and is screaming it’s wrong and the encounter tells you, you and this are separate from each other, and yet, even this was a great part of my great day. My own awareness. My own clarity.
Afterwards, I spoke with my hope to be architect who had visited two lots that I had scouted out and he gave me an honest assessment of what he saw and he did this caringly and as if he would be living on these lots himself. I knew from the get go that when I picked him he was the person I wanted to work with – and so many times over that has been confirmed. I knew in my gut he was someone who would remain on my path whether or not I did work with him now or later.
I went to pick up Tin and he played in the park outside his school for over an hour and then we returned for a playdate here at the house where people started stopping by here and there, spontaneously and I felt that my home here (regardless of how temporary) was Rachel’s place – the home that welcomes everyone in and people feel comfortable stopping by for a moment or an hour.
The night ended with friends bringing by dinner and us sitting in the kitchen and doing what gals do – bullshitting and laughing and having some wine and food.
Perfect day – well almost. I felt like me after not having felt like me for so very long. But the best part of the day, I saved for last, was a note I got from a friend:
Rachel – I just wanted to let you know that I have become totally addicted to your blog (the “original” – just now getting into the parenting one). I am a lurker, but it occurred to me today that you should know that your beautiful honest writing is inspiring (sustaining?) me through a difficult year and I really thank you for that.
I have wanted in my life very few things so strongly – mainly, that I might write about my self actualization in order to help others understand their own journey. And I also wanted to find my purpose in life and in a conversation this morning, the woman I was speaking with said, “You made a commitment to have a child in your life because you knew that that child was going to bring purpose into your life.” How did that just come from her on just meeting me? How did it become full circle for me, a writer, who always said I can’t write my book until I have my child – at that time I thought it meant I needed to physically birth a child, little did I know then that I couldn’t become who I have become until I adopted Tin, the child who has challenged me to be not just me, but to be extraordinary.
Let me just take a victory lap right here because you know what – today was a day for gratitude hither and yon.