Posts tagged blogger
October Lessons
It’s been an interesting fall, hasn’t it? Today was warm and yesterday, while setting up for our event, I was shielding my face from the sun in the hopes of adding not one more brown spot to this pre middle age face. I’m not sure how successful I was. I might start wearing a bag over it so if you see me and I don’t wave, well, now you know why.
An interesting fall it has been and even a better October full of bits of learnings and lessons and things I didn’t know and now I do. And I don’t mean know in a BIG way but in that small tucked into your brain way that hopefully gets to the juicy parts and does the right amount of damage. You know? Makes change, bit by bit.
I learned…
1. If a woman comes up to you, in a witch costume, beer in hand and starts yelling at you take it with a grain of witch-beer-infused salt. She’s probably a little intoxicated and even though all of her meanness comes out in her heightened beer state and that witch costume might just be Business Casual and not for Halloween, chances are she didn’t mean to curse you, your future children or children’s children.
2. Saying sorries a decade later is good. Saying them in a year is better. Saying them in a month is really good. The same week or day? Rather brilliant. Imagine if you apologized immediately after making an ass out of yourself, you know, the very next moment? That would be downright emotionally mature. Plus it feels good to say sorry when you tell your bartender to, “Get this effin bar together. Now!” Yes, that was me. Ugh.
3. Take responsibility. If you screw up, don’t lay blame elsewhere. Own it. Not more than your part and not less than your part, just your part. Be the exact opposite of every politician you know and forget about putting spin on your story. Simply, say, “I blew it but I’m going to try not to blow it again.” How quickly we could move on if we’d take some ownership instead of mastering spin.
4. Share. Try your absolute hardest to think of someone before yourself. I saw grown adults maul a candy bar and little kids stand there with empty trick or treat bags. That’s not right, folks. If you look around you, see - you there looking to the right and to the left - there are other people besides you. Notice them and include them and think of them when you are filling your bag to the brim. I think our bags are filled to the brim in many ways and can be shared with someone else. Who needs your share?
5. Talk to strangers. I don’t mean in that sordid pedophile way. I mean talk to a stranger that is ten feet away from you and you’ve nodded at or waved to or thought of saying more than a hi or bye with for months. Those strangers. Have conversations that last longer than a sound bite. Ask someone about their day or their life or their greatest love. Imagine what you’d find out if you took the time to meet someone new.
6. Hot chocolate helps. It helps everything. Well, when it’s 83 degrees out it’s a little strange but on most October days if you’ll trust me and order it and add whip cream even though that will be so anti-wellness of you, it will help everything. You’ll feel better and younger and you’ll remember you from back when you were…you.
7. Like your likes. My niece Kristina just got her license which technically means she could drive when we go to LACMA but I’m not much of the “driving with a brand new driver on the freeway” sort of girl. I think if you get the blessing of having children then you get the blessing of their freeway firsts, too. So, Darling Girl wants to Museum Hop with me which makes me ultra happy and as we chatted I realized her tastes in art are very different than mine. I like that. I don’t need her to like my likes. Are you liking your likes? I hope so.
I ended today at a wake celebrating the life of a dear family friend. Ninety-six years of life lived by a woman that chose to be full of grace and full of civility and showed love and kindness each time I encountered her.
That’s my goal. I want that in my life. Bits of learning and changes and growth and being less like today and more like I want to be tomorrow. Oh, that’s the plan anyway. Sometimes I blow it and sometimes my days are a smashing success. Today, well, today was a good one.
Much love to you as we peak our heads around the corner at November,
Cole
Lessons in Yoga
Brought to you by fake nails. Ten of them.
Reasons to take The Damn Yoga. In no particular order.
Increased energy.
Roman sat down next to me yesterday and when I complained about being so tired thinking I might be pregnant which is impossible since it requires sex he asked, “Maybe it’s that hot flash thing?”
Camaraderie.
I walked up to someone’s desk this week and said, “You didn’t help me pick music so Saturday, you can ZIP IT.” That’s not in most teambuilding books.
Step Relations.
My Stepmother. Even looking at her made me ill this past Sunday. She doesn’t like me and I’m doing my best to love her. I think Yoga would make me adore her. All those endorphins and “I Think My Stepmom Is The Bomb” type feelings will come rushing in when she looks me up and down. I just know it.
Traffic Safety.
I’m certain the practice will center me more and my frequency of hitting cement poles will lesson. And, rather than brake checking close drivers like my niece advises, I will continue to get out of my car and tell drivers to CHILL. Still hoping they are not packin and thus yoga attenders as well.
General Overall Peace, Love and Coleness.
I need this. The sound of someone getting their fake nails filed (who still does that?) makes me want to run into oncoming traffic. That’s when you know you need The Damn Yoga. And when you call it The Damn Yoga instead of Yoga, that’s when you really need The Damn Yoga. I can feel the deep breaths already.
Where’s my mat? I lose it every six months or so. Think it’s under the kitchen sink. Still wish I could spray paint it brown.
Human, full of flaws and moments I wish I was better and not worse,
Cole
Lessons from Toys ‘R’ Us
I was on the hunt for the perfect, huge doll house to hold down 1000 balloons Friday night for an event Saturday which is the way I do things. I wait until the night before or the moment before and try to make perfection happen.
Toys ‘R’ Us was all out of perfect, huge doll houses. They had lots of small, lovely, dainty ones and pretty, delicate, tiny ones that would break if you looked at them wrong. Those type don’t hold down 1000 balloons. They cry in the corner at the thought of 1000 balloons.
Still, I learned a couple things during my Toys ‘R’ Us visit.
1. Middle aged men should probably not roam the store smelling of beer and hovering in the Barbie aisle. Can you say creepy and cops are on the way?
2. If you are single and childless or have long since entered a toy store of this sort, follow a parent-type in. They know the entrances from the exits and will help you from looking like a jacka**.
3. Toy stores are not really intimidating. Simply think of them like giant Targets but with sirens and eternal supplies of batteries.
4. Everybody needs a pink Barbie microphone. (I’ll be right back.)
5. If you see a stuffed hippo sitting all by himself, yes him, it is your duty to save. Try not to talk to Jack, yes Jack, in a loud voice for fear of someone taking you out in a straight jacket.
6. Play-Doh helps. It helps in nearly any situation. I gave some to a co-worker today that was having a tough go of things. If you squish it between your hands and smell the Play-Dohness of it all, you’ll begin to feel much better, much sooner than if you don’t. Promise.
7. The woman in front of you in line that is melting down because she doesn’t have her Toys ‘R’ Us Rewards card needs: to get a grip and wear denim shorts that cover her fifty year old a**. (Wait a second while I light your cigarette. Ugh.)
8. Don’t get mad at the check out guy for asking Would you like batteries with your purchase? even if you don’t need batteries for your stuffed hippo or your Play-Doh. He’s doing his job and following the sign and if he doesn’t ask he’s going to get written up so go along with it and thank him for asking. Just play along, won’t you?
9. Look. Look at the six foot tall man made out of Legos and stop to stare at the new backpacks coming in just in time for Back to School and think about your excitment when you would pick out your backpack and how important that was and then, for a moment, spend some time bouncing a big, red, rubber ball, well, just because it’s in that bin. You don’t have to pretend to be a child but you can still play. No one said you can’t.
Much play to you,
Cole
Beautiful Blogger Award…..!
I’m a bit in Mumbai Love with Dazed Diva. International love, that is. Event planner love, too. We event planners stick together. You attenders? Stand in line. She gave this sweet little shout
Cole over at Pre Middle Age … she’s outrageously funny; her life lessons are great; and she’s got sass ! and she’s an event planner like me :)
The rules of this award are:
Thank the person who nominated you for this award
Copy the award and place it in your blog
Link the person who nominated you for this award
Tell us 7 interesting things about you
Nominate bloggers and link to their blogs
7 Cole Facts.
1. I think naps are air.
2. I’m as difficult as I am charming.
3. Having no power steering is giving me some kick ass triceps. You may feel for $1.00. (All proceeds go towards the “should I get power steering fixed or another purse fund”)
4. My ass will stop a car. It’s fabulous.
5. I’m terrified of success. Oh, and terrified of failure. And slithery snakes on animal type nature channels late at night. I’m willing to work on the first two some more. Not the last one at all.
6. These are the prints I’m “viewing” in my living room this month. One with attitude. One exposed. And one exhausted from a party. My life summed up in print.
7. He stood in front of me the other day after lunch, opened his suit jacket, and I reached in wrapping my arms around him. I don’t know when I let go but it was the best moment of March.
Cole. Cole. Cole. Enough, huh? Here are some other bits of amazingness for you to check out when you have a moment or two or maybe even seven moments. Seven moments would be perfect.
Katie Markus at Behind The Brand … Such a pleasure to wind through her design blog.
Zoe Blue at Wink Wink Wink ….Want to lose yourself in all the lovely madness that is dating? You MUST meet Miss Zoe! Make sure to see her “first date flowers”.
Andrea Memenas at Hip Moms Who Work …Funny. Sarcastic as hell. Just brutal enough. And based in the land of all things Orange? My. Kind. Of. Woman.
The Urban Dater …Ever wonder what it would be like to date a gentleman that dates well but still has some grrrr to him? Here’s your man. If you can’t date him, learn from him.
Ryel at Ryel J Photography ….She simply tells the prettiest, sweetest, most complete stories in her pictures and you won’t want to have anyone else shoot you. Well, shoot you. You know what I mean. Shoot you.
Much love globally and locally.
Cole
