Favorite Things

My blog posts are drama-free because that’s how I prefer to live my life and thankfully, there’s little to report. However, it has been an emotional week with an unusual amount of highs and lows. I’ve had to step out of my comfort zone three times this week to deal with important life lessons. Today, I’m going to open up and share some personal experiences that have left me feeling better and stronger than before.

Let me start by saying that when I am faced with an emotional dilemma, it is rare for me to react quickly. Typically, everything gets the 24-hour rule. I live with how I feel if I were to make a decision one way and then I live with how I feel if I were to make it the other way. I wait 24-hours (or more) before making a decision because once the decision is made, I’m done.

In addition to venting with a couple friends, one of who is a Libra and always presents several possible scenarios, I have found value in revisiting some life quotes that I have collected on a private Pinterest board. Sometimes a small group of words can capture the large picture and I find them incredibly impactful.

Here are the quotes that carried me through this week and let me live my truth.

Quote 1: “Walking away has nothing to do with weakness and everything to do with strength. We walk away not because we want others to recognize our worth and value, but because we recognize our own.”

This quote sums up my decision after receiving my first ever “all caps” email from a new acquaintance in a volunteer organization. Apparently, I didn’t respond to an email in a time frame that was acceptable. So it was sent twice within three hours. The first time was in lower case, the second time was in caps – yelling at me.

The next day, I brought up the email in a face to face discussion. As nicely as I could (and with an attempt at humor) I let her know that an “all caps” email wasn’t appreciated. But the conversation took an unexpected turn and I was told the stupidest lie ever. I wasn’t sure if I was more taken back by the lie, or how effortlessly it rolled off her tongue. It was then I knew what kind of person I was dealing with and I wanted no part of it.

If anyone reading this holds a position of leadership for a volunteer organization, I trust that you treat your volunteers with kindness, respect and a pinch of gratitude. I’m also sure that you’ll remember that they are not getting paid for what they are doing and have the freedom to leave at any time. So I did. And it was liberating to tell her that she needed to find someone else to fill the position.

Quote 2: “Let it go.”

The second thing I was faced with was practicing the art of letting go. It’s too long a story with too many people involved to dive into details. This was a classic case of “there are two sides to every story.” Suffice to say that half of me wanted to correct a false rumor that had led to major drama and hurt feelings, but the other half of me knew instinctively that the situation was too far gone and irreparable. I let it go.

Quote 3: “Everything you want is on the other side of fear.”

The third thing that took me outside my comfort zone, was months in the making. I needed to work up the courage to take a pivotal step toward pursuing a dream. It helped to replay the words “be afraid, but do it anyway.” It also helped to ask friends to nudge me in the right direction, and they obliged (thank you, you know who you are). I can’t wait to reveal my little dream project to all of you someday!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend, see you back here on Monday xo

| little treasures from a large friendship |