The Ladder of Success is Best Climbed by Stepping on the Rungs of Opportunity~Ayn Rand

Just this week I was speaking with a coworker about her dissatisfaction with having no job description for her revised role in the new company formed when a competitor purchased us. I suggested that since each region was utilizing the role differently that she write her own job description and present to her manager. What did she have to lose? She said she was too old and would just deal with whatever happened.  Really!!!!!! To me that is just climbing off the ladder of success and giving up on the chance to create one’s own role.

For me this resonated so much because we are of similar ages and face the same scenarios with the same merged company. I was fortunate to be assigned to a great job, reporting to a manager I like and respect, with duties that really didn’t tax me too much. But I also believed that my talents were not being utilized for the best benefit of the new organization.

Within a short time an opportunity became available that would give me the chance to utilize all of my strengths, develop new skills and learn management techniques that may serve me well in the future. At the very least I will be able to add tools to my toolbox or credentials to my resume. But, this opportunity also presents challenges, the potential for plunging into corporate quick sand, frustration, stress, extra hours, and falling flat on my face. I really don’t expect to face failure, but there is a real possibility that it will not be all daffodils, sunshine, rainbows, kittens and gumdrops.

I accepted the challenge and will start my new role July 1^st. This is truly an exciting opportunity that I enter with my eyes wide open ready to embrace whatever may come.  I will work with a team of dynamic, smart, talented, energetic individuals that I like, admire and respect that want to form a first class region. I am so enthused to be a part of that and have no doubt that collectively we will succeed.

Aerial Yoga ~ Another Delightful New Experience!

This evening I experience my first aerial yoga class at Jala Studio in Winchester, Virginia. I loved it! As soon as I returned home I logged onto the Jala site and signed up for a 5-class pass.

The concept of aerial yoga initially caused me to think of the daring young man on the flying trapeze flying through the air with the greatest of ease! First I noticed there were numerous holes in the ceiling of the studio banded with metal rings. Next there were heavy-duty straps hanging from the ceiling like those used to tow a vehicle out of the mud. I envisioned the men’s gymnastics team struggling on the parallel rings. I knew I didn’t have the strength for that! There was talk of silks! Shorts worn by boxers? The shiny shirts worn by a Kentucky Derby jockey? Embroidery thread? Ropes that Cirque de Soleil contortionists use? Scarves used to bind ones wrist to the bed?  I was incorrect with all preconceived notions.

During a yoga practice Tuesday after work I learned that the aerial classes had begin this week and that all classes the first week were free. Free is my second favorite four-letter word, which follows closely my favorite – wine. I decided to give it a try. I signed up for the Thursday evening class at 7:00pm. It was a commitment! The class is limited to 9 participants because there is limited rigging for the silks.  A few brave souls who’d already given it a try raved about the benefits, the supported inversions, and the relaxation.

Tonight’s class was fabulous! The silks are actually long pieces of silk fabric that resemble extra wide curtain scarves, which are clasped to the straps hanging from the ceiling like a hammock or a swing. Silk is one of nature’s strongest fabrics, and these silks can support more than 1000 pounds. We were lead through a series of yoga poses using the scarves for support. I was surprised to discover how utilizing the silks seemed to mimic movement in water or in a weightless environment – providing excellent toning and strengthening without pressure on the joints. And it was fun! We had a full class and we laughed joyously like children. I actually felt like a child again hanging upside down, swinging to and fro, supported by the straps and silks. And the final relaxation or shivasana at the conclusion of the session was sublime!

Once again I’ve discovered how trying something new can breathe new life into my experienced body and soul. I feel invigorated, energized and thrilled that I’ve found another way to nurture my mind and body.

Namaste!

Celebrating Blessings ~ Happy Birthday to my Husband Todd!

Today is my husband’s 56^th birthday. He is out of town on business. We’ve both been pre-occupied with work and the mundane distractions of life.  When he called me this morning to remind me that the gutter guy from Handyman Connection would be arriving at 8:00am to replace a gutter, I forgot to wish him Happy Birthday.

 

From the moment I signed onto my work computer I looked at the date blazing in the upper right hand corner of my monitor that flashed a bright red reminder that this was June 8^th; yet it didn’t register in my brain and I neglected to wish him a happy birthday during our chats throughout the day.  It was not until 9:00pm after I’d finished a long day, he had eaten carry out pizza in his hotel room, and I called to say goodnight that it struck me. I had forgotten Todd’s birthday!

 

Fortunately, since we first met on February 7, 2005, we’ve celebrated each day as if it were a special event. We met at the right time in our lives to appreciate one another. Had we met years earlier we would not have connected. It took years of life lessons, learning from past experiences, acknowledging truths about ourselves, refining expectations, setting boundaries, accepting our differences (like his loathsome taste in music), appreciating our shared loves and interests, and making the decisions to give one another space to be who we need to be to create a joyful marriage.

I feel blessed and filled with gratitude that we have established this connection and acceptance of one another. When we spoke this evening and I realized I’d neglected to wish him a happy birthday I suddenly felt filled with joy that he’d not pouted or criticized or expressed disappointment. Instead he gently reminded me, accepted my tardy expressions of love, and let it go. I am filled with gratitude for my good fortune to have such a gem in my life.

 

Thank you my dear spousal unit and happy birthday!