Archive

Showing My Gratitude And A Few Thank You Notes

posted 11th March 2011    Written by: Katharine    CATEGORY: All Posts, Inspiration, Katharine, Season 4, What I've Learned

In a few days, I’m leaving for Prague and I can’t stop thinking about what kind of foundation I’ve built for myself.  About the people who have helped inspire, motivate and challenge me in my life along the way. About all of the life decisions I made, and life lessons I learned over these last five years that have played a part to get to where I am right now.

Sam Davidson, author of 50 Things Your Life Doesn’t Need and co-founder of Cool People Care, wrote about how no one does it alone.

“None of us get where we’re going alone.  There are certainly times of solitude and loneliness on the entrepreneurial, creative, artistic, professional and personal pathways, but we’re not really all by ourselves.  There is a crowd of people cheering you on, opening doors, and working behind the scenes.  The quicker that you recognize this the more motivated you’ll be to keep fighting to make all of your dreams come true.”

At the end of his post, Sam says:  “Say thanks to the people who get you where you’re going.”

It’s my last weekend in the States and I can’t think of a better time to say ‘thank you’ than right now.

To my oldest brother: thank you for being part of my foundation.  For all of the advice and wise words you’ve provided me over the last several years and all of the incredible strength you’ve forced me to see in myself.  I know that I am stronger and I am capable to do anything I set my heart to.

To my older brother: thank you for being another huge part in my foundation.  For being the one who keeps this family together at Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Thank you for being my rock when I needed it the most and for supporting me through every decision I made.  But most of all, thank you for sacrificing three years of your own life right after Mom died so I could finish college, move to Philadelphia and build a life here.  I am forever grateful for that.

To my cousin Bob: thank you for taking care of me after Mom died.  For paying for my college books.  For letting me and my friends spend weekends at your lake house each summer.  For making sure I never lost track of my hopes and dreams and for making sure I fought for every single thing I ever wanted in life.

To my extended family: While I don’t see you as often as I would like, I want you to know that I wouldn’t have gotten to where I am today without your wonderful support and confidence in me.  You’ve provided me with a sense of strength and resiliency that very few could ever carry as well as I have.

To the man who couldn’t commit: thank you for those three years.  And while it wasn’t exactly the kind of relationship I desired, you showed me what love truly feels like. You allowed me to open up to someone and feel comfortable with exposing my true colors.  Oh, and thank you for introducing me to dek hockey because if it weren’t for you, I never would have played the sport.

To all of my hockey friends:  Thank you for allowing me to be part of the game.  Whether we’ve played together or against each other, it’s been an incredible experience and I never thought I could fall in love with a sport as much as I have with dek hockey.

To all of my ‘survivor sisters’: Thank you for being a part of my life.  For sharing your stories with me, and allowing me to share mine with you.  For joining forces and advocating for such an important cause.  For being able to just listen when I needed it. Every single one of you has a special place in my heart and I promise to continue advocating while I’m abroad.  Early detection and prevention saves lives.

To all of my one-night stands, late night flings, and the like: Thank you for those thirty seconds five minutes of pleasure.  It’s made for some great blog fodder.

To all of my former co-workers and managers: Thank you for the opportunity to be part of your law firm/company.  I’m grateful for the professional growth and challenges that have enriched my legal career.

To the Stratejoy tribe, my Season 4 sisters, and Molly: Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of this wonderfulness.  Thank you for letting me be vulnerable about sharing my dark and damaged past,  and for leaving such wonderful, heartfelt comments.  Thank you for your support in my journey abroad.

To my two best girl friends:  Thank you for these last two years.  For all of the unforgettable memories, jokes, and one-liners.  For being so incredibly supportive of my decision to move to Prague (even though you’re in denial) and pushing me to make this life changing decision.  Thank you for wine and cheese nights, potluck dinners, and Sunday Funday brunches at Sabrina’s Cafe.  Thank you for being two of the most amazing women I know.

Last, but certainly not least, to my therapist:  Thank you (times a million) for helping me get to where I am right now.  Therapy saved my life.  And I promise to write that book one day.

So many people have helped me fight for the things I want in life and to make me realize that life is worth living and dreams can come true.  I’m going to keep fighting, keep living, and keep dreaming.

How many people have helped build your foundation?  Who would you like to thank?  Share it with me in the comments!

Until next week, when I finally land in Prague, I bid you all farewell from the States.

[Note from Coach Molly: What can I say?  I love that you took time to thank all those that have helped you along your journey.  And I'm so proud and privileged to have your here on Stratejoy!  Thank YOU for being you: brave and beautiful and vulnerable and strong. So excited to tag along on your next journey!]

{photo credit: woodleywonderworks}

divider

Morning Bliss: The Best Part of Waking Up

posted 3rd September 2010    Written by: Alisha    CATEGORY: Alisha, All Posts, Family, Life Lesson, Quarterlife Crisis, Season 3, Tips & Tools, Travel, Travel/Adventure

Each morning I rise, give praise for the rays of light.  Sun salutations, cat poses, savasanas.  The warmth of the chai spreads through my chest, into my arms, down my legs.  The air inside is still; the only noise I hear is the gentle hum of the refridgerator as it toils to keep the food cold during these dog days of summer.  With a pen in hand, I scribble all my thoughts and dreams from the days before.  Every penstroke is a gentle caress on the smooth, vanilla bean paper.  My head and heart empty, ready to recieve the gifts the present day may bring.

O. M. G.  I wish.  This is how it really goes down:

Right around dawn, my daughter screams.  She doesn’t whimper, she doesn’t cry.  She screams at the top of her lungs.  I nurse her, lay her back down in her crib and cross my fingers and toes in hopes that I can get just forty-five more minutes of sleep.  I make it back to my own bed, curl up into the fetal position and pull the blankets over my head.  32 minutes pass by and at 6:47 a.m. she is ready to begin her day.  I change her diaper, get the coffee started (extra-strong please!), make her oatmeal, wash a few dishes and sweep the floor as I wait for my son to emerge.  At 7:02 a.m. he stumbles into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes and muttering something about dinosaurs.  He demands animal crackers for breakfast.

“I don’t think so little man.  How about cereal and milk?” I ask him sweetly.

“Mmmmm.  Eh-eh.  Animals.”

“Toast and butter?”  I say as I look him sternly in the eye.

“Eh-eh!  Animals!”

“No.  Cereal and milk or toast and butter?”  Hunched over and with a raised eye-brow, I repeat his options.

“Animals!  Animals!  Animals!” he protests while jumping up and down, much to the dismay of the neighbors below, I am sure.

I mean, really.  I have not had any coffee yet, I am still in my underwear–literally–and at only 7:08 in the morning, Time Out Number 1 is underway.  It is totally not the zen-filled morning I so desperately crave.  Take this morning, repeat it 4 days a week, and multiply it by 52 weeks in a year.  That equals 208.  208 out of 365 days of my year start out this way.  So it is no wonder that when I dream about my “perfect” life, I am usually alone.

According to my therapist, this is because I don’t vacate.  I do not make the time to do those things in which I take delight.  So this week, I am taking my therapist’s advice and vacating.  Well, vacating as much as I possibly can with a husband and two kids.  We are off to Colorado, my friends!  Seven days and six nights away from home, in the bright sunshine and crisp mountain air.  And while I am there, I will make time for myself.  This is not a plan, this is a promise.  I am making a promise to be kind to myself…to allow myself to vacate (at least a teensy little bit) because I know that upon my return I will be renewed, refreshed, regenerated.

I recently finished working through Week 1 of The Joy Equation and I had a breakthrough.  It was the kind of breakthrough that made me feel strong, empowered, brave, ready to take on the world with clearer vision.  You see, at the end of Week 1, I made a list of 8 core values.  Molly calls our core values ”the Habits of our Heart.”  She couldn’t be more right.  Through Week 1′s exercises I realized that a lot of the pain and suffering I had experienced over the last five or six years was kind of my own fault: I made choices that discounted my intuition and casted my values aside.  (Okay, that and the whole bi-polar thing too.)  It was a slap in the face, but I welcomed it.

I decided that I was ready for some fun again. I want to get back to a little bit of that old “Alisha”.  Old Alisha was fun, a little more free, and a lot happier.  So, on this vacation, I am going to vacate my old ways; I am going to reintegrate my core values into my life and into my choices.  I think life will be more fun that way.

photo credit

divider