Real You: The treasures that matter in the vaults of life

The truth is, I'm not having a great time with this move. We were relocated due to my husband's job - suddenly - over Thanksgiving and picked a place to live quickly, and for a short-term lease. Now, it's up and we're off. Two things. It's hard to move - for a short-term - a family of six with two dogs and piles of stuff. It's even harder to move - again - five months later. Second, I've found I'm practicing for empty nesting. I am letting go. I am a natural pack rat, and when the vaults - yes they call them vaults - of stuff we had in storage from two moves ago pulled up on a semi-truck in front of the new house, I wanted to tell them the driver he had the wrong address. Clearly, I didn't need the vault contents - I'd been living quite fine without all of it for more than three years.

They insisted on unloading. Ergo, for the past two weeks I've been wading through boxes of memories. Kid art scribbled on the back of paper placemats; photos galore; Mother's Day presents from various kids' preschool and elementary school days; clay creations of every sort and every talent level; my high school and college scrapbooks; books - and more books; and, well, you get the drift.

I've been snapping photos of some of the stuff before tossing it. Other, the most special of treasures, have been placed back into tubs so I can experience this all over again at some later date. It's almost like being an empty nester - but I'm not. My kids are still home, so perhaps it's a practice session?

A lot of the treasures made me misty, and many made me smile. It's the vaults of life, really, that I was rummaging through. I'm glad I did it. I don't think I tossed too many valuable memories. Judging from the new storage space stuffed to capactiy, I'll be doing this again in another 20 years.

If I'm lucky.

Real You: Live like you're dying

This morning, near where I live, two women were struck by cars as they walked along the road to their bus stop. One woman died of her injuries. Just like that.

My teenage daughter pulled out of the driveway last week and suddenly found herself crashed into a tree (nobody was hurt, just the car and the tree). Just like that.

A moment can change everything. Moments do change everything.

Live today to the fullest, soak up the sun when it shines and be thankful for your blessings. It's hard, with all you do. I know. Living in the moment, thankfully for today, sometimes seems a luxury. But, it's our choice to be happy, to treasure moments.

Now, look around you and smile.

The Wisdom in Extraction

Bear with me as this blog post is being written as I’m taking care of my son who just had his wisdom teeth out. (Yes, everyone I know remembers that day, too!) And no, this blog post IS NOT about that! What I started thinking about this morning is that there is wisdom in extraction. One of my favorite definitions of Wisdom is “knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action”. Action is the important ingredient in that definition. We are all wise, and hopefully, learning every day. But true wisdom requires action. True wisdom can be found, and built, when we take action and remove ourselves from situations that are harmful, limiting or otherwise bad for our personal brands, for ourselves.

Are you in a situation in your business or personal life that you need to extract yourself from? Do it. Take action. Stop knowing you should, and just do it. Sure, it hurts but it’s worth it in the long run, because much like wisdom teeth, you didn’t need that situation or person in your life after all.

Celebrate Life and Loved Ones

You've heard it a million times: Don't take things for granted. Yet, it's difficult for us to grasp the concept in our everyday lives that seem to move at the speed of light. We're so busy. We have just one more thing to do and then we can have dinner with our kids or grab a drink with a friend we haven't had time to see. With the recent loss of several American icons, it makes me once again take a step back and admire all the wonderful people I have in my life. My family, my friends and my co-workers.

Don't take those around you for granted. Re-connect. Reach out to those you haven't seen or talked to in awhile. Maybe it's just a quick catch-up on the phone, or maybe it's a long weekend with family. No matter what, thank them for being a part of your life.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend and call at least one person who you've been thinking about!