I've Got the Love

source

Despite the fact that I've never really had a Valentine, I happen to love Valentine's Day. Hearts galore. Candy. Yummy sweets. Pretty cards. Everything the color pink. What's not to love?

Seeing men carry flowers home to the ones they love makes me smile. Passing crowded restaurants on my way home makes my heart swell.

I'll always remember walking to the bus last year on Valentine's Day morning and seeing a dad and his son putting the finishing touches on his Valentine's before heading off to school. Such a precious sight.

I've never been a V-Day hater. February 14th isn't a day I loath or despise. No pity parties for me--I save those for other random, non-special days throughout the year.

Some people say we shouldn't need a specific day to prompt us to show someone our love. They hate the commercialism and unrealistic expectations the day seems to bring. They have a point but I subscribe to thinking why is it a bad thing to have a day set aside to do a little something extra?

Nothing extravagant is required to show true love. I may not have romantic love right now but I have family and friends I love deeply. I try to embrace any opportunity I have to show them how much I care.

Bring it on St. Valentine.

Wednesday Wisdom: Faith

source

It's scary to have faith. I like to plan and be sure of my next steps into the future. However, I've learned life doesn't work that way. Sometimes faith really is your only available transportation. You don't move forward by standing still in the present.

Right now I'm trying to have faith that I can make progress. I'm not stuck. Change is possible.

Prayer Works. Miracles Happen.

Layoffs. Downsizing. Restructuring. February 2012 President Obama wasn't necessarily winning favor in the economy department. PEMCO Insurance didn't escape the trends.

My dad wasn't supposed to take that long walk down the hall to an empty chair and have his fate turned upside down. He's a survivor. An innovator. Best man in his division. Fifteen years of dedicated customer service and leadership.

Sure I'm his daughter which means my view is biased, right? Well I'm also a working professional and analytical thinker. I don't exaggerate. You don't layoff Mr. PEMCO.

Eight more days and it would have been exactly one year since Mr. PEMCO got the dreaded call. Enterprise Services was no longer unscathed. The victim: my dad.

For the past eight years my dad threw a paper route every morning to make ends meet. Forget the cute boy on the bike chucking papers onto porches. 3:00 am every morning. 200+ papers. Snow storm. Torrential downpour. Nothing stops the paper.

No man takes his role as a provider more seriously than my dad.

Hours of networking, resume tweaking, and phone interviews. No job prospects. My parents couldn't afford to stay in our home. The backup plan became reality.

They decided to move to Utah and live in my auntie's basement apartment. Start over. It was a hard decision but they knew it was right. Peace amidst uncertainty is possible.

December 18th my dad should have had an interview at CHG Healthcare, number three on Fortune's list of 100 best companies to work for. A Christmas miracle.

The day after my grandma died the interview was canceled. CHG had reached their hiring quota for the year. Call back after the first of the year.

January 2013 comes and Patty, the fantastic CHG recruiter my dad worked with, is no longer with the company. Multiple phone calls and mixed correspondence later, a new recruiter sends my dad a generic rejection email. He's crushed.

This morning Patty connected with my dad via LinkedIn. She called him five minutes later. Could he come in for an interview at 2pm? Yes. Less than five hours later my dad got the call we've waited almost a year for.

A simple text: "I got the job!". I burst into tears of joy. I forgot what it's like to have good things happen for my family. The last year has been rough.

Hope can be restored. It's true--Heavenly Father doesn't give us more than we can handle. Most of the time we just don't know our limits. I think that's part of the plan.

February 18th my dad will start his new job as an account manager at England Logistics.  

Prayer works. Miracles happen. Life really can change in just one day.

New York State of Mind

source

 Why You Won't Be the Person You Expect to Be by John Tierney, The New York Times
"People seemed to be much better at recalling their former selves than at imagining how much they would change in the future."

Make Me Worry You're Not Ok by Susan Shapiro, The New York Times
"The stark, painful, inappropriate confession is the most essential part, the meat and potatoes, the soul and the sound bite, the raison d’être."

Writing About What Haunts Us by Peter Orner, The New York Times
"Our imaginations sometimes fail us for a reason."

wednesday wisdom: she reads

source

I haven't read a new book since Thanksgiving. During the summer and fall I devoured books and was a regular at my local library. My reading list is long. I need to start again.

I feel pretty

Today I decided to feel pretty. I know that sounds strange but it's true. It's been awhile since I've truly felt like I look nice or have enough energy to put all my makeup on plus a nice outfit.

My sweet aunt gave me the iconic polka dot sweater from J.Crew for Christmas. Dream come true. Until today it has sat unworn, neatly folded in its plastic wrapper inside my closet.

My aunt has asked me several times since returning home from Christmas, "So have you worn your sweater yet?" Each time I have replied "no" that I was saving it for a day when I felt put together and confident. I didn't want to waste a special sweater that has to be dry cleaned on a blah, regular day.

Well, Christmas was over a month ago. The blissful day of beauty and confidence I've been waiting for had yet to materialize. So I decided that today--a Monday no less---was the day. Time to put on my fantastic, prized possession and wear it with pride.

Sometimes you have to choose your emotion rather than succumb to reality. You can choose to feel beautiful in your own eyes even if your head tells you otherwise.

What helps you feel pretty? How do you improve your self-worth?

Winter Blues

source

January is a rough month--not an eloquent statement but I speak the truth. The holiday festivities have passed. Have you heard the song, "I cry the day I take the tree down?"

It's freezing outside. There's no reason to shave your legs or get a pedicure. Feet get nasty and cold. Cash flow is nonexistent thanks to Christmas. It was well worth it but still. Eggs for every meal intermixed with grilled cheese? Done. Five cups of hot chocolate every day? Yep, that's happening.

Bears have the right idea. Hibernation all the way. That would solve everything.

Seasonal affective disorder is a real thing. I deal with depression no matter the season but winter is a little bit harder. I have no motivation right now. I procrastinate to the max because I need the desperation and hang-over-my-head deadline to get something done.

I'm taking a magazine writing class this quarter. My instructor is awesome--she reported for the Wall Street Journal for over seven years and has her MFA in Creative Writing along with her master's in journalism.

This is the class I've waited to take. Writing for a magazine is what I would love to do. I should be super excited and motivated but my confidence has waned. I'm not thrilled or inspired. I blame the winter blues.

I've got to find my mojo...spring please come now!