Beginnings

I was up before the sun this morning. I stumbled my way to the coffee pot without my glasses or contacts. I like to live dangerously. The hot cup of happy juice leaped into my cup. It must have recognized my level of need. I had a packed schedule today with a critical meeting that would make or break my year. Coffee, you’re in the starting line up today. Don’t disappoint me.

The most demanding days are also those magical days when the kids struggle the most, technology crashes and traffic is terrible. I like to think it as Mother Nature’s way of testing my resolve and my faithfulness to my meditation practice. It is these experiences that spawn the best coffee mugs that I often gift to my girlfriends. You know the ones, irreverent but true; completely inappropriate for the office. (Search Pinterest. Its worth it, trust me.)

Fortunately for me, the network only crashed once. Traffic was terrible but I had planned on it, leaving a full hour of travel time. Unfortunately for me, the kids are always the wildcard. A near-hostage negotiation later, the kids were off to school. Miraculously, no calls from the school were received. My client was pleased with my report and recommitted to the program. Overall, I call it a win.

Listen, Stress happens. How I respond to it is the difference between seeing the miracles at the end of the day or pouring an extra large glass of wine (or whiskey. Don’t judge.). I have had my fair share of meltdowns that were not pretty. It has taken many years to perfect my approach and the meditation that supports me along the way.

I am sure you have strategies that bring your coping skills into sharper focus also. You may be an advanced stress manager or somewhere in the middle of figuring it all out. If you are on a first-name basis with the wine steward at the grocery store, we should talk. The point is we don’t get to start our journey fully equipped and wise beyond our years. We take each day step by step and learn from our biggest challenges. We will fail and that is OK because we will get back up and try again tomorrow. “Relating” is about our shared journey as women, as mothers, as friends and as professionals. We will laugh, cry, celebrate and discover on this journey. I welcome your stories, your shared experiences because it will be hilariously fantastic relating together.