Elvis on a Steeeeek!

Last year, my parents celebrated their 50^th wedding anniversary. Mom wanted to have a big party, and they absolutely deserved to have one.  The problem, however, was that with one brother out of state, it was almost impossible to find a time that we could get everyone here. My mom didn’t want to have a renewal of the vows if all of her children could not be present.  So… we decided that we would wait and have a party later.

Well, their anniversary just happens to be a few days after my youngest daughter’s birthday.  We were having a family party to celebrate our new teenager.  Since we would have most of the family here, Rachel and I decided that we would add a little extra surprise celebration for Mom and Dad.

Of course, as always, it was a last minute pull together event. I am the Queen of last minute planning!  With my job, I have to think on my feet, and I am continually rearranging my schedule to fit everything in.  Basically, with all the balls I have up in the air, who even notices when we add a new one into the mix?

We decided to have a little ‘vow renewal ceremony’ of our own.   And who better to officiate this ceremony than the King himself?  Yes… we needed ELVIS!   But, since Elvis is dead (yes, for you non-believers, he really IS dead), we had to improvise.  So, we went online and found a fabulous picture of Elvis, blew it up, printed it, pasted it on cardboard, and added a paint stir stick.  Wa la!  ELVIS ON A STICK!  We found a list of Elvis songs on the internet (WOW, song titles starting with every letter expect X and Z)  and made up vows that would incorporate some of the song titles.  Since I didn’t have time to rehearse, I just taped the vows onto the back of the ELVIS ON A STICK. 

I stood on the hearth and made a request for Mom and Dad to come join me.  I had already secretly coached the rest of the family on what to do.    So, when I told my parents that I had a special guest present to renew their vows, it was hysterical.  

Every time I said “Elvis”… someone would yell “On A STICK”.   (pronounced Steeeeeeek J)  I held the Elvis up over my face and used my best Elvis voice to read the vows.  And, basically, I stink at an Elvis impersonation. In fact, Stink doesn’t even do it justice.  But, we didn’t care. The vows were supposed to go something like this…

 Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness before family and friends the renewal of vows between James and Linda .  Not one part of this is legally binding.  – what do you expect?  I have a stick in my throat.   (Pause for dramatic effect J).

If there are any suspicious minds in the audience, now would be the time to speak up!  I’m Elvis … (ON A STICK!)

50 years ago, people told them that only Fools Rush In.  But James was All Shook UP , and Linda just couldn’t Help Falling in Love with You.  So proving that only the Strong Survive…

Linda, do you take James to be your Hunka Hunka Burning Love, to promise he will never be Lonesome Tonight, to Love Him Tender and be his Puppet on a String?

James, do you take Linda to be your Good Luck Charm,  to never leave her at the Heartbreak Hotel, to remind her that you want her, you need her, you love her, to never  leave her Blue Eyes crying in the rain?

Well, by the powers vested in me (and let me remind you that there ARE NONE! ),  I now pronounce you man and wife AGAIN!   Hope I don’t get to do the Jailhouse Rock! 

A little less conversation, a little more action please… James you may kiss your bride!

I now pronounce to you Mr. and Mrs. Hunka Hunka Burning Love Hargis!  Let’s Shake Rattle and Roll!  Thank You Very Much…. I am Elvis…. (On A Stick).

We all laughed and cried, and laughed some more.  Mom and Dad had fun, and I nearly peed my pants laughing at myself.  (I crack myself up – haha).  Sometimes the last  minute, pull together ideas are the very best.  So next time you think you don’t have time to do something special, just remember… ‘Elvis (ON A STEEEK) would do it… “For the Good Times”…

Saki

My first car was a tiny little 1969 Blue Toyota Corona that was shaped like a box.  It looked like something out of a cartoon.  I loved that car!   And, so of course, I named it.  Not having any Japanese friends, or having the internet, I named it something that sounded Japanese, Saki. It was short for Sakahashi, which I’m pretty sure isn’t a real word either.  We gave it our own meaning, but I won’t share that with you.   

Every day, I picked my friends Robin and Paula to go to school.  They were ALWAYS in my car.  We drove that car everywhere, and sometimes, I even drove it ON the road!   I wondered if it would make up the hill from the parking lot to the tennis courts… Why, Yes, it would!  I wondered if it would fit on the sidewalk,  yes it fit there too!  (Hey, if you don’t like my driving, GET OFF THE SIDEWALK!)  One night I wondered what it would feel like be a racecar driver, so we drove down to the track around the football field, and took it for a few laps!  It was dark and scary, but I had headlights!   I drove it off road, did donuts in the dirt… and, one time I even wondered if would fit on the railroad tracks.  Yep… Robin actually decided to get out of car for that one. (smart!!!)  But Paula hung tight.  Oh man… We are so lucky that we’re still alive! Of course 35 years ago the train only came once a day!    So, kids and grownups, don’t try this at home!!!

The other funny thing is that we were ALWAYS running late (ha! Some things NEVER change!)   So, there were never any parking spaces in the Athlete’s lot when we got to school.  It never bothered us… Our motto was “There you go, park anywhere!”.  And we did… If there was any room between 2 cars, we would take it.  There were many days that we had to actually climb out of the windows because we couldn’t open the car doors.  We would laugh and laugh, and then pray that we would have time to come move the car before anyone tried to leave in the afternoon.  Haha!

I had that car packed full of cheerleaders all the time.  It fit 4 people comfortably.  However, many times, it was filled to the brim!  Girls everywhere, squished in, sitting in laps, etc.  It was like a clown car.  (How many cheerleaders can you fit in one little tiny car? )  I think one time we actually had 10 people in it.  Yes, I’m pretty sure it was illegal, but we had to get from point A to point B, and I was one of the only ones with a car. So, everyone bummed a ride, and we had a blast!   One day, I was driving home from a cheerleading event with 6 people in the car.  We were cutting up and we saw a cute guy on the side of the road that was getting a ticket.  Someone (Julie!!!) rolled down the window and yelled “Let him GO!!!!”  We all chuckled hysterically.  Until, that is, the female police officer jumped in her car and followed us to the school!  She pulled me over IN the school parking lot and gave us all a huge lecture about being respectful, etc.  THEN, we got a HUGE lecture from our cheerleading coach because she saw the blue lights in the parking lot.  We were scared and ashamed for about a minute, then we spent years re-enacting this story and laughing hysterically. Thankfully, I’ve grown up a little… (note, just a little J).   

We had many late night secret missions too.  You know, all the cool teenager stuff like decorating houses for football games, and trying to do it secretly at 11p before our midnight curfew.  We were caught red handed, and actually chased a few times by football players that thought it was funny!    We also thought it would be fun to go into enemy territory before a game with our uniforms on to yell ‘GO Panthers!’   But as we were driving through the rival school parking lot, we chickened out and rolled the windows up before we yelled! We laughed about this for years!     

Another time, we were on the way to school and Saki died right there on Phillips Drive.  We hoofed it to school, and I went into the office to call my mom.  I still remember being on the phone with my mom explaining that Saki had died and I had to leave him on the side of the road and asking her if she could go get him so that I could go to class.  When I hung up, the sweet lady in the office put her arm around me and said “Oh honey, I heard your conversation. Are you OK?  Do you need to go home?”  We had a huge belly laugh when I explained that Saki was just my car, and not my pet or a person or anything like that!      

I have so many fond memories in that car and all our escapades in it. Every time I think back on my high school days, I laugh and laugh.  Yet, it just makes me realize how totally fearless we were back then.  I am so thankful that I had a mom that prayed over me every day for safety, otherwise, I would not be here today!  Yes, I was fearless AND reckless.  It was all fun and games to us back then.  I do still have a little bit of the fearlessness in me, but it’s nothing like it used to be.  I’m more fearless in business, and less fearless in life.  I wonder how much fun I miss out on now that I’m older and wiser, and more scared of breaking a hip or something.  (haha)  

So…  now you have a little better understanding why it is necessary for me to pray over MY kids every day.  It’s because they are so much like me, and I know I’m in trouble!          

Get your Freak Show on!

I was listening to the radio today and I heard a line in a song that said “Get your Freak on!”    Well, after the week I’ve had, there will be no getting my freak on, that’s for sure!  I think I’ve taken it to a whole different level this week.  “Get your freak SHOW on” is much more like it for me this past week.

Let me explain… my friend Suzie came to visit me early in the week.  And by Suzie, I mean the whopping fever blister that looks like a second head on my lip.  It can’t be ignored, therefore I give it a name!  Suzie is an undeniable monster on my face that  arrives 30 seconds before me everywhere I go.  

Then to add insult to injury, I lost my voice.  I am squeaking every time I talk. It’s not pretty, but it does seem to be quite amusing to my family.

And, due to the fact that I will be turning 50 in a few weeks, and I want to be Fifty and Fit, and NOT Fifty and FAT, I have increased my activity level to an abnormal amount of Insanity.  So, every time I stand up, there is massive pain in my thighs that makes me wince.   Not to mention that I can’t lift my arms either.  So, the first few steps look like a monster has taken over.   

So, when you combine all of these, it goes something like this:  I stand up, every muscle hurts, so I wince.  But…. that wince comes out like a goose honk, then a high pitched squeak.  Then I take a few Frankenstein steps forward to avoid the pain, and I look like a side show freak.  BUT, wait… that’s not all… before you see any of this, you see the second head on my face that you cannot help but notice.  Yep… FREAK SHOW and a half!   SEXY?  I think NOT!  Thank goodness my family finds it very amusing to make fun of me.  Otherwise, I would not have known that I was a freak AT ALL!!!

Ah… am I bummed.  Yes, I am!  No one wants to be a Freak!  But, I can’t change it, so I’ll carry on.  I’m “Getting my Freak Show on” this week and my family finds it quite funny.    Ha… I love making my family laugh!  But watch out family… I won’t be a freak forever!  And my body may be freaking out, but my brain is working just fine!    Hmmmm.... I’d sleep with one eye open if I were you.  BWAHAHAHAHA!  

I am Minnie Mouse!

I have been losing my voice for a couple of days.  By the end of the day yesterday, I sounded very hoarse.  However, when I woke up this morning, it was down to a complete squeak!  I sound like Minnie Mouse.  I have no idea why this is happening.  I haven’t been yelling at my kids! (true story)   I don’t feel sick, and I haven’t been talking any more than normal.  And by normal, I mean the astronomical amount of talking that I do on a regular basis.  Seriously, I’m just not a quiet person. J

It’s my business to talk.  I have tried all morning to avoid talking.  But, my phone keeps ringing.  Have you ever tried to negotiate a deal when you sound like Minnie Mouse? Well let me tell you that I don’t really feel like I’m accomplishing much when the person on the other end of the line chuckles.  I lose the power of negotiation when one word comes out really deep and the next one cracks in a high pitch.  THIS IS NOT FUNNY! I had an agent finally say “I’m sorry, I just really can’t hear you.  It’s not my phone, it’s you!”  Then she laughed hysterically. HA!  Well, I laughed too, only it just sounded like a big goose honk!   That just made it worse.  I think I was laughing to keep from crying!

I haven’t had laryngitis since I was a high school cheerleader.  So, this is a little awkward.  I don’t know why it’s happening.  Maybe it’s God’s way of telling me to be quiet for a day or so.  Is he sending the ‘Hey Kathy - If you won’t shut up, I’ll shut you up!’ message that I really need to hear?  Probably not!  Since I’m sure he can read my thoughts, shutting down my voice doesn’t really shut me up. J  

Or perhaps it’s Karma.  I was really frustrated with an agent this week for a ridiculously low offer, and I decided to hit some tennis balls so I wouldn’t hit her. (smile) But that’s a good thing, right?  I didn’t lose my cool with her., I just took it out on the tennis balls.  Other than that, I was really sweet this week (smile again!)  So… probably NOT Karma.

So, I guess it’s just allergies or a virus or something.  But, I’m worried it’s going to last a really long time because I just can’t shut up long enough to give my voice a rest.  Asking a chatty person to be quiet is like expecting a child not to call you when you sit down on the potty.   It’s Mission Impossible!    I shall try my best, though.  But in the meantime, I’ll just enjoy making everyone laugh.  Even if they are laughing at me, not with me!  Minnie Mouse would be proud!  

Running without music

During the summer, my friends and I crank up our workout routine and go up the high school to run the stadium stairs a few days a week.  I love running the stairs!  Especially the part where you stop and gasp for breath at the top!  And the spiritual experience of praying that you don’t die at the top and make the paramedics have to come up the 36 stairs to get you!  NOT!!!   But truthfully, even though it kills me, I love how I feel when I’m finished, so I do it anyway.

I always take my ipod with me, and I notice that I run faster when the music is faster, and I slow down to a crawl when the music is slow.  So, I’ve packed my ipod with work out songs that make me go faster.  I absolutely 100% count on the music to ease the pain of the workout. 

But today… my ipod was DEAD!  I got to the bottom of the stairs, turned it on, and there was absolute silence!  OMG!  I ran up the first time and thought, ’OK, I can do this.  I’ll just sing.’  But, how in the world do you sing when you can’t even catch your breath?  

I can honestly tell you that 36 stairs seem like 1000 when you count them.  And without music, I counted every step.  I found myself counting up to 36 the first time up and that was HORRIBLE.  So the next time, I counted up to 18 two times. Then I decided to count backwards to see if it was easier.  Then, I thought that I would just break it down into 3 sets of 12.  Then I was bored to tears and decided that I would count 10, 10, 8, 8.  OMG… I could not NOT count!   The more I tried not to count the stairs, the worse it became.  So… I moved over to the other side of the stadium with the stairs that are further apart.  THERE ARE 24 STAIRS THERE!  Yes, 2 sets of 12, 3 sets of 8, 4 sets of 6… UGGGHHH!!!!   

Needless to say, my workout today was one big boring mess of numbers!  I walked in the door and plugged in my ipod to charge before I even fixed a cup of coffee.  I used to run without music all the time. I loved having the time to think.   But as I’ve gotten older, I realized that when I run, all I think about is when it will be OVER!!!  So, I guess that my days of running without music are over too!   

Yes… my ipod is charging as we speak. And, while my physical workout today was boring, I officially gave myself a refresher math lesson on the many different combinations of numbers that add up to  24 and 36.  So, all in all, I had an educational experience instead of a good workout.   But, trust me… next time, my ipod will be working, because I’ve realized that if I want to work out my heart and my body, I can NOT allow my brain to have any input AT ALL!    Just saying…

Mattress Surfing!

My 10 year old niece and 16 year old nephew have been here a few days visiting from Oklahoma.  We haven’t actually seen them in 2 years other than on Skype.  I was so excited to have them come.  But, my girls were absolutely ecstatic!   Rachel is thrilled to have someone to do stuff with during the day.  We work from home, and even though we’re here, she gets bored because we’re working.  And even though Britt has to work all day downtown, she couldn’t wait to get home to see them.

We have an extra bedroom that is perfect for my nephew.  I feel bad for him, being the lone testosterone in a sea of all girl cousins. But he has his own room and can get away when it gets to be too much.  My niece is sleeping on an air mattress in Rachel’s room so that they can be together.   

But who knew that the air mattress would be a source of temptation so hard to resist for all 4 cousins.  When we blew it up and carried it up the 14 carpeted stairs, my oldest (of course), said 2 words ‘Mattress Surfing!’   You could see the wheels turning in my niece’s head.  You could tell she was considering what this meant, and then her face lit up with a huge smile.  I said… “Alyssa, we have one rule in this house... If Brittany says it’s OK, then it’s probably NOT!”  

Well, we made it a whole day, and I thought that they had forgotten all about it.  But, NOOOOOOO!  When Brittany got home from work last night, they all went into the family room to play the Wii.  I went upstairs to my office to answer some emails.  I had my door shut(mistake number1) and they apparently decided that the Wii was boring!

I could hear the excitement, but I thought they were laughing at the Wii.  I worked for about 20 minutes and then came down the stairs.  But… at the bottom of the stairs, blocking the hallway was the air mattress.  I just stood there on the steps and said the same 2 words “Mattress Surfing?”   Dead silence in the room… Then I repeated “Kids… who’s been mattress surfing?”   Complete silence…. then… a little snicker arose, then a couple more, then total laughter.  

I said… “Alyssa, did you mattress surf?”   She was kind of quiet for a minute, then she said “Brittany did too!!!!!”   I just busted out laughing!   Yes, the 22 year old started it, and the 10 years old finished it. I’m sure the 16 yr old and the 14 year old were in the middle.  They are both the calm, quiet type, but they will definitely break loose and have fun too.

 How is that cousins come from different wombs but share the same traits.  My niece reminds me so much of my oldest when she was growing up.  They live hundreds of miles apart, are 12 years different in age, but seem like they came from the exact same mold.  And my nephew and youngest daughter are very much alike too. 

Oh… my poor brother… he has absolutely no idea what he’s in for.  But, I do!  And, I’m hoping that he loves every minute of it like I do!    

Traumatizing Mom!!!

I grew up with 2 younger brothers.  We are all close in age.  But, since I was the oldest, I felt that it was absolutely my duty to make sure that I blazed a trail for them to follow.   I would come up with some hair brained scheme, and they would always be willing participants.   And, let me tell you, I had some doozies!  We absolutely LOVED to play jokes on my Mom (June Cleaver).  There are several of these amazing feats that have never been forgotten (or forgiven) by Mom.  One in particular is still held over my head at family functions.  

I can’t tell you how old we were at the time (I was probably about 10), but my Mom was getting a new freezer for our utility room out back.  She was pretty excited about it, and she kept on telling us that it was being delivered soon. Then she made one fatal mistake.  She said “Now I want you all three on your best behavior when the Sears man comes”.   Ahhhh… Nooooo.  This sounded more like a challenge to me than an actual request. I looked right over at Scott and grinned.   I never had to talk that boy into anything!  We just always had to make sure that Chris wouldn’t tell on us. J

So… when we saw the Sears truck pull up, we ran out back and hid in the storage room.  We could not stop laughing.  He opened the door, and we all jumped out with pouty faces and yelled “THANK YOU!  THANK YOU for setting us free!  Mom keeps us locked up out here all the time! “  He backed off very quickly.  So, then for added measure, Scott and I each grabbed one of his legs and hung on!  We kept saying “Please take us with you, PLEASE!  She never lets us out of here!!!”   The more he pulled away, the more we poured it on.  My mom was MORTIFIED!!!  Of course we were trying to be dramatic, but we were laughing the whole time too.  The poor Sears man!  He didn’t know whether he should call DFACs or if he should hold us down so Mom could whip our fannies.  Mom just kept on saying “That’s not funny!  That’s not funny!  I would never lock my kids in the utility room!”  I’m pretty sure that she shed a couple of tears out of sheer embarrassment. (oops) We played it out as long as we could, but then we finally broke into hysterical laughter, and our game was up!   Seriously… we may have been pranksters, but we were all terrible actors!    

We did have to finally fess up to the Sears man that it was an elaborate prank on my mom. And, that fact that I cannot remember the punishment that we received just shows you how much this one was truly worth the price!

Yes…I’ve got a laundry list of things that I managed to pull off when I was younger.  And, my Mom remembers every single one of them.    So, should you choose to go back through my blog and read the one about “Double for your Trouble” from March, you’ll completely understand why my Mom thinks like she does.   I think this one might fall into the category of  ‘seventy time seven’ paybacks, though.  Forty years later, she’s still talking about it! 

The Potty Whistle

You know… no one ever tells you when you’re pregnant that your days of privacy in the bathroom are OVER.   Yep… it was the one thing that no one shared with me.  Of course NO ONE held back telling me their labor horror stories.  And I’ll bet I heard a thousand stories about all the cute things their kids did.  But, I never once heard that I would NEVER be able to go to the bathroom in peace again for the rest of my life!!! 

I’ve often wondered why my kids need me the exact minute that I walk into the bathroom.  From the time they could walk, I could go into the bathroom and they would either follow me in there or scream for me from down the hall.  And, the older they got, the more apparent it became that there was some innate,  built-in mechanism that let them know the exact moment that my fanny hit the potty.  Even when Britt went off to college, she still knew when I went to the bathroom.  I can remember going into the bathroom in Target and having the phone ring FROM ATHENS the second I sat down in the stall. 

So, after giving this A LOT of thought over the years, I think I finally figured it out.  There must be an alarm that sounds whenever a mom’s butt hits the potty.  It is similar to a dog whistle.  It’s a high pitched sound that only your kids can hear.  Yep, I  truly believe that there is really such a thing as the potty whistle.  Every time a mom goes into the bathroom,  their kids are alerted via a silent high pitched whistle to let them know that their mom has pulled herself away from the madness that is her household and is trying to take a 5 second break.

 I haven’t quite figured out whether the potty whistle is actually built into the mom or if this just a cruel joke from the toilet manufacturers.  To be perfectly honest, I don’t have time to figure that out because I don’t have 5 seconds to complete a thought process anyway.   But, one thing I know for sure, there’s a phone whistle too.  So either all these manufacturers got together and shared the technology (highly unlikely)  or this functionality is built into our kids in the womb.    And that would mean that God gets a good  chuckle every time a whistle goes off!  So, the older we get, the more he chuckles… Just saying…  

I was never 39!

    I have 31 days left as a 49 year old.  I plan to enjoy every minute of it.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not afraid to turn 50.  In fact I can’t wait.     I have never been one of these women that lie about their age.  Well.. at least not one that tells people that she is younger than she really is.   I have quite the opposite theory. I’ve been telling people that I was 50 since I was in my early 40’s.    

At 43,  if someone asked how old I was I would just say “I’m 50”.    Then, I would get the typical response…. “Wow, you look awesome for a 50 year old”.   And I would laugh and say…  “Yeh… well… I’m really only 43.  I might not look so good for 43, but I look great for 50!”    Hahaha.   I found this much better than telling someone that I was 40 and having them just say “Ohhhhh!”   Yep… I’ve lived hard, and I want people to KNOW why I look the way I do!   I know,  I think a little differently than most, but hey… I’ve never been an ‘inside the box’ kind of girl anyway… I’ve just always been more of a  ‘What? There’s a box?’  kind of girl.

While this philosophy is good for the spirit… it’s not without a flaw.  I spent the entire year that I was 39  thinking about turning 40.  When someone asked me how old I was, I would respond “I’ll be 40 in 11 months” , etc.  I spent the entire year counting down.  I was never 39.   I was always a certain number of months away from turning 40.  When I actually turned 40, I realized what happened.  I had lost an entire really good year!  Most ladies are 39 for 10 years or more.  I, instead, was never 39 at all! 

So, I decided not to let that happen again.  And, this year, instead of telling people that I was 50, or a certain number of days until I turned 50,  I readily admitted that I was 49. And, when I turn 50 next month, I plan to be 50 for an entire year!  I mean, really… I’ve been 50 for almost 7 years now… What’s one more year?  Right?  

But, believe me, once I turn 51… I’ll probably start telling people that I’m 55 J  It’s just how I roll.

Maybe Woman

A few weeks back, my family and I watched the Jim Carrey movie “Yes Man” and I really enjoyed it.  I mentioned that I liked the idea of saying yes more often.  I thought I might try it.  Of course Tom thought that was a great idea!  But, I think he was missing the point. J 

So, I decided that I would try to say ‘Yes’ more often.  Well… I didn’t make it long before it just plain got on my nerves!  I quickly realized that I already say ‘Yes’ to everyone EXCEPT for me.  I noticed that I truly think I can be all things to all people.  And, that alone is what makes me exhausted at the end of the day.  How in the world do you ever really accomplish anything, when you’re trying to do it all?  Now, don’t get me wrong, I am a workaholic, and I readily admit it.  AND… I LOVE doing things for other people. So this is not a complaint.   But, I realized that I always say YES to work/clients, and rarely have any time left to say YES to my family and friends, and I’m exhausted! And, you know what?  My clients all have families, and lives, and they ALL completely understand that I do too.    

Last week, a good friend died.  At the funeral, I heard beautiful testimonies about how he was always there to say ‘Yes’ when people needed him.  I sat there thinking about all the times I had said ‘No’ to the things that really mattered, just because I had said already said ‘Yes’ to too many things for that day already.  I got to thinking about how I wanted to be remembered.  Did I want clients at my funeral saying how much they appreciated that I really worked hard for them?  Or… did I want to have my family say that I made them laugh and feel loved and appreciated?    

I quickly figured out that the only way to say ‘Yes’  more often is to become good at saying ‘No’.   I do have to turn down some extra work every now and then.  And, I have to remember that I need balance. I can’t play all the time, otherwise we can’t eat.  And, I can’t work all the time either, because I become ineffective and GROUCHY!   BUT…    I am terrible at saying ‘No’.   I mean, I can say it, but I feel REALLY guilty!  Who knew?     

So, I decided that I would really focus on saying ‘Yes’ to the right things.   This meant saying ‘Yes’ to going to bed at a decent hour.  And ‘Yes’ to really turning work off for a few hours every night.  That gave me more time to say ‘Yes’ to fun things, or things that required me to step outside my comfort zone.  So, what do I do about saying NO?

   

 My mantra of “I know that I can AND should do more” is still in place.  But,  I have decided to become a ‘Maybe Woman’.  I am considering how everything fits into my schedule. Before I try to throw one more thing into the day, I think about whether it will make me enjoy the other things less.  I need to leave some down time so that I can say ‘Yes’ to the things that truly matter.  I do love my job, and my clients really matter to me.  But, I love my family, too.   I know that I have set a good example to my girls about how hard work pays off.  But, they need to see me take time out to enjoy the good things we work for too.   

Guess what???  Not one of my clients thinks this is wrong!  Ha!  They all understand the need for balance. I guess I’m the only one that didn’t get it. And, even though I’m still not good at saying ‘NO’,  I have become quite good at ‘Maybe’.  And saying ‘Maybe’ just leaves me more room to say ‘Yes’ to the things that really matter.   I think I’m going to like being a ‘Maybe Woman” much better than I like being a ‘Yes Man!’