CARRY-ON LUGGAGE.

I love to travel. By the end of March I will have boarded/de-boarded an airplane about a dozen times in a six-month period. I'm usually quite happy with myself if I can keep my suitcase under the 50 pound weight limit but for my next trip, a wedding in SoCal, I decided to "carry-on." And for the last 24 hours I have been analyzing the best way of packing for six days with only a laptop bag and my REI (30) backpack.

Taking into consideration the TSA's rules on 3.4 ounces or less of liquids/gels, two "dress-up" events I need to attend, and work-out shoes that always seem to take up half the space, this task proved to be impressively daunting. And, after laying out all my outfits for the week (including the shoes and accessories to go with each) I came to one, neon-sign flashing, slap-in-the-face, conclusion...I had too much crap and there was no way it was all fitting into my bags.

I needed to downsize. I needed to decide which items were the most important for this trip. I needed to prioritize...

Life is...CARRY-ON LUGGAGE. Like that "one carry-on" we are allotted on the airplane, we also only have this one life. We should be selective and thoughtful about what goes into each because those things will eventually play a part in shaping our futures.  Each choice we make represents an item that is stuffed into our carry-on. It takes up space...It goes on a journey with us...It plays a part in our lives, however great or small it may be.

I challenge you to inventory your life. It's a great time of the year to do it. Make sure you are living life purposefully and passionately and doing things that are making a difference in the lives of others. Make sure you're packing things into your life that will help you and get rid of those things that aren't. Life is too short to be taking part in useless activities...and there's only so much room in those overhead compartments...

Happy Trails to You,

Heather

ABSTRACT ART.

I love art museums. I find they fuel my creative side and support my need for some occasional introvertedness. While in New York City I fell in love with a piece of art at the MOMA by Giuseppe Penone. It was entitled, Marble Skin and Acacia Thorns, and was made from veined marble and acacia thorns. Deep, huh? I was completely drawn to it because of the simplistic use of materials as well as the complexity of what I thought to be its meaning.

If you've ever asked an abstract artist to describe their work your eyes may have glazed over at some point during the delivery of the explanation. While your thoughts wander off as their mouth is still moving you most likely come to one of the following conclusions:

1. What the artist is describing is simply too deep for you to understand OR
2. They have no idea what they are saying and the more they talk, the smarter they think they sound.

I believe art, in general, is a powerful thing. It becomes alive only in the mind of its creator and then is manipulated and birthed by the author resulting in pure, undefiled ingenuity...a thought come to life. And then it gets put in a museum...and suddenly everyone and their mother has an opinion about what the true meaning of the piece is. What was the purpose? What was the artist feeling at the time? What was he/she REALLY trying to say?...

Sometimes life is abstract art. It resembles that masterpiece you stare at while tilting your head from side to side trying to make some sense out of it. There is brilliance in it but it may not be evident to everyone. So our lives are at times. I may never be able to tell you why planning concerts, serving up hot espresso, working in a salon, or yelling, "Bob to the showroom, Bob to the showroom, please," has anything to do with who I am today but I can tell you one thing...those job experiences have EVERYTHING to do with who I am today and most of them have contributed to the skills I use in my current job. I would NEVER have been able to say that while working in those other fields.

I know my life has purpose. I know, with or without knowing YOU, that YOUR life has purpose...that it's meaningful, unique, and full of potential...the people around you just may not "get it." And you know what...you need to be okay with that. If a couple naysayers blow the wind out of your sails then maybe you need to think about getting a motor...

Life is...abstract art. Some people are not going to "get" what you are about. Your dreams will sound absurd to them. But don't let that hinder what you know God has created you to do. Dream big. Plan well. And know that your life has purpose!

Go Big or Go Home,

Heather

WINS AND LOSSES.

I don't like fair-weathered sports fans. They bother me. I'm irritated when people begin leaving the stadium in the middle of the fourth quarter because of what the scoreboard says.

When a team is losing and a "fan" gets up and exits before the game is finished they are essentially saying, "Dear Team, you are not looking successful right now and you are most likely not going to win this one so I'm going to quit on you, abandon you, so that I don't have to watch the excruciating outcome." Ouch. But that's just sports. Can you imagine what would  happen if we humans treated each other like that? Oh, wait a minute...we do...

Yep, it's lecture time. But trust me, I'm delivering this one to myself while looking directly into the mirror.

I was recently at a football game that went into 2OT. I don't think a lot of people left that game early. The cheering and encouragement pouring out from every crevice of that stadium was deafening. If you've ever been at a sporting event you know the drill - the louder you scream and clap, the better the outcome will be. It's a simple fact. And that strong, extravagant enthusiam mixed with powerful emotion is something called "passion."

I want to be able to say I have lived my life with the amount of passion that pours out of football stadiums all over the country during this time of year. I want to be able to say that I cheered on "my teammates" (fellow human beings) with as much passion as I did my football team. But frankly, sometimes I'm just as guilty as the next person in tearing people down with my words...or lack of words.

I'll admit it. I tend to lean on the side of pessimism and can lack compassion in a lot of areas. It's something I can work on. It's probably something I will work on until the day I die.  But I do find that with God's grace I get a little better at it each day. I'm not telling you to hand over the keys to your front door to every person you meet - use some wisdom. What I am saying is that after someone gets "sacked" by those big, burly linemen, your words have the potential to pull that person up off the ground with an encouraging smack on the behind OR to stomp on their head and knock them around so they REALLY feel somethin' in the morning.

Our words are that powerful.

Nobel Prize winner Elias Canetti once said, "Speak as though it were the last sentence allowed you." Next time you open your mouth, think about what you're saying and why you're saying it. Be about building up and not tearing down.

The friend, neighbor or stranger who may be dealing with a rough day, depression, or an addiction can benefit from your unwaivering support and encouragement. They may fail nine times out of 10 but there's always a chance that on that tenth time they get a win. There's hope in that thought. Try to recognize people's worth - their potential, their beauty, their success...and just maybe we can see someone's 0-12 losing streak turn into a winning season!

Fino alla prossima volta (until the next time)...

Heather