Happy Valentine's Day

Woke up feeling fulfilled! I have so many reasons to be excited for today. It's the first time this week I woke up in my own bed since Tuesday and boy did I miss it! I realized I had been doing lots of running around and had not allowed myself time to sit still and just receive. So let's celebrate a couple of rock star moments!

One of last week's highlights was attending the Strategic Planning Meeting for C&B in Chicago. I was honored to be chosen to represent, and was fully mindful of the fact that I was the only store manager from the East Coast. I was excited, nervous, thrilled, and scared all at the same time. I know I have a lot to say, and I wanted to make sure I represented my peers, and the store staffs as well as I could. The whole flight there I focused on being able to express myself beautifully by balancing grace and wisdom. We arrived there safely despite all of the flight delays and cancellations due to a nor'easter. The meeting was short, but our mission was clear. We were going to define our strategy for the future and choose initiatives that would best represent them. There were so many people to meet and so many more to reacquaint with. This was day one. And for the next 6 weeks, I will be flying to Chicago to continue the conversation.
A couple of more canceled flights later, I finally arrived back home on Thursday afternoon with some homework to do. I had challenged our COO with revising our goals by changing some words that would evoke emotions, positive feelings, and make them truly inspirational. He quickly turned it around and suggested that I re-write them and present them to him next week. And just as quickly, I agreed! I really appreciated that exchange between us. He is sharp, open-minded, and leads from his heart. I know we are still in good hands. And I am happy to do my part!


Another highlight took place when I got home Thursday just in time to attend Gabrielle Bernstein's lecture called, LOVE WINS Releasing Romantic Illusions at the Organic Avenue in LES. She is the author of the book, Add More ~ing To Your Life and I have been listening to her lectures and guided meditations for about a month now. It was my first time seeing her speak live and she is a bright light for sure. There was an amazing presence of feminine power and love and appreciation for everyone there. I was with my old friend, Andrea and my new friend, Zoe. It's comforting to be on this journey with so many others.
The most important idea I walked away with was to find love and light in all of my relationships. She says, make your romantic relationships more friendly, and your friendly relationships more romantic. Based on the teachings of A Course in Miracles, Gabrielle says to stop idolizing your lover and bring an equal perception of love to everyone in your life. Only then can you achieve a holy relationship, "where the other person doesn't complete you, but instead enjoys your wholeness with you."

On that note, Happy Valentine's Day to everyone and may we all remember that LOVE is IN each and everyone of us at all times...