Pearls are Forever...

As many of you know, I am very active with Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure.  For the past 8 years I have participated in this event ... walking, crewing, stalking... It's very near to my heart.  During this time I have meet thousands of people who have left a permanent mark on my heart.  Their stories, their smiles, their tears... we have shared together.  We are all connected by one disease and the desire for a cure.  We support those who have fought the battle and continue to, for those who lost someone to the battle and for those who should never have to fight the battle.  We are a 3-Day family!


Yesterday, one of our family members posted her good-bye. 

Ms. Bridget Spence has been a huge impact in all of our lives.  She was diagonsed at the age of 21 with Stage IV Breast Cancer with no family history of the disease.  Today, she is 29 years old (an age no doctor thought she would see) with a wonderful husband, adorable puppy and incredibly loving family.  But what is truly amazing about Bridget is her infectious smile and undetered courage and strength.  She has gone through treatments and surgerys and clinical trials to find a cure... not necessarily for her but for all ofus. 

Her blog post has hit me like a ton of bricks.... "It is time for me to ask each of you to let me go. It is time to say goodbye."  Wow!  This courageous, brave soul is asking our persmission to let her go.  This request shows us the kind of woman Bridget is... totally self-less.  Well, Ms. Bridget, it's time for you to be a little selfish... time for you and your Big Man to spend that time together.  No matter where it is - tropically beach or living room couch - it's time for you! 

Her last line is what haunts me - "Please, don't forget about me."  We all have a legacy we leave, a mark with make on the world no matter how big or small.  Ms. Bridget, your mark is HUGE!  You are like the sun the greets us every Friday morning of event... there to fill our day with light and love!  You will never be forgotten. 

And yes, to prove that Right Place, Right Time is so true - this morning after donning my pearls (double set for strength), my morning commute was capped with the great Simple Minds song "Don't You Forget about Me" on the radio... fate or Right Place, Right Time! 

Peace and Love Ms. Bridget!  You will never be forgotten! 

Ewwwww... Cooties!

So I love Publix!  For those of you not from the south, Publix is our supermarket... similar to Wegmans, Ralphs, Kroger, etc.  It's a bright beautiful place with wide aisles, friendly employees and great products and prices.
And apparently it's a perceived as a breeding ground for germs!  Now, this is just a perception... not fact!  Let me explain.  I was in Publix on Sunday morning for a quick shopping trip.  As I entered the store, I noticed that several people in the entryway/cart corral, were gingerly touching the handles of the shopping carts and baskets and then dashing for the container of hand sanitizing wipes.  Hmmmm... why?  Was there a swine flu outbreak in the area?  Did they have a poor health inspection lately? Was there an incident of some dangerous pandemic that I wasn't aware of?  Or was it just a case of middle school cooties?  Ewwww! 
I believe we have become a society of germaphobes.  We have hand sanitizer in our handbags, back packs, car cup holders, office desks... everywhere!  My question is WHY?
When I was a kid I was encouraged to play in the dirt and get muddy... neatness didn't count all the time.  Now, it seems we are all living in protective bubbles of hand sanitizer and hand wipes... not wanting to touch anything we might find "dirty".  Our society has more allergies and illness than 20 years ago.  With all this hand sanitizer at our availaiblity, why are we sick?
Maybe it's time to use the hand sanitizer a little less and play in the dirt/yard/mud a little more.  Come on... get dirty!

Good Morning: The Experiment

I work in an office building with 1,400 other employees and I can't help but people watch... and I am sure they are watching too! 

So this morning I decided to do a little experiment.  I made a conscious effort to say Good Morning and smile to as many people as I could and note their reaction.  Now please understand, I am not going to say Good Morning to EVERY person in this building... that's just crazy!  And I do have work to do! 

This morning I saw approximately 75-100 people before noon.  Now I totally understand that some people are not "morning people" and a variety of other excuses to justify a grumpy start to their day. (hey, I get it!  I'm not a morning person!)  I said Good Morning to each of them.  The reaction was mixed.  Some people responded with a "morning" or "hey" but the really interesting thing happened when you add the smile.  95% of the people's face changed when they saw my smile.  Yes, they smiled back.  Not the fake smile, but an actual genuine smile.  You know the kind of smile.  The one that starts with your eyes! 
The other 5% were attempting to avoid eye contact with the crazy smiling lady running around the office building!  :)  I found it interesting that some people will do anything to avoid eye contact almost out of fear.  Sorry, but I don't bite! 

Now based on this experiment, how many more smiles could we have in this world if more of us said Good Morning and smiled?  I know sometimes there seems like there is nothing to really smile about in the morning but I see it as a new opportunity to be the best person I can be.

Spread a smile and start a revolution! 

Experience...

This crossed my path today and I think it was for a reason.  We all have "experience" but when you actually think about it, this statement is so true! 

We think of certain experiences (college, moving cross country, marriage, etc) and we think of the outcome.  I challenge you to stop and think about WHAT you DID to get the experience memory. 

I moved 1500 miles away from everything I knew when I was 25.  Knew no one, had no job, had no place to live... I rarely think of the WHAT that I did to get through that, but I remember where it got me!

Happy Friday!

Go out and screw up!

This is another repost from a friend!  I love being human....

How will you "screw up" today?

All Gifts are welcome...

A friend posted this picture a few weeks ago and I saved it on my desktop.  It was a nice surprise this morning to clean off my computer and find this. 

Here's my question for you.... Have you found your "Gift"?  I think I have found mine and it has nothing to do with what I do.  I love helping people achieve their goals!  I have found that with the 3-Day and now with Thirty-One!  I love to see people do what they didn't think they could do.  But I also find that I am always learning more about myself as I help them!

What's your gift?

Choices, Chances, Changes...

A friend of mine posted this picture a few weeks ago on FB and I saved it to my desktop as by my background.  Now, this has been burning a hole in the back of my mind for a few weeks and has really made me think.

Am I making choices, taking chances and making changes?  Yes and no is the right answer.  Yes, I make choices every day but I think the really hard part of this statement is the second 1/2 - take a Chance or your life will never Change.  Chance is hard.... taking the leap off the high dive is one thing but real chances are scary!  My chance I need to take is to let go... let go of what weighs me down, let go of the past and change for the future.

Does anyone else feel this way?

I choose to be that...



Read and choose...

Anyway....

This says what I am feeling... anyway!

Happy New Year!

Another year is upon us and of course, new resolutions.  There are the usual - lose weight, eat healthier, get organized, etc, etc.  And 9 times out of 10, these resolutions go the wayside by January 23 and our lives go on as normal.

But.... what if you could truly change one thing for good, would you do it?  We all are guilty of taking the easy way out on lots of things.  Bad habits are easy to form but hard to break. 

Let's resolve for an easy good habit... smile at everyone you meet.  Look them straight in the eye and smile.  Wow!  I know, a hard one but it can be so impactful.  You may just make that person's day a little brighter, and you may even change their day.  We don't know what things are happening in outer people worlds simply by looking at them, but the baggage they carry can be heavy.  A simple smile will help lighten the load for at least that moment.  :)

ps... caught you smiling while you read this, didn't I?  :)