Blogs

Massage became a hobby of mine when my first child was born. It was an innate way to calm his belly or quiet his exhausted cries. It slowly found its way into my life as a career.

Having been in the fundraising profession for a significant number of years, I take time to pause and reflect during this Labor Day as the Summer of 2017 quickly heads out to sea.

When I ask most people what image arises when I say the word wisdom or ask them to picture a wise person, the most frequent characteristic is old age. This makes sense, because we assume by the end of a lifetime we will have seen and done enough to have wisdom.

For the past six months or so, I’ve been trying really hard to practice mindfulness, and making this concept of “being present” a part of my daily life and interactions

I’ve never been happier to spend $300 on a flight in my life.

Several days ago, I boarded a Delta plane from Raleigh to Atlanta, the first leg of a two-segment flight home. I’d just been consumed with four consecutive days of client and senior team meetings, and as I hustled through the airport to my gate and into the aircraft, follow-ups and to-dos ran through my mind. Like we all do, I gave my “small portable electronic device” and its e-mails, texts and alerts all my attention until takeoff. The flight attendant’s and pilot’s announcements were just background noise.

I had just checked into the Sky Club in the Tampa Airport.  I found a seat at a table and immediately pulled out my computer.  I had just enjoyed 24 hours of successful business calls and needed to record all the call reports from my visits.  As I was getting settled in for my 2-hour layover, I began to notice something. 

Many of us interact through social media, which can be a great tool to stay in contact, but it doesn’t foster deep connection. For example, I might see on Facebook that my cousin Sara just had a baby. I find myself thinking “Oh wow, cousin Sara just had a baby, how nice.” Now I feel connected to her since I am informed about her situation. I also might reach out and say, “Congrats” on her Facebook page.

Five years ago, in May of 2012, I found myself a couch potato, overweight and not happy with many things in my life. I had begun walking for exercise, but my feet were constantly hurting and causing me pain, thus influencing my mindset of “do I really want to exercise”. I walked into my neighborhood Fleet Feet Running Store, simply to get fitted for a nice pair of walking shoes. 

A few weeks ago, I returned from my summer vacation, though it may not be the vacation you expected to hear about. I spent a week driving, camping, hiking and running through three of the most beautiful national parks our country has to offer – alone.