One of my personal goals this year is to do a better job letting people know when I appreciate them, because, really who doesn’t like to know that their time and efforts are meaningful? Sometimes just hearing those words of praise and gratitude can make such a huge difference!

Today, out of the blue, I received the sweetest email from a client that I had lost touch with. Her message was such an affirmation to me that I am right where I need to be…and maybe I have been all along.

She wrote:
“I wanted to send you a quick note and tell you that we celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary today. Last night I pulled out our wedding album and just sat and laughed and cried forever… I wanted to thank you for capturing those memories for us 5 years ago today. I see so many expressions and emotions in the photos that make me remember every moment. I guess that’s what makes your ‘craft’ so special.”

If I can do that for every client–really & truly help you remember not just what you were doing but also the way you felt during that moment–then I have all the affirmation I need.

Fall, 2008

I was having “one of those days.” There was a spider in my shower…and of course I didn’t spot the creepy-crawler until I was in there with it. There was no end to the mountain of work on my desk, I added 3 items for every one that I crossed off of my To Do List, and my eyes kept closing without my permission. I helped a woman who couldn’t figure out how to use the gas pump (really??), and then she totally cut me off in traffic. I cried in my car on the way to Starbucks, because I was so overwhelmed.

And when I got back to my inbox, with the caffiene-filled Fru-Fru Mochalattejavadrink now coursing happily through my veins, I read the monthly e-newsletter from a local non-profit.

And the first article hit home.

In a nutshell, the author of the newsletter had this to say: We are all busy. We all commit to working, volunteering, taking care of friends and family, going, striving, achieving. We do wonderful things for many people. We are humans who are “doing.” But how often are we actually humans who are just “being?” How often do we take the time to recharge, to notice the world around us, to sit and rock on the front porch, to spend time playing and laughing and enjoying life? Without taking the time to become “human beings,” we have no energy, no strength, no joy for all of the “doing.”

When I read this, I woke up–and not just a Starbucks-provoked awakening. Somewhere over the last couple of years, in the midst of dealing with unhealthy relationships, family transitions, growing in my career, and starting a business, I stopped being and only focused on doing. With my eyes jolted open, I am trying my best to get back to my life as a human being…I close my eyes during a concert and experience the lyrics; I sit on my front porch and laugh with friends, even if it’s only over the phone; I hug the children I work with; I don’t beat myself up if I fall asleep on the couch when I should be working; I smile when I see the lightning bugs begin to light up my yard.

Do I have more time? Have I stopped being so busy? Is my life all tidy and under control? Have I stopped freaking out and taking on too much? Heck no! But I am focusing on the calm. On the peace. On the fun. On remembering that I should always take time to be a Human BEing.

What about you? What are some things that help YOU to stop and just “be”? I’d love to hear….

Sunset at 30,000 ft; November 2007