Abundant Gratitude

Where have I been, you ask? Where have I been? Sit back, friends, and I'll fill you in. (Thank you for being so patient, Jody. I know... I know!)

After finding out that my boobs were going to be around for a bit longer, I began the Third Part of a Three Part transformative journey. This past weekend, I began a 90-day leadership and personal enrichment initiative and am proud to announce that...

I AM INDY 58.

(That's the name of my class. That's who I am. That's me, Baby. That's me.)

Along with 49 other people, I intend to change the world one person at a time.

And the story (because everyone has one, right?) goes like this:

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who was put-upon. With no father, no money, no new clothes, no backyard baseball games, no house, she felt slighted. Oh, she loved her mother and her sister fiercely. She was grateful for the things she had, but always pined for the things she didn't. Why did everyone else have so much and she so little?

And she grew up living within that reality.

As she got older, she perpetuated that identity with her view of the world. She wasn't unhappy. She fell in love with a wonderful, giving, nurturing man and together they created four beautiful, smart, sassy, vibrant children. She had a circle of true and trusted friends who loved and laughed and cried together. Her life was good. But she knew something was still missing.

Often, she felt overwhelmed by what life threw her way. There was never enough time, never enough money, never enough of her to go around. She overcommitted and under-delivered like it was her job. She talked about her dreams -- and even worked on them a bit -- but she never truly believed in her ability to make things happen.

Then she met some angels.

With poignant whispers in her open ear and tough, soul-searching honesty, they began to help her see things differently.

Whisper by whisper, her view of her world and everything in it shifted.

Suddenly, the sun was a little brighter, her friends a bit more beautiful, her children's eyes a bit bluer, and her husband... uh huh. Yeah, you know what I'm saying...

When she was able to recognize abundance, to open her hands and heart in giving without expectation -- that's when the world tilted to embrace her. (Shit, she even began to cook!)

Today, I want to say thank you to those angels. (You know who you are.) Thank you for your wisdom, your guidance, your love without limits. By example, you led. You led me straight into the heart and soul of what matters.

And that's where I intend to stay.