Memory Lane - and licorice surprise

So, around 4:15 p.m. today I had just finished taking one of the online training courses that I have to finish and there was a knock at the door. I was a bit delayed getting there, but there was a box! A box for me! A box that I had not ordered!

In it was a wonderful card from a friend in college. She had sent me Canadian Twizzlers, some oven mitts that had a bit of a licorice color with gelled stripes and a handmade apron with licorice pattern on the fabric.

What a wonderful surprise!



Laurel and I used to go on walks and talks called "licorice runs." I think I've written about her before - http://rebeckeronline.blogspot.com/2010/06/true-gifts.html.

Periodically over the last 15-16 years she's sent me a package of licorice with a nice note.

What an amazing friend!



Totally out of the blue. Totally appreciated. Totally bad for my teeth. Haaa.

Thanks for making my week Laurel!

Give a man a fish...or a Molly Maid

So, I've been working LONG hours lately. Really long hours. I even work in my sleep. Lots of initiatives, projects, tasks, politics and deadlines going on at work. It isn't all good and it isn't all bad either. It fluctuates day to day.

As a result, there is dust at my house!

Last night my husband stops while eating dinner and says this:

"Now don't be mad at me Rebecker, but I want to let you know that I had to do something you might not be happy about. I called Molly Maid and they are going to come and clean the house for a couple of hours tomorrow. I just had to do it. We aren't cleaners and I can't handle dust."

Well now.....how does one respond to that?

First off, I do know how to clean. I was taught well. We actually had cards for each room of our house growing up that listed the actions required to clean the room. Very detailed cards that were reviewed when we said "Hey Mom, I cleaned the bathroom, can I go play?"

Secondly, our house isn't THAT dirty. I mean, there is dust, and piles of books, and piles of paper, and piles of bills, and bags to go to the Goodwill and piles of clothing that we are taking to the dry cleaner and cans on the kitchen counter that don't fit in the cupboards and ....

Ok. Maybe I am neglectful of my surroundings.

So, I didn't get mad. I thanked him and asked the time they would be coming by.

And, I made sure I was nowhere to be found when the Molly Maid ladies arrived. I mean - how embarrassing to be the woman that can't clean her own house, right? Haaaaa.

Plus, I had to get some work work done on this beautiful Veteran's Day.

Well, as luck would have it - everyone else decided to use the free wi-fi at Barnes & Noble and my computer was out of juice. So, I didn't last very long working from an iPad and a Blackberry in the car. I ended up coming home 30 minutes before they left because I had a conference call that I had to do in front of a computer.

So, they saw me - the neglectful and dirty wife.

But, they were happy to get their couple of hundred dollars and now I have a clean house.

Moral of the story:

Sometimes the guy (or gal) already knows how to fish. So, you don't need to teach him.
Sometimes you've got to just give the guy a fish because they've forgotten what fish looks like, smells like, and feels like. All he needs is a fish as a gift and it will remind him of what he is missing.

Today my man gave me a fish - a Molly Maid crew to clean my house.

Now I  remember how this feels and I'll keep it this way or ...bring Molly Maid back in a few weeks. (-:

New Years - a moment of reflection 45 minutes in to a better year

It is dark out and quiet. I've turned off the tv because the mediocre performers on Dick Clark's show were polluting all the good ideas I had at the gym earlier this evening. Yes, my resolutions are "rolling resolutions" and they don't start today. However, those resolutions that continue to roll over multiple years have now become a priority.

Here I am in the dark, in my bed, and on the laptop. I cannot sleep. I want to pursue all ideas now and feel hope of their success in this 2011.

In some ways, I feel like a bit of a failure this year. So much work and most didn't work out the way I planned.

I only lost 10-15 pounds. I still have no self control with cookies. Even bad cookies run across the room into my mouth. They pester me from distance places.

I stayed at my job, in a role I created, though I thought I'd leave for bigger and better things. Should I say that here? Not a problem. I've said this for a couple of years at work and no one believes me.

I'm still single.

My debt didn't go down, but my 401k went up. Not a lot of good that does right now. Golden handcuffs don't seem so golden, aye?

Friends had big issues. I helped a few and not others.

My soul despaired and went through lessons I had to learn.

But, like all tunnels, there are bright lights in the distance.

Yes, bright lights.

Humility
Humility was learned. Humility I didn't know I needed.

Job
I did stay at my job. I very good job in a bad economy. A position I created myself. A position where I learned that I am the strategist, the coordinator, the puppet master, the implementer and ....not the numbers keeper. A position that requires me to create entire strategies and plans out of nothing and I find that I LOVE that freedom! I haven't moved mountains (yet), but I've been managing some pretty big initiatives and helping an organization through culture change. Changing from old school rigid thinking to implementing new approaches for capturing and sharing knowledge. Uncomfortable approaches for some. My approach isn't perfect, but we are further along than we were last year by a long shot and gaining a lot of buy-in. Plus, I've been able to work with some great forward thinkers along the way. So, why was/am I trying to leave?

Good Gifts
I'm learning to give good gifts. Truly giving. Some giving hurts because they are truly from the heart and take a piece of me away from me. But, I see the wisdom and depth it gives my soul.

Pivotal People
Certain people were there for me at pivotal moments. They helped me help myself...if only through listening as I verbally worked through a problem, or to say "it will be ok" or "I have full confidence in you."

Exercise
Exercise is a key element of my life. No matter what I weigh, I exercise at least five days a week, if only a long walk. This year had many, many, many walks. Many were at a local battleground park where I could think and see the horizon. Sometimes I was quiet with my thoughts and other times I listened to scriptures, books, music or podcasts. All helped increase my knowledge and open my spirit to the possibilities that we sometimes forget are there.

Voices, or lack thereof
More than ever, this year, I learned to tune out all the voices at important times and listen to the one voice that mattered - inspirations from Heaven. My soul trying to figure out what my Heavenly Father wanted me to do with different situations, with moments, with goals and with my life. I experienced more than ever "pure intelligence flowing through me" and "inexplicable joy" in isolated and overpowering moments. Those are the moments that carried me through moments where I could feel nothing.

Relationships
I learned to love some people at church and work that I didn't love before because I allowed myself to reach out OR I accepted their reaching out to me. How beautiful to re-realize and understand that cycle of giving and receiving love, gifts of the heart, etc.

Entrepreneurial
Finally, I've pursued some of my entrepreneurial ideas. One idea was to promote other entrepreneurs, which is a fairly common practice by now, but I'm ok with that. Another is a company I set up six years ago, but couldn't move forward on because it was a conflict of interest. Now I'm moving it forward in different ways. I'm starting some other side work that will hopefully grow larger as I devote more time to the efforts.

Religious and Spiritual
Many people separate these out, but for the most part I put them in the same bucket in my head. Either way, I've grown in all kinds of areas related to understanding the core principles of my religious beliefs, but also learning and growing in other spiritual ways. I've found that my love for reading about psychology, marketing, customers, innovation, learning and related topics help me understand scripture better because I develop better mental models to take the information into my brain in the way I need to use it. And, I continually learn that God loves Rebecker....much, much, much.

Miracles
I continue to experience and witness miracles. And, hope for more to come.



So, perhaps last year was more light than tunnel than I realize. Or, more likely, once you get closer to the light some of the darkness falls behind and seems smaller.


This probably should have gone into my personal journal (and it may well be added), but sometimes it helps to publicly expose trips down memory lane because it can make us accountable to ourselves and others.

Here's to a great new year in 2011!

It will be a great one ....just like how all the others ended up being ...after I forgot the details. (-:

True Gifts

white space

What is a true gift?

I've written about good gifts before - in an old entry - and felt like it was just when people gave you things that were unique and memorable for you.

For me, that means someone that bought me licorice in memory of our "licorice runs" at college or wrapped my favorite cereal in a box for my birthday. These were cheap gifts, but they had meaning based upon experiences that I had had with the giver. Or, when my sister drew a poster with the letters of my name intertwined with quotes from me, drawings of things I liked and representations of my talents. Those are the gifts that I keep for a very long time.

After reading Seth Godin's blog entry - http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2010/06/gifts-misunderstood.html  - about gifts ( and excerpts from "The Little Big Things" by Tom Peters, as well as excerpts from the Bible), I am realizing the true power of giving a true gift. And, I am realizing it through reading marketing and sales gurus. Who would have thought it?

As Seth points out, there is a difference between favors, presents, and freebies. Gift certificates, automatic card writing services, and catalog shipments just may not cut it.

Gifts require us to give of ourselves. Or, in other words, to sacrifice.

To quote part of the Seth post:


"The way I understand gifts is that the giver must make a sacrifice, create an uneven exchange, bring himself closer to the recipient, create change and do it all with the right spirit. To do anything less might be smart commerce, but it doesn't rise to the magical level of the gift. A day's work for a day's pay is the win/lose mantra of the industrial era. More modern is to view a day's work as a chance to generate gifts that last."

How beautiful is this thought!

I've implemented a few "gifts from the heart" lately, and in doing so am realizing the true power that comes from giving more than mediocre remnants of our being.

It sometimes hurts to give of oneself, especially if it means you will feel the "pinch" in some way. Yet, these "gifts of the heart" also seem to open up the heart for greater possibilities of friendship, success and character.

This reminds me, I got a card the other day. The friend, not known for great handwriting, had etched in pencil what he wanted to write first and then went back over it in pen. He wanted it to look nice and painstakingly (for him) created that little draft right there on parts of the card.

It was little, but it was a true gift.

Secret Happiness - Wood Flowers

On Monday (yesterday) a high school friend of mine came into town. I don't look fondly on high school and so I had a little anxiety when she said she would be in town. After all, this year is my 20 year class reunion and it's been ....a long time! But, Rungludi was my locker partner and we met because she was from Thailand and I lived there when I was a little girl.

It was so good to see her. We talked for four hours and went to one restaurant for dinner and another for dessert. Ha. Kind of like a progressive dinner reunion style.

She was in town for an art show that she attends every year to sell her wood flowers and vases.

She surprised me with a gift at the end of the evening. Some wooden flowers! They are so beautiful and vibrant. She designed each of these and it sounds like a lot of hotels and restaurants by them to provide low maintenance and beautiful color.

Here's her website - http://www.dmwoodart.com/

These will definitely go in my "good gifts" file. I love when people share their talents in their gifts. And, I love getting back in touch with people from the past (thanks Facebook). I'm always amazed at the success of my friends and hope that some of it rubs off on me one of these days. (-:

Giving the good gift

As I've been scanning and organizing my house and online photo albums, I've come across some meaningful gifts from my present and past.

Now, meaningful gifts for me have absolutely nothing to do with price or fashion. These are those unique gifts that either took a lot of time to create and/or have special meaning to me.

I'm sorry that I can't acknowledge all gifts here, but wanted to show a few that were easy to find around the house. Perhaps I was able to find these particular gifts because they were all bright colors? Pretty funny resemblance. And, a large proportion of them seem to be from my sister Renaye. Hmmm...The bearer of good gifts.




A very special personal gift that Renaye made me (either when I was in college or on my mission) was this really cool banner that incorporated a lot of my interests, quotes and favorite brands at the time. I pulled out a scrapbook with the cut up banner in it and it brought back memories about myself that I had completely forgotten. I think everyone should get a banner every few years. They may have suprise value at the time of their giving, but the real value comes about over time.