Something you should know about me is that I love to read biographies. I am simply enthralled by the tales of peoples' lives in their entirety, because only then can you truly see the undulations we all experience in a lifetime. Something I find very comforting. Particularly, when I am standing in one of my "valleys", that God willing, will give way to a new "peak" on the horizon soon.
One of my favorite reads, which also happens to be an easy one, is from our First Lady of the State, journalist and working mother, Maria Shriver. It's based on a commencement speech she gave by the same name titled: "10 Things I wish I'd Known - Before I Went Out Into the Real World". Though it's not a traditional biography, it has the lessons learned over the course of her life, which despite her pedigree are incredibly grounded and pragmatic.
One of her pieces of advice is that every woman should always have her own desk. Whether she is the CFO of a Fortune 500 Company or the CEO of her household, it's critical to a woman's sense of well-being and purpose. And above all, defines her space. I've never forgotten that little nugget. It compliments one of my own working mother (in or out of the home) philosophies.
I always tell all my friends, they need to find a place that reboots their "Zen-ergy". A place that they like, for no other reason than, they just like it. It doesn't, and quite frankly shouldn't be, a place to run errands, or get anything done, just a space that makes them smile or rekindles a joy they have. Strangely enough, mine is the "Cedros Design District" in Solana Beach.
For as long as I can remember I have enjoyed beautiful decor and knick knacks. I must have rearranged and redecorated my little pink bedroom once a month during elementary school, while making wallpaper samples out of index cards. Dorky I know, but it's a part of my DNA. Something as a mother you don't often get to express. Let's face it, our number one decorating priority in parenthood is durability. Not always a pretty trade off.
So whenever I have an afternoon free of kids or work, or a couple of free hours in the morning...that's where you'll find me. I stroll up and down the street, peeking in and out of stores, pleasing no one...but myself! And, everytime I leave, I recapture a little part of me that's just for me, and all to often pushed aside. Then, I go to work or home, having written a little paragraph in my own biography on how to hold onto parts of yourself, when you're giving so much of it away, every day. And in that moment I find some "Zen-ergy"...to keep going.
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