Monthly Archives: February 2016

Mentors – Mellody Hobson

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Do you love having mentors?  Do you love learning from others? I always have.  Lately I’ve been curious about what life is like from a black person’s perspective. Actually, I always have been interested in multiculturalism and learning from others. I have lots of mentors and have been wanting to make friends with people who are different from me – in my beliefs and from the way I look and live. I am curious about everyone and want to learn from others, and lately I’ve been wishing for a close, black friend with whom to share conversations and ideas.

Today I happened to be on Facebook after work, and was alerted to a live presentation by Sheryl Sandberg, featuring a brief Lean In interview with Mellody Hobson.  I fell in love and found my virtual friend.  Isn’t she beautiful?  Smart too!!

Mellody_Hobson

Mellody Hobson photo by Joi Ito from 2007

Photo By Joi Ito – http://www.flickr.com/photos/joi/1075661871/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22374568

After all the crazy talk at the Oscars about race and lack of diversity and racial tensions, seeing and “meeting” and hearing from and about Mellody Hobson today was refreshing. HER story is actionable and real and dynamic and beautiful. And yet, have I been living under a rock? How come I have never heard of her before? I wish her story and those like hers were celebrated and in the news more often.

Part of why I write HERE I AM is to change our collective story and to share examples of positive living, just now, in the daily moments of life.

Mellody knows how to live it up and her story is remarkable, from what I know after just less than an hour of reading and research.  I want to meet more women like her.

From the brief interview I listened to with Sheryl this afternoon, here is what I learned about Mellody and what I wish to share with my daughter and others:

  • Be Authentic.
  • Speak your truth.
  • Work hard.
  • Be BRAVE!
  • Be comfortable as you are. Accept who you are and unapologetically BE what you are.
  • Be rooted in extreme confidence, yet be humble and stand up for yourself.
  • Build your team and trust them to stand up for you.
  • Be curious about others.
  • Actively work together.
  • Be a magnet and draw others in by being wonderful.

Mellody worked hard to become the President of Ariel, a money management company in Chicago. She was raised by a single mother who taught her to help herself. She is married to George Lucas, and has a 2 year old daughter, named Everest.

To read more about her, check out this link to a Vanity Fair article about my new girl crush, Mellody:  Vanity Fair Article about Mellody Hobson.

nAMaste

 

 

 

Living in the Sunshine

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I stopped to see the beach and to listen to the waves for 5 minutes before heading home, because I was really “busy” today. 

We were going to sit in the hot tub and drink our coffee, but we didn’t. We went for a walk with the kids instead.

We were going to go for a drive to test out my friend’s new car, but we didn’t. We sat on the patio and watched the hawks circling overhead instead.

We were going to make lunch, but rather we put out fruit and meat and cheese and told everyone to help themselves.

We joyfully watched the kids play all day, appreciating them still being kids. We relaxed in the sunshine and talked the day away and there was nothing else I would have rather done. We were very busy, being.

We flowed and danced and loved being together side by side, enjoying our kids and our friendship and living our happily ever after in the sunshine. This is it. This is my version of the best life. Thank you my friend, for sharing your weekend and family and home and thoughts with me. xo

How did you live it up today? What does your happily ever after look like?  Be well, BeLOVErs.

Pure Joy

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Charlie and I were excited all day for this. We were anticipating finishing our day and packing up our duffle bags for an overnight stay with our BFFs. We stopped at 7-11 to buy snacks and popping cap guns.

I’m only sharing this picture that Charlie took on our ride down south because I want to hold on to the other memories in my mind.

I loved that from the moment we stepped out of the car, Charlie was already running away with his BFF.  We did see them now and then and got to share in some of their joy. Like when they decided to be polar bears and dared each other to jump into the freezing, cold pool. Boys will be boys and we laughed and enjoyed their antics.

Listening to friends and watching them interact is the best gift. They adore each other and got into a state of flow in 2 seconds, just like their mamas. We picked up where we left off, happy to be together again.

Pure joy, just being together.

These are the days…life is good.

Have a good weekend, BeLoveRs.

My Backyard Moments

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I got to enjoy moments in my backyard this morning because I decided to use the smoker to smoke chicken for our dinner tonight.

Now that I’m working, I cook dinner first thing in the morning before work, so that it’s ready when everyone comes home.  Everyone comes home at different times and we’re all typically hungry and on the run to evening meetings and practices. It’s nice to just have healthy meals ready to consume and share. It’s my idea of fast food.

So anyway, back to the backyard. In the winter time,  I hardly step foot out there. But today the smoker brought me outdoors. As I was waiting for the last chicken breast to reach 165 degrees, I explored and admired the new life that was in bloom and was thankful for these moments.

  
  
   
   
When I uncovered the sofa, I found this surprise little visitor and actually picked him up and moved him safely to the bushes.

  
I haven’t seen a lizard here before and this one reminded me of my childhood days and feeling excited and scared at the same time as I tried to catch him. I think I squealed.

And finally the chicken was ready and I moved back inside to continue on with another full and exciting day.

  
Are you noticing spring beginning to bloom where you are? It’s almost time to spring the clocks forward. I’m also loving that it’s staying lighter longer again. It’s a wonderful time of the year!

nAMaste

Quotes and Sayings

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Sometimes when I’m tired and don’t want to really think about something meaningful to write about, or if I had a blah day, I look for inspiration from quotes or sayings that resonate with my day. 

For example, yesterday I was tired after our week of vacation (so ironic to be tired after vacation, isn’t it?) and I was admiring the full moon.  There were several things I could have shared, but I didn’t have the energy to formulate and articulate my thoughts, so I chose the simplicity route, with a quote about the moon that connected to my one simple image.  

Simplicity was what I wrote about the other day and I’m sticking to it again tonight.

One of my favorite sayings came from a little delft blue tile, that my mom used to have with a Dutch saying. I didn’t really understand it until I grew up, but basically it said (more beautifully) in Dutch,

“In the concert of life, no one receives a program.”

Think about that.

We don’t know when our concert will end, or when the intermission will come and whether there will be one or two or none.  Maybe there will only be One Act. Or maybe there will be ten! We just know that we should be enjoying the show.

Hmmm…put that in your pipe and smoke it!

That’s all I have for tonight. It’s been a long and good day.

Time for my intermission. 

Good night.

  

Simplicity

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“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” – Confucius

  
 

I am so happy to be home. We had a great, family vacation in Yosemite and I’m still smiling. However, after spending 3 nights in a small hotel room with five of us plus snow gear, suitcases, coolers and visitors, I am really appreciating being back home in our own space and am ready to sleep in our own beds in our own rooms again.  It’s the little things…

It’s Sunday once more. I hope you enjoyed your family today and got to rest before the week begins again tomorrow. Wishing you well… have a great week!

 xo Adriana

 

 

Living Like a Kid

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This my friends, is the secret to life. Playing and laughing and loving without fear. Not worrying about what your hair looks like or how many wrinkles you have or if your shoulder hurts. Just pure joy and being in the moment and catching some air.    
Let’s grow down instead of up!

nAMaste