This is the coolest sign on MC85. This 4 lane main street will become a freeway some day but now it is a artery full of Mexican restraurants, auto repair, gas stations and small homes with a Virgin Mary shrine or two in the front lawn. Sometimes I like to side step the I10 to cruise it.
I was on my way to a speaking engagement at Estrella Mountain Community College for collegiate entrepreneurs. It is practically a spiritual awakening for me to talk about my business. Extemperaneous do or die.
It is funny how about a year ago I was hitting this college up for annual architectural services, now I am appearing as industrious fashion scion. My building was called Montezuma but I didn't have a room number. Next thing I know I am asking directions from a receptionist that needs the award for the biggest feathered hair. I felt like I was sitting next to Bill Dieke again in pottery class. It looked like a mini frocked Christmas tree with a face growing out of it! Yes, I have some pent up bitterness with feathered Dave Pratt hair. I was just a little tween valley girl from Encinitas, CA transplanted to head banger middle school in Glendale, AZ. I never succomed to the feathered hair to fit in either. Actually, what I had was worse, a mullet hair cut bleached blonde from Sun In. Little feathered wings on the sides. Uh, no. I will not include a photo here.
As you can see the Anatomy professor kindly escorted me to where I was supposed to be. I was part of a 4 woman panel. We were all entrepreneurs with a story to tell. Listening to the women speak before me was very inspirational. I told the story about when I was Eva's age, about 8. I went from house to house asking if they had kids I could play with. At that time we lived in Oregon and we lived on a farm with about 5 acres. It was rural and the neighbors were spread far and wide. When I finally found a house with kids, they asked me to come inside. The mother was talking to someone on the phone saying "The weirdest thing just happened, this young girl just knocked on our door asking if we had kids she could play with!" The comment made me feel different. That is the point. I knew I was fearless. When I go to places like Sanctuary with no appointment, I remind myself of that story.
I just threw away an old lucite award a couple days ago thinking - "Who needs awards, just another thing to dust off." Well now I have a replacement. I really don't like these things. It is just more crap. The one thing that stays is my Architectural liscence certificate. It is major. Gorgeous black expensive frame sitting on the top shelve of my closet. You will never know how hard I worked for that thing. They can bury me with it.
I have been bitten with the public speaking bug. I want more and soon! I rewarded myself with a strong iced tea and a tiny choco donut.
As I was pulling out my membership card at my gate keeper friend at Costco, he recognized me and pulled my forearm into him. "It is you again!" This potatoe shaped man looked into my eyes with his pale pistachio eyes and asked me, "So how do you do it?" It was weird, we were picking up on a conversation we had about 2 months ago. Everytime I would see him in the past, I would come into the store laughing or smiling about something. I told him that I reach for the positive threads, the ones that feel good to me. I do the things that make me feel good. I told him that over time it has snow balled into really great things in my life. He gave me the biggest bear hug. He told me he would miss seeing people like me after retiring at the end of the week. I will definitely miss his smiling face. By gate keeper.
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