H is for….

 

 

Falling behind in this very busy time of the year and I realized my “H” as I was stressing that I hadn’t completed my “H”.

Are you ready?? Help… HELP!!! Help is my H.

What a strange little word, that carries so much weight.

“Offer help.”
“Ask for help.”

Simple right?? hmmmm Wait a second. Betting you have already attributed a couple of adjectives to the person speaking those simple statements.

Offering help… Kind, knowledgeable, wise, thoughtful, nice

Ask for help…. overwhelmed, stress, lost, sick

Wow right?! So here is my story, I have found myself, at times, in the need of help for the simple reason that I over extended my offer to help others. That just seems Crazy?  My jobs right now can be summed up in a couple of words:  mom, wife and volunteer, oh yeah and I still make soap too. 🙂  And I would have to say I am most happy when I have the chance to help others, and most stressed when I have to ask for help.  So I am thinking it is just one little word and regardless of if you are the giver or the recipient, it’s all good!

 

I say G is for….

 

So it is April 1 and I am feeling a little silly. Just read an entire article which got me all bent out of shape, I mean bent, like calling to my hubby half way through, “Oh my goodness you have got to read this, I can’t believe they are doing this.” bent….Then I got to the last line which reminded me that today is April Fool’s Day! Yes, I laughed at myself and it was a good start to the day!

So are you ready for my G?

Three little letters, GAB. It’s a glib word but I feel like it sort of fits me and my story. And Guess what, I am going to tell you why. 🙂

Ok let’s start with the definition:
Gab: verb – to talk a lot in an informal way usually about things that are not important or serious

Now stick with me here, ok? It says “usually about things that are not important” and what I am going to say is that gabbing to me is taking a serious conversation or topic and bring it to an informal level so we can really get to the heart of the matter.
Too much of a stretch?
Nah, I gab with folks all over the country at this point about learning disabilities, state and national awareness campaigns, state level legislation, and things I never thought I would get on the phone and discuss. And not only “discuss” but rattle on and listen in an informal manner and form real connections and relationships.

Maybe because writing does not make my top ten favorite things to do, or because reading an email longer than 4 lines seems overwhelming or maybe just because I like the sound a voice. I don’t know…but I do know I would rather hear it and talk about it.

So here is my final little thought on Gabbing. It’s serious stuff. When you talk to someone about a topic you accomplish a mission, when you gab with someone about stuff you form a relationship.

E and F are for slacker… What?

Ok ok ok. March has been a busy month so far and today was the day I planned to come up for air or maybe a green beer. But guess what??? Northern VA is under a foot of snow and we are again, all five of us enjoying each others company for the day.

Yet I am “determined” to share my E and F. I can not let these letters run away from me, “dyslexic” or not!!! 🙂 So here we go!

Recently, some of you know, I presented at a national conference for Decoding Dyslexia. I prepared 3 presentations, spoke in front of 100+ people and lived to see another day. It was exhilarating, exhausting and fulfilling all at once. (did you catch that “sandwich” approach? two positives around the negative…) Totally out of my comfort zone but so worth every stressful moment.

So my E is exhaustion but qualified by the F of complete fulfillment that comes from giving all you got!!

D is for ……

Ok so this one is going to be a big #tellyourstory2014 moment for me.

Let me back up a little, originally my D word was going to be “donate” because I think what we chose to donate says a lot about us. Do you donate old clothes and household goods to Good Will? Or funds to your favorite charity? Maybe a walk or a run to raise awareness? Do you give your time to a cause that has touched your life? Or have you offered advice to help others get through a journey you have lived?

So when I dug a little deeper I knew my D had to be dyslexia. This is the D I donate all of my everything. My time, my funds, my ideas, and my stuff if they needed it. 🙂 Why…. because it it touches my life each and every day. I won’t bore you with all the details, but if you are interested you can read more about it here. https://www.learningally.org/dyslexia-the-first-eleven-years/

What I will tell you here, that I didn’t talk much about over there is how the last year has been a true self analysis of who I am, what I am capable of and how and why I choose to do the things I do. How dyslexia has defined me, with or with out me knowing I am dyslexic. It is part of who I am.

Me and my favorite dyslexic!

C is for….

Cookie!!!! I couldn’t resist!  And now I can hear cookie monster in my head!  Growing up in the 70’s and then three kids of my own sesame street is a part of my memories and some of those songs are ingrained in my mind forever!  So even if cookie is not my “C” word you got a tiny bit more of my story.

But really now, the word I chose for c is CREATIVITY.

Defined as: (chose the 2nd meaning)

the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality, progressiveness, or imagination

As I typed this, I am kind of having one of those ah-ha moments.  The reality is this word and definition probably defines my aspirations as a person or human being to the core.  WOW a little dramatic but…. I truly strive daily to create better stuff, thoughts, words, ideas and maybe better isn’t exactly the right word but new or different.  Believe me I am not eccentric by any means, but I do ponder the what if’s a lot.

Can’t wait to see what you all come with this time!!!!

B is for ……

Well I for one have been having a blast following everyone, and stumbling on new peeps who have decided to join in this challenge!

I am going to try to recap from memory all the “A’s” floating around out there. And remind me if I miss a couple, please!!
Attitude
Aspire
Attention
Advocate
Action
Ambition
Appreciation
Adventure
Accomplish
Adapt

And somewhere along the way I saw #amazeballs!!! Thank you to each of you who joined in and made this kick off so much fun! I am beyond excited to get going with “B”.

Ok my plan for “B” is to let you all in on a little more of my story.  My pick for “B” is Books.  And when I says Books define my story, I mean all that books stand for in my little world.  Books in my life stand for learning, connecting, challenging, and some times decorating. 🙂  Over the next two weeks, I will do my best to share how books play such a big part of my story!

#TELLYOURSTORY2014

 

A is for…..

It’s January 1, 2014!  Are you ready to #tellyourstory2014?

Ok just a quick run down before I start!

26 letters, 52 weeks

A through Z, one word at a time! Tell your story!

Post it, tweet it, blog it, instagram it!!  Join us anywhere you want, just add the hashtag #tellyourstory2014!

A little help to get you started!  Go ahead, click it and print it!

Now what?  Get those creative juices flowing.  Write about it; a sentence, a thought, a quote or take a picture of it, create it, you can even bake it!  It’s your story! #tellyourstory2014

OK I will go first!

A is for…..

ATTITUDE – noun

1:  the way you think and feel about someone or something

2:  a feeling or way of thinking that affects a person’s behavior

And Winston Church (that super smart guy that left us with a ton of quotes) says “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.”

And I say:  “Love that all we have to do as humans is adjust our attitudes and the world in front of us shifts ever so slightly!  Positive, good, happy motivated, energized, determined; any one of those is a great place to start the new year, a new project, or a new business approach!!”

Ok, over the next couple of weeks I will continue to share my Attitude!!! 🙂

Find me over on Facebook,  twitter or instagram , hashtag your “A” with #tellyourstory2014 and we will connect and keep it going!!

See, how easy was that!!!  One letter down 25 to go!!!

Cheers to the new year!!

Kristin

#tellyourstory2014

ABCs of 2014

Got it? Any questions?
* Start your list of words, A-Z.
* Every two weeks, tweet it, post it, instagram it, or blog it!
Take a picture, write a story or a sentence, make it, bake it, create it!
We don’t care! 🙂
Just share your story.
* Don’t forget your #hashtag, #tellyourstory2014

Looking forward to a great year!
Cheers,
Kristin

#TellYourStory2014

Get ready guys, this is the theme of the year!!! #tellyourstory2014 Who is in?

The Dancing Beauty Expert

Each year one of my dearest friends, Kristin Kane of Water Closet Soap and I pick a theme of intention, to guide us through the New Year.

When we reconnected after 20 years, the following New Year, in 2012 we chose “Gratitude”.  We hand wrote letters of thanks throughout the entire year and reminded everyone we could about the importance of being Grateful.

In 2013 we chose “Inspire”.  All year we followed our hearts, shared our passions, shouted encouraging words and helped made giant leaps for our local national charities of choice (Decoding Dyslexia & Boys and Girls Club of America)
as well as spread advocacy & awareness.

For 2014 we have chosen, “Tell Your Story”.  Branding isn’t just about selling, its about sharing.

Every other week we will be posting the #abcsof2014. With 26 letters of the alphabet, we hope to inspire and share what…

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