The Ghost

She's back

She's been gone for a LONG time. As I mean in "long time" as "years".

We use to joke around here we had a ghost in our house. Music would start playing. Electrical plugs all of a sudden wouldn't work. Other little things. Including, waking up in the middle of the night to Bob Marley playing on the computer.

Not the computer that is used on a regular basis.  You know, the one in the corner.

This hasn't happened FOREVER. In fact, the boys and I kind of thought whom our ghost "might be". About 2.5 years ago, all our "weird" - as we call our "ghost" activities stopped.

No random music. No clocks re-setting. Just living.

Then, well, the other night.

A friend of mine has a momma cat and kittens at her house. For a fraction of second, I actually thought "Well, Maybe I should take one".

In fact, I even requested the picture.

Then, I realized the kittens were only two weeks old. They looked like rats. In fact, the momma cat looked more appealing to me. But in my heart I also knew my friend and her family were in love with the momma cat.

As you see, we aren't big on babies around here.

That night, my 13 year old fat cat? He knocked over 2 plants and ran across my bed all night. Until of course, he fell asleep on my face.

No.

No kittens aloud. We get that.

AND

tonight?

I was sitting here, writing this blog.

My candle went out.

My phone started playing my favorite song (granted, that was the last song I heard)

The cat jumped down from the front window

Another plant fell over.

Seriously.

I don't believe in these things. I don't think.


I've been worried about a couple of friends of mine. I think my ghost is too.

She's back.....

Wild Child

No, this isn't about one of my kids. Or me either, at least not as a child.

It's about my Gypsy Soul.

You know, the one whom should really be in charge, but she can't. She's not responsible enough. She's the dreamer.

We just have to remember to let her out every once in a while.

For the last month, the career woman in me has been working 12 hour days - maybe 16 hour days. Waking up energized to get things done. Accomplish what she can. At least at work.

A friend called a couple of months ago and asked me to help streamline some things at her company. Then someone quit, someone needed to be hired. Another friend called and could add me to their payroll to recruit and fill some positions - on a retained hourly basis.

Imagine that. Actually getting paid for what I do. (Rates vary, but that way there is a guarantee).

Then next thing I know. Work is so busy, I can't see straight. The funny thing is, I nearly wrote "life is so busy". But "life" isn't really that busy - hockey season has ended. And well, the boys drive now, I have been complaining I was a little "bored".

I should know better.

So, I've been working. Working at work. Not "working" on finding a new adventure. A new "goal".

Just working.

Then I heard this song called "Wild Child" (sorry there will be a commercial first) and I had tears in my eyes. I listened to the song again. Another time with tears.

EVERY SINGLE TIME I hear the song. The same results. Water comes out my eyes. Every. Single. Time.

Usually when the career woman/hockey mom has been in charge for too long, the Gypsy Girl (or should I call her the Wild Child), comes screaming out. Pretending she doesn't care whom she makes cry. Wrecking havoc in our orchestrated little life.

This time, the career woman didn't "discipline" her wild child. She spoke softly. Patiently. With a voice of wisdom to a child.

Maybe that's the problem with adolescence. We didn't know those adults were right. We thought they were wrong. It's also the problem with adulthood, we need to learn to communicate with each other.

"Gypsy Girl, your time will come." loudly announced the career woman to the Wild Child. Then the career woman whispered, "I know you don't want me in charge, but you will have more freedoms soon, if you can let me be in charge now."

Shhh.......

Leaders know, the people they put in charge are actually more capable than them. They make the leaders better. The leaders know you hire people better than you.

"Gypsy, we are working on our transition" said only something a true leader can say.

An Exit Strategy

Planning for the end.

That makes no sense to me. "Why would we plan the ending? We don't even know the start. Or the middle. Much less how this is all going to end!"

2002, I bought a company. Actually, I bought two of them. It was part of my "mid-life" crisis. I leveraged my entire life. Took a risk.

I remember people telling me - "Plan your exit strategy". Thinking "No, I'm doing this!", "Why would I want to STOP doing this".  Isn't that the WHOLE point of jumping in? Moving forward?

We BUY in.

We are told to "buy in" to everything. Why would we want to plan to leave? Isn't that a little like saying "this isn't going to work?" A bit like a pre-nup? I promise to love you forever, but if forever comes sooner than we thought, here is how we are going to go down different roads without each other.

Why would I want an exit strategy?

Why would I want to EXIT a perfect place?

BECAUSE:

In business - as I've learned, we want to build up something that someone else wants - then when we need to know how to be rewarded for all our hard work, and go on.

When I was getting ready to do my first triathlon - that was 11 years ago this summer, by the way - a girlfriend of mine (whom had done many triathlons) kept telling me "Practice your transition".  (BTW, that's a swim, then a bike ride, then a run)

I thought, when we bought things. Oh wait, acquired things, earned things, agreed to things - they were ours to keep.

Forever.

But that's not true.

Things are just temporary.

Experiences are forever. Feelings are forever. Some feelings change over time.

At some point, you must learn to exit. The water. Get off the bike. Or stop running.

There is a finish line ahead.

or another start line......

Make sure you have a strategy.

It's not a bad thing.