This morning I had an unexpected free hour alone. At a
beautiful hotel, in a beautiful room, with the beauty of the vast city below pouring into my window.
It has been an intense 3 days of delivering a high level
leadership program for a management group with my Swiss and cherished colleague. Breakfast at
7am and dinners into the evening. Exhausting, stimulating, intense.
I had a delicious 1.5
hour this morning and it was interesting to observe what I did with it..What was my fancy? Do we stop to ask ourselves
this question often enough?
For the first 15 mins I slept and luxuriated in the extra
2 snoozes
Then I got up and put my favorite workout clothes and
shoes on and went for a walk in the city of downtown Montreal for a short but very
pleasant sun filled 25 mins
Then I read the article on “Are Cupcakes still Cool?” in
the Globe and Mail. I wrote some business ideas for cake pops in my IPhone
hahaha
Then I called my BFF to wish her Happy Birthday:)) Love her..
Then I texted my dear Swiss friend back and forth who put
a huge smile on my face. I love having a time difference it rocks with her. She seems totally available when she is 6 hrs different than me!
Then I took a long shower and took my time getting ready
Ordered grapefruit juice and bagel with cream chesses and
berries in room service
And checked my phone and email about a thousand times in
between
And
I loved this hour and a half. A lot.
I allowed myself to break my own rules and ritualization
and it felt great. Looong shower. Take time getting ready and doing my hair
nice. Short walk instead of exercise walk. Too many carbs in morning. Checking
email and texts obsessively for no reason (stupid but I do love it!) Writing
ideas down. Sleep. It’s nice once in a while to have the time, and to be
alone..to do what comes to us naturally and give into our preferences.
And I have to say that this hotel has A LOT of
advantages. I have figured out what all the stars stay here. It has something
to do with the lack of light in the hotel and the darkness and the mirrors in
the room. This hotel has made it that you are literally not able to see any
typo you make, any wrinkle or blemish on your body or even see how messy your
own room is. They have the magic formula all figured out this seems.
And there mirrors are amazing.
In that hour-I think I checked myself out 20 times. I looked about 15 lbs less
and totally in shape and firm and fit even naked!. Was it all the positive recognition I
got over the last few days from my colleagues about our course that made me feel better about
myself? Was it the compliments from the
women in the course on my three new outfits ?
But to equal 15 lbs of feeling better?????
Was it that I am in a good space in my mind and just feel
more peaceful and therefore skinner? Was it all the cakepops I ate that made a
difference because they were so small and tiny they actually made me lose weight overnight?
No..No..no..It is the magical mirrors here. In that 1.5
hours I analyzed them fully and they all have one thing in common (you can tell
many in the room-big, big room)..they all
have a line right down the middle-discreet but there. And that line takes
the view of the central part of your body and hides it. So you are left with
the left and right quadrant of your ass and therefore feel better about
yourself!!!!
Add that magical mirror and little light…. and the fact yoga and meditation and walk 5 times a week and working out twice a week more consistently at the gym..Maybe it is not only that line in the mirror-maybe I am also feeling better in my body lately too…back to where I always was. Happy and confident.
Thrilling!!! Love staying here. I have to make sure all offisites are held here. And have cakepops at every meal. I need to call Finance about that.
My word on my nametag this week was “Peace-of Present and
of Future April 2013 ” Ahhhhhh…deep breath-feels so good.
Maybe these stays away from reality, focused so intensely
on my job and my work, being so passionate for a few days and doing what I
love, being with people that motivate me, in a place where there is space for
me to be with me…bring out a good side of me.
I feel lucky to have these great opportunities a number
of times a year to rejuvenate, to connect, to luxuriate, and to work my butt
off (literally it seems!)…these weeks and time are truly remarkable for me and my development as a
person and in my role. As hard and as intense as they are-they bring me great
joy.
And the more I am away from home for extended periods of
time-the more I miss home too. The more I become certain that my role as a
woman is twofold-to be there for my family..and to be there out in the world
too teaching, and speaking, and learning.
I will always be both. An imperfect balance of my two
beautiful worlds. Always dying to come home to my loved ones-and craving to get
away again for short stays.
Peace-with who I am. And what Is.
