True Vocation

Okay, as you can see the last initiative was short lived. Of course, I'm sure you all expected that. I'm blogging now on official business. I'm putting together a career mapping session for an upcoming Leadership conference I'm co-facilitating, and I want to base it on Parker Palmer's work on discovering your true vocation... This is, of course, ironic, because I have yet to discover my true vocation. There are pieces of it in my current work, but I still have some sorting out to do. In Palmer's article (http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/working-for-life/now-i-become-myself), he talks about how as children we are our true selves but that gets lost along the way, and the best thing we can do as adults is rediscover who we really are and that will inherently hold what our true vocation is supposed to be. As I was working on this, I remembered a story that I think speaks to this process...

When I told my dad that I was leaving my two years tenure as a Technical Writer to go back to school for a Master's in International and Intercultural Communication, he asked (with some concern in his voice) what sort of job I wanted to get with this sort of degree. I responded hastily that I wanted to become a writer for National Geographic. "Really?" he said. "No," I replied, "I don't know what I want to do."

This story has always cracked me up, but what is so interesting to me in this context is how quickly I made up a job that sounded on track with my writing background and new degree aspirations. I hadn't meant to lie outright to my Dad, but I quickly chose a vocation that seemed respectable so he wouldn't be so concerned about what his forcefully independent yet naive daughter was headed into. It was a perfect example of my choosing a vocation on the spot because it seemed like a reasonable next step. Luckily, I caught myself making up a future on the spot and fessed up.

Anyway, I thought I'd ask all of you who see this new post what your experience has been in figuring out your "true vocation."

Naomi Stories Preface

Well, I just saw Jeff's comment on another blog re: his excitement about my yearly blog, and was just thinking this morning that I should start documenting my life stories. I was journaling (I know what you're thinking, why journal when you can share your innermost thoughts online with everyone!?!), and trying to remember what I really liked to do as a child in the hopes that I could glean some life direction from it, and I remembered that I always loved Dr. Seuss books, but more the moral-ly ones like The Lorax and The Butter Battle Book. I was really bummed when I did my senior project on Dr. Seuss in high school and discovered that his most popular and beloved book was The Cat in the Hat. What kind of moral message does that have? But, then as I reflected more I realized that every time I've tried to write something that had some sort of deep message, it was kind of crap, but the stories I tell that are just my ridiculous observations that don't really go anywhere, those are better. So, maybe I should just always stick to Cat in the Hat in terms of my own writing.

Okay, all that (way too much) to say that I'm going to just start capturing my Cat in the Hat stories on my blog and saving them so that I have a collection for Linus and anyone else who wants to look back at the silly stuff that I've witnessed along the way. I believe I've already captured the bunny story, the Bot fly story (Ann, you may want to read that one again - I hope the link still works!), and the Blackberry jam story. All classics!

I'll post another oldie, but as Jeff suggested, I'll probably have a lot of really good ones from when my whole family comes out for a week in a few weeks. Stay tuned!

Being pregnant = wanting to wander through a maze of crazed mothers and toddlers

And other myths perpetrated by The Gap...

So, I meant to post this a bit ago, but didn't want to lose this gem, even though I've related the story to a few of you already.

So, when I first decided that I was going to give up the good fight of wearing my normal clothes due to some agonizing meetings where I couldn't find a couth way to unbutton my pants, I went out in search of maternity clothes. Now, Ann and Christine both sent me boxes of all of their maternity clothes, but alas they're both too short for me to wear any of their pants.

So, I decided to start off at Gap Maternity searching for a couple pairs of work pants. I wandered into Gap and circled the store twice, seeing not a thing that looked like it was maternity. There were lots of salespeople, but no one asked why I was taking laps around the store, and I of course didn't want to ask.

I finally and cautiously poked my head through the door to Baby Gap and then recoiled. It was a Saturday, and the Baby Gap was a blur of strollers, crying babies, running toddlers, and frazzled mothers. "Surely," I thought, "Surely, the women's maternity clothes can't be in there!" Glancing back at the salespeople who were avoiding my pleading look, I decided I wasn't going to come back another weekend and I must brave the Baby Gap.

So, in I went. Waiting patiently for mother's to move strollers so I could pass, who didn't notice me until I said excuse me three times in a subsequently louder voice, and then they'd move ever so slightly without looking up from the jumpers they were poring over.

I finally made my way to the back of the store, and there was the maternity section and with only one woman in it who was sans children. The selection was pretty lame, but I found black pants and a pair of jeans that worked.

However, I was really shocked that maternity clothes were in the back of all the kids stuff. I've since found that this is the case at Old Navy as well. But why is it? Is it cause these stores assume that pregnant women will be shopping with children and they want to keep the children away from the quiet adults in The Gap, or is it because they think that pregnant women just want to be around children as much as possible. If either of these are the reason, I think they've misjudged pregnant women, or at least this one.

My last thought is that they think forcing pregnant women to walk through the kids clothes will get them to buy cute little kid clothes in anticipation of their baby, or at least remember how cute the clothes are at Baby Gap for after their little one comes along. I get this sales-oriented angle, but man, someone should have warned me about this! Someone starting their 2nd trimester, as I was at the time, is not ready for this kind of shocking introduction to motherhood. Let me at least get through the 2nd chapter of "What to Expect" first!

At any rate, I've now found ways around the Baby Gap, like Pea in a Pod, and buying flowy dresses at Ross and other discount stores...

So, that's my latest. Not much else is new. I think despite my anti-maternal perspective toward The Gap, I'm becoming more maternal. Molly Brown has become my baby for the time being. I've noticed that I can't say no to her anymore and I keep wanting to snuggle with her. She resists a little, but then gives in when she sees me getting out the ice cream, since she knows she can get me to give her little doggy scoops in her bowl if she stares at me while I'm eating. So, there ya go. More later. :)

Metamucil

So, I believe that all of my blog readers know by now that I'm pregnant. I've told most people at this point except work, cause I just haven't felt like it yet. So, if I have any co-workers are reading my blog, I guess you get the inside scoop.

Anyway, I thought my newish with-child status deserved some blog entries. So far I haven't read any serious books on pregnancy - I'm just reading "Exploiting My Baby, Cause It's Exploiting Me," so naturally when my doctor asked me yesterday if I'd started reading any books, I told her "No." Anyway, I just got another as a gift on "A Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy" (thanks Sally!), which also looks like a cynical pregnancy book, and so I've decided that since these cynical books are such a hit, but all kind of get at the same things, I would start writing my blog on my hilarious pregger-related stories. Don't worry, I won't get all TMI with ya'll. No dilation reports here my friends!

So, my first unique, or what I think is unique, pregnancy story is that when I was first pregnant, the first thing I purchased in acknowledgement of my new state was a big canister of Metamucil. I had never had Metamucil before so I went home that evening and thought it would be nice to have it with hot water and treat it like a cup of tea. Now I don't know if this was a freak event or just what Metamucil does in hot water, but it turned into clumps of soft sponginess instead of dissolving into the water. And, not having had it before, I assumed that this was part of Metamucil so I made myself drink the whole thing - it was super gross - drinking orange globs floating in my water. You can imagine my dismay the next day when I tried again with cold water and everything dissolved and wasn't quite as horrible.

Anyway, that's my first story that I haven't seen in any funny pregnancy books so far, probably cause everyone knows you're supposed to mix Metamucil with cold water. At any rate, there you go. I'll be back with more later

New Year's Themes

So, I actually got a request for a new blog post, and never being one to disappoint my fan (Jeff), here's a little treat for ya'll, and by ya'll, I mean Jeff.

As we come to the end of 2010, I decided that instead of setting new year's resolutions, I would instead develop a list of words or themes that I wanted to emulate in the new year. My words included: clarity, focus, sustainable, listening, etc. Of course as I was listing these words and feeling very conceptual, the structural thinker in me insisted that I create projects and yearly goals, because my words were too fluffy to actually have any impact on my life. So, always a slave to my structural brain, I started writing down projects like, hang/frame all the pictures and art in our house, clear out the upstairs, take the GRE, apply to PhD programs, update and publish material from my thesis.

You can see the conceptual jutting back in again as this list went on. I then thought to myself, "Self, what will happen in the new year?" and began that list, which then made me wonder, "Self, what did I accomplish in 2010?" As I started that list, I decided it was too narrow, and instead chose to construct a Naomi timeline starting in 2005, which I will share with you (you're welcome).

2005
- finished MA
- Started teaching for UCOL
- Met and started dating Brian

2006
- Started working for AI

2007
- Got engaged

2008
- Got married

2009
- Job/title shift
- Bought a house
- Designed a couple courses for UCOL
- Joined the FMC leadership council

2010
- Built up AI's customized workshop branch
- Started UCOL's Diversity & Inclusivity Committee
- Joining Conflict Center Board
- Got a puppy

As I finished my Naomi timeline and forecasted happenings in 2011, it occurred to me that I had no idea what Brian was hoping to do or wanted me to do in 2011, so I put my spastic planning on hold and announced at dinner that I had a great couple's exercise that we should do together for the new year. You can imagine how excited he was about this. He insisted that I share my random lists with him, which I conveniently had outlined on notebook paper in my purse. So, I shared with him my conceptual word list, and he only laughed out loud at the word sustainable, since my idea for sustainable for 2010 had been for him to start a composting bin in the backyard, which he didn't want to do...

At any rate, I think tonight we are going to set our couple's conceptual words and goals for 2011, so I'll let you know how that goes. Or not post another blog until the end of the year (more likely).

I hope you've enjoyed your glimpse into my mind. Now you all know why it's so difficult for me to make decisions. - Naomi

Happy holidays ya'll!

I thought as a little holiday treat, I would blog all of my holiday thoughts today!

Firstly, I am wearing the same kind of earmuffs that I had when I was little. I remember we had a red pair and a blue pair, and I think I liked the red. What I'd forgotten was the headache you get from wearing earmuffs for long periods of time...

As a hilarious holiday prank, my friend and coworker, Andrea, and I are trying to figure out how to hack into our company website to loop holiday pics from our company party from this year and past years. I'll be sure to include the link if we succeed!

My white elephant gift for this afternoon's party is a Halloween doormat that someone left in the kitchen with a note saying "free to a good home" - as if you need to qualify that for a doormat, especially a Halloween one after Halloween has gone by...

Our first married Christmas!

Well, as you can see we found our tree and put the lights up.  It's probably as big as our apartment can handle.  The tree also has ornaments up on it now.  Many of the ornaments were made by Brian when he was about five years old.  So, I think it'll be funny when people come over and ask if our children made our ornaments, and I'll get to say, "no, my husband made them - I'm so proud!"

We have all of the gifts wrapped now, and all the gifts for the Marshalls were mailed last week.  I will of course miss being in Michigan for Christmas -  having a Christmas sauna, participating in the neighborhood pagan ritual after church, being forced to sing songs I don't know in the choir, having a sip of scotch with my Dad, and having a box of wine with my Mom.

But, of course, they'll have Thora at home, so I'm sure they'll make due without us, since we're not nearly as cute, although I would argue that I am equally entertaining.  

But, we're looking forward to a nice Nishi Christmas here in Denver!  And, I'm glad to be able to sing in my own church choir, since I've been to the practices and know what we're singing pretty well - it should be nice.

Anyway, merry Christmas all!  I wish you a peaceful season and new year! - Naomi