Rusty Love

Hanging out at Alameda Bicycle in Fruitvale BART waiting for my City Car Share car to show up I took a little rest in the sun and was awakened by Rusty. Nearly every day I give rusty a little hello as I either drop off my bike for valet parking or ride by on my way to the train. Pretty much he just looks at me and that's about all. This time he nudged me as I daydreamed and then snuggled up to me for a cuddle.

Buy Products

While getting my hair highlighted and cut yesterday by Kathy at iSalon in Alameda I had reflected on the fact that I use a whole lot of "beauty" products every day. As Kathy put more dye in my hair than I've ever had before I realized that this was a turning point for my use of products - full immersion. Later she told me that she changed my base color to Ashe. Oh my.

It is 9am on a Thursday and so far today I've used 20 beauty and personal hygiene products:

Toothpaste
Shampoo
Face wash (Burt's Bees)
Soap
Conditioner
Shaving cream
Vitamin E
Hair syrum
Hair goo
Hair spray
Perfume
Deodorant
Face moisturizer (Burt's Bees)
Facial suntan lotion
Blush
Eye shadow
Eye liner
Eyebrow pencil
Lipbalm
Suntan lotion

I highlighted the Burt's Bees products because perhaps they are more healthy than the other stuff I'm massaging into my skin.

On top of this I use a hairdryer and straightening irons. When Rene and I went down to LA last month I brought a very heavy backpack that was not weighed down with clothes but with a hairdryer and irons. It felt girly, which I like, but also way over the top hair-focused. Lately I've let my hair go curly for a day or two and it is starting to again become familiar and comfortable. That immediately eliminates two beauty machines and four products.

Moms Know Best

I've been stuck in my head writing a client's strategic plan and generally disciplining myself to stay on course whilst I prefer to wander. Leave it to my mom to notice I haven't been posting.
So here's what's on my mind:

Doctor of Business Administration
I recognized that I am very happy with my career, which challenges me every day to work harder, think smarter. The stretch goals I've set for myself are within reach and when I need to develop specific skills I will attend programs, workshops, trainings, read books and share best practices with colleagues. Conclusion: enough schooling.

Hands On Creativity
I need to express my creativity, artistically. Getting back to photography is essential for nurturing my creative heart. More work with my hands such as felting and cooking need to be higher on my list of creative outlets. This is now a personal priority.

Physical Experience
Most of my time is spent up in my head thinking for a living. Recognizing that I need to get creative I also need to get more physical. Yes, I ride Ike the Bike nearly every day which keeps me in-tune and tuned-up. I also want to ride Ike for pleasure, continue to practice my yoga, meditation and take some walks along the beach, hike, and dance.

Simplify
My tendency is to start-up ventures such as the www.meetup.com/BizArts and over-commit myself to all kinds of social-pseudo-professional projects. Even though I'm good at this I actually do not derive personal pleasure - just stress. The Arts Management Consulting Community of Practice is a better focus of my time as it directly speaks to my areas of interest, expertise and builds community and collaboration. So, working on cutting back on these distractions to make more time for Hands On Creativity and Physical Experience.

Quality Time with Friends and Family
Yes, I'm making time for myself, and with that I am recognizing that key relationships with friends and family also must be nurtured. Identifying the relationships that are mutually-wonderful is becoming a personal practice of selectivity. This may sound hoity-toity but it is more about quality time with the people I love; celebrating, enjoying and savoring these relationships.

Perhaps this is a vision statement in my personal strategic plan.