The Virtual Wire

Saying hello and goodbye

Today is the start of something new for me and the end of something that has been special, insightful, and truly a personal growth experience.

I’ve made a decision to pursue my Bachelor’s Degree in Communications at Kaplan University. Kaplan was the first university that I found who offered this degree totally online (did you think I was going to do it any other way!). I’m enrolled for two classes and they both started today!!

Realizing there is only so much of me to go around, I have had to make the difficult decision to stop writing for TVW. I went back and forth with myself on this decision and even as I typed the email, earlier this week, to my sister writers, I couldn’t shake that bad feeling. You know that icky pit in the stomach feeling that accompanies BIG DECISIONS.

True to the unconditional camaraderie that is signature AssistU, I have been on the receiving end of kind, loving and authentic words from my sister TVW writers in support of my educational endeavor. Thanks to each of you for being just who you are and leaving me with a bit of that as I travel this new road.

Thank you too to all my TVW readers for making time to log in, read, and making even more time to post comments. Writing for TVW has been a part of my life for almost two years, and I will miss it. While I will no longer be writing for TVW, you can bet I’ll be reading! :-)

Pre turkey day

This Thanksgiving Eve finds me doing the typical preparation stuff…digging out annually used recipes, making lists, and grocery shopping. Because my family is doing the pot luck approach, and my niece asked to make sweet potatoes, I thought I would be good waiting until today to do my grocery shopping. Luckily there was only a two store search for nutmeg and pie shells. :-)

This year I wanted to do something other than eat and vegetate on over full stomachs, so plans have been made to check out the new movie, This Christmas. It’ll be fun going to see a movie about a family with my family.

Being surrounded by good food, I know my eyes will be bigger than my stomach, and because I also know sweets are my weakness, 8:00am Thanksgiving morning will find me at my Jazzercise class getting in a little pre-holiday workout.

Speaking of good food, I’d like to share with you my recipe for sweet potatoes. I found it in Ebony magazine years ago. I like it cause it gives a new twist to an old favorite.

Sweet Potatoes with Apples

4 pounds sweet potatoes, pricked with a fork
4 golden delicious apples peeled and cut into ½ inch wedges (toss with lemon juice)
1/2 cup margarine or butter (I use butter)
2/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons Southern Comfort (I found of miniature bottle of brandy at the liquor store for $1, perfect!)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Bake sweet potatoes at 400 degrees for one hour. Peel and cut diagonally into 1/4 inch slices. Arrange potatoes and apples in 14 inch baking dish. Combine margarine, brown sugar, honey, Southern Comfort, cinnamon and nutmeg in small sauce pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour over sweet potatoes and apples and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. The last five minutes, brown under the broiler, serve immediately.

I hope this holiday finds you amongst love, good food, and good people. :-)

My firsts

More magazine celebrates women 40 and older, which is why I like it. The magazine speaks to who I am now, and reading about the experiences of other women, my age and older, gives me something to look forward to while I navigate the second half of life.

As a young girl, I had the crazy notion that I didn’t want to be around after 30. At 13, 30 just sounded so old. I don’t know what I thought life would look like beyond that age, but for the most part, I’m lovin my 40s. :-)

On the last page of the magazine is a piece called Firsts after 40, and it got me thinking about some of my own firsts after 40. Here’s a quick list:

• Started a business
• Attended my first networking event
• Joined a networking group
• Became president of networking group
• Started blogging

All the things in my list have caused me to step out of the shadows where I like to hide and put myself in the spotlight. My 40s have seen me really test the elasticity of my comfort zones. I’m doing some things I’ve stalled on for a long time, and some things I never thought I would be doing.

At no point in my life have I prefaced as many conversations as I do now, with the phrase, ‘”I’m just gonna keep it real”. Because really, is there time for anything else. My 40s have put me in touch with the power I have to redefine the reality of me.

What about you? What firsts have you experienced after 40?

Random act of kindness

The call was not a surprise, but I just didn’t expect to get it so soon.

Two weeks ago, my daughter purchased a car from a private owner. Buyer Beware! And two weeks later, it quit on her. “Mom can you pick me up, I think my clutch went out.” Before I click my cell phone shut, I’m already totaling up expenses...it’ll probably need to be towed, then there’s the repair bill (OUCH!), and the downtime. Hmmm...not a line item in my immediate budget, and I’m sure not in hers either being a full time-student and part-time waitress.

What happened next was a total surprise. In fact, sad to say, in today’s world it was somewhat surreal. Before the car totally stopped running, Sharonda was able to pull over and park. After a couple of days she went back to check on her car. The gentleman that owned the home it was parked in front of, of course, had noticed the car, and he happened to be home when she went back to check on it.

To make a long story short, with her steering and him pushing, he put the car in his driveway and offered to repair it, for FREE. When she came back home and told me about his so very kind and generous offer, I just couldn’t believe it. A total stranger is going to repair your car for free? “THAT is a blessing”, I said. Later, telling my son-in-law about it, he said, “there is a God”. For sure, his act of service was angelic. :-)

This was a Friday evening, and by the next day, Saturday afternoon, her car was repaired. I drove her to get it, and before we left I learned a few little things about the man who had just helped my daughter in a big way.

Cliff told me he had daughters, and when his 22 year old went away to college, she too had a used car, and he found himself, just about every weekend, taking a two hour trek to make repairs. He explained what happened with my daughter’s car and said he knew a little bit about it because for 20 years he sold car parts, and he builds hot rods. He is also a retired fireman with the local fire department.

After retirement he started his own business. Why? Because he just likes to help people. :-)

Ghosts, goblins, and girls

The promise was made weeks ago to my daughter’s Girl Scout leader that I would chaperone the trip for the Halloween Hayride at Lake Geneva’s Grand Resort. Leaving at 6pm for a 45 minute drive when I already had had a full day was somewhat ghoulish, but away we went.

We, consisted of my 13 year old, and three other girl scouts ranging in age from 11 to 13, maybe 14. They were loaded with the energy I lacked. As you can imagine the conversations were non stop, mostly entertaining, but sometimes a little scary (one had already experienced a stalker boyfriend).

I didn’t want to butt in with my grown up comments, which of course reflected my grown up experiences and attitude. For the most part, I was content to listen and feed off their energy. Besides it helped me forget that I don’t like speeding down one lane, dark, and hilly back roads. We were definitely taking the scenic, city route on the return trip.

Some of the things that came from the minds and mouths of these young girls just blew my mind! The eleven year mentioned several times she wanted to go to a boarding school. After three or four times of hearing that, I just had to ask why. Her answer, there are boys there with trust funds. Okay, I thought.

Another girl, obviously very intelligent, because she introduced and defined several new words for the girls before we were half way into our 45 minute ride, remarked that she would never be rich. Again, I had to ask why she would say that. She just felt her chances of getting rich were slim unless she did something really spectacular like invent something. In all of my Suze Orman glory, I responded, invest consistently, and acknowledged the invention thing could possibly work too.

Details, details, details

Big picture person or detail oriented? We’ve all heard the phrase.

This past weekend, while I was tackling the task of clearing out and cleaning up my old place (I recently moved), it became crystal clear to me that I am very much the detail oriented type. An epiphany? Not really.

What happened is it became evident as to why it’s easier for me to deal with the details. As I looked around at the collage of clutter that needed my touch and attention, it just about rendered me comatose. Standing in the midst of chaos, I was lost, not knowing what to do first.

Reminding myself that I could only do one thing at time and remembering to breathe, I chose to start to cleaning the oven. More than once, though, other pieces of the collage clutter tried to crowd my mind. I had to clear them out and keep focused on the task at hand.

Eventually the job was done, and I was able to close the door on a clean and empty place. Then it struck me, this process, at least for detail-oriented me, is analogous to starting my practice. So many things to do, and by focusing on and finishing one at a time, it eventually all falls into place. The job of launching the business is done.

They're baaack

For me, it’s teeny bit disappointing when a perspective client doesn’t turn into a partnership. I’m excited when I read a registry request or read about someone who I think would be ideal for me to partner with.

I spend a lot of time crafting an email that will, hopefully, give the recipient a good glimpse of me, and how I might be able to help them and their business. Ditto for the first phone call, I review my standards document, go over their information, make my notes, and have a mini meditation moment before I pick up the phone and say “Hi, this is Roxie!”

That whole process—the research, the first contact, the phone calls and emails in between, and ultimately the decision to work together—is something I have a special appreciation for as a business owner. But sometime it’s just not meant to be, and I accept that.

After all, I did learn in the VTP, that there will be times when I’m not the VA of choice for a client. I also learned that sometimes situations change, and while a connection was not made with the first contact, they may reach out to you later on.

Well it has been about a year since I interviewed with these PCs, but two have recently contacted me about the possibility of establishing a partnership now.

Wow, they really do come back, and it’s a great feeling! Wish me luck! :-)

Zip it

I know this little piece of software has been around for awhile, as I have unzipped many a file sent to me, but I recently have had my first opportunity to zip some up. What a cool timesaver for both the sender and the recipient!

While I never thought using it would be difficult, like a lot of people, I tend to stick with the tried and true as opposed to taking the time to learn how to use something new. But when I found myself with the task of having to scan and email over 20 documents, I knew an email with that many attachments would take too much time and look way too tacky. Time to embrace some new technology.

So I created a folder to save all my scanned documents, right clicked on the folder, and chose the option to zip and email. Easy, efficient, and esthetically pleasing. :-)

Moving day

How do you pack 20 years of stuff in a few days? I'm not quite sure, but along with being super organized with the patience of saint, I think a little laughter and silliness will definitely help.

Time for a change

Familiarity is oh so comfortable. It’s predictable which leads to another good feeling, contentment. In my little piece of the world, I love to feel all three of those things because I know just what to expect.

There are people that thrive on excitement, the thrill of the unexpected; however, you won’t generally find me in that category.

Cancer is my zodiac sign, and I’ve read many different descriptions. Some I identify with more than others, but there is one consistent theme in all the descriptions I’ve read that, as my Mama would say, “describes me to a T”, and that is

....can be very reluctant to let go of or move on from situations that give them a sense of emotional security, and sometimes it is necessary to move on.

After mentally exploring all the what ifs and why nots, and sometimes putting soul searching thoughts on paper, I now recognize and acknowledge that familiarity and fulfillment are not the same. In some areas of my life, quite frankly, fulfillment is MIA (missing in action). It’s time to make a change. And I’ve done that.

Am I happy and excited, yes! Also a little sad and a tinny bit scared. But if I had to put all my feelings on a scale, sad and scared would be at the top, cause I’m feeling excited and happy more than anything. :-)