Because it’s Friday AGAIN. And because traditions are important. In which I cover the good stuff and the hard stuff in my week, trying for the non-preachy, non-annoying side of self-reflection.
And you get to join in if you feel like it.
Checking in again …
Smile! Only if you feel like it, though.
Moving on.
The hard stuff
Everything getting on my nerves.
I don’t know. Blame my hormones. Blame the short, dark, cold days and gearing up for winter.
Blame Mercury in retrograde or whatever wacky planetary thing people like to give credit to for everything going weird.
But I’ve been feeling a lot of annoyance this week. Which resulted in my “I am a crank and I need to make fun of Blog Action Day” post. And an especially irritable, snarky post on the Dance of Shiva blog.
Who knows. Just general aaaaaaaaargh moments. I assume that part of this has to do with looking for a new place. And needing a personal assistant. And stuff like that.
It’ll pass. But that’s been the big challenge of my week: to not react right away. Taking time to go away and be kind with myself. Asking for a hug when I could use one.
Insane busy-ness.
This should probably actually go in the “good stuff” section … for two reasons.
One, my business is thriving like mad so that’s actually something to be happy about, and two, between the busy and the annoyed I’ve been motivated to institute better systems.
But first I just want a little guilt-free time to shake my fists and complain about how challenging it is for me to stay focused and centered when there’s so much going on at once.
After one ridiculously hard day where I pretty much spent all of it on the phone, it was finally clear that stuff had to shift. Effective immediately.
Did I …
a. rewrite the hire my duck page to be way, way, way more specific in its instructions?
b. cut down my hours that are available for clients?
c. have my assistant set up scheduling software right here on the site for the nice people who have already done every single thing I asked them to on the hire my duck page page?
d. all of the above?
If you chose d. as your answer, that is correct.
Anyway, all these things are now in place to help me stop being whiny, so hooray! And now, enough with the argh moments, and on to saying hooray for this new “stuff going a bit more smoothly” thing. And the good stuff that happened this week.
The good stuff
Foods! My, I am well-fed.
Truth be told, my gentleman friend always spoils me to excess (the best possible way to be spoiled, no?) but this week he outdid himself in the kitchen with wintry comfort foods and much all-around homemade deliciousness.
For example, a very, very thin-crusted toasted pizza with leeks, pear and vintage cheddar. YUM!
Another night there was a spicy potato-fennel gratin. And yesterday he made his outrageously great Moroccan cauliflower-potato stew. And twice he made me fresh carrot juice!
I stand by my “YUM!”
Turns out I’m an expert or something.
The super-famous super-awesome Jennifer Louden interviewed me and my duck this week for her upcoming product about Comfort in Fearful Times.
What does scare you, Havi? Uh, being interviewed?
It was great. And I’ve pretty much never had so much fun on an interview. We cackled inappropriately the whole time and I occasionally said something smart.
I am feeling completely joyful and flattered to have people I madly admire show up and admire me. Exciting!
Results. I kinda expect them, but they still ROCK!
One of my Procrastination Dissolve-o-Matic VIP-ers from Turkey just wrote to say that after our session she’d gone ahead and written those annoying, semi-terrifying emails she’d been putting off for ages … and applied to the program she’d been freaking out about.
And she got accepted. And she got a scholarship.
Yay! Exclamation points! Do a little dance with me!
Of course the best part of this week hasn’t even happened yet
Because my little brother is on a plane heading in this direction right now as I type this.
He’ll be staying with me the whole weekend and since he’s basically my favorite person in the entire world, I am jumping up and down and feeling pretty darn gleeful right now.
Operation Convince Ez To Move To Portland … starting in …. 3, 2, 1!
The weird stuff
Yes, we have a new category this week. For things which defy categories like “good” and “hard”.
I’ve slowly been adjusting to being “internet famous”. Right?
Well, I thought I had, until I saw that people are selling I ♥ Havi t-shirts online. And hoodies and stuff.
The shirts say I ♥ Havi (and Selma too) … and the weirdest part is that apparently I’m the only one who thinks it’s weird. Everyone else is all, ooh, I heart Havi too — which one should I get?
That’s it for me ….
And yes yes yes, absolutely join in my Friday ritual if you feel like it and/or there’s something you just want to say out loud too.
Yeah? What was something hard and/or good (or weird?) that happened in your week?
And, as always have a glorrrrrrrrrrrrious weekend. And a happy week to come.
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This post, like most of your Friday posts, seems to be the essence of the useful/full-use blog:
personal in the perfect proportion;
practicing a habit that helps;
demonstrating the habit for me;
delivering new info; and
serving as reminder that “fill in whichever lesson I’m avoiding this time” — and you’re proof of it.
Thanks.
It’s funny because the Friday posts are really so much fun for me, just because I truly enjoy the ritual and taking the time to contemplate and sift through my week, but I always assume that they’re boring as hell for everyone else.
You know, that I’m just being self-indulgent, and that everyone puts up with it because they’re just waiting for the next post when there’s going to be some actual content. Obviously, that’s crazy talk. But I only just realized that now.
So I HUGELY appreciate your take on it. That’s really beautiful. Thank you!
I like your Friday ritual! I think this is only the second or third one I’ve read, but it makes me want to do it, too. Seems like a good way to finish a work-week and head into a weekend.
And I don’t think the I heart Havi stuff is weird! (Obviously, right? lol ) Several people said they’d buy it if it was available, so I made it available. I’m all about fulfilling needs when I can…. : )
Oh, wonderful Carole … you’re not supposed to think it’s weird! You’ll think it’s weird when people start selling I heart Carole shirts. And then I expect an email from you saying, you’re right!
Yay for fulfilling needs. I’m all for that. 🙂
Okay, that would be totally bizarre, and if it ever happens I will definitely tell you you’re right! : )
Caroles last blog post..Before you send that email. . . .
so let’s see here…you’ve got carole doing free marketing for you, and then untold havi-nauts telling the world how much they love you…internet famous meter rising…
what next? punching out paparazzi and spilling soy chai latte on selma?
chass last blog post..poverty up close
The hard stuff: went back to work, and there were auditors here!!! *hides*
Good stuff:payday
I wish I were in Portland, I’d be your assistant. =(
Melissas last blog post..Is It Really the Hormones Talking?
Disclaimer: I don’t want Havi’s mellow peeps to think I’m hitting you up for biz. All this stuff really happened and I wouldn’t make it up to toot my own horn! Besides that, Selma might get mad at me.
The bad: My husband has been gone all week on an unexpected 8 day trip for a company he isn’t supposed to be traveling more than two days at a time for…he will be missing all the family stuff this weekend (3 kids, 2 soccer teams, 3 games total) and I’m carrying a lot(mom-of-three-jobland-my-biz)!
The weird (in an uncomfortable good way): I had a first last night. I attended a networking event where another attendee was actually a client. He introduced me to a bunch of people and was talking up my svcs in a way I’d never dreamed. I was totally speechless which is difficult to do in normal situations. Compliments are great during a one-on-one exchange – I’d just never had anyone do it about my svcs in a room of 150 people. It even happened from the pres. of the group when I gave away my door prize. Totally weird, never happened before experience for me and it is really paying off…less than 18 hours after the event I’ve had two phone calls from people who were at the event interested in my stuff. Yeah for me, yeah for my biz!
The good: Thank the Universe for grandpa because he watched the kids for me so I could still go to said event.
The good: Sans husband hasn’t really been so bad because the weather has been yuck and three soccer practices have been cancelled. Yeah for me! So, instead of running around the country-side I’ve had three quality nights at home with my kids.
For example, a very, very thin-crusted toasted pizza with leeks, pear and vintage cheddar. YUM!
zomg, that sounds good. Big envy. I need a gentleman friend to feed me; I suck at food. I used to have one, it was brilliant, but eventually he decided he wanted his own life, which was very inconsiderate of him.
people are selling I ♥ Havi t-shirts
Dude! That rocks! You wiiin!
Oh, yeah Chas, Havinauts! That’s our tribe! Hmm, we have gear, next we need a song…
Sorry, Havi, I don’t care how much you try and make out that Selma’s in charge, we ain’t fallin’ for it, you’re just going to have to adjust to all the adulation! 😉
Bad: Repeating my usual pattern of not going to bed at anywhere near something that could strenuously be described as a reasonable hour – missing yoga because I was so tired, being late for pilates for same reason. Getting a little obsessed with my latest project (new blog!) and then all the yuck around the not sleeping getting tied up with the new project so it wasn’t as much fun anymore.
Good: Calming down on the new project so that I can still enjoy it. Whizzing through the Shiva Nata stuff and having a great time with it. Using Havi’s clever techniques with my sister and my partner and both of them having big breakthroughs too! (And she wonders why we adore her?!)
Nothing particularly weird going on. But then, it’s all relative, right?
James | Dancing Geeks last blog post..My Tribe
OK. Thing 1: big jealousy over here on gentleman friend AND awesome cook. Just one is good and amazing and all but both? Um, Havi? Amazing. Happy for you. (And, green over here).
Thing 2: Been doing more writing over here and getting to know and possibly even starting to make friends with being ADD. When a good friend oh-so-kindly mentioned the possibility of my being ADD a couple months ago, I pulled out my best “hmmmm, that’s interesting,” even while inside I felt my defensive hairs growing into dreadlocks. So anyway, it’s feeling a bit more peaceful inside. I’m curious about all my mental activity, learning about how amazingly wonderful and creative the lives of women with ADD can be, and continually finding places where I am so calm and in presence, like with my bodywork clients.
Thing 3: I’m on the end of week 2 of Couch-2-5K… I’m psyched because getting out in fresh air and running is so good for me (esp. on account of thing 2) and it calms my inner restless dogs a-la-Cesar-Milan so that they have more room for lovely creative things. You can google “c25k” if any readers want to know. It’s running for total wimps.
So good night then. Happy weekend with brother! How awesome is having your fave person right there with you!
xo heidi
Heidi Fischbachs last blog post..I can’t get sick. I can’t get sick. I can’t get sick. Knock on wood & swallow garlic.
You are so amazing to keep mentioning me. Here’s an email I got from Kathy signing up for the Writer’s Retreat: “I’m so twitterpated at knowing Havi will be there that I can hardly stand myself. Havi and Jen make sense to me. I only hope that Selma will be able to attend as well.” http://www.anniebinns.com)
As far as this week goes, I truly want to recap but my back is out again from sitting the desk chair too much already and it’s sunny out so I must push away from the screen and head into the sun.
AND one of the many highlights of this week is getting to talk to you and feeling how right it is we are connected!
Yeah for Havi heart T-shirts!
Jennifer Loudens last blog post..Comfort During Fearful Times: Acknowledgement Sweetie Baby Honey
the havi effect:
gently/relentlessly initiates The Momentum … but (key recognition for moi) no walls, only mirrors 🙂
much appreciation.