There is a world beyond business - who knew?

How’s your summer going?  

Don’t know about you but I was more than ready to switch off, yet it’s not that easy to do is it?  I find it is only when I go away; leave the building, that I totally turn off the business switch.

That said, I am enjoying the slower pace and while I may do a little writing each day, it is not the same as the frenetic speed required for the rest of the year.

I am also spending my time with friends – people I haven’t touched base with for a while, often people who are not business connections.  That in itself is a break. Although with all my wining and dining, I am hoping I don’t pack on all the weight I have recently lostJ

But it is fun to catch up; to talk about stuff other than business.  There is a world beyond our businesses… who knew.

Come August I know I will have to get into gear… fast, but until then I am enjoying this time to get to know new friends, reacquaint myself with others and just reconnect with myself and what I want out of life.

Girlfriend power

It is incredible just how much stuff you accumulate in 28 years.  Before we even put the house up for sale, I was clearing out; being brutal I thought.  But now surrounded by boxes, clearly not brutal enough.

 But before we totally dismantled the house, I wanted to have one last party with my girlfriends and this Tuesday we gathered together, reminiscing about parties of the past – like my “I’m not 50 party”    held the day before my 50^th birthday when some of my older friends served up “advice from the crones.”    

Ten years later, I had a “I’m not 60” dinner party and then there’s the surprise party my daughter held for me after my cancer treatments.  There she had assorted photos posted to the walls, which

appeared to have been selected based on the criteria that only bad photos of me could apply.

Recently I was asked why I like spending time with girlfriends, and my response was because we have a good laugh, and we all know that laughter is good for you. 

But actually it is more than that,  we share the ups and downs in our lives with each other, often nodding in agreement having experienced the same thing or pitching in to help when needed.  Men would likely be shocked if they knew exactly what we do share with each other, but the power of intimacy and the opportunity to just be yourself, is very empowering.J

But on Tuesday, it was old and new friends coming together, some meeting each other for the first time, others already connected to one another. It struck me then that I am so lucky to have such bright, fun women in my life.

Although I’d become friends with them through different jobs, volunteer work or activities, and we covered a wide age-span, the women just clicked and we had lively discussions from food, travel, meditation, to the state of education in Canada and porn.   You name it, we had opinions on it.

The sad thing is, we don’t do this often enough.  We wait for a special occasion or in my case, a move, to come together and that’s too bad, because it is those relationships that carry you through the hard times, lightening the load and creating fun in your life.

So cheers ladies.  Let’s do this again.  Soon.  Maybe when I’ve unpacked all the boxes at the farm, we can celebrate my living full time in the country.  I am sure between us we can come up with an excuse to party.