On my way to ... The Awesome Women Hub Tour - Baltimore/DC/NoVa

Many know of my adventures with airplanes and flying.  For some reason, it seems that every time I take to the skies, something unusual happens.  If you are new to my journey, we have had the plane that backed into the baggage cart breaking the sonar/radar antenna off (causing a ten hour delay).  There was the time I didn’t think about the clothing you wear with the new security issues – that’s all I am going to say about that.  There was the drunken passenger who would not pay attention to the flight attendant ad I was the one that almost got escorted off the plane – I wasn’t the drunken passenger.  There was the pilot texting at the cabin door upon my boarding and my almost missed flight – and that is all we are going to say about that.

I am not some world class traveller jet setting across the globe (yet) but it does seem that every flight I have been on has a story.  This trip is no different.  For days, even weeks, I have thought of the destination of this plane trip breathing in the excitement, the love, and the strength that comes from a gathering of women such as will be experienced this weekend.   The story begins at this time.  I bought tickets early with the intention of going early to visit a friend prior to the event – things shifted due to work scheduling- and I needed to change my tickets last minute.  Rather than a penalty, I was given a rather large discount (I simply said ‘thank you Universe’).  

As the timing would be, it is Mother’s Day weekend.  I talked to my mom and will see her when I return.  It is Lord Stanley Time – many that know me personally know my love of the Bolts.  We swept the series and they will not play again until I return.  The DVR takes care of the NASCAR race Saturday night – so good on that point.  What remains?  (Stick with me here)

It is also my daughter’s Senior Prom Saturday night.  We found the perfect dress.  The perfect shoes.  The love in our lives gifted us with another mom doing her hair and taking her to Sax’s for makeup appointment, another mom is providing the pre-dinner for the ‘gang’, and a bunch of girls promising to text me some pictures on Saturday night.  We are blessed. Thursday afternoon I spent it with my teenage daughter by taking her to the spa to have a manicure and pedicure (the cute little pink design matches the dress perfectly).  Life was darn near as perfect as it could be.  I was packed and ready to go be a part of the Awesome Women Hub Kick Off.

I got home to find my husband and son on their knees peering under our car trailer (this is out in the middle of a field where we keep the lawn tractors).  Curious, I went to discover the cause of the attention.  Beneath the trailer was a feral cat, we believe got hit by a car, that had found a hole to curl up into in order to die in her way.

When I finally got inside, I listened to a voice message from someone who was in the depths of her own hell, alone and she had found a hole to curl up into in order to die in her own way.

I shared this with a few very close “tribe” sisters.  I was reminded that each of us have our own ways.  They may not be the same way.  What is the next step?  The story goes on . . .

I got to the airport, still slightly in the memories of only a few hours before, only to find that my flight was over booked  (I immediately think oh here comes the “story”).  I was asked if I would  be willing to delay for a bit and take a direct flight later on (which I would have taken before except it showed being booked on the computer) and they would upgrade me to first class, give me a food voucher for breakfast, and extra reward miles.

So at 5:30 this morning I sat in a restaurant (which was very quiet – after all who on purpose goes to breakfast at the airport) thinking about the evening before seeing the signs and metaphors between many things.  A woman sat down at the table next to me  (with a vacant large seat yourself restaurant).  I truly want to sit and contemplate, dive into that “what if” game, and (as I attempted to call it) experience the emotions.  It was not spirit’s plan. The woman began to speak.  I looked up wondering if she was talking to me or one of those hide away ear phone pieces that always makes people appear to be talking to themselves.  The look held deep in her eyes told the story.  

It was shared with me this morning that as women we must be “deeply rooted in what we .women know we MUST do, MUST be, and MUST give if we want a different world for each other and our children”.   As I now am enjoying a cup of latte a few hours later, I see that nothing is by mistake, everything is in Divine Order.  

The theme of this weekend’s Awesome Women Hub Tour stop is “Fearless”.  So in the words of Claudia Carawan, “I was born to live life fully … to show up with courage even when I’m trembling inside …. I’ll follow the path of my heart and make my life a work of art … I will follow the road to adventure everywhere … Call me FEARLESS.”

Baltimore here I come … deeply rooted in being FEARLESS !!  Together we will change the world!

For more information about the Awesome Women Hub Tour, visit www.awesomewomenhub.com

A Story to Change Your Life

This story will change YOUR life.

A gripping story of a man, whose loss of his wife brings him to a stand point in life. Unable to cope, or to tell his young daughter about her mom's death the man refuses to go to the wake. However, an unlikely friend shows him a differnt path in experiencing whats known to be true and certain in his life, by diving into his own imagination. Through these "sessions" of experiencing a different world, entirely created and lived by the man himself, he finds one of life's most powerful messages.

What My Daughter Said!

Sitting around a bon fire with a few ‘girls’ gave me reason to pause and reflect on my part in the Awesome Women Hub Tour.  My companions were 17- and 18-year-olds, each one preparing to graduate and embark upon life as women.  I had expected to hear of prom dresses, graduation parties, and end of the year testing; I was stunned to hear the voices of true leaders of tomorrow. 

A loud and resounding voice came through this group: “We are not girls anymore.  We are women.  We are the leaders.”  I asked what they thought the world needed next.  As I sat and listened, some of the answers were not at all what I expected.  One intending to be a political science major shared political changes. Another who will be a medical student shared on her view points on global changes in the medical thought process. Yet another shared her views on the global economy, foreign aid, and offered deep philosophical ponderings on the global free market. 

These women asked the purpose of the Awesome Women Hub Tour.  What are we trying to accomplish by taking the Hub out to cities across the nation?  Is it just a networking event?  Or is there something deeper?  We went deeper right then and there. How do you change the world?  What needs to be changed?  Why does it need to change?  Who is going to change it?  We have the questions.  We have had the questions for a very long time.  We have all heard “Be the change you want to see in the world”.  But how do you do that?  Will it really make a difference? 

I asked these young women what they thought the “world needed next.” More specifically, I asked what they would they want to create.  Interestingly, what they came up with was “a global priority list made by and for every country.”  I asked how would you come up with that list?  “A brain quest where every country was invited to sit around a table regardless of their economic background, size, religion, or political viewpoints and all had an equal voice.”  They went on to say, “What doesn’t need to be changed? That is the real question.  So then, the next questions must be along these lines. Where do we start?  What is the priority?  They felt sure that “unless you take out the human ego by having equal voice it is near impossible to co-create the priority list. …  Then once you have the unified voice with direction, you have to have a platform to speak from …” 

The wisdom of these young women was powerful. It felt as if I was listening to a group of elders share a deeper intent and meaning – their “medicine” for the world.  “It is not just about what a single person thinks the world needs next,” they said,  “nor is it about a better way to network or make money.  It is about re-thinking how we ask the questions.  It is about discovering answers from the pieces each voice brings to the table.  Each one of us has our own intrinsic value and our unique gifts and answers.  It is when we come together as a “tribe” to speak as one that the true and unique gift of change can happen.” 

To truly hear the voices of all women, to authentically experience the unique gift of change is to be fearless in discovering what we are here for… That is what the Awesome Women Hub means to our young women. They have spoken. Now, what will we do with their wisdom?

For more information on the Awesome Women Hub Tour visit www.awesomewomenhub.com.