Yesterday was a full day. Full of emotion, gratitude and disbelief. When I woke up this morning, the sun was shining for the first time in over a week. A welcome taste of the spring that you could smell in air today. It was a great affirmation of the levity and promise that arrived yesterday morning on the cover of my other favorite sun, the 'Vancouver Sun' newspaper.
As the 'Silver Fox' was pouring me a cup of coffee,( he is a doll that way- always starts the day by making me coffee- am i spoiled or what?!) and he was also checking voice mail on his cell. He put the phone on speaker so we could both listen. It was one of dearest, dearest friends, Thomas Haas. (a celebrity in his own right- for being a Chocolate/Pastry Guru) Thomas was so elated for me and said that it was a nice way to begin his day by finding me on the cover of his morning paper.
I appreciated the call. It is touching to hear the people you love find joy in your own excitement and success. I had interpreted Thomas, 'cover' comment to mean on the cover of the section of paper he was reading at the time. I never thought that in the middle of the turmoil in Cairo (where my father in law was born) and considering that this weekend hosted the NHL- All Star Regatta, that somehow I my story would trump these.
It wasn't until I was on my way to a meeting with some of my business mentors did I stop by the local grocery store and pick up the paper. I was trying to be all casual as I picked up a paper or five, and made my way to the check out. I didn't bother looking at the cover, because it was inside that I was intrigued by. It wasn't until the gal that was ringing me through said "Hey,this isn't you is it?" I looked at her and pardoned myself, I didn't understand her question. "Here, on the front page. That is you!" I am not going to pretend to be anything but the dork I felt like in that moment. Oh my... gasp, I landed the f r e a k i n g cover! I then went completely red and began to blush. I was felt awkward and shy and immediately turned the paper over. Can you imagine? Anyone who knows me knows there is not a spotlight that has ever blinded me or that I could convince to follow me. I am not shy. I am not bashful and I do not blush. With a full day between me and that moment, I can say that it was a moment bigger than myself and I was in need of processing the moment and was unable to acknowledge it.
I got back in my car, called 'The Fox' and told him about the cover. He was as surprised as I was. I had a 15 minute drive to my meeting place. It took me that long to understand and process that this had actually happened for me. You have to understand that this little article on the cover meant something more meaningful than the exposure and success of my business. I will come back to that in bit...
The second call I made was to my girlfriend, Sue Messent. She is mentioned in the article and is the reason I am having even in the position right now.If it weren't for her like mindedness, that women should help and support other women, I would not be Oscar bound. I called her to thank her again and to pay my respect to her huge heart.
As I walked into the dining room at HCC where we were meeting, I was greeted with open arms and huge enthusiasm from my sweet publicist who was more elated than even I was. As our team of 7 all arrived and we hugged it out one at a time, we had fun with the fodder of reading the article and enjoying the moment of our excitement.
You know you are in good company when the people around you consider your success to be there own success. We sat and brunched and brainstormed ideas for one another. I have used this metaphor before, but the seven of us sitting around that table were like these amazing threads that together wove the most incredible tapestry. Everyone brings something different to the table and if even one of us were not present, the outcome would be less rich and far from complete. It is incredible to be part of a circle of women who are brilliant, powerful and at the top of the corporate ladders in their perspective fields. Giving the 'old boys club' a run for their money. LOVE IT! I would like to see one of those 'old boys' strap on a pair of 3 inch heels, a pinstripe pencil skirt suit and rock out a presentation the way these women do. These ladies have brains, elegance AND balls of steel. I LOVE it!
After the meeting I headed home and was greeted by the founding members of my fan club. We all had fun going through the paper and the kids loved to see Mommy in there. I had my phone off for the morning, and didn't even think to check my email or Facebook up until that point. (again, totally unlike me) I was so overwhelmed by the emails, the texts, the FB messages and comments. The twitter tweets were amazing and the Linkin messages were huge. I had more friend requests, website inquiries, blog hits and new jewelry orders than I could deal with in one sitting. My website hit over 1300 new visitors yesterday over double new visitors in a day than it had ever seen before. Wow. Just amazing. Totally humbling.
I still have not returned the phone calls or emails. I am still too overwhelmed to articulate my gratitude to everyone who has come out of the wood work to support me and to cheer me on. I am still feeling so humbled by all of this. I know there are other local women designers who are enjoying the same sort of Oscar excitement right now, and I am proud of them and excited to be sharing this parallel journey with them;however, I am still in awe that despite the similar journeys we are on, it was my publicist Gillian Behnke that orchestrated my story to the cover of the Vancouver Sun. Thank you Gillian. My heart is projecting light & love right into yours.
The interview itself translated into what I deem to be a great article. One of my bff's 'the writer' is a principal at www.thoughtshop.ca. She gave me critical advice prior to my interview and I followed it to the letter. She told me to pick three points you want to make and to stick to them, and convey them at all costs. So, I went into that interview with three key points that were important to me that I wanted the public to know.
1. I wanted to thank Sue Messent. www.tres-femme@blogspot.com If it weren't for her love and kindness I would not be living this moment in this way. I needed to convey that women helping women is a beautiful thing, and she embodies this beauty.
2. I wanted to make people aware that while this is a great business opportunity to be involved with the Oscars, you 'pay to play'. I had so many people asking how much I would be making off of this. It occurred to me that most people think that this is an honour that comes with a nice payday. I wanted to debunk the myth and to reveal the little man behind the curtain ala Wizard of Oz. No, no... you are the one who pays and if it is a worthy endevour then you make the educated business decision to invest accordingly.
3. I wanted to reveal why my jewelry is different than many other similar jewelry designers around. My jewelry stands apart because for one thing. I buy my materials in Canada. My jewelry is designed, created by hand in Canada, rather than being done so off shore. The key difference though is that I bless all of the stones I work with. I steep them in love and intention for the wearer to benefit from.
I was so grateful and relieved that the article began with thanking Sue in the first sentence, and closed with the fact that I meditate with the stones I work with. To me, that is huge beautiful value.
So in closing. Thank you all for the love & light. While I was busy living my best life, I forgot to dream this dream. I forgot to dream this part of the journey. I am just so glad that I woke up and took the reigns before this one got away from me.
love & light,
t.
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