Verity - Home

I'm a geek...

2012-02-02T16:42:00Z

Okay, I'll admit it. I'm a geek. I get excited when I read the net story on BBC News about a comet that just missed the earth by 50,000 km yesterday – yes, I said it – kilometers – and... I said it again - YESTERDAY.

Or what about the smallest amphibian recently discovered in Papua New Guinea? A frog! Smaller than the size of a a US dime! Can you imagine the skeletal structure of such a creature?

Then we read articles about new telescopes sent into space that surpass our own Hubble and the images that come back are beyond one's scope of the reality of what lies beyond our humble solar system.

Again, I'm a geek.

Or am I?

I don't dress, or act like a geek...nor do I commit my life to space exploration and knowing who is this year's winner of the Nobel prize. These topics simply intrigue me. Hold that thought...they more than intrigue me - they reel me in.

It is a fact that there are more stars in our universe than there are grains of sand on our earth; is this even fathomable? And to each star, there is a solar system in which other planets circle their mother star.

So that leads to the burning question.

Are we alone?

I'd roll my eyes too, to whomever else that would have written this blog.

But the fact is, I wrote this blog. And I believe that our universe is so large and vast – inescapable to words that to fathom that we are alone is childish. Narcissistic, I'd even say. Yet at this point in time we have no other option really to think that we are.

So let's continue on with the structure that our ancestors, and since, have built to what we know as society and daily life to allow us to get to this point in our existence, where we are privileged enough to be able to ponder our own existence and what we are to make of ourselves.

As the Balinese say: Sin-Ken-Ken, my friend.

Why I <3 the Internet

2012-01-30T19:23:00Z

Or I Need to Know the Proper Order of Biological Classification, STAT!

I’m sure you can relate: you’re out for a beer with friends and someone asks The Question, and suddenly the tone of conversation has gone from friendly conversational to the most intense argument ever. So intense that spectators in the bar now believe they are witnessing a verbal reenactment of storming the beaches at Normandy...but with more swearing. Any question can spark this moment, but for it to be The Question it has to have these hallmarks:

It has to be slightly obscure knowledge. It can’t be a common topic or a general truth.
One person is certain they know the answer and another person disagrees. This is the point when “the question” becomes “The Question.” Nothing can spark a more visceral response then telling a smart person they are wrong. It will get ugly and personal. It can only be made worse if there is geek cred on the line as well as being smart, this escalates the argument to why are we fighting about the proper use of a semi-colon status.
Someone has to be emotionally attached to the subject.
Someone has to be stubborn as all heck. Not the usual kind of stubborn that can be won over by a clear and concise debate after bringing out flowcharts and citing academic journal articles. No, this needs to be Harry Truman-Mt St Helens-is-not-going-to-erupt-you-can’t-make-me-leave-I-have-cats-and-whiskey-and-I’m-not-leaving-despite-the-geologist-saying-it’s-gonna-blow-any-day-now stubborn. That is stubborn that would rather be killed in a volcanic blast then admit someone else is right.
It cannot be confirmed right that second by an expert or trusted source.

If The Question is left unresolved it will haunt an entire night’s conversation going forward. No one can even get close to the topic with out sparking another debate. If your friends are outgoing they have by now included half the bar in this fight. This is why I love smart phones. The magical equation of: cellphone + web access = we can finally stop fighting about this and move on to a more interesting topic like trying to remember all the words to the Reading Rainbow theme song. This equation is up there with invention of the wheel in my mind.

The last time this came up was a disagreement about the proper order of biological classification. It started off innocently enough with some friends and I trying to remember the proper order (FYI it is: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species.). Now I am not going to claim that I remembered the whole list from memory, last time I thought about classifications I was in high school. And to our credit we got most of them through the power of group memory. What became the point of contention was if Family came before Class. I would love to claim I said that it did…but that would be lying. I will also admit that I was the "stubborn as all get out" person in this dynamic. This was heading to epic level when another friend decided this topic was not worth the hurt feelings and being revisited every 20 minutes and pulled out their phone. Within minutes we had the proper order and the argument was put to bed and I reluctantly agreed I was wrong (I hate doing that). It was then that I got hit by a sudden wave of loving this era we are living in, and how magical technology is.

Too many people shy away from technology in my opinion; and they worry that search engines like Google, mobile devices, and the internet are having a negative impact on personal relationships and intelligence. I disagree with that view point. I feel this story shows the positive impact mobile devices can have. Sure they can be distracting, and yes I have witnessed a whole table of people (me included) checking phones and facebook while out. But I stand by that advancements in technology should be embraced with fluffy love feelings instead of mistrust and suspicion. I love living in a world where you can confirm the proper order of biological classification at a bar at nine o’clock at night on a Thursday. To me that is magical.

Maybe

2012-01-28T06:39:00Z

I took my kids to the dentist the other day. Things didn't go quite as I had planned.... "Once upon a time there was a farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit. “Such bad luck,” they said sympathetically.

“Maybe,” the farmer replied.

The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. “How wonderful,” the neighbors exclaimed.

“Maybe,” replied the old man.

The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune.

“Maybe,” answered the farmer.

The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son’s leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out.

“Maybe,” said the farmer.

--Adapted from "The 10 Very Best Zen Stories" on AwakeBlogger

I took my kids to the dentist the other day. Normally these visits are very short and go very well. This time, however, things didn't go quite as I had planned.

Turns out, BOTH of my kids have cavities on their baby teeth.

I felt blindsided. I never had any cavities growing up. I never flossed and I brushed my teeth only very irregularly as I remember. I don't know if I was just lucky or if X-ray equipment has gotten a lot better, but I always just assumed my kids would be the same. Yuck!

I went through the usual stages of parental bad news:

Denial - No! This can't be happening. All those nights of haranguing the kids to brush their teeth and this is what I get?

Guilt - Oh my gosh! WHY didn't I make them brush AND floss twice a day?

Shame - The dentist must think I am a terrible parent. Can she report me to CPS for not forcing them to floss? (I know I should, but it's all I can do to get them to brush. I just can't bear the fight over flossing too.)

Acceptance - Okay. What's it gonna cost and how soon can we get it done?

It wasn't until we got home from the dentist and I was walking into the house that I saw the silver lining on this dark cloud of plaque.

Maybe getting a filling on their baby teeth - the sharp needle full of Novocaine, the weird sensation of not being able to feel your mouth, the uncomfortable feeling of a drill boring a hole in your tooth, and the residual pain of the procedure - will be all the incentive they need to do anything they can to avoid another cavity.

Maybe I'll may never have to say, "BRUSH YOUR TEETH OR NO TREATS TOMORROW!" again.

Maybe they will take charge of their own dental hygiene from now on.

Maybe.

Having Faith

2012-01-25T23:09:00Z

Everything will be okay in the end. And if it's not okay, it's not the end.

Faith and religion are two very different things. I’m not always sure that I would consider myself religious – to me, the word religion conjures up images of awe-inspiring cathedrals, rituals rooted in tradition, formal clothes, and the sound of many different voices coming together in song. Though I appreciate the idea of religion, enjoy it from time to time in the company of loved ones, and understand the comfort that it brings to people, it’s not the right thing for me.

But faith is a different matter entirely.

It’s strange. I struggle to see how anyone lives their life without any sense of faith. We enter every day blindly. We may have some expectations or an idea of what may come our way, but we’re all experiencing our lives with an element of faith. Faith that we’ll get through the day more or less in one piece. Faith that the sun will rise and set, that the Earth will keep spinning, that we’ll all get another day older together.

And it even seems that people will put their faith in having a bad day. They have faith that the world will throw them a dozen curveballs, that they’ll have to dodge falling pianos and black cats crossing their paths. It’s cool. We are all entitled to believe what we want!

I wish we could all find great comfort in believing that we’re living the best life for ourselves. In that way, the choices we make will take us further in that direction, and the things that are beyond our control will simply be somehow contributing to a brighter future.

I have several friends under extreme stress – from financial worries, to unsupportive job conditions, to a general discontentment in life. And I want to write this to them, to let them know that even though it seems like one disappointment after another keeps coming, the fact that they keep getting up each morning and doing their best will make them stronger in the long run. That though it’s impossible to know for certain, I want them to have faith that the world will get better, that their lives will get better, that their situations will improve.

Often, life doesn’t go as planned. But if we look at what we have, and find a way to celebrate whatever joys we can find – then that makes the darkest days brighter, and can help us learn to trust in something bigger than us.

As my friend Lisa likes to remind me: “Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.”

I have faith in that.

Seattle Takes Sundance by Storm

2012-01-25T22:45:00Z

Since my husband works in the film industry, I’ve been able to attend the Sundance Film Festival in Park City Utah for the past two years.

Last year, a Seattle film that he worked on called The Off Hours premiered, as did another Seattle filmed called The Details which made headlines when Harvey Weinstein paid a record breaking $10 million for it

This year, my husband, who is a location scout and manager, worked on a film called Safety Not Guaranteed It premiered this weekend to a packed house. The crowd loved it and the reviews the next day were positively glowing

Also showing, by special invitation, was Your Sister’s Sister We had tickets to the Friday morning show, but alas, the Mega Storm of 2012 delayed our travels. However, a group of film makers that were with us at the airport, bravely rented a van and drove the 17 hours to make it to the showing just in time.

I wish I could bottle up the excitement and bring it back to all of you. Seattle is so well respected in the international film community. We’ve got a tremendous amount of talent, coupled with breathtaking scenery, and really hard working folks. I was really proud of Seattle this week.

Jumping through hoops ...

2012-01-23T21:17:00Z

Looking for 'JumpSnap,' a revolutionary way to burn 600 calories in just 30 minutes!

I watched the daytime TV show, The Doctors, when the oh, so handsome Dr. Travis introduced me (& I suppose everyone else who was also watching) to JumpSnap. Dr. Oz also highly recommends it.

What is JumpSnap? Well, it's a "rope-less" jump rope system. You can use it anywhere, even take it on vacation. It is weight adjustable, and has an onboard computer that tracks your number of jumps and calories burned. Speaking of calories, it says you can burn 1,200 in an hour! That's an entire day's worth of calories for some people! Plus, it engages all major muscle groups at the same time. So, you lose weight and fat. They even sell a pink version for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

The problem is that I can't get one for myself ... Their website says it's out of stock due to the response from The Doctors TV show. I have tried finding it elsewhere, but no luck. But, I remain hopeful that I'll soon be the proud owner of JumpSnap.

Hey ...PSST ... I said PSST.....

2012-01-18T22:16:00Z

What a day. We all had PSST, Puget Sound Snow Today. Some Verity-ites (my way of saying "Verity employees") stayed home due to challenging and dangerous road conditions (including yours truly). As I was listening to the local news channels' ad nauseum coverage of weather conditions, I wondered what some of my friends were doing. Here's what I found out:

My brother was trying to determine how in the world is he going to make it to work tomorrow ...... he lives in an extremely hilly area

My brother's fianace was reminding him that he had to get to work because they have a wedding to pay for .......just kiddin' ...... i added this one for humorous effect .... or is at "affect"?

One of my bestest buddies lives on a lake. He was enjoying the snowy lakeside view from his balcony as he savored a big 'ol stogie

My godson and his mom were encouraging dad/hubby to shovel the driveway

My cousin was in the middle of watching 2 of 4 movies ...... yep, he's a movie junkie

One of my girlfriend's was ensuring her husband arrived at work by 1pm ...... she was so looking forward to enjoying a few hours of "me" time

My neighbor and her son went sledding ....... sounds fun ..... too bad they weren't properly dressed ...... they were FREEZING cold upon their return home.

What did you and your friends/family do?.

Hope you had a great PSST day!

Until next time, V2

friggatriskaphobia, etc.

2012-01-13T18:10:00Z

Do you have friggatriskaphobia?

How about paraskevidekatriaphobia?

Perhaps you suffer from triskaidekaphobia?

Do you have any idea what those crazy words mean?

Well, it’s Friday the 13th. And if you suffer from any of those symptoms, today is not your day. There is some research out there that says more people stay home on days like today than other days, due to this fear of the 13th falling on a Friday. And many hotels with more than 13 floors skip the thirteenth. People don’t want to stay on the 13th floor. And people don’t like 13th Avenue. Or parking stalls that are the 13th. And of course there’s the movie franchise with the same name, which seems to often release an endless stream of gore and horror on Halloween or a Friday the 13th.

What’s really interesting, though, is that, according to some sources, there was no written evidence before the 19th century that anyone was afraid of Friday the 13th. It seems to have just popped into existence. Someone somewhere decided that so many things had happened on the 13th, and on a Friday, that there must be something to it. And thus, everyone looks back through history looking for convergences of Fridays, 13ths, and bad things.

However, the popularity of Thirteen Clubs in the late 1800’s enjoyed 13 people to gather for dinner on Friday the 13th in the 13th room of whatever establishment they were at. Nothing ever happened to any of these people.

What does any of this mean? Well, it depends on how superstitious you are. I, personally, love Friday the 13th, which is why I claimed this day to write a blog post. In fact, I’m so fascinated by this date, that in doing a bit of research, I found that people are already trying to see what will happen on future Friday the 13ths.

One of the coolest: The Asteroid 99942 Apophis (Stargate reference, anyone?) will come closer to Earth than the orbits of communication satellites on Friday, April 13th, 2029. It won’t hit us. But it’ll look really pretty. Of course, we might not be around if the world ends when the Mayans say it will at the end of the year. We’ll see.

But it all comes back to this: we all have fears, and we sometimes don’t know where they come from. I’ve been talking to people in my extended family, my friends, casual acquaintances, and they’re still skeptical of credit unions, which have been around as long as friggatriskaphobia and paraskevidekatriaphobia. People still think we’re not insured, that we aren’t a real financial institution, and we don’t offer all the services the ‘other guys’ offer. Which isn’t true. And it isn’t true that all bad things happen on Friday the 13th. You can find patterns anywhere if you look hard enough, but if you want to be smart about your money, you should at least give Verity a chance. Think about it. Pass it along. All we can do to buck the trend of people being skeptical of credit unions is to continue talking about it. Every day. All the time. Because, after three months, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else than Verity.

So, spread the word and enjoy this wonderful, sunny, chilly, Friday the 13th. I’m going to buy some lottery tickets on the way home, just in case. Who knows, it might be my lucky day.

What's Your Word?

2012-01-11T20:07:00Z

"I will not die an unlived life. I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire. I choose to inhabit my days, to allow my living to open me, to make me less afraid, more accessible; to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise. I choose to risk my significance, to live so that which came to me as seed goes to the next as blossom, and that which came to me as blossom, goes on as fruit. --Dawna Markova a three-time Cancer survivor When the kids went back to school on Jan 2nd a fellow parent asked me what my resolutions for the new year were and I realized that – for the first time in as long as I can remember – I hadn't actually made any.

Not only had I not made any, it hadn't even crossed my mind to make any.

I couldn't decide if that was a good sign – Am I accepting myself as I am? - or a bad one – Have I gotten so complacent or wrapped up in parenting my kids that I can't even be bothered to resolve something for myself?

I have decided to go with “good sign,” and instead of making a resolution to change something about myself or to give something up, I am going to choose a word – just one word – that signifies what I want this year to be about.

This idea came from a service I have attended over the past few years at Seattle Unity Church. Each January, Unity hosts the White Stone Ceremony in which participants enter into a meditation in order to choose their word for the year.

After dropping the kids off that day, I went home and sat in silence for a few minutes, waiting to see what word would appear in my mind. The word that showed up was OPEN.

As in, I want to be more OPEN to possibilities. For my day, my year, my life.

I want to try less to control what happens in my life and be more OPEN to what is happening.

I want to be more OPEN to all the experiences of life. To the pain and the sorrow, to the joy and the bliss, to the ordinary and the mundane.

I want to be more OPEN to the people around me. Listen more, speak less, judge less. Let it be okay; whatever “it” is.

OPEN feels like a field of wonder and possibility and isn't that what a new year is all about?

What's your word?

Whatever it is, I hope your new year is filled with lots of it. Happy New Year to you!

Resolving to Change

2012-01-09T22:14:00Z

There are many different ways we can resolve to change. How do you find success in making changes in your life? I used to never make resolutions - much like Melina shared in her post, it seemed like when there was something I wanted to change, there was no time like the present. But over the past few years, I've found the resolution process has evolved for me... though my goals may not be S.M.A.R.T. goals, they instead serve as guidelines for my year.

For instance, one year I decided to strive to create intimacy over distance. As the year progressed, I looked for the ways that I could build bridges with the people I encountered. I found myself evaluating my approach to life, and making more choices to bond with my friends and family, and began overcoming my shyness to have more meaningful conversations with strangers. A few years on, it's become a habit and an often unconscious choice. There are still times when I sense a growing distance between myself and others, and I take that as a sign to evaluate if I've been maintaining that goal.

This year, I have three areas of focus. The first is to love every moment. This has been my personal mission statement since a 7 Habits of Highly Effective People class in early 2010. It is both a reminder to be in the moment as well as a reminder to love. Last year had a lot of positives professionally but was an extremely challenging time personally. Which meant that a lot of the time I was either worrying about the future or finding my thoughts stuck in the past... and it was hard to put my focus on the present. Though I still felt like I was loving in the moment, I wasn't seeking to love each moment that I faced. Making this my primary resolution will help me to remember that each moment offers its own truth, and that if I focus on being in the moment and loving it, I will feel more at peace.

Which brings me to my second resolution - to live well. This encompasses some of the standard resolutions - to exercise more, or to eat healthier - but also reminds me that it is okay to engage in the occasional indulgence. If I'm too strict with myself, I'll undoubtedly throw my hands up in frustration, and it'll be some time before I reconsider what it was I hoped to accomplish. So, I won't be hard on myself if I skip my workout every once in a while, or if I have a rich dessert while out with friends... but it helps me remember that making indulgences part of my routine instead of an exception to my routine will hamper my ability to live the life I want. This also means putting more thought to what it means for me to live well financially. Over the past several months, I've been making it a habit to save money, while allowing myself to spend in the expenses I budgeted for. This has helped to change my relationship to money, and I'm putting more thought to the best value I get for my dollars. There's a lot of value in saving for the future (investing in my ability to make choices down the road), but I also need to remember that it's okay to be more generous in my entertainment budget - for I value creating memories with my friends in the present.

Lastly - I'm working on cleaning as I go. Yeah, a little different from my first two... but one that is admittedly necessary for me. I'm in and out of my house a lot, and if I put off washing my dinner dishes, or leave my dirty clothes on the floor, my small apartment can look messy in a matter of days. And the messier it looks, the easier it is to procrastinate (even though it only gets worse! Auugh!). Now when I find "extra" time while my dinner is baking or simmering, I do a quick patrol through my house to look for things I can attend to. The more I break it down into smaller actions, the easier it is to remain motivated in (and achieve!) my goal.

So for me, resolutions serve as good big picture reminders for the smaller changes that I can make throughout the year. This allows me to achieve the most success in making lasting, positive changes in my life. Do you find resolutions help you to make changes? Are your resolutions big picture like mine, or do you find success with S.M.A.R.T. goals that break it down? I'm always interested to hear what works well for others!

Money Conference .... Last Call

2012-01-06T20:15:00Z

The Money Wi$e Women conference quickly approaches. Saturday, January 14th from 9am - 4pm at North Seattle Community College.

The Money Wi$e Women conference quickly approaches. Saturday, January 14th from 9am - 4pm at North Seattle Community College. We are coming up on the last few days to register for half price. Contact me by January 12th at 206.361.5398 or vivianv@veritycu.com to find out how you can attend for $19.50 instead of $39.

The registration fee includes lunch, a copy of "The Money Therapist: A Woman's Guide to Creating a Healthy Financial Life" (compliments of Verity) and presentations on conference topics such as:

Weathering Financial Storms
Goal Setting for Financial Success & Prosperity
Retirement: Are you ready?
Wills & Estate Planning
A Woman's Guide to Investing
Cash Flow & Budgeting
Organizing Financial Records
Demistify Your Credit Report & Score
Investing 102

Make it a happy financial new year ........ register for the Money Wi$e Women conference today!

Until next time, V2

Happy New Year!

2012-01-04T22:37:00Z

I have never been one to write "formal" resolutions at the New Year. Actually, I can't remember the last time I actually made a resolution. While thinking about this blog post, I began to wonder if this is a good or bad thing.

Because it is my habit, I am going to argue why it is good. :) However, if you think differently, please let me know.

Here are my top reasons this is good:

I make "resolutions" all year round: I don't have a reason to procrastinate on weight loss, exercising, or other positive life changes until the first of the year. For example, I decided in November that I am going to do at least one triathlon in 2012 and started training/eating better then. That is an extra two months of progress toward my goal.

I don't get discouraged: People often make huge resolutions and break them quickly, causing them to feel bad and reduce their self-esteem. Making positive life decisions year round means there is less stress over a slip up (they do happen). I can just keep going because it was a decision I made for me - not just because it is the time of year I "should" pledge to make positive change.

In short, I believe in making positive changes in your life whenever you think of them. No need to procrastinate or have the unnecessary pressure (and fakeness) of making resolutions just because the calendar has changed.

What are your thoughts? Are you an avid resolution maker and want to refute my claims? I want to hear it.

Be Interested

2011-12-30T23:18:00Z

I want to have the great viewpoint of seeing how life unfolds all around me, of getting to hear how days play out for people around me, of experiencing the jumps and sways and twirls involved with moving forward.

Life is fascinating. It can make you want to crinkle up your face in confusion or face palm yourself in exasperation. And then, just like that something happens that makes you involuntarily clap your hands out of glee or causes your mouth to unconsciously swing open in surprise. I don’t want to dismiss life. I want to celebrate it. I will cry and mourn when life is lost, and I will laugh and dance when I am surrounded by life. Because what else is there to do?

Have you ever been to a fair and seen a child holding hands with her dad and in her other hand she’s grasping the string tied to a balloon? She’s practically skipping and jumping as they walk because there is just so much boundless energy in her little body, but she still holds on to her dad’s hand because she trusts him as he guides them through the crowds. And he’s laughing and smiling at her cheeky grins and her excited pointing of this and that. And that balloon is bopping along with every squeal and silly face exchanged between the two of them.

I want my heart to be full and wonderfully light…just like that bopping balloon. I want to have the great viewpoint of seeing how life unfolds all around me, of getting to hear how days play out for people around me, of experiencing the jumps and sways and twirls involved with moving forward.

”There is no such thing on earth as an uninteresting subject; the only thing that can exist is an uninterested person.” [G.K. Chesterton]

Isn’t that a neat quote? I find it wonderfully though-provoking: is life boring to you or are you boring life? Since I really don’t want to be an uninterested person and in the tradition of resolutions, I’ve decided to combine my zeal for food with my insatiable appetite for relationships so that I can better love life and love life with others.

There’s a great Lao saying (kin kao pu diao bo saep) that roughly translates into English as meaning “eating by yourself is not tasty.”

Loving life is contagious because it makes those around you more passionate about what’s important, which for me happens to be delicious meals shared in good company. I challenge you to put an effort into making each day beautiful and seeing each moment as something worthy to relish. What’s your resolution for celebrating a fascinating life?

A Resolution Re-Cycled

2011-12-28T22:39:00Z

Looking back through some blog archives – I came across this post I published in January of 2006. It was titled “My 2006 Resolution – To Be A Unicyclist”

On January 3, as I drove past our local grade school on my way to work, I saw a little girl on a unicycle.

She was about seven years old and she was clearly riding her unicycle to school. My god did that put a smile on my face! I laughed out loud – the kind of laugh you do when you see something you really like.

All the way to work I thought of that little second grader, riding her unicycle to school. I thought of her on the way home too. I hoped that I would see her again.

I want to be like that. I want to be unique and brave and energetic. I want to do things for Verity that are spunky. I want to do things in my personal life that are memorable.

Before 8 am on Tuesday morning, I was thinking about resolutions that had to do with budgets and diets and answering emails quickly. Now I’m all about the spunk. How the heck that will manifest into action, I have no idea. Stay tuned though.

2011 Update:

Well, Verity did do a few unique and brave things: We hired a Verity Mom spokesperson. Rosemary Garner blogged about mammograms and yoga retreats. She produced commercials staring Nancy Guppy and music from Chris Ballew (of Casper Babypants). Now Danielle Gahl is taking us with her to watch Twilight and eat healthy waffles. We launched mobile banking long before many of our competitors. We continue to be recognized around the country as innovators in our industry.

I’ve done a few things in my personal life that could be considered memorable. I published a book, through St. Martin’s Press, called Motherhood is the New MBA: Using Your Parenting Skills to be a Better Boss Through that I got to be on Martha Stewart’s radio program and in her magazine. I visited several cities on my book tour and met all sorts of great people. I sat on Filene’s i3 team which was a career highlight. I had my third daughter.

I’m glad I found this old resolution . It’s a good one to dust off from time to time. I like the message. I still want to be that unique, brave, energetic person and employee that I imagined five years ago. This is a good reminder.

What is your new year’s resolution?

Enough

2011-12-23T21:01:00Z

"A word I've come across a lot during the years is 'abundance'. Self-help books encourage us to welcome abundance into our lives. If we think abundant thoughts then abundance will automatically grace us.

The dictionary tells me that abundance is, 'an extremely plentiful or oversufficient quantity or supply.' In these difficult financial times, is it realistic to expect abundance? Do we really need an 'oversufficient quantity'?

I'm coming to feel pretty fond of the word 'enough'. Enough is saving the washing up water and putting it on the roses. It's appreciating every melting moment of a square of bitter chocolate...It's having a terrible morning and then noticing those red berries on a walk to the post-box. Those red berries!"
--Fiona Robyn

Another quote (the first one is here) from one of my favorite bloggers, Fiona Robyn. This one feels like something I have wanted to say for YEARS, but have never found just the right way to say it. Fiona did and I am grateful.

Especially right now as I contemplate Christmas and all the gifts I still have to? Need to? Want to buy? It makes me wonder.....what is "enough"?

Is it enough to get my kids a few books? Or do they need the latest gaming system? Is it enough to get my friends a nice card? Or do I need to get them "a little something" to go with it? What is necessary? What is expected? What is "enough"?

As I wandered around the mall briefly the other day I was overwhelmed by all the “stuff” that was available for purchase. IPods and iPads, flat-screen TVs and gaming systems, puzzles and calendars and games, oh my!

When you're in it, it's hard not to see it as desirable - or even necessary - but when I take a step back I realize that neither I nor my kids nor my husband nor most of my friends and relatives really NEEDS anything. We have everything we need. We have food. We have clothes. We have roofs over our heads and shoes for our feet. We have books and games and amusements galore. We have "enough."

So what do you get for the person (people) who already has "enough?"

I tried to strike a balance this year between making dreams come true and letting enough be enough. I hope I did all right.

Still, this quote has sparked a fantasy in me. A fantasy to do a full-on "no gifts" Christmas sometime. Just holiday cheer, appreciation and gratitude for what we already have. Maybe a nice meal together. I think that would be "enough" for me.