Life is just ducky, (Darla Ducky that is.)
Yes, Darla Duck has driven home with me from my Ellevate Networking meeting. It’s a true honor to have Darla as my constant companion for the next month.
Let me tell you how this came to be and why Darla is so special. I received an email regarding the topic for our monthly meeting stating that during our introductions (30 second messages), in honor of Women’s History Month, we were encourage to share about a woman who inspired us. This got me thinking.
I spent quite a bit of time reflecting on women who have made a significant difference in my life. I started with women in my family…my mother who stayed home and raised four successful children, my daughter who is a stay at home mom with Irish twins and a business of her own, and my spunky little Nana who was a shift supervisor for a major soap manufacturer in a time when women weren’t typically in management.
Then I started thinking about women I’ve met through different times in my life, my friend’s moms, teachers, co-workers, women in my network, and women in my mastermind. Women who have written inspirational books and articles that have impacted my life and women who have created organizations that have supported me on my journey.
I realize there have been some amazing women who have supported me on my journey, but there is one particular woman that really stands out for me, she changed my life forever and I will always be grateful. Even now when I tell the story I get very emotional.
It was at an event I didn’t even want to go that I first met Petra Kolber. I signed up reluctantly at the very last minute but something compelled me to do so. I drug my feet getting there (I just had to get my nails done first), and I sat at the very back of the room contemplating how I could sneak out early without anyone noticing.
When Petra finally took the stage her presence made me lean in. Her energy, her smile, and her story made me want to hear more. She engaged the audience in a way I had never experienced before. She got us up and moving, she made us breath deep and soak in all that she was sharing.
At the end of her talk she shared a poem that changed my life forever. By the time she was done reading it, I was a changed woman, a new person, a person I had no longer recognized but felt confident I was who I was meant to be. I had left the old me behind. I had “let go” and in that process I found myself filled with joy and overflowing with tears and relief.
As I shared this experience with the women at the Ellevate meeting, I was moved to tears once again recalling this experience. That is how I was blessed to receive Darla Duck as my companion this month. Darla is a gift to be passed to someone who shares with vulnerability, emotion, and heart, someone who contributes to our group in a significant way.
Yesterday was the first time I had met Darla, receiving her made the moment that much sweeter. Recalling all the amazing women I hold fondly in my memory was an unexpected delight I will cherish every time I look at her. The women of the Ellevate Network Philadelphia Chapter are among those cherished women who inspire me and I am grateful to have Darla Duck as a reminder all of them.
I am blessed by the women I’ve met through Ellevate Network and I encourage you to find a unique tribe of women who will support and lift you on your journey. To learn more about Ellevate and find a meeting in your area, visit https://www.ellevatenetwork.com/invite?r=39429-Laura-invite (Full disclosure… I receive a small fee for referring amazing women like you who decide to join Ellevate.)
If you avoid networking events because you don’t feel comfortable answering the question “So, what do you do?” or giving your 30 second commercial, at 30 Second Success we can help with that. Let us craft a message you can deliver with confidence and and make connections that will grow your business. Schedule a call today!
And here’s the poem Petra read that day (Did you think I would leave you hanging? Really?)
‘She Let Go’ a Poem by Rev. Safire Rose
She let go. Without a thought or a word, she let go.
She let go of the fear. She let go of the judgments. She let go of the confluence of opinions swarming around her head. She let go of the committee of indecision within her. She let go of all the ‘right’ reasons. Wholly and completely, without hesitation or worry, she just let go.
She didn’t ask anyone for advice. She didn’t read a book on how to let go. She didn’t search the scriptures. She just let go. She let go of all of the memories that held her back. She let go of all of the anxiety that kept her from moving forward. She let go of the planning and all of the calculations about how to do it just right.
She didn’t promise to let go. She didn’t journal about it. She didn’t write the projected date in her Day-Timer. She made no public announcement and put no ad in the paper. She didn’t check the weather report or read her daily horoscope. She just let go.
She didn’t analyze whether she should let go. She didn’t call her friends to discuss the matter. She didn’t do a five-step Spiritual Mind Treatment. She didn’t call the prayer line. She didn’t utter one word. She just let go.
No one was around when it happened. There was no applause or congratulations. No one thanked her or praised her. No one noticed a thing. Like a leaf falling from a tree, she just let go.
There was no effort. There was no struggle. It wasn’t good and it wasn’t bad. It was what it was, and it is just that.
In the space of letting go, she let it all be. A small smile came over her face. A light breeze blew through her. And the sun and the moon shone forevermore.
