Nostalgia in New York

I visited New York for the first time since I moved away 6 years ago.  Our first stop upon arrival was a drive in NYC for what else?  A pretzel!

Our next stop?  Our hometown of Valley Stream.  We stopped at the home we owned before moving to NC and each of our childhood homes.  We also had to have my favorite pizza, an individual Grandma’s pizza at Ancona on Rockaway Ave.  We walked up and down the avenue looking for familiar sites and of course we had to stop for my all time favorite homemade rice pudding at Mitchell’s.

We also took a walk around Hendrickson Park, a place I spent so much of my childhood and teenage years.  Here is the bench I used to sit on as I contemplated whatever was going on in my life at the time, my place to think and journal.

We drove all around Long Island visiting with members of our extended families and were also able to see some friends we had not seen in a long time.  There is nothing like my aunt’s cooking!!  Here is a sample of what we enjoyed – eggplant parmesean and rice balls.

What a wonderful trip down memory lane.

Why I Started Painting Again

This month, my article focused on understanding what we want out of life and why we want it, so I thought I would share one of mine….

Several years ago I knew an important want in my life was to start painting again.  I wanted art, painting, creativity to once again become an integral part of my life.  How did that look?  At first my thoughts were to take classes, buy supplies, have a subject to paint, have a space in my home to paint with all materials at the ready

I knew what I wanted to create and the actions to make it happen.  The anchor to get me moving – was why.

For me the why is value of beauty, capturing nature, colors.  It is the need for expression of emotion and creativity.  It serves as a stress reliever for when in the flow I am calmer, more present, in another space entirely.

Do I paint every day?  No I don’t, but I have everything at the ready when inspiration or need for expression surfaces.

Get noticed, known and connected

Last night I delivered a seminar called “Get noticed, known and connected” to the Raleigh Jaycees.  This topic can take many directions, we included points from my handout and specific questions and challenges of the group. Through our lively discussion, here is some of what was shared:

  • The importance of clarifying who you are known as – or how you would like to be known.
  • Learning who to reach out to in order to further your career in your current organization, recruit new members for a professional organization, search for new career opportunities
  • Defining your image, both personal style and how you present yourself through social media
  • Where to meet people to create new connections
  • How to start a conversation with someone at a networking event
  • How to approach someone for an informational interview
I love delivering seminars on topics such as these because each time it is different based on the audience’s questions and needs!