Tag: goodbye

Farewell to Who I Thought I Was

· 23 Comments ·

It’s Saturday morning in the first week of October and my home is so still and quiet, one could hear my stomach grumble.

I’m supposed to be attending a Jack Canfield, Breakthrough to Success weekend workshop. I was invited by someone who doesn’t know me very well, but sees me as motivated. Friday was the first day I attended, but it reminded me of a Richard Simmons workout, as the spokesman was trying to get the audience pumped up and motivated before Jack appeared.

It was a revelation that my nervous system couldn’t handle the energy of the environment created by the motivational speaker, but 20 years ago I thought I wanted to be him. Now I realize you can make an impact quietly.

Friday, I met a friend for coffee and on the drive over I asked myself if there were any problems in my life that needed to be resolved. The only thing that came to mind was that morning catching the dog with his head in the litter box, eating cat poop. He knew that was not acceptable as soon as he was caught, so that problem had passed. I shared this with my friend and we had a hearty laugh.

Finding people to love and to be loved is connecting with the chosen few who align with your kind of weirdness.

I’m making shifts, creating space, and purchased a book of blank pages to write the next chapter. I’m officially letting go of Letitgocoach, but continue to write. Letitgocoach became a name that others knew me by, but there’s no desire to fill those shoes. It was something I had to prove to myself that I could get certified and did, only to place another check mark on the ‘done’ list.

When I talk with people in my life today, they say, “Tell me about Barb’s world”, and I smile. I’ve been writing on that WordPress site, but want to share with you…I’m letting go of who I was thought to be, and to simply be. Thank you for your love and kind words of support through the years.

You are welcome to join me Inbarbsworld.

The Next Chapter

Small Town Big Dreams

· Leave a comment ·

When my daughter and I first moved to our little home on 40 acres, we had no clue what to expect. Driving into town, we found a restaurant that looked welcoming. It was in the quaint part of downtown and it just looked comforting. That restaurant was instrumental in getting us through the ‘not knowing’ phase of our new adventure.

maxinesSunday’s was our favorite day to go. My daughter was in Nashville for the weekend, so I went in alone yesterday morning. They have a fabulous breakfast that is served all day on Sunday and the place was packed!

One of my favorite waitresses stopped by my booth to say hello. Actually, she was saying ‘goodbye’ because this was their last day open. I knew they had hired a new manager and had recently cut back their hours of operation. This is not good. We drive 20 minutes to enjoy this place, only to find them closed after 3:00 pm. I know people drive a lot farther than us to enjoy the food and warming atmosphere.

This makes me feel sad and mad at the same time. It was the one place in Elgin where you could sit down and have a lovely meal. It was a great landmark for meeting up with friends not familiar with the town. One of my favorite preacher’s always says, “Don’t give up! You’re closer than you think!” I believe Maxine’s was very close to being a successful establishment. They were already successful in my mind.

This is a prime example of a small town swallowing up someone’s dream. God plants you where you are for a reason. When we first started going here they changed their hours to be open more. A year later, they back down to being open less. Big mistake. People rely on consistency. For them to trust you there can be no wavering. Stand firmly where you are planted and grow!

I’m sure the clientele in this little town was tough. There was a man yesterday whining about his waffle being cold and he had no utensils. Why was he worried about not having a fork if it was too cold to eat? Somebody needed to give that man a life. The place was busier than I’d ever seen it. If I had chosen that day as my closing day, I would have had to rethink it. God was saying something in full force on closing day.

So, farewell Maxine’s! I’m sorry you quit. You were closer than you think.