School is back in session again here...always a bittersweet time for me. On one hand, I love having my kids home during the summer and the freedom from the schoolyear grind. On the other hand, as a consultant who works p/t from a home office, juggling work and family becomes more difficult in the summer. When school is back in session, I have more time available to get things done...not only for others, but also for myself. -
For three years now, I've been in a Friday coffee group with women whose children go to school with mine. We gather two Friday mornings each month for coffee, food and gab. Unless I'm traveling out of town or someone in my household is ill, I treat these mornings as sacrosanct. It's marked on my calendar and I schedule appointments, conference calls, work production and gym time around it.
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Our group stands at roughly 10 members. These are cool chicks, from a variety of professional backgrounds and geographic roots--some work full or part-time in or out of the home, some are full-time moms. We have members who originally hail from places as far from Arizona as Nova Scotia, Denmark, the Philippines and Guyana. I have gleaned a lot of wisdom from these women and I've had a lot of fun. We hold each other's hands during tough times, celebrate the good ones, and have even torn up the town on a Las Vegas ladies' weekend. (I'd tell you my Vegas henna tattoo story, but you know what they say about what happens in Vegas...)
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Our group had taken a summer hiaitus, so we had a lot of miles to cover this morning. I hosted at my house because I had gifts to share. I'd made several necklaces while I was laid up with a sprained ankle this summer. I felt as excited as a kid bringing home a handmade craft from school when I handed out the jewelry boxes to the gals, and showed them, one by one, the designs I'd made with their individual personalities in mind. We caught a coffee buzz and laughed about all the crazy things we'd seen and done over the summer...and later cried talking about one friend's upcoming surgery.
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Normally we break up the fun before noon. But today, morning coffee turned into lunch and five of us decided to blow the entire day. We piled in Cathy's van and drove down to a nearby bead shop where we ogled stones and strands, plotted a future bead-and-appetizer party and let our creative juices roam free without kids tugging on our sleeves.
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Some would say this was a Friday wasted. I could have sat at my desk and billed several hours worth of work. I could have finished my laundry, prepped for dinner or caught up on e-mail.
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Au contraire, I say...The laundry, the e-mail and the work will still be here tomorrow and dinner need not be a big production. Truth is, you can't put a price tag on the restorative power of good friends--or, I daresay, a big pile of colorful beads. In fact, playing hooky today was a prudent strategic move. I'm refreshed, recharged, and ready to hit the ground running again. The return on investment is a sure bet.
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Here's wishing YOU a restorative and creative weekend with family and friends! Let me know how it goes!
For three years now, I've been in a Friday coffee group with women whose children go to school with mine. We gather two Friday mornings each month for coffee, food and gab. Unless I'm traveling out of town or someone in my household is ill, I treat these mornings as sacrosanct. It's marked on my calendar and I schedule appointments, conference calls, work production and gym time around it.
-
Our group stands at roughly 10 members. These are cool chicks, from a variety of professional backgrounds and geographic roots--some work full or part-time in or out of the home, some are full-time moms. We have members who originally hail from places as far from Arizona as Nova Scotia, Denmark, the Philippines and Guyana. I have gleaned a lot of wisdom from these women and I've had a lot of fun. We hold each other's hands during tough times, celebrate the good ones, and have even torn up the town on a Las Vegas ladies' weekend. (I'd tell you my Vegas henna tattoo story, but you know what they say about what happens in Vegas...)
-
Our group had taken a summer hiaitus, so we had a lot of miles to cover this morning. I hosted at my house because I had gifts to share. I'd made several necklaces while I was laid up with a sprained ankle this summer. I felt as excited as a kid bringing home a handmade craft from school when I handed out the jewelry boxes to the gals, and showed them, one by one, the designs I'd made with their individual personalities in mind. We caught a coffee buzz and laughed about all the crazy things we'd seen and done over the summer...and later cried talking about one friend's upcoming surgery.
-
Normally we break up the fun before noon. But today, morning coffee turned into lunch and five of us decided to blow the entire day. We piled in Cathy's van and drove down to a nearby bead shop where we ogled stones and strands, plotted a future bead-and-appetizer party and let our creative juices roam free without kids tugging on our sleeves.-
Some would say this was a Friday wasted. I could have sat at my desk and billed several hours worth of work. I could have finished my laundry, prepped for dinner or caught up on e-mail.
-
Au contraire, I say...The laundry, the e-mail and the work will still be here tomorrow and dinner need not be a big production. Truth is, you can't put a price tag on the restorative power of good friends--or, I daresay, a big pile of colorful beads. In fact, playing hooky today was a prudent strategic move. I'm refreshed, recharged, and ready to hit the ground running again. The return on investment is a sure bet.
-
Here's wishing YOU a restorative and creative weekend with family and friends! Let me know how it goes!
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11 comments:
School starts next week for us...I have to admit, I am counting the minutes after a long summer....
How did you start the coffee group? It sounds like a wonderful thing, something I would like in my life.
Good morning! I'm sitting here enjoying a cup of coffee and browsing my blog list, this morning.
Your coffee group sounds like a wonderful idea. When my girls were small, I loved gathering at a neighbors for coffee or having neighbors at our house for coffee. Those coffee mornings were great. I love that graphic! And the bead photo is wonderful too.
I took a look at your jewelry gallery. Beautiful! You and Anneliese have me thinking about jewelry making. Jim's aunt has a jewelry making hobby. I showed her my Anneliese originals. She was very impressed.
Hope your weekend is going well. Continuing best wishes to you and your family!
Pat
Pat, I think you'd be FAB at beading...you've got such a creative flair...and you wear statement jewelry SO well. Warning: It is very addictive! Fun stuff!
Sarah--Thanks for stopping in! I met the core group of women in my coffee group when our kids were in kindergarten together. (They're in 4th grade now). We took turns putting together activities for the kids after school. What we discovered was that the moms enjoyed the time more than the kids! The kid part fizzled and coffee group was formed. Since then, we've added in other moms and neighbors we've met, usually through school. I think all of us have a 4th grader this year. A couple of the gals are single moms, but most are married and our husbands have gotten to know each other as well. So now it has spilled over to social events w/ the couples or the entire families, too. A lot of us have relocated here from other parts of the country, so we don't have a lot of family in the area and this has become our surrogate family.
Sigh....if I lived in your town, I could be part of your coffee club as I have a 4th grader too!
Maybe I should start something like this in Atlanta....I am usually not the one to start things, though...
Something tells me you'd fit right in, Sarah! :-)
Ooooooooh. I like the thought of all that Amber and I'm LOVING your writing!
wow! sounds super! and you certainly add colours with those beads! :)
Never a day is wasted with friends...
I haven't been around mine lately...hmm'...
I better tell Carol I'm ok for Friday!
Your coffee group sounds so wonderful, Amber! It's important to have a group of friends who can share your life with you. So much value in friendships. I need to cultivate more girl friendships; most of my closest friends are guys, and they just don't care to go bead shopping - lol!
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