Vicki Atkinson's Blog, page 28

Party Time!

Hey, friends! It’s party time!

I wish I could invite all of you to the launch party for “Surviving Sue“. Celebrating this milestone with the fabulous humans who helped the book become a reality is incredibly joyous. Color me grateful.

The next couple of days will be all about food, friends, family…and love. Try as I might, I haven’t figured out how to poof my blogging friends into the experience, but many of you will be there in spirit.

I promise to share another “Peek Inside” post soon. Thank you for your support – your comments and reviews, referrals and sharing of “Surviving Sue“. (Coming soon? Good news to share about the eBook, too!)

Over the next couple of days I may not be as active here on WordPress but I look forward to catching up on your posts soon. Take care!

Vicki

Learn more about “Surviving Sue” here or stop by to leave a review or comment.  Thank you so much for reading the book, the blog posts and/or listening to the podcast.  My greatest hope is that my mom’s story will help others. 

The Nearness of You

      

I promise I won’t post about the deer in our backyard forever…but I think I’ve got two more photos to share, along with a moment that stirred me this morning.  Not so much about the deer but about being a mom and what it means to me, how ever-changing and awe-inspiring it can be.

The photo of mama and baby (snipped in above) isn’t the best because I needed to take it through a screen.  They ambled by with the first light today and as I made the rounds of opening windows to let the cool morning air in, I paused as I spotted them.  I caught myself just before I would’ve startled them with the cranking noises, whirring the window open in hubby’s office.  Even so, they spotted me but didn’t dart away.  I suspect it’s because baby was too hungry. 

I watched for a bit…as they surveyed me and I felt myself grinning.  It takes a lot to prompt a super smile at 5:30 am, but I could feel my cheeks swelling up and then the tears.  Baby nuzzled toward mama with a forceful nudge, had her breakfast and then darted away, sprinting across the lawn.  She was like a streak of brown, speckled fur.

I watched mama as she kept a close eye on baby’s ‘reindeer games’ – doing loop-de-loops around the trees, falling more than once (demonstrating that she’s still working on the mechanics of her wobbly legs).  Baby’s great at the fast starts but stopping and quick turns around the pine trees?  Hilarious.  Yes – I should’ve tried to capture video, but I was mesmerized as baby ventured further and further away, stopping periodically to see if mama still had eyes on her. 

Whether mama grew tired of her position or figured baby didn’t need her in that moment, she sauntered away, heading toward the field.  This was an arresting moment for the little one.  Wait, what?  You’re not watching me?  Surveying my accomplishments with pride?  On the lookout for early morning coyotes as my protector?

Nope.  Mama retreated and baby watched her walk away.  Not following, not giving chase.  Just watching.  And as the distance grew and mama disappeared into the tall grass, only then did baby bolt, rushing toward mama. 

When baby approached the window, my peeky spot, she paused to look at me again.  I imagined she said ‘hello’ and wondered if I enjoyed her early morning showcase of racing and frolicking.  I did, I did.  And although I can’t be sure, I think I might’ve said so out loud.

Later I thought about being a mom and how my life has been endlessly enriched by watching another human find her legs, despite the inevitable stumbles.  What a privilege it’s been, and I suspect mama deer knows this, too.  When you see your most precious one take flight…into the world with courage and strength a wave of wholeness with the universe comes swooping in.   Just as much, when our most precious ones seek us out, follow us – not for food or shelter but for comfort. Just to be near?  There’s nothing like it. 

Happy Tuesday to you…from grateful me.

Vicki

My Natural State is Happy

I love hearing from former students.  They pop up for all sorts of reasons.  Letters of recommendation?  Sure.  Reference requests?  Yes, yes.  Fairly often.  Outreach to ask for career or relationship advice?  Definitely.  Many of the referrals I receive in my consulting business come from former students and clients. They know that Vicki.

When I opened myself up as an author, writing a family-focused memoir,  I was well aware that folks who’ve only known me through a professional or acquaintance-level personal relationship would be able to peek inside the whole of my life – all for the price of the book (and/or perusing the “Peek Inside” snippets I’ve been sharing here on Victoria Ponders). 

I was ready. These possibilities did not surprise me, and as Wynne and I discussed in our recent podcast about the publishing process, it’s one of the considerations for writers in the memoir genre.  Are you ready?  Ready for the broad view of your life from people known and unknown? 

Yes.  I was…I am ready.  I’m able to tell the story of my mom’s life because I’m anchored to my purpose – the hope that I may be able to help others by sharing the painful bits, meshed, and mingled with humor and love.  One of the readiness hacks?  Being extra adept at self-care prior to this period of exposure, ramping up my meditation efforts in order to take care of myself.  All good.  And then…extra doses of love and humor arrive.

A sweet, lovable former student emailed me last week to follow up on a letter of recommendation for his admission into a doctoral program (he’s amazing!)  He’s been following me here on Victoria Ponders and his whole family is a delight.  Although I’m not sharing his name, he knows I’m writing about our recent interaction.

Most of his email was focused on the letter; instructions for me to drop it into the university’s portal/website before the deadline.  Then he thanked me because he waived his right to review the letter and regretted doing so. Such a simple thing made him happy; me promising to send him a final copy for his own records. 

Here comes the fun.  In the last paragraph of his email, he shared something that made me bust out laughing.  I mean…I’ve never professed to anyone that I’m “normal” (whatever the heck that is) but his closing sentence was a keeper: 

 “Also.  My mom and grandma read your book, the one about your mom. I haven’t read it yet but I will.  They’re passing it around to my aunt now but they told me you must really be great.  They don’t know how you made it through life with Sue in order to be as normal as you are.” 

Me? Normal?  Maybe.  But his funny comment made my day and reminded me of one of my favorite affirmations (which I write about today in my Heart of the Matter post): 

“My natural state is happy.  Yours may not be.  It’s not a contest.”   

Vicki