Days of Unicorns

OK, so this isn't a unicorn.  But if you look hard enough it could be.  These horses wander through Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo in Italy (remember - the land of my people).  They were ever present along side of my hike here two years ago.  It was a day of sun, snow, rain, and warmth all taking their turn at leaving their mark on the day. 

Today, in Colorado, the snow and sun are battling for supremacy, but I'm just recoiling further back into my sofa from all the life happening around me.  Please - go on without me, as I need to sit this weekend out.  The phone rings again.  More bad news.  I pull up my dealing panties, take another sip of Scotch coffee and look out the window.  The last few weeks have been great for my business but detrimental to my creative energy.  At 2PM yesterday, I came home from yet another workshop/luncheon/networking marathon of a week and all but curled up in the fetal position to suck my thumb.  OK, I skipped the thumb-sucking, popped some Vitamin M, and assumed the fetal position in front of the fire place.  My head had been pounding for two days and a way-too-long dinner event in a cold room (more eating for my business) the night before sealed the deal that this weekend was off the table. 

I dragged out the laptop, burrowed further under a plush blanket, and began tapping through photos - unposted adventures - from a time where I really had nothing better to do than roam the planet, put things in my mouth, and not think too hard about what's next; hence, this blog.  Building a strong business in just under two years, meeting the man of my dreams, and moving into a lovely home together has been just that - a dream.  I keep checking the garden to make sure there are not, indeed, unicorns out there digging up last season's carrots.  Nope, just fat rabbits huddled under the Jurasic-sized sage bush.  Eating.  Eating for forty-five freaking minutes as if they are at an all-you-can-eat salad bar trying to get their money's worth.

Yet, the fleas come with the dogs unicorns - just like everything else in life.  For one thing, success comes with weeding through scores of some of the most flaky, undisciplined, and downright rude people I've ever come across.  It's a numbers game to sort through them until someone dependable actually shows up to do the job.  You can imagine how this drives someone with 25 years of military experience behind her absolutely bat-shit crazy.  But one in 20 turns out to be a gem, does what they say they are going to do, and I'm fortunate to have met some real sparklers and made some good winos friends.

Then there's the world of networking which entrepreneurs must navigate to get their business - and themselves - known.  It's S&M.  More M, actually. I've met some amazing people, had great fun, learned a lot about my community, resources, people, business, and even how to be a better version of my business self.  I've made friends.  As long as there's someone interesting to connect with or something to learn, it's a good investment of my time.  The M part comes from dealing with the glassy-eyed yip dogs, many of them in direct sales, who all want you to be their customer.  As one of my cohorts put it - it's like shaking a Chihuahua off your pant leg. I swear I'm going to make a "Networking Bingo" sheet for my friends:

__Dude giving a 60-second commercial with blue tooth stuck to head, indicating everyone outside the room is more important than anyone inside the room.  I tune these people out instantly.
__Nutrition "expert" chasing you down and shoving latest pamphlet into your hand (which you toss when no one's looking).
__Woman who does not understand the concept of  60-second commercial and keeps talking about product for an entire mini-series. 
__"One-timers" who come to your group once, snag everyone's cards, and add you to their e-mail lists ... without ever asking.
__Business card shovers - the ones who shove their cards at you before you even have made proper introductions.
__One-on-one bad dates.  You meet someone for coffee only to spend the next 45 minutes hearing about their business and why you need them in your life, yet they know nothing about you or why you really don't need them in your life.
__Sweatpants.  And really?

 It's funny, but it's exhausting.  We all see how my creativity for writing has been virtually sucked out of me from tip-toeing through an over-sold mine-field.  I look for power partners I can get to know, like, and trust.  Sometimes it's like looking for unicorns in Parco d'Abruzzo Nazionale.

Last night I briefly stared across my living room remembering those too-good-to-be true days of travel and blogging, and I was close to tears.  I could just disappear at will, and all that creative energy had nowhere else to go but on the next train to Pistoia, Carcassonne, and reemerge in this here blogosphere. It's a form of networking, also, but no one's selling - everyone's just offering - and you are my power partners.  It's still warming to reach back to the lessons I learned while emerging from "the box" as I continue to navigate other boxes and cut my way loose.  It was transformation then, and it's transformation now - and it's a welcome journey.

When my beloved came down the stairs to curl up on the sofa with me and engage in wicked good sex one of our cherished iPad Scrabble matches my eyes were even closer to welling up.  This time with love.  I shook off the glittery "past" as THESE are the too-good-to-be-true days that I wish would never end.  THESE are the days where I'm lucky to be able to exhaust myself helping other people when I can, build my fun little wine business which seems like just "whipped cream" in the lives of some (I get paid to drink wine and attend parties for Pete's sake), and be held in the arms of someone who gets me, loves me - no matter how much masochism I've subjected myself to that week.  I'm also pretty sure if he could have a unicorn waiting in the back yard for me when I finally finish that damned Somellier Diploma Progam next spring to celebrate, he would!