The Long Run

It was twelve days between Kandi days. I am beginning to gain traction with some of my revenue generating activities and I simply do not have the time and frankly the urge, need or want to go through the process. The only reason I even got dressed for the day we’ll discuss here was because that is how I am known with this organization, valuable to my career.

This has been by no means a specific desire to cut back, as I have said here, I peel one day back at a time and deal with what my life presents me. I had stopped playing pickleball for almost six months and when I went back people thought I had stopped playing (most of them retired). I had to explain I did not stop playing, I stopped having free time. The same applies here. I actually could probably dress five days a week now, but the time necessary to do that would eat up one of those days in the aggregate.

Couple of recent stories. I was invited by a (male) friend from church to attend a monthly Saturday afternoon lunch a few of them have had for years. Now remember, what I have worn to church that past few times… I was happy to attend recently. It was me (not Kandi), my friend and his son (both Japanese and African-American), two elderly African-American gentlemen (gentlemen in the truest sense of the word), one 90 and the other 95 and two other white friends, both senior to me. I tell you their ethnicity to make you understand how amazing that church is and that they looked beyond my attire and welcomed me into their group. It was a great few hours of just talking.

I have now begun working events and worked a corporate picnic. I certainly could have done so as Kandi but chose not to for many reasons. I saved at least an hour and a half of prep/clean-up time and I had to work outdoors on a gloriously sunny and warm day. I would have been miserable and not as effective as I was helping with the physical set-up and tear down of the event. Plus the length of the day and my advancing age left me exhausted at the end of the day, so I was very happy with that decision.

August 15, 2024 I signed up for a networking event at the Rock Hall for The International Live Events Association. The weather was perfect, so I decided to bring my “A” game. I also scheduled a lunch meeting and a stop at the office before the event. This is a fabulous selfie photo shoot. Yes, I was indeed happy, but getting back “into shape” for this took well over two hours, the blessing and the curse of being who I am.

The day was full of tremendous compliments. At the restaurant for lunch a fellow patron compliment me on my dress. At the office, Sherri told me I was very pretty (a particularly favorite compliment!). I went to a local mall to kill some time before the event. At lease three different sales people specifically walked over to me to compliment me. One said I was beautiful and one I particularly like was one woman said she loved the fit of the dress. As I was leaving the mall, walking toward the parking lot, a woman walking in but a bit of a distance from me raised her voice so that I would hear to tell me she loved my dress. A favorite was as I was being screened to enter the Rock Hall, the young lady who checked my purse told me she loved how my necklace perfectly matched my dress, calling it “precious”. Most of the ladies at the event (only about 15 of us in all) complimented me on the dress. When purchasing an adult beverage, the gentleman said “thank you, young lady”, so which I of course replied “thank you for calling me young!”.

One of the ladies there ended up being head of the Northern Ohio alumni chapter of my beloved alma mater. She was simply chatting in passing and when she casually mentioned our school, it was an instant and immediate connection. All of a sudden, we were taken to another level in terms of friendship.

The day, the event, filed me with pride in myself. Authenticity, being open, honest, confident, proud, all has served me well. It was a joyous day and a fabulous dress!