M. Nack’s Blog

I came across this you-tube video of Abraham-Hicks. (Here it is: http://youtube.com/watch?v=fTMx3LFCuPE). Esther claims to speak on behalf of a consortium of other beings that call themselves “Abraham”. It seems plausible, if you believe in such things, because she speaks without hesitation - without having to “think”. (Though I maintain we hardly know what we are capable of.) I find the video compelling and profound. It is so simple - so easy to grasp. (Similar to the juggler Chris Bliss, actually!) Yet we humans want to make things complex. We can never be reminded often enough: it IS about the journey, not the destination. Hopefully, that’s starting to sink in for me. It’s a lesson that keeps coming up in so many different ways for me.  As “Abraham” says: “You can’t get it wrong and you’ll never get it done.” Whew! What a relief!

“All Things With Exuberance!”
mary!

There was an interesting movie on TV the other night: “Evening”.  (2007?) It is a “chick flick” for sure. My husband totally slept through the whole thing. Vanessa Redgrave plays an old woman on her death bed reminicising on the days of her youth and the love of her life, who she does not marry or otherwise spend her life with. The tale is about her reconciling her regret over that fact - did she do the right thing? There were cameo performances by Meryl Streep (who looked absolutely lovely and played the ultimate “wise grandmother”) and Glenn Close. (It was weird seeing Glenn CLose in a subordinate role. She is such a presence!) The main theme of the film was, rather than living out their lives with “Their ONE Great Love”, these women made other choices. As Meryl Streep says at the end of the movie, “We did what we had to.” 

I find it an interesting hypothesis. Meryl Streep’s character, unable to marry her “Great Love”,  decides to “settle” and marry ”a good man”.  She clearly arrives at the end of her days happy and content with her choice. Vanessa Redgrave’s character finally decides that she, too, made the right choice, choosing her calling as a chanteuse over a life with her Great Love. The movie belies the modern day notion that romantic love is necessary for happiness. “If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with.” There are other priorities that fulfill us and make us happy - children, career, following our calling in life. The movie surprisingly turns out to be a “women’s lib” film! Women don’t need a man to give their life meaning or fullfillment.

The movie also belies the notion that there IS, in fact, only “One Great Love.” Vanessa Regrave’s daughter in the film agonizes over whether the father of her unborn child is, ”The One”. Should she commit to that relationship? At the end, she concludes it’s a meaningless question - by virtue of proximity and the fact that she’s pregnant with his child, she already HAS commited to it - at least at some level. The heart has many chambers and is capable of many different sorts of relationships. Holding out for ”The ONE Great Love of your Life” may only lead to frustration, despair, loneliness and unhappiness. Put another way? “Bloom where you are planted.”

“All Things With Exuberance!”

mary!

Going back through my blog, cleaning it up a bit, I came across the You-Tube video of Chris Bliss juggling - and the competing video of the juggler with a “professional” routine. Apparently, the juggling world was upset and outraged at the popularity of Chris Bliss’ simple routine. (Here it is again in case you missed it: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4776181634656145640 ) Now, I understand that Chris Bliss’ routine may not be the pinnacle of juggling complexity. And comparing the two videos, his is relatively slick while the other guy’s has a “home video” quality. Nonetheless, there is something compelling about Chris Bliss’ passion and mastery of his comparatively easy routine that makes it hypnotic. It seems to me the moral of the story is that we make things way harder than necessary. It isn’t important that you run faster, higher, stronger then the next guy. What matters is that you have such love for what you do that you are fully present in the moment that you’re doing it. THAT is the one little difference that makes all the difference! THAT is what makes a consummate performer like Yo-Yo Ma at the top of his field. When I saw Yo-Yo perform live a couple of years ago, he electrified the whole auditorium. And it wasn’t about his technical brilliance, which he certainly has, it was about taking “performance” to a whole new level. He and his cello literally breathed and sang as one. It is an evening I’ll not soon forget. 

With The Olympics just around the corner, I wonder how many of those superbly disciplined athletes will remember to put all the preparation and training behind them and just revel in their excellence? The competition for which women gymnasts will be members of the U.S. team is currently going on - mere teenagers! Which is a whole other story… yet I can’t help but be reminded of the book and movie “The Way of the Peaceful Warrior.” The main character is a gymnast and at the end learns that it isn’t about winning competitions - it’s about loving what you do and being fully present in the moment that you are doing it. “It is the journey that makes us happy, not the destination.”

“All Things With Exuberance!”
mary! 

I just rewatched the Crain’s interview of serial entrepreneur of Howard. (See Feb 2007 for original posting.) It is worth watching, re-watching and taking notes. The man is brilliant. Check it out:

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/TalkingManagement/Tullman.html

Howard has owned 11 businesses and is still involved with 5 of them. In this interview, he discusses some of the aspects of starting and managing a business. He teaches entrepreneurship at Kellog.

“All Things With Exuberance!”
mary!

Moving from West Loop to Mayfair has shifted our energy. It’s been a “returning” feeling. Living in West Loop rattled our nerves and we walked through our days feeling “frayed”. Was it too much concrete - too few trees? Was it the constant racket of the el, heliocopters delivering people to the medical centers 1/2 mile south of us, the boomboxes of our neighbors? Or the distinctly different culture we found ourselves immersed in? It was weird how leaving the North Side for West Loop felt as if we had moved to a different city - or even a different country! Whereas moving to Mayfair was such an easy - almost seamless! - transition. We were settled in record time; something like 10 days. Well, OK, maybe not completely settled. In 10 days we had the rocks in place. And maybe even the pebbles. We still have the sand and water to situate. (Though it’s entirely possible that may never happen.) The thing is Mayfair isn’t really our ‘hood. Ravenswood/Lincoln Square is. We lived there for 30 years! As I said about matching energies and ‘hoods - maybe our energy is a Mayfair energy now, not a Lincoln Square energy. Lincoln Square is somewhere between Mayfair and West Loop. Maybe this sojourn to Mayfair is just meant to be a temporary reprieve to allow our frayed nerves a chance to mend. Yet I have this crazy notion that someday I would love to own a condo overlooking Millenium Park (at prices in excess of $600/sf!). Because the one thing I really loved about living in West Loop is being 15 minutes from anything downtown. But how the heck does living downtown fit into the energetic scheme of things? I guess it will happen when we get a Millenium Park energy.
 
“All Things With Exuberance!”

mary!

I have been working with a relocation client lately. It’s been awhile because I’m not on the office “corporate relocation” list anymore. (No way am I paying out a 37-1/2% commission to some relocation company!) One of the things I enjoy about working with relocation clients is the fresh perspective it gives me on my city. Things that I take for granted living here are fresh and new in the eyes of an out-of-towner. Because Chicago is a large urban city, it can be tricky trying to identify which neighborhood is the “right” area for a particular client. Even for in-towners, it can be a challenge - though Chicagoans have been know to exhibit religious fervor about their particular “‘hood”. (As in, “See ya around the ‘hood!”) But an out-of-towner hasn’t a clue and looks to me for guidance. It can really be overwhelming. But surprisingly, once we’ve figured out the right combination of price, area amenities, property type, etc - it becomes pretty obvious.

One of the things I love about urban life is the diversity of experiences available. Just this morning, I was out for my morning run through the Cook County Forest Preserve that abuts the complex where I now live. The Chicago River runs through this particular section of the Preserve and there is a trail adjacent to it. Except for the sound of the traffic heliocopters that report morning rush hour, you can’t believe you are in the city. Contrast that with my old neighborhood of West Loop near The United Center. My morning runs were experiences in concrete and asphalt. (Check out my photo journal ”Urban Geometry”.) The texture of urban living is unimaginably rich and varied: a woman dressed in a birka keeping close eye on her young, Western-attired son at the playground; the graffiti on the abandoned train trestle - literally outdoor art. (I’ll post that picture at another time. You will agree with me - it reminded me of the arabesques traced on the walls of mosques.) The diversity of foods to serve the diversity of ethnic groups and cultures at my neighborhood grocery story is remarkable. (Can you imagine the money they have tied up in inventory?!)

Then there’s the ugly side - the article in the Chicago Tribune earlier this week about the huge pollution problem the persvasiveness of discarded cigarette butts creates (who knew?); empty beer cans floating down river; plastic trash bags fouling the waterways and our streets. Then there’s the noise pollution of airplanes coming into O’Hare; the el squealing as it turns on it’s the tracks, car horns, ambulances, fire trucks, etc etc etc. On it goes… The buzz of the city.

It occurred to me that matching ‘hoods to people is about matching energies. High energy is downtown - West Loop. We couldn’t stay there. Our personal energy didn’t rise to that level (I guess we’re getting old?). Our new ‘hood: it’s too soon to tell. We’re sleeping better at night - that’s a good thing. But the energy maybe not be quite high enough for this city girl. And as your life phases change, so does your energy. When you’re young and single, it’s all about the neighborhood bars, the “24 hour” scene, ease of access to transportation, running along the lakefront, etc. When you’re married with children, it’s the schools, the after-school programs, the parks, the churches, etc… When you’re an empty nester - well, then it has to be the sophistication of a downtown hi-rise, doormen, cabbies and chic eateries.

Chicago - it’s my kind of town!

“All Things With Exuberance!” 

mary!

In 1972 while I was going through my “college drop-out” phase, I was working at Aetna Life & Casualty’s claim department in real estate claims. I thought it was pretty exciting, though you can only be so young once. It was my first real exposure to the world of real estate. I remember at the time seriously entertaining the notion of becoming a lawyer. However, facing 3 more years of college and then 3 years of law school, it seemed hopelessly far off to me. And no one was really supporting me or encouraging me  in the decision. In fact, the exact opposite. It largely had to do with the fact that I was female and lawyers were men. In those days, women were supposed to get married, have babies and let their husbands suppport them. I also vaguely remember someone telling me that there were too many lawyers graduating law school and that becoming a successful lawyer was hopelessly competitive even for men. If that was true in 1972, what would they say of today’s environment!! The field was wide open then compared to today!

This afternoon I was at a symposium comprised largely of female attorneys involved in some aspect of real estate. The more senior members of the group were my age. They tell stories of how the profession was like the wild west in those days. They also share montrous tales of being women in a man’s world.

I don’t regret not becoming a lawyer. Though it’s interesting to wonder how my life would have been different if I had. I suspect I would have ended up in real estate brokerage anyway. Some paths are just meant to be. Then I would have regretted not using my law degree. *sigh*

I never intended to be a radical feminist. I was certainly not a bra-burner! Growing up the daughter of a Navy Captain, I was pretty straight-laced as a young woman. And yet the era in which I grew up thrust that role upon me. My generation is a “sandwich” group. We wanted it all - motherhood and a career. The younger generation, the children that we raised in our spare time, realize that it simply doesn’t work. The older generation doesn’t quite understand what we were trying to do. A young woman in her late 20’s, early 30’s at the symposium today thanked me and a colleague for paving the way for her. That was surprising to me. (“Huh? I did what?”) And touching. As the expression goes, “May you live in interesting times.”

“All Things With Exuberance!”
mary!