Describe yourself from another's point of view.

This is a very poignant question you ask right now, today, to reflect on. 

Two days ago, right before one of my clients is to have an intimate evening (23 people showed) fundraiser for Senator Harry Reid, the Senate Democratic Leader, she tells me she must defend, this Friday morning, a $5 million dollar appropriations bill in front of our State's Senate and Assembly Ways and Means Committee for her new public charter school, sponsored by the school district,opening this fall 2007.  For those of you that know funding dollars, we are at the "bricks & mortar" stage.  We were given very little notice to be asked to appear (they do that for a resaon) and she gave me the task of "laundry listing" why we deserve that money.  We originally thought we would be receiving $750,000 of a $1.5 million ask.  So this news has hyperspace (Star Wars' reference) us to much bigger monies.  I start my dance.  What a lovely problem to have to figure out how to spend money.  It helps that I just answered the Zaadz Q&R about having $10 million in the bank and what would I do with it, so I was in my "having abundance thinking".

I start off the top of my head reeling off what the ultimately designed library wing of our charter school must now include.  She looks at me, while I'm dumping potatoe chips in a bowl for our guests to come in 15 minutes, and says, how do you do that?  What?  How does this come so freely, so naturally and so spontaneously?  I looked right into her eyes and said, because the Light guides my process, knows I have it here, (I place my hand softly over my heart), and I want the ultimately best environment and resources that we can provide for the underpriviledged children who's lives are going to shift because of coming to our school.  Our children are going to change the world and I want them equipped to do that.  Then someone interrupted by asking, where do you want the vegetable tray to go?  She looked at me without saying a word, and we had a "knowing moment" that we had both just shared.

Then last night, I volunteer for my local community theatre writing grants for them to get funding, (mind you this is the first time I've been asked to be at their board meeting, but the president emailed me earlier that day and asked if I could attend and give a grant update, sure!).  Their contract with a woman who does their marketing and pr is up at the end of April and the board president has that topic on the agenda, after my grant update.  He tells the other members that I have expressed an interest in that function and asks if I'd share a little bit about how I'd handle that role.  The dance with the universe and my soul, begins again, (wait, did it ever stop?).  I go into my schtick.  The board president emails me after the meeting last night and says I received very positive and favorable comments about you after you left, hope I didn't put you on the spot?  I emailed back and shared:

I can always tap dance if need be.  That's what makes life interesting and enjoyable.  A knowing and trusting that I have everything within if I need to draw from my soul's reservoir.

I believe, and know, people see me as "put together", wise, polished, classy, loving, intelligent, creative, visionary, "how can you do all that?", because they've told me.  People have called me amazing, and sometimes they just shake their heads. 

Most don't get the full breath of what I am and capable of.  They see the piece of me that serves their purpose since I work as a consultant, with my clients to meet their needs.  They have no idea.  I have one client who is: a Holocaust survivor that I'm producing a documentary to preserve his life and experience; another client who has roughly a $10 million dollar charter school to build and I 'beg for money' from people to make it happen; and volunteer for my theatre company, writing grants in my spare time, running lights, crewing backstage, selling box office tickets, refilling the soap dispenser, assuring there are seat covers and cleaning the toilets and dumping the trash in the bathroom before the doors open; nannying, for fun, 2 boys, 8 and 10, after school before their parents come home; creating and designing an emotional growth movement workshop series for mother's and daughter's or father's and son's that I'll take to other countries and have my film documentary friend come to capture the experiences, then compile all footage to share with teachers, museums and film festivals educating and showing diversity and how other parts of the world live, crossing boundaries; creating and designing my international children's nonprofit organization; writing a grant for an actor friend who wants to do an artist in residence program for a month this summer with a dancer friend of his who studied with Martha Graham; a 30 something, multi-millionaire client in San Diego who I'm assisting to find his perfect wife (let me tell you, I'm working on him first to dispel his limited belief system, if I have money I can get whoever I want right, no, doesn't work that way); and dressing like a star going to fundraisers to schmooze.  This is my life, besides having the 3 bedroom, 2 bath house, 10-year old Subaru station wagon, loving hubbie, a doggie and 3 cats. 

Your friends?  Think I'm nuts, and we never have a boring coffee or dinner date.  Your family?  Still quandering, why didn't she get her MBA again?  Why doesn't she have a normal job?  What IS she doing now?  She's so emotional.  Your neighbors?  She trims, cuts and chops her own trees and bushes (why doesn't she hire a gardening service to do that work for her?), refills the neat hummingbird mobile feeder on the corner of the house, brings homemade lemon poppyseed bread to the retired lady (who's husband passed away a couple years ago) who was just released from the hospital with heart problems, a call in the middle of the day from the dentist next door, "Lisa, can you do me a favor and go over and let Sadie Mae out to pee and walk her across the street at the park cause I'm not going to be able to leave the office for lunch as I expected, have an emergency patient, Sure", my dry cleaning girl at 7:30 am, Heather, sounds awful over the phone with her sore throat and I ask for a rush on an outfit I need for a benefit, no problem, get it here, before leaving I pull out my "Traditional Medicinals" cadre of teas, grab a ziplock bag and put 3-4 bags of each, throat coat, breathe easy, organic echineacea elder immune support and honey packets and cut up some lemons, drop it off with instructions, 1 cup of any per hour with lemon and honey, and drink lots of water.

How people see me, I don't think they can figure me out...this is how I do my little part to change the world.