I am at the gym right now at ten o’clock at night like a crazy person. Honestly, I am just trying not to turn into a slice of pizza because you know there is this saying floating around out there… you are what you eat. In which case, half of me would be a slice of pepperoni and the other half would be a loaf of generously buttered banana bread. Then if you sliced me open I would probably just confetti all over you in a shower of chocolate chips. Well, I am only ” partially” kidding. I did have broccoli the other day. I pinky swear a hundred thousand rainbow gumdrops.
In all seriousness though… I don’t know how these 9 to 5’vers do it y’all. For those of you who don’t know yet, I applied about a month back for an internship at an event planning company in downtown Charlotte. As it turns out fate was on my side and I got hired. So I am working a full-time job as your favorite sassy little stew, and on all of my off days, you will find me throwing on my business casual and joining the thousands of people cursing their way through traffic on I77. I spend my days meeting with clients, researching beyond fabulous floral arrangements, and swimming through hundreds of swatches of premium table linens. Just go ahead and call it my own little personal heaven on earth.
I am unbelievably tired, a seriously quirky cocktail of jetlagged with a side of typing induced carpal tunnel, but I am so content. I am busier than I have possibly ever been. When I get home from my busy day I usually just laugh at my pots and pans and fall onto my little gray couch, praying for manna from heaven to fall down directly into my open mouth. That nine to five life… I thought I was busy before. Then I held out my very full plate for more. Sounds like me at EVERY Thanksgiving meal… Baby hit me one more time with that extra turkey leg. I’ve still got some room. These are my stretch pants.
My boss today asked me essentially what I wanted out of life. If I wanted to be an event planner… If that was the clarification that I was trying to seek out of this internship. The answer to that question??? A little bit more complicated then I imagined. Events are my passion. Seeing something grow from a seed of an idea into a full-blown production – NOW THAT is a good feeling. I have always felt like a good party holds a little bit of extraordinary magic. A moment in time where you can leave behind the ordinary, and just let loose: sip on a signature cocktail, pull that LBD out of the back of your closet, break out some embarrassing dance moves, and just have an old fashioned, good time. I have been hosting and planning parties and events for a good third of my lifetime, and I don’t see myself quitting anytime soon. If I am honest with my heart though, I can’t see myself grounded either. The love that I have for this little traveling lifestyle honestly came as a surprise to me. If you would have talked to me six years ago you would be speaking to a totally different person than you would be speaking to today. My life as a flight attendant has certainly changed me in more ways than one. I am a more confident, more independent, more understanding woman, and I believe that I owe a lot of that to my job. And when it all comes down to it… I am just not sure if i am ready to give it all up.
So what do I want out of this little thing I call life? I want to always take the big risks. I want to follow my dreams fearlessly. I want to constantly challenge myself and grow, and I never want to grow too old to learn new things.
I don’t think we have to know everything that we want at one time. I think maybe life is just about following your heart one step at a time. Following your own personal yellow brick road until you reach your Oz. But here’s the thing. You are the one paving your road. Happiness and contentment lie in making your own way… making all the decisions along the way that support the life that you want to live. If it is not making you happy, then maybe that’s a sign that it’s time to start taking the necessary steps to go a different direction. This is your life. This is YOUR story. Write every page in a way that is going to support what you already know that your little heart desires. There are no magical, glittery red shoes in this story my love. The MAGIC is already in YOU.
I honestly don’t know what lies at the end of this internship. I know that at this moment in time I am not ready to turn in my wings, and I am not sure I will ever be, but by simply applying I know I took a step in the right direction. Sometimes, that’s all you need… Not a leap. Not a jump. Just a single step, towards your own yellow brick road.
xoxo,
Megan Marie
