Life Lessons from BlogHer Food 2011

Life lessons from a food blogger conference?  Stick with me... I think you'll find a few nuggets of wisdom.

I've had a few days back from BlogHer Food in Atlanta to unwind/recover/think about the trip.    I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to attend a conference with a group of truly diverse, talented, energetic, intelligent and savvy women and men (yes, there were a number!)   You can pretty much throw any stereotype you may have of a 'blogger' right out the window.   Definitely not one size fits all.  

500 bloggers with interests (and locations) all over the map.   Baking, travel, history, politics, unique dietary lifestyles, the environment... it was all there.   If you can think of it, someone has a passion for it and is writing about it.   I'm still working my way through a stack of business cards trying to tie it all together.   So much squeezed into two short days.   Focused learning intermingled with socializing and a constant growing "to-do" list of ideas to incorporate back at home.

Being surrounded by so much talent is incredibly energizing and empowering and at the same time very overwhelming.  I focused my personal agenda on the topics of photography and writing, with a sprinkling of technology and marketing.  I arrived home mentally drained after two packed days.

I met several bloggers who are establishing their blogs now and applaud them loudly for their decision to learn before doing.   I took a different path.  My personality requires that I jump in feet (or head) first (minus the floaties).  I had no idea conferences like this even existed.   If you are a blogger, new or old, thinking about attending, just do it.   For a newbie, I'll admit, it is a little intimidating at first, but I remind myself that newbies attract other newbies and no one really wants to be alone.

I didn't get to see too much of Atlanta.  I dined with the very talented Jes from Urban Sacred Garden (check out her blog... beautiful in so many ways...) and field tripped it to the Sweet Auburn Market one afternoon.   While brief, I enjoyed my time in this southern city and ate (entirely) too much.    Sigh.

This urban market was a visual feast, brimming with pork products, iridescent blue crab, BBQ, ground on site burgers, uniquely flavored popsicles and all kinds of vibrant fruits and vegetables.  A great outing if you find yourself in Atlanta with time to spare.  Bonus points if you like Yellow Root Tea.   There was lots of it.  (extra bonus points if you can tell me what it is.)

I'll leave you with a few lessons learned that I hope you will find useful as well:

Learn light.   Learn dark.
Be you.   Authentically you.
Everyone starts somewhere, usually at the beginning.
You are your own brand.
Dive right in.
Be active, not passive.
Use your senses, all your senses.
Edit yourself.   Less is usually more.
Tell your story.   Listen to other people's stories.
Ask questions, lots of questions.
Life is a series of chapters.
Be unique, but figure out when you need to color within the lines.
Get closer to the source.
Change starts at home.
Get a little mad sometimes.
Be the King (or Queen) of your household.
Simplicity is good, but sometimes messiness can be very effective.
Strive to be an artist.
Try new things.
Practice, practice, practice.

PS - In case you are wondering, that's a "Soul Roll" in the first picture.    Think lots of southern things stuffed into a freshly fried egg roll.    I hear it got good reviews.

What life lessons have you picked up in unexpected places? 

Calm Before the Storm

I had been watching the weather forecasts all week.   Storm predictions scattered across the midwest did not look promising and I could almost guarantee that my dad and girlfriend, coming from up north, were going to make it into Saint Louis before we did for the Easter weekend with family.   They were, in fact, scheduled to land roughly four hours before we were.

Our flight was looking good for an on time arrival until the last ten minutes before touch down.   The captain came on to announce that due to storms in the area we needed to make a wide swing and approach from the west to avoid the bulk of it.

From one side of the plane, dark skies and lightening, from the other, this gorgeous pink glow.

We landed and called my dad to make sure he had arrived.    He hadn't.

He was stuck in Chicago and his flight was cancelled due to severe weather.

Minutes later we were on the phone with John's dad waiting outside the terminal to be picked up for the ride back home.    This is when the sirens started.

John says they call this area Tornado Alley.

I always sit in the front seat of the car, with John's dad driving.   When he pulled up, I told John, "I am going to sit in the back seat, for safety reasons."

Being the planner that I am, I added "So, what is our plan if we get hit by this storm?"

Within seconds, the wind struck from one side of the car and the hail began.   John calmly instructed the driver (his dad) to pull over, stop the car, get out and get into the ditch.    But... it was too late.

The wind was violent.  Coming from every direction.  As we sat in this little metal box in the middle of the road, the sky took over.    We grew quiet and knew we weren't going anywhere unless the storm took us.   We were going to ride this out.

The car wouldn't move.   Despite acceleration.   Everything went dark, like someone turned off the lights in the sky.  Debris hurtling by.  A container the size of a large household appliance was flying directly at us, almost in slow motion.  Everything was moving and yet time stood still.

I took off my heels, zipped up my purse, put my sweater over my head, closed my eyes and crouched down in between the seats in the back of the car and prayed.     I did not see what happened next.

And then it was over.    The winds calmed, the lights came back on and the car started to inch forward.   In front of us, cars that were not there before, were backing up down the road.   The road was full of things that should not be there.

We called home.   The news said that there was a tornado that touched down at the airport.

I don't know what spared us, but I do know that we were incredibly lucky.    I never (ever) want to experience a storm like this again.  I pray for all of those that have been impacted by the violent weather  over the past couple of weeks.    It gives new meaning to life and reminds us of how fragile it all is.  

Incredibly, and perhaps ironically, I managed to be out of town on the day the tornado came through downtown Raleigh, only to fly directly into another one the following weekend.    I think maybe someone really wanted to teach us a lesson.

Life is truly a gift.

I hope everyone had a safe, healthy and happy Easter weekend with family and friends.     We're back home now in very sunny and warm North Carolina and looking forward to a much less tumultuous week ahead.

Fear Factor

Someone recently asked me, "What was your biggest fear about traveling by yourself?   What was the scariest part?"

I looked at her, honestly, and said it was all scary.

Here's the thing.   I am a 30 something year old female and up until three months ago, I've never traveled by myself.    Ever.   I have traveled extensively, but always with the comfort of others.    Traveling by yourself is an entirely different ball game, and therefore, it is all scary.   At first.

My friends all looked at me like I was crazy, thinking to themselves and out loud, "Right, so then why'd you choose to do two months alone... in Europe no less where you can't speak the language?"

In hindsight, I'm thinking to myself it is really no big deal, now that I've done it, but I answer with something I've thought quite a bit about.

"What's the worst that could have happened to me?"

Head nodding.   Approval.

Then I say something else.

"Really, so I eat something bad or end up sleeping on the street one night, it's not the end of the world."

The second part really shouldn't have come out of my mouth.   No more head nodding.  

"Seriously?  Sleeping on the street?  Lots of stuff could happen to you."

My sales pitch has fallen flat.   I kind of agree with them.   It could have been bad.  I should have picked another example.   I know full well that bad things can happen.   My brother has a great story about sleeping one night in a train station in Rome and waking up with his backpack, along with passport and any cash he had available, missing.   Cut right off his back.

Ok, so poor example.   The point is, that really, millions of people travel alone.   Many much younger than any of us and the vast majority have lived to tell about it.   More importantly, many, including myself, experienced life changing adventures which really is why you travel anyway.

I bring it back to reality.    "There were definitely a couple of really scary moments.   I was most fearful of traveling from Rome to Paris.  I don't know Paris that well, had no idea where I was and truly can't understand the language.    That day was probably one of my most intense.   Fear, anxiety, the whole thing.   But I survived, and more than that, I loved it."

The thing is, anything new is always a little scary.    I remember having an intense fear of public speaking, but with practice and time, I now rather enjoy it.   Sometimes you just need to jump in with two feet and see what happens.   If we never try, we never learn and if we never learn, really... what's the point?  

I was nervous on my first trip to the market in Rome.    Nervous to buy something.   Afraid I may screw something up.

Here's where you should be asking... "Really, what's the worst that could have happened?" and you'd be entirely right.

Anxiety takes over and until the act is done and you can look back, it is a big deal at the time.  Someone could have laughed at me which would have, at that moment, been the ultimate terror.   Tear inducing.

But that didn't happened.  I fumbled through some pseudo conversation about the use of a bag and left the store victorious.   Proud.   Hmmmm... not so bad.  

I arrive in Paris, post freak out, and what's the first thing I do?  I go to the market.   And I'm not scared.   I don't understand a word the cash register person says to me, but I just nod and smile and she sort of dismisses me.  I don't really care anymore if she's laughing at me.  I did the best that I could.  Something that was really scary for me the first time around is now not a big deal at all.  

Today I was out for my daily walk in the forest.    The heat index had lessened over night and I was excited to breathe some fresh air.   I threw on my black hat that John and I got from friends after the recent Susan G. Komen walk for breast cancer in Raleigh.   The hat means a lot as it signifies a milestone reached by one of our fellow group walkers, a clean statement of health after battling breast cancer for past several years.     The hat is also an awesome hat in itself as it has an extra long brim so it shades my face really well.   It also keeps my eyesight focused on the ground as I walk, somehow making my walks go faster as I don't see the long straight road in front of me.

I also don't see anything ahead of me.   Like the giant six foot long black snake stretched across the entire dirt path today.   I swear it had a beady yellow eye and a forked tongue.   If I were a cat, I would have leaped straight up into the air at the sight of this thing.   I seriously almost stepped on it.   Scariest thing ever.   I am terrified of snakes.   I froze and then I start running furiously, never looking back.

Every day I walk this path.   Some days it is filled with people.  Some days it is just me out there by myself.    I am so comfortable there that I forgot to pay attention.    I don't even ask myself "What's the worst that could happen to me?" because this is such a common part of my life that I don't even think about it.  I'm sure it wasn't a killer snake or anything, but I think you see my point.

So I guess the point of all this rambling today is not to let fear stop you from doing something.   No risk.   No reward.    Just don't get so comfortable that you forget to keep your wits about you.   There will be snakes up ahead in your path.   But there will also be the sweet trio of deer and that tiny little turtle waiting if you persevere.    Happy trails...