Part I: Too Many Notes
Part II: Dissonance On Division
Cerebrally I know that January 1 is just another day, yet I still look at each new year with excitement and optimism. A couple of years ago my best friend and I decided that we would no longer make New Year’s Resolutions, but would instead focus on goals. It seems like a technicality, but just like the concept that the calendar change from one year to the next offers a fresh start, “resolving” to do something seems too strict and rife with the possibility of failure, whereas a “goal” provides something to strive toward.
This year one of my goals is to find more balance. I tend to get tunnel vision, so that my social life last year consisted of networking functions. That my business and personal lives are interwoven is not necessarily a bad thing, but it did mean I was always “on”. When I awakened January 1 I intended to spend the day planning and organizing, heavy on the work end of the scale as usual. Until I received a text reminding me of the pajama brunch at Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba. It was day one of the new year and I already had an opportunity to even things out a bit.
Many of the people were from the party the night before. When I entered the back room at the popular Lincoln Park tapas spot I was greeted with “Red-headed Woman!” I shot Dante a mock-stern grimace and gamely accepted the reference. When a room is filled with people wearing flannels, robes, smoking jackets, and fuzzy slippers you can’t help but be relaxed and jovial. I sat amongst the table of 20 and for the next two and a half hours people who’d started as relative strangers talked and laughed. I did hand out a few business cards, but only because I was asked, I swear.
Towards the end of the brunch I received another text, this one inviting me to dinner that evening. I went home, checked email, and wrote a quick review of the first part of the previous night, and met three friends I don’t spend nearly enough time with at Frasca Pizzeria. We shared cheese and bruschetta and wine and pizza, and most importantly, conversation and friendship.
What a great way to start the new year. I made new friends, spent time with old, and still managed to get some work done. Balance is one goal I think I can definitely accomplish.