Woman Friends

 I have always prided myself for being independent.  Maybe this was a defense mechanism because I didn't have many friends growing up.  But being an adult - and especially a mother - requires more  friends and support than I ever thought was imaginable.  I have been so incredibly lucky to have a frontline of such incredible moms that are simply a small drive or a walk away here in Macau.  I have often felt very ambivalent about living in Macau but these authentic relationships have truly sustained me in all of my times here.  I am especially grateful for D - who was a trusted exercise buddy from my last stint here and with whom I emoted through our sweat as a proxy for our well of tears before the sun rose.  This was many moons ago, but this was truly life affirming for me and is something I will cherish forever.  Despite all of the glamour and excitement that is often this strange life that is Macau I have really enjoyed getting to know my mother friends from all over the world as we navigate this strange, strange place we call home for now.

A Little Ray of Sunshine

 

The other day I had an intellectually stimulating conversation.  I realized then how infrequently I really have these type of conversations of late (though I have had a multitude of real conversations for which I have been extremely grateful for).  I reached out to an old colleague and we talked about how to design retail, dining, and entertainment spaces, entertainment in general, and (indirectly) how we moved on from this great institution we began our careers at but for a variety of reasons we are both no longer with.   

 

From time to time this kind of work comes my way (recently more shopping and regional entertainment focused) and sometimes I am not sure how to go about it – as I have lived more in theme parks than the ‘shoppertainment’ world outside of the parks (a tough nut to crack from a design standpoint no matter how you slice it – as it seems that one goes about designing malls more from a land availability standpoint versus a greenfield / ‘the sky is the limit’ one).  I really enjoyed speaking with B – not only is he wicked smart but he is kind, generous with his time and passionate about the work he has done.  Recently I have felt a bit discombobulated and speaking with him was so energizing that I found it hard to fall asleep in the best possible way.  Recently I am really trying to understand my ratio of inputs to outputs – and I realize I am in a space where there are more inputs that I am actively trying to pare down.  I realize that my esteem is actually based on a version of output – hence my desire to resurrect this blog after many years of dormancy.  So the output is not just the trickle of consulting work – and the esteem and expertise that comes out of it – but also just to give a concrete place to my thoughts – for which there have been many recently. 

 

B helped me think through an issue for a potential consulting gig – but more than that he reinforced in me some optimism that my life filled with gigs and wayward travels, and with no prescriptive path – can be fulfilling.  And for this ray of sunshine, especially in this season of discombobulation, I am truly grateful.