Candidates' Petals Unfurled

Recently my city laid two officers to rest lost in the line of duty. To honor them, I traveled to the main artery within our city. The silence striking a once four-lane route, closed to nothing but an endless procession of police officers in a motorcade guiding to a ceremony and then final rest. Lined throughout the procession route across multiple cities, people were stunned, staring into the distance. Flags draped over highways and into the stadium where over 20,000 police officers said farewell.?

A chance encounter with a stranger led to a conversation about her family being in law enforcement. It led me to contemplate how many of us take the time to get to know someone. My daughter and sister are introverts and cringe at speaking to someone they do not know. They quipped that I would be Facebook friends by the end of the conversation, and they were right. We all rush through our daily lives robotically, trying to get through to the next day without taking stock of what person the universe threw into the trajectory of our day. So many of us smile and nod and go about the boredom of the day, pretending we hear and understand something new about the person across from us. Covid robbed us of those human connections; we all need more sunshine in our lives. The world wasn't always filled with broken people.?

You may know what they do for a living, where they went to school, or the standard response to the question "How ARE YOU?". And we all get the expected response: "doing just fine, and you"? What if you then ask where they're from and see the smile dim from their face? What if you kept asking until you understood they hadn't seen home or their family because of Covid? What if you asked why your typical jovial friend was suddenly silent and whether they seem like they may be struggling to discover maybe they lost someone close to them as the tears welled up in their eyes? What if. What if - two words that when put together hold so much more power to discover. Transform the conversation from that which is surface to that which is profound. Be relentless with curiosity in your pursuit of knowledge. Purposefully unfurl the petals of a once-tight rosebud, one petal at a time; note the curves of the petals, their softness, and the wonderful scent released on your fingertips. Was there more to it than just the bud??

In the spirit of getting to know someone, allow my rose petals to unfurl. Here's what brought me to this moment in writing this blog. I'm celebrating an anniversary of sorts. A year ago, at this time, I was dying, not living. After falling in my backyard several years ago, I thought I had recovered, but Covid hit, and the world changed. Unable to thoroughly examine my injury, I went about my daily life. To everyone that knew me, I was "fine." They didn't know I woke up and could not dress one morning. I could no longer get in and out of my car or perform essential life functions without excruciating pain. I held it together as long as possible before embarking on a fantastic voyage to better health. Three surgeries later, 80 pounds lighter and sans toxic people in my life, I have found unbelievable hope, resilience, and healing for my children to witness. I have made mental space to pursue the next chapter in my life.?

Now that Lisa 2.0 has emerged, it's time to put those investigative skills to the task. It's time to start a candidate search of sorts for me. I'm now crowdsourcing my dream team to be part of the search committee. Will you join me? After all, it does take a village to find that elusive purple squirrel does it not? As Harris Telemacher said in LA Story "There's someone out there for everyone. Even if you need a pickaxe, a compass, and night goggles to find them."

A preview of the position description includes a letter to my future husband. Wherever he might be, I would say I am not today who I will be tomorrow, but I promise that every moment with me will be a new one treasured, felt, and extraordinary. I will listen with my authentic heart and solemnly vow that you know what it is to be the most important person in my life. I will not silence my active voice again, and you will always know how fully we will live and love our life.??I want to love the continually evolving you through the things that have brought you to your knees, and the bad memories that have lingered so you know something far better awaits you; my heart will be your refuge. But getting to that place in my tender heart will require some effort. May you nurture the seedling and let it take deep root in your soul. Hold my heart in your hands, be vulnerable, and know you deserve this love. Now that I've put my request out to the universe, I patiently await the abundance it may return and the extraordinary odyssey that is before me.????

I am forever grateful for my team of cheerleaders, that have routed me along every step of my journey. My awareness is that creating a dream team to prop you up when you're at your worst is essential. I see too many recruiters that lose their innate curiosity, inner light, and approach to finding talent. They stopped challenging or questioning what they thought they knew and slowly withered to discover they'd become obsolete. Spend a few extra moments with someone thrown into your day's trajectory and become acquainted with whom you do not know. Your power is in the ability to ask who can help rather than accept why you haven't found the unicorn. Listen more than you speak, don't accept what you think you know is true, and be open to what may be true.??Put your wish out to the universe and anticipate the incredible journey before you.??