Leap.Grace.Fear.Faith

Tough few weeks. In a nutshell, my friend passed away. Yesterday, she was laid to rest. Lots of emotions are percolating in my mind, but after attending the beautiful service that encapsulated all that my friend Chermine was, I am at peace, because I know she is also at peace. But of course, questions pop up from time to time. There are simply some things in life I will never understand; but what I will remember are the valuable lessons Chermine left for all of her friends and family.

Taking the LEAP: I'm sure you've heard the adage "follow your passion."? Be careful with that. If you are not disciplined and open to learning from failures or mistakes, it's a good idea to remain situated within a workforce that guarantees a salary.? In other words, keep your day job!? Indeed, we all have some form of a natural talent that evolved over the years that intrigues people, and solves a problem. Heck, it may even motivate others to say "you should branch out and start your business. You'd make money!" I THINK I may have said something along that line to Chermine as I watched her bring ideas to life as a budding event planner back at our days at Rutgers University.? Between setting up the themes during our days as e-board members of the Haitian Association at Rutgers University, to future events, she had quite the eye. Even well after our years in college I'm pretty sure she had a caravan of people saying the same thing. After enough planning, she took the leap and went full time with Timeless Chapters, her boutique event planning firm.? In sum, some of us will do the 9-5 and be content with it, some of us will step out and work for ourselves, and many of us will have a nice hybrid of both; whatever your career path is, take the leap, but also prepare yourself for endless possibilities, good or bad.

Doing it with GRACE: To any early career professional reading this, have you ever seen the TikTok video that shows you going out as a 21 year old, 25 year old, and 31 year old? Yea, it's true.? And guess what's also true?? Those daily calls just to chat, the hanging out every weekend, the bringing the duffel bag full of clothes to your friend's house because you couldn't leave your parent's house wearing what you really wanted to wear for the trip into the city? They slow down. And for most of the time, it's not because you're drifting apart; it's simply because life happens.

People begin to navigate the game of office politics and attend galas, seminars, and charities, in the hopes of gaining a wider network, better paying job...or heck meeting your future spouse (hey, keep an open mind, will you?) People start working later to finish projects that could propel their career, only to be famished and fatigued when they get home. You've enrolled into graduate school. You're getting promoted, you're dating, you're engaged...oh shoot...you're married...oh shoot....you have kids....oh shoot....you're 30! On the other end of life, life happens...yes, the promotion happens, then the weird jolts of pain come, the parents/grandparents become more dependent on you...then other weird jolts of pain come and now doctor appointments are of more importance so you don't cancel them; instead, you take an hour PTO at the top of your work shift or towards the end of the day (for Christ's sake, take the whole day, one day with you out of the office, will not cause disarray), then you're told a follow up exam is needed, then another and then you get a call that's not so typical causing yet another jolt to your body. The doctor's face is of angst, and now there is a new normal to adjust to. To cope with. To deal with. Some of us break down before we make a comeback and others get through this new normal with grace. And that was Chermine through her new chapter. Through it all. As a budding professional, as an adult, grace will be important; obstacles will come at the most inconvenient time, but how you deal with the jabs of life will define your legacy.

Feeling the FEAR, but FAITH prevails: How many of us could confidently say we took the leap and went full time on our passion or dream? Sure, many of us take on a passion or side hustle. While many social media influencers will glamorize this idea of quitting your day job and going full throttle into your vision, it is not that simple. For many, there are levels to planning and ensuring it makes sense: are your finances in some reasonable order? Do you have a support system in place to get you through it? Have you cultivated solid partnerships? And did you at least begin some part of your business while working your 9-5? You've done all the work and now it's time to put your faith into action, even when things don't go as planned. But you power through because in the end everything will be alright. That was what was so inspiring with Chermine when she finally took the leap and created her boutique event planning firm that designed weddings, milestone birthdays, etc. Some people dream of stepping into entrepreneurship, some wait until they retire and some suppress that dream thinking it's too much of a risky venture. When Chermine took the leap, even with a hint of fear and a heap of faith, she inspired those around her. She left a lasting imprint, contagious positivity and a true understanding of faith and inspiration.

Life is fragile. During Chermine's funeral service, the pastor said this one thing "we all have a scheduled appointment with death, the only thing we don't know about that appointment is where it is on our calendar." Indeed. It could be two hours from now, two months from now, or two decades from now, but what will you do in the meantime? What leap will you take, how will grace show up in your planned (and unplanned) plans? How will fear inspire you (or hinder you) from taking the next step in your career...in life? Where will faith show up when fear competes? Death always has a way of making us reflect. I hope reading about Chermine's contribution as a professional and entrepreneur will inspire you to think about your contribution. To learn more about this amazing soul, you can find her obituary here.

To my dear makome, Chermine Alce. I will miss our playful banter and using our culture's terms of endearment.? I will miss our annual holiday meetup at Van Gogh's Ear Cafe and scoping out your amazing nails. Thank you for showing me what grace looks in the midst of adversity, what faith looks like in the midst of worry, what taking a leap looks like, and what conquering fear looks like. May you have the most peaceful rest and renewed relationship with the almighty.