Remarkable Movement

Until three and a half years ago, my life was on track as it was supposed to be. I spent my early years getting the right education so that I could get the right jobs. I spent early adult life working at the right jobs so that I could follow the course to right grown-up life. I married a man. We bought a house. We had some kids. Check. check and check.?

But then, things took a turn. The short story is I saw outside the boundaries of should and started to explore what if.?

“What if this isn’t what I should be doing? …What if I’m not meant to be this version of myself? …What if this isn’t all there is in a happy life? …What if happiness is bigger, or deeper, or more intentional than the checkboxes of what success should look like?”

I felt longing and I followed it.?

At first, my search led me to more meaningful work. I started Meshin Movement to fulfill the wonderlust I was feeling. But it turned out, Meshin wasn’t the final destination, it was only a thread to follow. It took me from one connecting point to the next through a journey to self-understanding.

I ultimately arrived at the realization that I needed to rewrite the behavioral and relationship patterns I lived by all my life. I needed happiness on new terms–my terms. Not based on the picture of what “should be” for anyone else or society. I needed to step into my full self. I needed to meet her and be her.

I am a different woman from who I was three and a half years ago. Stronger. Happier. More authentically Laura.

One might say, “We’re nearly two years into a pandemic. Everyone’s life has changed.” So true. But the pandemic was only one of many threads that wove the path to where I am today.

Another was training to be a board member and coach for Girls on the Run of Greater Rochester (GOTR). When I met GOTR, I was struggling to rescue the constrained version of myself from never living life fully on my terms. The program’s training for coaches offered the tools to help me at the most climactic point in my heroine’s journey to embrace and stand up for my whole identity.?

Girls on the Run left an indelible mark on my history as a woman, a mom and a daughter. It empowered me to act on behalf of “Little Laura” and on behalf of the woman I would choose to be moving forward.

In gratitude for this life altering contribution, I donated my 40th birthday in the fall of 2020 to Girls on the Run of Greater Rochester. I created a fundraising website that celebrated my coming out story–not just coming out in my bisexual identity, but stepping into life as my whole self. The values of the organization became my anthem as I pushed myself to stand up for what Laura needed among the closest relationships in life. My fundraiser used those values to share my story with friends and family while also garnering support for local girls supported by GOTR.

If it wasn’t 2020, my 40th birthday dream would’ve been to throw a dance party open to the public where all ticket proceeds would benefit an organization. But it was 2020. So, the fundraiser became my pseudo-dance party, with a kick-ass playlist available on Spotify, so anyone can dance with their girls, whenever and wherever they wanted.?(Still available and still amazing for amping up a run.)

The “Dance With Your Girl” fundraiser raised nearly $4,000–without a single post to social media. At the time, I kept the personal story close among my personal circle. But I’ve just learned I was chosen as one of 36 recipients for the Remarkable Volunteer Award from Girls on the Run International.

Remarkable movement happens where strategy, creativity and social giving come together. So while my fundraising page is now closed, it feels like the right time to share news of this very special honor. I’ve come a long way--even since publishing the site in the Fall of 2020--in embracing the power of my story and sharing it openly to inspire others in their own search for their full selves. No girl, boy or person, should wait until 40 to find out who they really are.?

The past three years have taught me that taking action on beliefs and following the thread of wonder is the magic that brings us closer to our ideal selves.?

Where will your steps take you this year??

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Visit the fundraiser website and see more of my story and learn about the values of Girls on the Run.?

While my fundraiser is closed, if you feel inspired to give and empower more girls, consider a donation to Girls on the Run of Greater Rochester or find your local chapter at GirlsontheRun.org.

This post originally published on the Meshin Movement blog.