Late last week, I contacted an old co-worker about connecting me with someone in his company about a current job opening. I had worked with this person a few years ago and really only worked with or saw him about once a year at a major tradeshow. At the event he would always flirt with me and ask me to hang out with some of the guys after hours. I always declined. Something never quite sat right with me, although he seemed like a nice guy.
Well, it became crystal clear in the first words of his response back to me..."Hey, white rice!" Yes, he said that...wrote that. Really?!!! Are you kidding me? Aren't you supposed to be a professional? What makes you think that's OK or even remotely OK to say to an ex-colleague? Perhaps to a close friend who knows you better, but there's nothing in our previous interactions that would make you think that was OK to say to me. So, yes I was offended. Am I surprised? No, it's part of the stereotype that we all grow up with and face throughout our lives. It's just sad when it does...especially as professional adults.
Do I linger on it or let it bother me? No, because I choose to be a bigger, more understanding, more compassionate person who tries to focus on the things and people that are most important. Don't let the little things or little people weigh you down! Stay positive, true to yourself and always respectful of other people who are different than you...which is every one!!!
Blessings to you these final few days of April. May all the April rain bring a bounty of beautiful May flowers! Enjoy!!
Sunday, April 28, 2019
Sunday, April 21, 2019
Sunday, April 14, 2019
Palm Sunday
Happy Palm Sunday! As we enter the holy week leading up to Easter Sunday (for Christians around the world), I wish you peace, resurrection and renewal for a blessed life serving God through your thoughts, words and actions. Wishing you God's abundant blessings this holy week!!
Sunday, April 7, 2019
Renewed Hope
It's the season of Lent. He has risen! It's Eastertime! It's springtime! The season of regrowth, renewal, resurrection and rebirth. Are you feeling the season? Is it your favorite time of year? Are you just now thawing out from the frozen winter months? Are your flowers blooming, trees budding, and lawns turning greener? Yes, it's that time of year!
This past week I got a renewed sense of hope...of anticipation...of excitement for the future! It's been awhile since I've had this spark lit and also persist. Sometimes something can light us up for a moment and then it fades or burns out quickly. Like, going into a new year hoping for change or achieving your resolutions only to find them fade away in week two! Yes, we've all been there. But, this time the spark is urging me on, still burning in my belly, still giving me HOPE! Yes, I'm hoping it lasts and yes I'm hoping it propels me forward into God's next steps in my journey. So, I'm holding onto it (not suffocating it), appreciating it, and believing in it...to move ahead with God's grace and mercy.
Yes, it's the time of year again...when He shows us the beauty of renewal. In the environment all around us and in the remembrance of His resurrection...to save us from our sins. God is good.
May blessings spark a renewal in you this week during this season of Lent!!
This past week I got a renewed sense of hope...of anticipation...of excitement for the future! It's been awhile since I've had this spark lit and also persist. Sometimes something can light us up for a moment and then it fades or burns out quickly. Like, going into a new year hoping for change or achieving your resolutions only to find them fade away in week two! Yes, we've all been there. But, this time the spark is urging me on, still burning in my belly, still giving me HOPE! Yes, I'm hoping it lasts and yes I'm hoping it propels me forward into God's next steps in my journey. So, I'm holding onto it (not suffocating it), appreciating it, and believing in it...to move ahead with God's grace and mercy.
Yes, it's the time of year again...when He shows us the beauty of renewal. In the environment all around us and in the remembrance of His resurrection...to save us from our sins. God is good.
May blessings spark a renewal in you this week during this season of Lent!!
Sunday, March 31, 2019
April Fool's....
Are you the family/friend prankster of the group? Do you love playing a good joke on others? Is April Fool's Day your Super Bowl of the year? If so, are you ready for tomorrow? Do you have your prank all planned out? Good luck pulling it off!
I'm not a prankster nor do I necessarily like to be the target of any joke. I'm fine with fun-loving, really funny jokes, but anything that crosses the line to mean or cruel is no OK with me. I'm sure we'll hear about and see many jokes that have been "successful" on all social media platforms tomorrow. So, buckle up!
Where did April Fool's Day come from? I'm sure some news station will have the full story about it's origins tomorrow. It's one of those odd days that pop up once a year that has lasted the test of time...so far. Go figure. I wonder what new and odd day will appear in the coming years and if it'll last as long as this one.
So, whatever happens tomorrow...hopefully nothing crazy to you or to me...enjoy the laughs and be glad when the day passes! I know I will! Cheers to a new month, a new quarter...and blessings for the first week of April!!
I'm not a prankster nor do I necessarily like to be the target of any joke. I'm fine with fun-loving, really funny jokes, but anything that crosses the line to mean or cruel is no OK with me. I'm sure we'll hear about and see many jokes that have been "successful" on all social media platforms tomorrow. So, buckle up!
Where did April Fool's Day come from? I'm sure some news station will have the full story about it's origins tomorrow. It's one of those odd days that pop up once a year that has lasted the test of time...so far. Go figure. I wonder what new and odd day will appear in the coming years and if it'll last as long as this one.
So, whatever happens tomorrow...hopefully nothing crazy to you or to me...enjoy the laughs and be glad when the day passes! I know I will! Cheers to a new month, a new quarter...and blessings for the first week of April!!
Sunday, March 24, 2019
March Madness
It's that time again...March Madness is here! Gotta love it and gotta love Dickie V (Dick Vitale) this time of year! It's competitive, fun, unexpected and shocking...sometimes all at once! And, it's fun that anyone and everyone can get involved. Yes, filling out brackets for the NCAA men's basketball tournament has become tradition (for many...in the States). I usually fill out 4 brackets each year, but this year I did 5. Not that it helped me any, but it's still fun to try.
My dad loves this time of year, too. So, I know he'll be watching today...mainly because Iowa will be playing in about an hour. We both picked the wrong Iowa team to win the first round. Go figure. But, I told my dad I feel like the seedings didn't really mean much, besides 1-2 this year. It seems like this year they just didn't have as much value as they have in the past and that anyone can really beat anyone this time around....which is the beauty of the tournament being one and done. So, I'm a little surprised that starting off the day that there are actually 2 perfect brackets still out there.
Either way, you are fully engrossed and love watching the tournament or you could care less and can get a lot checked off your to-do list this weekend and next. Enjoy cheering on teams you didn't know even existed, watching the exhilarating buzzer beaters, and watching the big guns get knocked off by the little guys! That's what March Madness is all about!
Blessings to you this last full week of March!! 1st quarter of 2019 is almost in the books.
My dad loves this time of year, too. So, I know he'll be watching today...mainly because Iowa will be playing in about an hour. We both picked the wrong Iowa team to win the first round. Go figure. But, I told my dad I feel like the seedings didn't really mean much, besides 1-2 this year. It seems like this year they just didn't have as much value as they have in the past and that anyone can really beat anyone this time around....which is the beauty of the tournament being one and done. So, I'm a little surprised that starting off the day that there are actually 2 perfect brackets still out there.
Either way, you are fully engrossed and love watching the tournament or you could care less and can get a lot checked off your to-do list this weekend and next. Enjoy cheering on teams you didn't know even existed, watching the exhilarating buzzer beaters, and watching the big guns get knocked off by the little guys! That's what March Madness is all about!
Blessings to you this last full week of March!! 1st quarter of 2019 is almost in the books.
Sunday, March 17, 2019
Re-Read...
A couple of weeks ago, I started reading my book Corn-fed with Rice on the Side again. It's been a long time, several years probably, that I've read my book. Last year, I attended a local adoption conference and had a session during the lunch hour where I did read a couple excerpts from my book, but that's pretty much it for the past several years. So, it was nice to just read it over again and refresh my memory a bit. By-the-way, if you haven't read my book yet you can order it from www.kimfenneman.com!
It reminded me that writing the book and even this blog during that time was fueled by passion...for the project, my story, and just going through the process of getting my first book published. If you want to write a book, and I know that's a bucket list item for a lot of people, then you MUST have a ton of passion for it! Whatever your story is, whatever you are writing about, whatever your intention for the book is...make sure your intention for the book is crystal clear and you stick to it, you stay true to your story and there's a purpose or meaning for you to write what you are writing about. Make sense?
I've always been a little creative, but I'm definitely not a full-blown artist. So, for me writing has to be something I'm totally passionate about or have some emotional juice flowing through me to "write the good stuff." When I am in that creative space it just flows out. It's easy and I don't have to really think about it. And, when I look back on some of the things I've written, especially in this blog at the beginning, I'm astounded by what poured out of me and how eloquently the words seemed to land on the page. That's artistry...a splash of magic...the 1/3 of me that's a little bit creative.
So, whether your true passion is something you are lucky enough to do as your main job or it's a side hobby or side gig...you know it's your passion because it burns within you, it drives you, it brightens you up when you talk about it, it makes you feel alive! If you haven't found your passion, keep looking, keep trying, keep going! If you have found your passion, but it's not as big a part of your life than you'd like it to be (because it won't pay the bills), find some way to make more time for it because that's what lights up your life...that's what will keep you going in a job you might not love...that's what brings meaning to your life. Find a way. Live and through your passion!
May the luck of the Irish bless your week ahead and may you find your "pot of gold"...passion!!
It reminded me that writing the book and even this blog during that time was fueled by passion...for the project, my story, and just going through the process of getting my first book published. If you want to write a book, and I know that's a bucket list item for a lot of people, then you MUST have a ton of passion for it! Whatever your story is, whatever you are writing about, whatever your intention for the book is...make sure your intention for the book is crystal clear and you stick to it, you stay true to your story and there's a purpose or meaning for you to write what you are writing about. Make sense?
I've always been a little creative, but I'm definitely not a full-blown artist. So, for me writing has to be something I'm totally passionate about or have some emotional juice flowing through me to "write the good stuff." When I am in that creative space it just flows out. It's easy and I don't have to really think about it. And, when I look back on some of the things I've written, especially in this blog at the beginning, I'm astounded by what poured out of me and how eloquently the words seemed to land on the page. That's artistry...a splash of magic...the 1/3 of me that's a little bit creative.
So, whether your true passion is something you are lucky enough to do as your main job or it's a side hobby or side gig...you know it's your passion because it burns within you, it drives you, it brightens you up when you talk about it, it makes you feel alive! If you haven't found your passion, keep looking, keep trying, keep going! If you have found your passion, but it's not as big a part of your life than you'd like it to be (because it won't pay the bills), find some way to make more time for it because that's what lights up your life...that's what will keep you going in a job you might not love...that's what brings meaning to your life. Find a way. Live and through your passion!
May the luck of the Irish bless your week ahead and may you find your "pot of gold"...passion!!
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