Friday, March 16, 2012Tonight's picture was taken in May of 2003. On that particular day I took Mattie to the Reston Petting Zoo. The beauty of the Reston Petting Zoo is it doesn't have large crowds and the area is very contained and easy to move around in. For Mattie, crowds were problematic, and I tried to avoid them at ALL costs. However, Mattie loved animals and as you can see he was fascinated by this sheep who stuck her head out to greet him. I remember our visits to the petting zoo fondly. Mattie learned to feed the baby sheep and goats bottles, how to pet them, he touched an ostrich egg, and rode on several horses. But look closely at this picture because you will see Mattie's cute smile!
Quote of the day: Anger blows out the lamp of the mind. ~ Robert Ingersoll
Typically I would agree with this quote. Anger can be so overwhelming at times that it does block out reasoning and at times one's ability to accomplish anything reasonable and valuable. However, anger for me is typically a good thing. Mainly because I have a very long fuse (well that is unless you know me VERY well, and then I am more likely to let my guard down and express myself) and tolerate an enormous amount and can be very forgiving of other people's actions and behaviors. However, if you push my limits, my wrath isn't always pleasant. Yesterday was one of those days, yet I was able to channel my anger to get exactly what I needed to accomplish for the Foundation. I wouldn't have necessarily thought of it this way, but when our lobbyist called me tonight, he basically told me.... bravo! My forcefulness was NEEDED to get things in motion.
Today was another busy day in which I never left the computer. What could possibly take up so much time? Well in one short word.... SYMPOSIUM. The logistics of the symposium are huge. I am managing six researchers, the program, coordinating congressional guests, making sure my parent panel members are all set, the registration of 80 attendees, materials for the event, volunteers for the event, introductions of speakers, and the list goes on. Even if that was all under control, the simple notion of hosting an event at the Capitol Hill Visitor Center, could be a full time job!
This afternoon, however, I finally left our home and met Joe. Joe is the President of SparkLight, which is a communications and social media firm for non-profits. My friend Tina introduced Peter and I to Joe, and I have to say after an hour long chat, I felt like he was really great at brainstorming with us how we can achieve some of our more lofty goals. We discussed grass root campaigns and also the need to develop a strategic plan, which we may turn to Joe for help crafting such a vital document. Over tea, Joe sat back listened to us, and then told us he is thoroughly impressed with what we have been able to accomplish and the solid nature of our mission. He also was impressed with our yearly fundraising efforts, but then discussed how to expand that in order to be able to achieve some of our ultimate goals. It was a very fruitful meeting and in the midst of the stress of planning the Symposium, it is really good for me to hear from a complete outsider and professional that I am doing a good job and have the skill sets to continue growing the Foundation.
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