This past weekend, we had our annual Carpe Diem Cleaning celebration. It’s a definite mile marker in my life. To see how far we have come, sometimes how far we haven’t, and to hone the practice of gratitude and celebration, which hasn’t always come naturally for me.
I am a creative visionary that LOVES to dream big dreams. “The price of a big dream or little dream is the same, it is your lifetime after all,” is a great quote by Peter Daniels that I like to live by. However, I also value the gift of the steady, long-term relationships and habits over time. Both are needed.
One of the many gifts that Carpe Diem has given me has been our annual Thanksgiving celebration. We’ve been doing it for over 20 years. The first was the worst. I tried cooking a traditional Thanksgiving dinner and asked for a potluck, which included Bojangles and Coke!
We sat there in silence as I am more of a strategic leader than social and hire more introverts as that works for our company (partying at clients’ houses probably isn’t the best vibe), I am the “jefe” and we have a language barrier, etc, etc. But we did it. And have continued to do it with great improvements and joy, in our own way. We still have our dynamics, but have a party that works for us.
One of my favorite parts of the party is the annual family photos. Why? Oftentimes the motivation for women who are working hard is their family and kids. AND one of the things I spend hours and days and months thinking about is, “How do I creatively support the women that are working for me in tangible and intangible ways?”
There is only so much per hour that the market will pay for their homes to be cleaned. How do I maximize that for the greatest impact and sustainability? One of the micro ways is to figure out how to stretch the dollar for those who work for me. One of the creative ways was giving access to annual family photos. I LOVE photography. If I had more disposable time in this season, I would invest my life into it as I did in my early years. As I build relationally, I was at the home of one of my team members, and I noticed on her wall were the photos that I had taken of her family. That sparked the idea of getting professional annual family photos.
I have a friend, Steve Whitsitt. His claim to fame on earth is that he was the photographer for Michael Jackson. It marks his life. His fame in the quantum world is his deep love for people and for life. Over the years, he has graciously made annual family photos accessible AND he makes them delightful.
Courage is unpracticed confidence.
He can steward his gift of being the photographer for Michael Jackson and convey a love and confidence to my team like none other, in addition to taking great photos. AND he whispered to me, Saturday that, our annual event is the highlight of his year.
Every year, we get to see our team members’ families grow and change from kids to grandkids. AND they get to celebrate and see mine too. Which really means a lot, as I know trusting and loving the “jefe” doesn’t always come naturally. Yes, it’s work. Yes, it’s hard work. Yes, lives are not easy. But I am honored for where our lives connect and we bring a little more joy, love, listening, and seeing one another. It’s a beautiful intersection of life.
