Of Bliss and Blessings

I went to BlissDom because of an impulse.  I saw something my girl Shell said on Twitter. It stirred something inside of me. And the words in my head were clear as day: you have to go. A series of not so random events took place that had me on a plane late Thursday morning and meeting up with women that I'd only chatted with on Twitter, at the airport. The first lesson? DO NOT underestimate the relationships built within social media. I felt like I'd known these women most of my life. And it's most likely because we are kindred spirits. I was completely at ease and that allowed me to take everything in more completely.

It's hard to do a recap because I feel as if so many of the attendants have already done so and have said everything I was thinking. I have been sick with a cold since I got back and this is my first chance since Monday to sit, think about what I got from BlissDom and put it down into words.

I walked into Jon Acuff speaking on Friday morning and I felt like perhaps he'd been stalking me these last few weeks. Everything he said, my heart had felt. I'd give you a recap of that but Molly captured it best. About prioritizing. About our kids wanting to be our kids and not just our content. I remember I tweeted out a quote from him: "Learn to disappoint the right people". If you take a moment to think about that, it's deep. The second lesson? YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

We got some fantastic swag! I never expected that my trying to "pack light" and take a small bag would not work this time around. A great big shout out to Extra Space Storage for giving 150 of the bloggers a free 10 lbs to ship home. So my third lesson was a practical one: Take a BIGGER bag to blogger conferences!

For me, Blissdom was about God answering my questions with clarity: Should I go to this conference? Can I make a living doing what I love? How can I make that happen? Am I on the right track? How am I going to get a tribe? Who will I turn to for jobs? Can I really connect with other women?

And after each question was answered uniquely, He also said: "SEE! Told you!" I am feeling blessed beyond belief. It's taking me a while to even write this because I cannot put words BIG enough to capture the enormity of this.

My BIG fear is that I will forget to mention some of the people that reached out and touched my heart and my spirit.  First off, Gigi, what can I say?  I am eternally grateful for that fateful Tweet where she said that perhaps I could room with her and Natalie.  Gigi is no nonsense and that speaks to my spirit. Thank for your listening, for your words and for caring (and, I love your #fatballs).  And Natalie? Her giving spirit reminds me so much of my own. She is an amazing human being who stayed up with me late at night and listened to my dreams even when she was tired (because she's boo-jah-jah like that).  To my girl Julie who is trying to find her way: I have been there and I promise you, I will be here to help you through it (oh and, I love that you miss my ass, literally!).

I love that I met bloggers from Orlando at BlissDom.  Melanie and Jennifer, ya'll know we're going to get together!  The spiritual connections were great! None like Miss Lucrecer, though. We will be keeping in touch as we move forward through this path that has been laid before us.

Holly, Nicole, Natalie C., Angela, Jen, Jessica, Carri, Erin, Julie, Morgan, Kim, Deb, Frelle, Carrie, Kimberly,  Tonia, Tawanna, Vanessa, and countless others that I will kick myself for not remembering as soon as I hit publish: you made me laugh, you danced with me, you grabbed my ass (don't act like you didn't!), you smiled, you chatted with me and most of all, you made me feel right at home within your very own tribes. I am eternally grateful for the gift you brought into my life. And so we come to the fourth lesson: connectedness. I say it on my little blurb on the side bar. I believe it and I try to live by it. But BlissDom reminded me shouted at me that in the end, it is all about being connected.

And because I firmly believe in the fifth lesson, I leave you with it and pray that you receive it into your life: there is no such thing as coincidence. From the way I made it to this conference to all of the nuggets that I picked up along the way, it was made clear to me that I am doing what I am meant to do and that I am on the right path.

I have been sick all week. Feeling miserable that I haven't followed up and haven't been on my game. But every time I think of one of these lessons (and one of these people that for whatever reason were put on my path) I can't help but smile. Now if you'll excuse me, there's some Theraflu waiting in my wine glass.

Wishing you bliss and blessings,