I started following this restaurant on Twitter - Chris' Cosmic Kitchen. The owner's wife Kris was the social media person for this account, and on mine and Peter's 11th anniversary, we decided to eat brunch there before heading to the beach.
At the same time, I'd connected on Twitter with a local gentleman, Craig. Craig is a sweet guy about my age, and he was looking for a church in the area. My family had joined a church family with whom we love worshiping. Craig and I agreed to meet at Cosmic Kitchen for brunch one Saturday. It was a great experience! Not only did I get to meet Kris, Chris' wife, but Craig and I enjoyed a nice meal and the opportunity to get to know each other's stories a bit better. Oh, by the way, I also discovered that Craig is single. (This will be important later.)
Two months later in September, yet another Twitter friend, Sarah, tweeted that she was setting up a challenge for herself. She'd just come off a relationship and wanted to learn more about herself while at the same time avoiding falling into yet another relationship. Her project was called "52 Squires," and her goal was to go on 52 first dates in a year. The guys had to be willing to go on the dates, and she was only doing it by referral. In other words, if a friend recommended a guy, then she'd go out with him. She wasn't going to go pick up guys at bars or clubs, or even do the online thing. We messaged a bit, then started emailing, and I recommended Craig to her.
In the midst of this emailing that started off with me talking Craig up to her (while at the same time nudging him in her direction), we started talking more and more about ourselves. We met about a week later. I wrote about it here. I never expected to make a friend almost instantly, but it happened. After walking the labyrinth, we talked over coffee for at least two hours.
[A little aside here... Craig was Sarah's first scheduled date, and it went really well. I was impressed both by his choice of restaurant and the fact that he took her to a comedy club. It didn't go beyond the first date, but I'm glad it was a good experience for them.]
Sarah has connections that I don't have, and I have connections she doesn't have. We promote each other's businesses and inform each other of business opportunities. Crises? We're each other's go-to friend. Need re-energizing? We meet for coffee and get recharged off each other. Need quiet time? We find that together, too. I see in Sarah that same, "There's no such thing as failure" attitude my daughter has regarding her business, and it helps me keep perspective. I value her for who she is and all that she brings to our friendship. I am a more relaxed person and a better business woman because of her.
Who in your life gives you perspective, re-energizes you and helps you be the best business person you can be?
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