What I’m Grateful For: Eldest Daughters
(Spoiler Alert: Next week will be about Youngest Daughters. And since I only have two girls, there will be nothing about sons or middle children. Sorry y’all.)
This past weekend, I had the incredibly rare opportunity to spend the weekend at the Salish Lodge with my oldest daughter Morgan. It was rare partly because I work so darn much, partly because dogs-cats-chickens-ducks-other daughter, and also because my oldest daughter ALSO works a lot, as well as cats-chickens. So it was a real treat for us to get away from all the things and spend a few days soaking in the hot tub, sauna-ing, eating and wandering around in the rain.
(Side note: it is much more difficult to write a gratitude about someone who will read said gratitude. The dogs and ducks are indifferent to my gratitude. My children are not.)
I was only 21 when Morgan was born, and in many ways the two of us grew up together. I remember at the hospital the morning after she was born, they had laid her on my chest and I was finally alone. She was naked (I’m sure it was only an hour after she was born) and she pooed a little on me. I got up and looked at the newborn diapers and looked at my newborn daughter and it occurred to me that I had no idea how to put a diaper on a baby. She stared at me and I stared back at her. We figured it out together, a little messy but just fine.
As we both got older, growing up together made for a lot of funny Gilmore-Girls type scenarios. Our hearts both got broken when she was 14 and I was 35 – we cried and listened to morose music and moped around the house together for weeks, months. Slowly we got over it, it took time – a little messy, but just fine.
Now she’s all grown up, and a nurse, and engaged, and she tried on wedding dresses and I got to help her choose the most perfect dress for her upcoming day – not a wedding yet, but an elopement because that’s what she wants to do. But not any old boring courthouse elopement – an adventurous one, with a photographer-cum-officiant who loves to travel. She and her fiance and her photographer/officiant are going to hike up some North Cascades trail with a great view and get married under the gaze of the mountains and the sky, with wildflowers all around.
I’m so incredibly proud of her, and her courage to make her own decisions and do things her own way. Not even a little bit messy, and so much more than just fine.
What I’m Reading: Your Guided Journal by Ray Dalio
I really love Ray Dalio’s book Principles. If you haven’t read the book yet (it’s pretty large and somewhat intimidating) you can watch the great animated YouTube video that boils it down to an easy 30 minutes here. I am intrigued by the idea of creating my own principles. I am sure I have some already (-eat the biggest frog first, don’t ever give up, being quiet is often a good idea) but I’ve never arrayed them out in front of me. If I get a fun set who knows, maybe I’ll share! The guided journal is very cool – lots of thought-provoking and structured ways to guide you in your journey. I’ll keep you posted.
Tip from Gene:AI Client Attraction Prompts for Lead Generation:
Here’s a topic I love talking about and sharing. It seems every week the landscape changes with advancements in AI technology.
Here are 3 ChatGPT prompts for Client Attraction in your posts. Just replace the [text between the brackets] … remove the brackets of course 😉
Alway fact-check the output and look for how it reads and flows before publishing to your site.
Give it a try, and let us know what you think.
1. Give me an SEO-optimized [whatever platform you choose] [post or video script] with 5 reasons people love moving from [feeder market for your area] to [your city]. This prompt is designed to attract buyers moving into your area from a feeder market.
Example: ChatGPT Prompt from above:
Give me an SEO-optimized Facebook post with 5 reasons people love moving from Dallas, Texas to Tampa, Florida. This prompt is designed to attract buyers moving into your area from a feeder market.
2. Give me an SEO-optimized [whatever platform you choose] [post or video script] with 7 reasons buying a home is smarter than renting in [your city]. This content is designed to attract first-time homebuyers.
3. Give me an SEO-optimized [whatever platform you choose] [post or video script] with 5 things renters wish they would have known before buying a home in [your city].
Quote I’m Pondering:
“Becoming a mother forced me to have hope.” – Nefertiti Austin
