Kindra Hall

Not gonna lie… It’s been a little intense around here this year.

We knew when Michael decided to start teaching this past fall that it was going to be an adjustment.

What we didn’t know was just how BIG of an adjustment.

And that the thing that would be impacted the *most* … would be us.
Me and Michael.
Michael and I.
(Whichever is the correct way to say it).

Whereas before, when we both worked together and for ourselves, even when things got really busy, we could grab lunch or take a day off whenever we wanted. We never had to plan it. So we never really thought much of it.

That’s not the case anymore.

It took MONTHS to realize that if we didn’t *schedule* time together, we wouldn’t *have* time together.

And as any couple married for an extended period of time can tell you… the impact of no-time-together is a sneaky one. It comes on slow and can be hard to put your finger on...

But now that we figured it out, we’re doing something about it.

Prioritizing Friday Date Nights.
It might not *always* be possible…
But it is top of the list.
On the calendar. A repeating event. Alert set.

(And just like when people post their fitness goals here to keep themselves accountable… I might just do the same with date nights).

In which case… look for these smiles every Friday. ✅

When I was a junior in high school, my friend was in a play at the neighboring high school and I invited the boy I liked to see it with me.

I remember taking our seats near the back of the auditorium and though, obviously, all the action was happening on the stage… I found myself stealing glances at him.

Did he like that part? Did he think that was funny? Look at how the blue lights from the stage make his blonde eyelashes sparkle...

The show was amazing, but for me, watching the boy was even better. Every little smile he let slip out sent a ripple of joy through me. “Look! The most beautiful boy in the room is smiling. And he’s sitting right here. Next to me.”

That relationship crashed and burned, several times in fact, and during each of those heartbreaks, I was over-dramatically certain there would NEVER again be a boy who, just sitting next to him, would be more captivating than the actors on a stage.

Last night, I went to the theater with my 15yr old son—his birthday present.

We sat together, near the front this time; so close to the action in fact we could have been spit on. And though the artistry on stage was award-winning, I found myself stealing glances at the boy sitting next to me.

Did he like that joke? Did he like that song? Look at how the red lights from the stage make his blonde eyelashes sparkle…

And for one fleeting moment, I thought back to high school me… and how happy she must be that here I am after all, sitting next to the most beautiful boy in the room, and he is smiling. ✨

I think we all know that overnight success isn’t real.

However...

I feel like there is a belief that a one YEAR success IS real... or even six months. Two years max.

Sure, you’re not going to wake up one morning and suddenly have become a best-selling author or a unicorn start-up. But put in some solid work for a year or so and yeah, it’s possible.

But the TRUTH is, the story often starts way before that.

Like for me... It was almost TWO DECADES ago that I was sitting on our futon on the phone with a storyteller I admired. He spoke in schools and libraries and festivals across the country and I was looking to leave my sales job to become a ‘professional storyteller’ (whatever that meant) and thought he might have some advice.

He did and was kind enough to share it with me…

He told me to prepare 3 separate storytelling programs: one for kindergarten & 1st graders, one for 2nd & 3rd graders and one for 4th & 5th graders. 😳 (I was grateful for the advice but it didn’t seem like a good fit 😬.

So instead… I started writing wedding stories for people — $100 for 50 hours of work — and that was the beginning of my work as the ‘professional storyteller’ you see today.

Looking back, and especially from the outside, it could look like things just happened all the sudden... but ask any of my friends & people closest to me and they’ll tell you I’ve been trying to figure this thing out for decades.

So. If you’ve ever felt discouraged that the thing you’re working on just doesn’t seem to be going fast enough. If the slowness of it all makes you feel like a failure or like you’re doing something wrong... give it time.

Success comes to those who are willing to work and wait for it. 🌟