Angela and I arrived at the great capital city on Friday afternoon, excited to explore and get some grub. After having a lovely dinner at Thai Tanic, we headed toward Pentagon City so that I could purchase some sandals and have a bit of retail therapy. It was good to get away from the hustle and bustle of our normal lives and spend some quality girl time together.
The next day, we got up bright and early to attend The Gutsy Girl's Guide to Success. (It was our whole reason for the trip, after all.) Held at George Washington University, the workshop was conducted in an intimate classroom setting. Angela and I found ourselves among other young women interested in a common pursuit - authentic joy. We were lead through a series of exercises and discussions by the lovely Molly Hoyne of Stratejoy. I had been following Molly's work on Stratejoy for some time. And when the opportunity arose that I could be a participant in her mission to help women realize their own authentic joy, I took a leap of faith to participate.
Me and Molly - twins!
Although we all had different reasons for being there, there was a shared interest among the women in that room to no longer be wall flowers in their own lives. Truths were being shared among strangers and to ourselves, and though some of the activities were unexpectedly revealing, the forum felt safe and energizing.
We even had a guest speaker, the successful Kimberly Wilson of TranquiliT. A self proscribed "teacher, writer, do-gooder, entrepreneur, and eco-fashion designer," Kimberly shared with us her story of finding her own joy and her adventures into entrepreneurship. She was informative, ambitious, but, most of all, refreshingly down-to-earth. My favorite part of her visit was her top five list for being a tranquilista:
- Spirituality is a priority.
- Take action.
- Your life is art.
- Exude style.
- Leave a legacy.
Overall, I left the workshop feeling inspired and motivated. I learned that I'm a big picture kind of person who sometimes has trouble with follow through. But I was able to learn some helpful tips to make meaningful goals with achievable actions. I have a couple of projects to flesh out in my own pursuit of authentic joy - and I can't wait to get started. It was such a pleasure to meet Molly and all of the lovely participants in DC.
On our last day in city, Angela and I ventured out to King Street in Virginia to visit the downtown area for brunch and shopping. I saw so many interesting things there that I just had to capture them all on camera.
My best discovery on King Street was chai bubble tea. I. Loved. It. If you can stomach the look of the tapioca balls in the bottom of the tea, I highly recommend it. It's like a dessert and a drink in one.
Heading home to North Carolina was a reminder that I was stepping back into my life after stepping out of it for an exercise in self reflection. I was heading back to my life with purpose with the intention of making some real progress in this pursuit of a creative life. It may not all happen at once, but I am enjoying the journey. After all, isn't that what it's all about?
"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy,
they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."
- Marcel Proust
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