A cool perk of my job is the opportunity for professional development in neat places.
I've been able to cross the country to visit Seattle and head down south to Austin and meet great people to learn wonderful things together.
This year I traveled with three colleagues to New Orleans.
Every single person we met was delightful. I never thought New Yorkers were anything but nice until I was confronted with that foreign to me 'Southern hospitality.' Everyone was helpful, going out of their way to chat with us. The cab driver, the waiters, the concierge, everyone made us feel incredibly welcome. When I complimented the woman who helped me in the Gap, she saw my license and remarked, "well, honey, we just are a little bit sweeter down here from what you're used to at home." And she was right. Not that people aren't nice here - again, they are. It's just that people say hello to you and chat with you while waiting on line at Starbucks in New Orleans instead of glaring at you if you say that it's a beautiful day. It was refreshingly lovely.
A highlight of my trip was reuniting with my cousin, Stella.
She grew up in Los Angeles and we met once as tweens and spent a few days at the beach making friendship bracelets. She now lives in New Orleans and we were able to share dinner together one evening. Even though we hadn't spoken in about 15 years, it felt like we just saw each other last week. We talked about real issues, life, family, children, faith...and had no judgement.
Such a beautiful, affirming night.
I loved the vibrancy that is New Orleans. The food is rich, bold and tasty. The vibe is total energy. The music makes you want to get up and dance, just celebrate life as it is.
And that's what I think people there do. They celebrate. They live. They enjoy whatever they are doing (or at least that's what it seemed like to me). And I need to absorb a little bit of that...hopefully when someone meets me I seem celebratory and not negative. Definitely something I need to work on and one of the most valuable lessons I learned in New Orleans.
