What Counts As Support From A Friend?

I have an acquaintance who is very well connected in the social media and single mother community here in Dallas. Her ability to know who needs what and who has what to offer, barter, exchange or sell is attributed to her thousand mile long & growing daily- mailing list. She's an up and coming publicist and email marketing tipster e-blasting her subscribers with -where to go & things to do. I happened to befriend her just before the holidays and was soon fully engaged in supporting a cute charity that she started.

At the same time, I was going places and doing things to develop interests and business of my own, whilst job hunting, fund raising for my daughter and trying to keep my car out of repo mode! And even though I asked, I was never once supported by my acquaintance to her cornucopia of contacts. As a writer I was somewhat offended when she asked me to deliver "more compelling" copy of my fund raiser schpeel, when her own newsletter content and spelling could use a lot of help! For my re-write effort, I never saw one eblast or post of my time sensitive fund raiser notice. Soon I disengaged as a volunteer in her organization and stopped feeling like she was a friend. Our contact with each other has been very minimal since then..

But wait! There is one thing she seems to be doing for me.. She is passing the word that I'm available for child care? I never asked her to do that! There was this one time I responded to an email she circulated that a single mom needed a temporary baby sitter. But weeks later, she refers me to another single mom of 3 children. And just a week ago.. I get a call from her that a self employed single mom needs administrative support & child care help in her home. IF I was interested in doing some down and dirty organizing and admin work for a successful lady General Contractor with some baby sitting on the side, it wouldn't entail the 30 hours of laundry and ironing and dish-washing and tutoring that this mom required!

What a waste of my brain cells!

I market and promote myself as a POWER Admin, Organizer & Planner and Executive Support Professional when I'm looking to do that kind of work, but I've never said I was a baby sitter! Don't know how it came about that she's telling folks out there.. "She's good with children." When I needed her to tell people that I had an online fund raiser to raise money for my daughter's trip to NYC, she didn't lift her voice once! And I don't get that!

And that big fat juicy jar of home made Brown Sugar Love Scrub I gave her for Christmas? In the business she's in, I sorta kinda hoped for a little promo in one of her many eblasts!

Not a mention...

What is that?

I Admit - I've Always Wanted To Do The Mary Kay Pink Car Diva Dance!

I've dropped in and out 3 times in the past 16 years. Never able to really re-connect until a month ago when I wanted to buy a red lipstick. Mary Kay has the best lipstick on the planet. I Googled "Mary Kay Sales Director" in my zip code, and met my new best friend. Her pink Cadillac has a bad ass analog clock, too!

Yep. I'm hooked again on the idea of being a pink car driver! Forsaking ALL other ventures I've embarked upon.. except my writing and mosaics projects! No. She didn't recruit me.. I recruited her. She's a kindred spirit and I'd be remiss if I let her get away!

What I love about Mary Kay besides the lipstick, eye makeup remover, mascara, and skin care... ?

... Mary Kay teaches women to be women in pursuit. To be women of expression, connection, enterprise, adventure and to aspire to have lives that they can live outside of mommy & wife mode - if they choose!

I choose! I choose!

The money ain't bad, either. Well. That depends on who you ask.

Am I nuts to feel like I can have a lucrative business as a Mary Kay consultant? Years ago when my daughter was a new born and again when she was a toddler, I worked it very hard, and.. managed to earn only bill money. I'd like to think I'm smarter now. But really I am not. Thus my pink Cadillac driving kindred spirit teacher/mentor/friend... Who will surely be honest with me about the possibilities.. and realities.

I spent part of this weekend on a mini retreat with her and 6 other fabulously beautiful women in the business. She and one other are pink car drivers.. And the other 4 were there to rejuvenate and share on how they are getting their mojo into gear for this new year!

I'm not judging anyone but, they all reminded me how hard I once worked at it and dropped out with nothing to show but my understanding of the Mary Kay way. Sharing my thoughts and feelings and listening to theirs only really begs these two questions.. Are their issues a sign of these economic times, or what? And what makes me think my new experiences will be different or better?

Giving it a year and finding that IT just ain't happening for me would be a waste of a year.. that I don't have to waste. That's why I'm giving it -from the git go, to convince me that I can have what I want from this!

And at this point, I just haven't made up my mind about whether I'll go at this full steam ahead, or slowly but surely. I'm not in the mood to waste any time or money so before I make any plans, I need to make up my mind.

And now I wonder what this conversation I'm having with myself really means..



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