I attended an event alone, solo, stag last night! That may sound like no big deal to most of you, but I don’t think it is something I could have done a year ago, maybe even 6 months ago. I have always found comfort in numbers. I always wanted a friend, a wing man along as a safety blanket. But last night, circumstances arose causing me to have to brave it alone to attend something I didn’t want to miss. Sure, I felt a pang of fear and a flutter of nerves, but I pushed it aside. I remembered that I am a brave girl and I can do hard things!
Last month I attended HeartStories GNO http://heartstories.com for the first time. I had seen the organization and monthly event on facebook. I was intrigued but being “busy” in life like everyone is, I had put it off. I purchased the ticket to attend last month for my friend, Ellie and me. I have to admit I dreaded the thought of attending an event being attended by strangers, women on top of that! But I was committed to Ellie and I went. And……I fell in love with HeartStories! What a breath of fresh air to feel welcomed with open arms, feel free to share without judgement, receive encouragement and support with no strings attached, and leave feeling better than when you arrived!
I knew I wanted to be a part of this every month, so I signed up for a year membership with HeartStories GNO. The founder, Crystal Gornto and her right hand “man”, Sunny are astonishing women. This group is about empowering and supporting women. The monthly GNO event is a time to get together with other women and share love, fun, and laughter, but to also remind us to take time for ourselves, care for ourselves. Crystal has chosen red headphones with hearts on them as her logo. This is to remind us all to drown out the outside noise and listen to ourselves and what we really need in life.
Each month has a fun new theme with activities and speakers. Last night was “Off to the Races” to celebrate the Kentucky Derby time of year. We were able to make our on spectacular fascinators to wear (and no one felt silly doing it!!!). We “bet” on the races with oversized money. We partook of mint juleps. It was my first and probably my last. Lol, bourbon is apparently an acquired taste. The speaker was a lovely, strong lady named Bree. She shared her truly inspiring story of second chances. Bree and her husband run a business in McKinney called The Iman Project. https://www.theimanproject.com You should check her out! Awesome raffle prizes are given away at each event, not to mention a meal and open wine/champagne bar.
So back to JoJo Solo…lol. I am not the same person I was a year ago. I feel that owning and being the CEO of my business, no matter how small, has changed me. I have learned I am capable of so many things. I have so much to offer the world. I am my own person; not just a wife, a mom, a nurse even though those are wonderful things. I walked into that room last night determined not to be a wallflower. I chatted. I laughed. I met some wonderful women. I was proud of myself. Crystal quoted Wizard of Oz st the end of the night and it so hit home…”You had the power all along dear. You just had to learn it for yourself.”
