It happened in a flash.
I was sitting among dozens of women listening to all the amazing things the Junior League of Richmond offered us, and the panicked thought flew through my head quicker than lightning.
Oh my god…I didn’t mean to join this group.
For a stumbling three minutes, my brain flipped back and forth between enthusiasm and anxiety.
I meant to ask about its Book & Author event.
Book & Author. As soon as I heard those words from our speaker, a small blip of my past life zipped through my thoughts and kicked off the oh shit sweats. Not to skip to the ending but this flub actually ended up putting me exactly where I was supposed to be.
You are exactly where you are supposed to be.
For decades, I’ve played back those wise words over and over in my head and, sometimes, out loud. I heard those words the first time decades ago from a new friend placed in my life exactly when I was feeling completely lost.
You are exactly where you are supposed to be.
How did I get there this time? How did I get to exactly where I was supposed to be with no intention of being there at all?
Last May, I did my first-ever television interview while promoting my book, What to Expect When You Weren’t Expecting. Post-interview, I rushed home to see how it went, falling onto the couch and throwing on the DVR. During the broadcast, there was a commercial for an upcoming Book & Author event hosted by the Junior League of Richmond. As a newly published author knee-deep in the pimping of her work, I immediately paused the DVR and called the listed number for more information.
I wasn’t surprised to learn that I’d long missed the deadline to be included in the 2023 Book & Author event but, as suggested, made a note on my calendar to call back in January 2024 to be considered for the May 2024 event. And so, in January 2024, when a reminder popped up on my calendar to “Call the Junior League of Richmond,” I did.
What I didn’t do was remember why I was calling.
Here’s where the universe took over.
Instead of diving into my (forgotten) request for details about the Book & Author event, I listened to a recorded message offering guidance for prospective new members of the Junior League of Richmond. I blame my life’s high state of flux as I immediately followed those instructions rather than listen further for instructions relevant to interested authors.
Prospective new members? Sure! Sign me up!
Within minutes I was adding a Prospective Members’ Meeting to my calendar and, soon after that, was filling out an application and submitting fees. I learned that, yes, the Junior League would love to have me and I added another date to the calendar and, well, there I was sitting among dozens of women listening to all the amazing things that the Junior League of Richmond was about to bring to our lives.
Among those things? The Book & Author event. As soon as I heard those words, “Book & Author” a small blip of my past life zipped through my thoughts as I remembered why I’d placed that January reminder on my calendar nearly a year prior. Oops.
Still, I knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be.
I am knee-deep in a season of change.
- Two years ago, I had to retire my tennis rackets which removed a weekly round of “girl time.” While my tennis team and I didn’t always click, I still enjoyed the consistency of spending time together with a handful of unique women as we shared our joys and challenges.
- Over the past year, my local circle of mom-friends, created via children attending school together, began to peel apart as we all shifted focus to the last round of college applications and the emptying of our nests.
- Over the past months, I’ve had to adjust to the loss of daily phone calls with my mother, a tradition that’s been in place for decades but now has been relegated to a once-a-week video call.
- And, in just two weeks, both kids will leave for college and, well, I can no longer deny the sadness filling a heart that is also filled with pride.
This season of change seems to become more difficult each day as the path it presents is ripe with uncertainty.
As I sat nestled into my first (accidental) Junior League of Richmond meeting, I felt uplifted for the first time in days or weeks or months or maybe even years.
Yes, this was exactly where I was supposed to be.
A few days ago, I dipped my toes back into the world of volunteerism, something I used to do religiously as I loved the feeling that giving back gave me. While I don’t regret drifting away from volunteering, geez, it was good to be back. For me, volunteering is as much about injecting positivity into my mental health as it is about helping others. I supposed I could insert a whole thing here about “Doing something that is bigger than you,” but really, volunteering just leaves me feeling good–something that I’ve been struggling to capture in recent years.
It was just what I needed. Sort of. My back disagrees and my feet have very valid questions about my choice of footwear.
As far as that Book & Author event? Yes, I missed yet another deadline for consideration.