My business Soul To Soul Yoga was recently nominated for Small Business of the Year but the Manatee Chamber of Commerce. There is an interview as part of the nomination process. I was in a board room with 3 males (different post all together) having to explain what I do and how I serve my community. I am not 100% percent sure they understood what I talking about but the business made it as a finalist.
You are asked to list all you volunteer or service to the community. I didn’t realize all that I had committed to until I was forced to write it down. My husband laughed at me. He could tell you. I realized I had turned into my father. He had a long list of service to the community- Rotary, Mason Lodge, Town Council, etc and was never around. He literally worked himself into the grave. He went to work one day and the next never returned. I now sit on 3 different nonprofit boards, committees with the chamber, developmental disability committee for legislative priorities, and constituently running to meetings. The list was quite long. I even started this spread sheet to help others find providers in the community.
I think this is a sibling trait more than anything. My father was a sib too. My aunt had down syndrome. I heard the term “glass children” recently to describe the siblings of those with disabilities. Please see the below TedX talk.
Siblings often go unseen depending on the nature of the disability the brother or sister has. To compensate, most of us are over achievers, thrive on high levels of stress if not full blown anxiety, and a vast majority of us are in therapy as an adult. Myself included and not ashamed to admit that. It is part of my self care. My husband helped me create a plan to slowly back out of the craziness I have gotten myself into and then suggested we find service that we can do together. Love that idea.
The goal is to “retire” early but we all know I can’t sit still that long. I will always help people with disabilities wether it’s through yoga, traveling with the Global Autism Project, or sitting on board of directors for a nonprofit that services people with disabilities. Setting boundaries is key. I don’t take clients before 10. I am not a morning person anyway but it gives me a chance to do my yoga practice, walk, check emails, and prepare my day.
But for now as one student said to me the other night, I am everywhere.
