The Hat

We are all running with scissors, up to our eyeballs in overwhelm, counting ourselves lucky if we don’t trip and fall on sharp pointy objects. Like you, I multi-task in ways I never thought possible, and I grab for happiness in un-expected fashion. One of the formative, ‘ahaa’ moments that has helped quiet the chaos, and given me a better sense of procedural structure, is this short conversation of the hat.

Wonderful cousin, Nina, of Madrid, was at a wedding with formidable French friends. It was a beautifully elaborate wedding, well planned from a year’s massive preparations. Nina was congratulating the mother of the bride, asking how she had managed to do this for five daughters. The woman looked her in the eye and said, “When I know anozer weding arive, premier, I go to buy ze hat. Everysing else follow. When I know ze hat, I know ze weding.”

What a sublime image. It holds all manner of silliness, and wisdom. What a chic, but manageable template to choose as your inspirational seed for an enormous task. It made me laugh and realize ~Don’t get lost in the overwhelm; first things first. Choose one special, preferably beautiful beginning moment. All else comes, born this opening vision.

‘The hat’ returns again and again, helping me reconsider not only priorities before taking on a large project, but the importance of making time to enjoy the opening salvo. In the ‘hat-moment’, I ask, what molecular DNA shall I choose for this initial breath? Can I create an image that emotionally engages, and makes me joyous? What shall I ‘put on’ that reinforces a unique sense of self, and gives me courage? What is the color and shape of this new journey? Sitting with intentional seeds to find the ‘best hat’ for a structured, step by step engagement, I embrace a chic, but child-like joy! I am choosing to lead with confidence, and I’m creating a moment of quiet peace, just me and ‘the hat.’