Drive
In 1997, a dear friend, Jean Frankenberger Nottingham, took me to lunch and handed me a new magazine called Fast Company. On the magazine’s cover in bold type were three words: FREE AGENT NATION. “I think you should start your own business,” she said. “You’re ready.” Little did Jean know how those three words and that lunch changed my life. I had been dreaming of starting my own PR firm for several years but was too fearful to leap blindly off the cliff. In his article, “Free Agent Nation,” author Dan Pink highlighted the growing number of “free agents” or independent workers who left big corporate America behind to pursue their own visions of what a real work-life balance ought to be. “Jump and the net will appear,” he wrote. I cut that statement out of the magazine, taped it to my bedroom mirror, and for three months stared at it every day. Soon after, I did jump. It’s now been 12 years and that ole net, well, has always been there. Ironically, a couple of years later, Dan Pink asked me to particiate in an entrepreneur time-tracking experiment for his book of the same title. Free Agent Nation (the book) came out in 2001. http://tiny.cc/euW2z
This week Mr. Pink’s newest book hits the shelves…Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. You can read the Wall Street Journal review here: http://tiny.cc/zyks7 . Anyway, like many of you, Mike and I are still trying to figure it all out…how to live a purposeful life while facing the realities of raising kids, providing for a family, and pursuing work that matters. That’s part of the reason we took another leap and bought our farm. To have a place of peace and nature away from a big city where we could go to think and play and breathe more easily. And this little blog is my humble attempt to share part of that life with friends and family, and thus keep the conversations going about what truly motivates us and brings deeper meaning to our lives. Thanks, Dan, for helping me and many others get on the way to this journey. www.danpink.com/drive
Riding My Bike
When I was little I had, like most kids, a bike I loved. Mine had a big banana seat covered in bright mod flowers, and a woven plastic basket up front with a fake flower. I put plenty of miles on that little bike–and got plenty of scuffed up knees wrecking it. The ’70s bike is long gone now, but Mike recently got me a spiffy new Diamondback so we can cycle the Chief Ladiga Trail together. Living in the city, we never ride. But that’s no excuse. Now, with 33 miles of bike trail near the farm and a connection to the Silver Comet, we’re going to get out there soon and start pedaling.
Riding My Bike
My wheels don’t seem to touch the road
As I fly through the wind.
When I look down,
The road flashes by.
When I look up,
The world is slow motion again,
And I swerve a corner,
Almost floating.
Written by Anna Williams at age 10
Barnstable, Mass.
Meet Lola
Thus far we haven’t talked much about our animals. We have a few, and they’re of course a big part of the family. Now that we have a few extra acres, my hunch is we’ll be adding more over the next few years. While I can still count them, we’ll try to introduce you to all our four-legged family members. Let’s start with Lola. She was my 43rd birthday present, a big surprise. We already had one Great Dane at the time, Lucy, who took up plenty of space. Then along came Lola. Lucy passed away a year ago and now Lola is top dog. She’s the sweetest, most loving thing, except for one little flaw: when you walk her she attacks other dogs. And at 135 lbs, if she wants a piece of another dog, believe me, holding her back ain’t easy. This spring we hope to breed Lola and have a litter of pups. Maybe that will calm her down. And I’m quite sure that after one litter of Danes Mike will put an end to our breeding business. So friends, if you want an adorable puppy (and have a little extra room) get those orders in early.
Arielle’s Country Boudoir
She’s usually too busy to come stay @ the farm, but when she does her room will be ready. 
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