Tuesday, 31 March 2015

My day began a tad earlier 'cause I had a full and exciting agenda:
- 3 PM - A manicure/pedicure at Elizabeth Arden's Red Door Spa in the Willard Hotel
- 7 PM - Gretchen Rubin Better Than Before Presentation & BookSigning
I piddled around in the morning, beginning with my usual MSQT. About 11:30 am, started to get ready:
First up: decide what to wear. what's the temp like? tho' sunny, a tad cool so reported my personal meteorologist, Norman. too cool for just a jacket, so coat and carry a lightweight jacket; jeans - easy to roll up legs for pedicure and comfy.
Next: what to take* with me:
- my book, of course!
- iPad & iPhone, of course;
- CJP (planner/journal); pens, etc, of course;
- copy of online ticket receipt- most definitely!
When to leave?
- check Metro bus/rail online for schedule + itinerary (walking distance/time to my destinations );
- oops: check weather forecast: possible rain in late afternoon…take umbrella, too.
Armed with all that information, I next ironed my jeans, showered, dressed and left the house about 12:55 pm to catch the 1:10 pm bus. The bus stop is just about a half block away…arrived there in plenty of time with just a short wait.
Metro rail station is just 6 blocks - on a tad warmer day and with less of a load, I might've walked - and when we arrived, once in the station, I had no wait for a train, at all: by the time I arrived on the platform, the train was arriving too! Within 10 minutes, I was downtown Washington DC and on my way to my first destination: my 3 PM pamper session at the Red Door Spa.

With some time before my appointment, I decide to eat lunch at the restaurant in the JW Marriott Hotel, Marriott's flagship hotel and across the street from the Willard. I chose a window seat so I could see the tourists and tour buses on Pennsylvania Avenue, ordered and enjoyed a delicious bowl of crab+corn chowder. Just enough to fill me up.

Next stop the Willard! When I entered the hotel, I was greeted with the most pleasant aroma and sight: majestic floral arrangements sprinkled throughout the lobby! Being a typical resident of a tourist attraction (i.e., Washington DC), I can't say I've visited all the city's attractions…so I was quite smitten with the sensory experience: the sight, the smell, the sounds of people attending to their own personal agendas, etc.
At the Red Door Spa, I waited about 10 minutes before my manicurist was ready for me. Once seated, the pampering began, accompanied by classical music. Totally relaxing; totally relaxed. Nirvana.

I left the Willard about 4:45 PM - on to my final destination: Historic Sixth & I Synagogue in Washington DC's Chinatown. It's rush hour now so the the streets and Metro stations are teeming and bustling with not only tourists but also residents, leaving work, going home or out to dinner or coming to the Verizon Center for a Washington Capitals' hockey game.
I arrived at the Metro station with plenty of time for the short walk to the venue - about 2 blocks - and waited outside in a slight rain til the doors opened at 6PM to pick up will call tickets.
The synagogue has quite an interesting history and is now a cultural center as well as a place of worship. As the time passed til the program's 7 PM start, the pews began to fill and soon, the sound of people's voices filled the room. To make book signing easier, event staff wrote our names on sticky notes (color coded by arrival times. Mine was yellow for early) to facilitate the book signing.
And then it was 7 PM! Let the magic begin!

Gretchen is true to her first rule of adulthood: Be Gretchen!
- Her voice - you can hear it on her newly created podcast;
- Her appearance: she looks like her pictures, no doubt there;
- Her presentation content, delivery, just like her prose: interesting, insightful, reflective, engaging…and
- Her fun sense of humor, a tad crafty, contemporary and down-to- earth is the best way I can describe it!
We all sat riveted to our seats, soaking all-in her every word.
After her prepared talk - modeled I'm sure after her TED Talks, she entertained about a dozen questions. They ranged from requests for personal help, as “how can I best establish…?” to "impact gender might have on some of her conclusions, for instance?" I like that she grounds her answers in her research.

And then, it was about 8 PM, time to sign books. Very orderly, we grouped ourselves in the line … a long one…and waited for our turn to share a few words individually as she signed our books. I said to her that I had a hundred questions to ask; she replied: "Many will probably be answered when you read the book." To which I responded: "Oh, I have already! Finished it about a week ago! " "You have?!" she exclaimed.
I arrived home about 9:15 PM, totally pleased with the day. I plan to reread the book more slowly this time around, starting this weekend. And later in the month, I am participating in a 4-weeks' online book discussion group. I am curious about it.
I'm sure that I will be sharing lots more about Better Than Before - my insights, lessons learned and my efforts to create habits that work for me.
Begin Now! as Gretchen signed the book. to be continued...
Cheers~
*In my part of the country - midwest Michigan/Illinois/Ohio - we always used the word take rather than bring. Just a little trivia.