a sign of success

Exciting news! Erik just landed a collaboration with a big company. Since he owns a clothing line, he's designing a few items for them based on the theme, "What does success mean to you?" It's a cool concept. If it was my project, I might suggest designing something based on a bed. It sounds silly, but all throughout college and a few years after, I lived on futons and mattresses on the floor. So when I finally settled into a non-dumpy place and had enough money to buy an actual bed frame, it was a sign that I had arrived. (The salesman at Sleepy's got hugged. There may have been tears involved.) Or maybe my item of clothing would involve the city skyline. Growing up in the North Carolina suburbs, NYC was a scary, far-away concept, something that existed only in the movies, like Crocodile Dundee II (yes, I went there). And when I moved here in 2001, just two weeks shy of Sept. 11th and a breakup with my then-boyfriend, I wasn't sure that I'd have the strength to stay. But I did it! But, after batting these ideas around, I've decided on my emblem: A big smile. Because, for me, the greatest achievement of all is straight-up happiness. It doesn't really matter how big your bank account is or the title on your business card if you're miserable, right? All that really matters, at the end of the day, is if your decisions have lead to joy. :)