There are some pretty amazing women out there. Not sure why I hadn’t heard of Barb Stegemann in the last year. Where have I been? Under a rock! Oh…. ok…. yup… never mind.
Thing is… there was this fabulous article in the Chronicle Herald today about Barb, her book “7 Virtues of a Philosopher Queen” and her new perfume “7 Virtues Afghanistan Orange Blossom Eau de Parfum“. It was inspiring! There are women out there we should all get to know… I know this simply because I’m surrounded by so many of them! Barb wrote a book about living your life to the fullest… the seven virtues… Wonder, Moderation, Courage, Truth, Justice, Wisdom and Beauty. It’s about how women have this buying power we need to tap into… simply put I guess is that we have the potential to change the way things are… for us… for all of us! From all I can gather from the article and her website, Barb is living what she preaches. The new perfume… a way of empowering women in Afghanistan… growing and purchasing orange blossoms for her new perfume! She’s helping out, giving back, spreading her word… pretty amazing! I plan on reading in the coming days to see what I can find out… there’s just some neat ladies out there!
Headed down to the market with my girlfriend for a cinnamon bun and a peruse through the place. Love the market. Picked up my daffodils in support of the Canadian Cancer Society and all who are fighting and winning the battle, and for those who have fought but lost.
Stopped for a coffee on Spring Garden… which is when things got quite exciting for me. Feeling pretty chipper today! So… well… there was this boy. I ordered my tea and took a seat…. decided I didn’t like the seat I was in (some people you need to avoid) and hopped over to one near the front windows. Which was when I made eye contact with the fellow in question sitting in the big, plush, purple velvet chair. I smiled… he smiled and looked away. So, I sat back in my seat to enjoy the freshly brewed masterpiece. He stretched forward to look around a pole and smiled again… which was when I realized he was all out flirting and REALLY trying to get my attention. I knew he was going to come over. Could feel it. So… I acted all coy and waited and as he arrived at my table, I gently pushed the extra chair out and offered him a seat. (I was THRILLED that my girlfriend was up talking to some friends and knew she wouldn’t mind when she came back and there was no seat for her.) We chatted for a minute… he was a bit shy… told me his name was Sean… just got a new bike. As bad luck goes, he couldn’t stay long as his Dad came to retrieve him… oh… did I mention he was two? But… my flirting it seems is working! (By the way… the Dad wasn’t all that bad himself!) When we left… Sean’s older brother Sam told me he hoped they’d see me again some time (I’d shown him pictures of my dog on my crackberry. He liked me too!) It was nice… I’m feeling a little empowered!
My morning was coming to an end. On the way back to the car I dropped into Mills to check out Barb’s new perfume. Here’s the thing… she’s doing this amazing thing for the women in Afghanistan AND the perfume smells simply AMAZING! I didn’t pick up a bottle… yet… Mother’s Day is around the corner and I’m telling you… if you don’t know what to get your wonderful Mom… pick up the book and a bottle of the perfume. (Oh Mom… if you’re reading… act surprised come Mother’s Day!)
Its been a good day and its only lunch time. What’s ahead of me for the rest of the day? I’m full of wonder… doing things in moderation… turning my fear into courage… uncovering the truth… seeking justice… searching for the wisdom to figure out my full potential and feeling downright beautiful! Barb’s got a good thing going here… and so do I. I got a book to read!!!