:::Neck Monster Meets Lelly:::

Almost a year ago to the day, I met blogger Lelly on the Mall, and it was awesome.

Because Lelly is awesome. At this point I was still vacillating between staying in DC or moving to Texas. It was a mighty struggle, as most of my struggles are because of drama! and fatalism! and lack of belief! Talking to Lelly that afternoon with winds whipping us on every side provided a moment of calm and clarity in troubled times.

My description of Lelly --

Lelly is cool. You want to be her friend. She is that upperclassman that you always wanted to be. Not the Homecoming Queen, but the actual cool girl who had the confidence to follow her heart, befriend all kinds of people, and stand where she knew she should be.

Lelly has strength that comes from knowing who she is, and from knowing that who she is will constantly change as she travels through life.

There is a sensibility to Lelly's approach to motherhood that I liked a lot. A lot. Listening to her talk about Jack, and to Jack on the phone when he called to tell her about something he had just seen, it was just great. Lelly is Jack's mom, 100%. But, she is also still Lelly, with her own stories, her own past, her own experiences, 100%. I think the strength she has in both roles feed each other.

Lelly has the gift of recognizing and communicating the lessons she has learned in life in a way that will benefit you the most. This was so helpful to me. I desperately needed someone to provide some framing for me.

Lelly is motivating. I felt very freed by our conversation. I knew everything would be ok, regardless of what I did.

Lelly can be incisive and challenging without judgement. She was able to question some negative thought patterns I had without making me feel attacked or belittled.

Lelly is hip. She's got a vibe.

Lelly is the kind of woman who 70s folk musicians wrote songs about. She's been a lot of places, seen a lot of things, and her she is before you now.

If I had one million dollars I would pay Lelly to run my life, amen.

Lelly, one year later, thank you for taking the time to meet me. It was just what I needed.