ClaireMolineaux.com

Was that coffee and breakfast pastry really worth $16.42? Yes. Yes it was. With a 5:29 a.m. flight, I needed it. Nevermind the captive-audience airport prices. I’m caffeinated and my blood-sugar is normalized. It was worth every penny. The roaring hum of the jet engine outside my window creates a soothing ambiance for reflection. The in-flight Wi-Fi doesn’t seem to have enough bandwidth for the planeful of passengers using it, so I’m closing the reports and turning to my creative outlet – writing. It’s funny how a little altitude can give you such perspective. It’s refreshing to get a birds-eye view of things as you fly over. Cities, rivers, mountains – even the Grand Canyon – seem so small from this height. Isn’t that just like our lives? Our mountains can seem so big when we’re on the ground – in the midst of our troubles – looking up at the enormous tasks that lie ahead. But when we’re above the clouds, over the mist and the fog, a clear perspective can chan...

January 29, 2014 Dear Rachel, Tonight you fell asleep on my shoulder. You're a strong, inquisitive, independent 2-year-old, and it's been too long since I felt the soft sighs of your restful breathing on my neck. I didn't want to disturb your slumber. I just wanted to treasure the moment and feel the warmth of my baby's trusting embrace. We had a fun-filled day, celebrating Aunt Hope's birthday at Walt Disney World. We ate dinner together at the Liberty Tea Tavern in the Magic Kingdom. You asked to go to the bathroom about 5 times during dinner, maybe because the bathrooms in this particular restaurant were upstairs, and it was quite entertaining to go up and down the stairs. As we descended the staircase after one such trip to the bathroom, you insisted on walking down the steps all by yourself. You said, "No, I'm big girl" as you pushed away my hand. I kept my hand close to yours so I could offer assistance if you needed it. Yo...

No one cares about Justin Bieber's arrest. Or Jennifer Lawrence's wardrobe. Or Miley Cyrus's hair. At least, not in a deeply personal, life-altering way.  Ok, maybe some people do care that much.  But for most of us, while tabloids exploit the personal lives of these celebrities for sheer entertainment value, we move on with our lives as usual, because - quite frankly - the headlines just don't matter.  Really .  What difference does it make in my life? None.  Will pop culture impact my life for the better? Not likely.  Am I a better person for having kept up with celebrity gossip? Nope.  Let's be honest. The people who make the greatest impact on your life aren't famous. They're not drawing attention from the media. They're not delivering a political speech, playing in the Super Bowl, or posing for cameras on the red carpet. The people who make the greatest impact on your life are those who are closest to you.  The teacher who invests in you....

I write a lot of letters to my baby girls. If you're a parent and you haven't already adopted this practice, I highly recommend it.  Tell them stories. Tell them about their character.  Tell them what you've learned.  Tell them how much you love them.  Tell them. Hand write it, type it and print it, or just write an email to yourself and save it in a special folder. Someday, when they're graduating high school, getting married, or applying to graduate school, you'll be glad you did. I hope to make a little book for each of my kids with the letters I wrote them. Here is one such letter, written for Julia on the day she lost her first tooth: October 24, 2013 Dear Julia, Today you lost your first tooth. You're only 3 and a half. It was a shock to me, and something I wasn't expecting, but you handled it like a champ. You were climbing up the slide at the playground (in your usual ambitious spirit) and slipped over the side, landing face down, ...

We’ve all been there. That awkward moment when you find yourself doing exactly the thing you said you’d never do. Maybe it involved:   Eating something you said you’d never eat Visiting a place you said you’d never go Trying something you said you’d never do And you actually enjoyed it. Or maybe it was sad realizing that you broke your promise to yourself – or that you’d promised something so odd in the first place. Whether it’s big or small, we all make claims about our lives before we understand the long-term repercussions: “I’ll never go there again.” “I promise I’ll never do that.” “When I have kids, I’ll never let them behave like that. ”   We make pseudo-commitments to ourselves that preclude us from experiencing real life. What we don’t realize is that the way we live now is not the way we will always live. Life changes day to day, and the circumstances we find ourselves in will not always be exactly the same. I’ve eaten many of my...

Today marks 7 years that I’ve been working in my position, doing marketing for higher education.  I am so blessed.  I love my job.  I love the people I work with.  And I love the mission to which I contribute every day I go to work. Over the past 7 years, I’ve been a part of many projects and processes, and through it all I’ve learned one very important thing: I have no idea what I’m doing. Don’t get me wrong – I sure do try, but so many days I’m left wondering what in the world my employer sees in me. ·      I am outpaced and outperformed by so many of my talented colleagues on a daily basis; but they keep me striving to achieve higher goals. ·          I am continually stumped by new problems that arise; but they give me an opportunity to expand my troubleshooting abilities. ·          I am dumbfounded by new systems and technologies that enter the m...

This morning as I opened my email and sorted through the various industry e-publications to which I subscribe, a headline caught my eye: "Top 40 Under 40 in Direct Marketing" As I read through the list of 20- and 30-somethings who have achieved great accolades in their various roles, I wondered how many countless others worked tirelessly to earn a position on this list, only to fall short - or to have their efforts go unnoticed. I'll be honest, I think it would be cool to be on this list someday. But let me take a step back for a moment. Don't these kind of lists set unrealistic expectations? Don't they highlight the early bloomers and ignore those who have labored their entire careers for such success? Why try to achieve so much so early? My entire life I've been labeled as a fast-burner, or a bit of an over-achiever. I finished high school at 16, consolidated a 4-year Bachelor's degree into 3 years, landed my dream job, bought a house, and ...