Is There a Celebrity Among Us?

Tonight after lots of football, we went to dinner at Max's in Auburn with David & Lisa and while we were dining a woman approached our table...you all know where this is going, right? "Excuse me, are you Mason Partak?" 

She had a flyer for his tacos but keep in mind, we did not announce ahead of time we were going to be there and the place was packed. She wants to arrange to have him come speak to her classes at an elementary school in Grass Valley. She asked him if he would be comfortable giving a talk and maybe doing a demonstration of some kind. He assured he he has done lots of talks and demos and he would be happy to come talk to her school. 

Gotta love it!

I knew there would be a window of time after he won Chopped Junior that people would recognize him, but I guess I didn't expect random, "Are you Mason Partak?" while we are out to dinner. I'm beginning to think there may be a celebrity among us!

The Importance of Visual Communication

I am a communications major and love to, well, communicate. I've been told I'm articulate and have a way with words but you know what, I've recently learned the importance of visual communication. Don't get me wrong, I'm a visual person and an artist that paints guess what? Words. My art is RiverLights Originals, I pen inspirational words on river rocks, add metallic inks and then photograph the rocks in shallow running water. The combination of the running water, metallic inks, and sunlight creates beautiful mosaic like images.

A few days ago I learned yet again, the importance of communicating with images. Many of you know that Mason and I have spent the last two years raising money to improve his elementary school kitchen. Ultimately, the school got an upgrade to the school cafeteria and a full blown culinary science lab so the students at the school can learn about science, nutrition and how to cook. Mason raised $26.052 to put in the CSL, but now they needed money to buy the supplies to conduct the classes.

I had posted several notes asking for donations and Mason even offered up $200 from his Chopped Junior prize money to get the donations ball rolling. A local business offered up $100, a fan who saw Mason on Food Network message him saying he had also sent $100 to help. Keep in mind, at this point, the principal of the school has been paying the $100 a week bill to get this program off the ground out of her own pocket. I did some quick calculations and deduced that the school needed $1400 to get through the rest of this school year and posted letting my circles know we needed $1,000 more in sponsorship. At the same time I was posting asking for help, I saw a post from one of the parents at the school with photos of that days cooking class. I asked if I could repost and when I got permission, I posted this:

A few days later Mason and I stopped over to our friends house to deliver some of Mason's famous tacos (they've been under the weather and couldn't come out to Max's with us) and Mason came running out with a check for $1,000! WHAT?!! I went in the house and thanked them profusely. I asked why and Gary said, "I saw the photos and I want this program to continue." I saw the pictures. Look at those kids, they're smiling, learning about food and science and math and food and nutrition... I saw the pictures.

The Mountain Mandarin Festival has been a big supporter of Mason and this project. They have given the school the opportunity to work the festival for the last three years for a percentage of the ticket sales and this alone was a large part of that initial money to put the CSL in to begin with. Yes, the MMF has been a huge supporter, but they stepped up again because they "saw the pictures."

Incredible and wonderful. Communicate and share, do these things with intention and watch the good come flooding in. Now we need a local grocery store to step up and sponsor the CSL for the whole school year. Mason and I are working on that, but rest assured, this is a great program and it will change lives, I know it's changed mine.

Who Is This Kid?

Mason's postcard

My son Mason is 12 years old. For the most part, he is a normal 12 year old boy who is strong willed, determined, obstinate, and can be a real pain in the butt for his dad and I. He loves to play video games, ride his BMX bike and skateboard, he skis and snowboards, and of course he cooks. When it comes to cooking, he's quite exceptional. He loves to perform and he can rock a live cooking demo or television performance like a seasoned professional. Last year he had the opportunity to compete on Chopped Junior on Food Network and he won, holy cow, he won!

Our hometown has been so excited to have a Chopped Junior Champion on the map that our local Max's Restaurant asked if he would put one of his recipes on their menu and he went with his spicy street taco from the show. Last night Mason was scheduled to be at the restaurant to meet and greet diners, talk about the show and see how they liked his tacos. I expected him to chat with people as he's quite outgoing but I did not expect what I saw last night, not at all.

Mason had dinner with the restaurant manager and people walked up to the table to talk to him as he was wearing his CJ chef coat so they knew who he was. When he finished eating, he washed his hands, grabbed his postcards and started working the room. He walked up to each table in the lounge and then he made his way to the dining room. I tried to get in behind him to take a photo or two, but I was intercepted by diners asking if I was Mason's mom. By the time the night was done, so many people had come in to see him, he signed photos, took pictures, and answered questions about cooking and competing on CJ. One of the people who came in to meet Mason was a young man with autism, Mason made that child feel like a million bucks! I was so proud of my child last night.

When the night was over and we were getting ready for bed, I asked Mason what he said to people in the dining room when he walked up to the tables. He replied, "I just walked up and said, Hi, welcome to Max's. I'm Mason Partak. I'm guest cheffing and my spicy street tacos are on the menu this month." WOW! WOW! I can't imagine having such a sense of myself at 12 years old. Now I know why people were stopping me and complimenting me. The truth is this though, Dave and I cannot take all the credit for who Mason is, to a large degree our kids are who they are and it is up to us as their parents to either foster those qualities or squash them. Are you tuned in as a parent? I think being older parents has really served us and obviously, it's been good for Mason, too.

Tune in to your kids, listen to who they are and then find ways to support them to be more of that. Be okay when that changes and when then want to explore different things in life, you will be so glad you did when you see your kid step up and as someone said last night, "live on purpose" at the ripe old age of 12 years old.

The Power of Intention

New York, Central Park August 2015

Mason is just 12 years old, but he has spent all those 12 years watching and hearing me talk about the power of intention. He hears me frequently say, "Whatever you think, you're right!" It's my favorite quote. Even though Mason will squawk about something being difficult or life not being fair, I know he understands that his thoughts guide his actions which in turn, create the immediate outcomes for his life. I say immediate because contrary to popular belief, changes can happen in an instant. It is a combination of immediate outcomes that when they come together make a successful future.

While Mason and I were in NY for the Chopped Junior competition, we talked a lot about what an honor it was to just be invited to compete on Food Network. The morning of the competition Mason and I had a little chat in our hotel room. I said to him, "You know Mason, I am completely confident that you have everything you need to win this thing. You have practiced and studied, you have the skills. With that said, more than anything I want you to understand that it is cool just to be here and to have fun today." He hugged me and we went down to breakfast. We met the other kids and their moms and the staff in the hotel restaurant moved a little 2 person table to the end of an eight foot table and Mason and Hannah's mom sat at the little table. During breakfast Mason playfully announced, "Hey, there is 100% chance that the Chopped Junior champion is sitting at this table." All the kids chuckled and nodded and Mason added, "No, this table" as he placed both hands on the little table only he (as one of the kids) was sitting at. They all laughed but I got it, it gave me chills the way he calmly spoke with such conviction - he absolutely set his intention and went on to win the competition. Coincidence? Some would say yes, but not me.

Our kids absolutely mirror what they see, and they see more of us as their parents than other people, especially at younger ages. Mason is now starting to spend more time socializing with other people in other environments and he will often tell me, "Mom, they don't think like we do." That pleases me that he gets how much power he has to control his life, and I'm sure to also share that the things he can't control, he can control how he reacts to and what his next action is. That is just as important in the manifestation process, don't you think?

Why Don't You Start?

We've all said it, "Someday, I'll..." What? What is on your list of things that you will do someday? Mason often reminds me of the lofty goals I have in my life, things like take my family to Italy, or travel for 3 months around the US in an RV and when he does, I say, "Someday." He loves that because he knows he will get me when he replies, "Someday is today!" Yes, I say that all the time and now, so does he.

In reality, what I actually mean is someday is today, today is the day to set the wheels in motion to work toward that goal. Every small step adds up to getting you where you want to go. I proved this to Mason two years ago when we were watching a Travel Channel special on Disney Cruises and the construction of the new Disney Dream. Mason said, "Mom, you always say you want to take a Disney cruise, when do you want to go?" Without hesitation I replied, "Let's go next year for your birthday." He was pleasantly shocked and we immediately started looking at the different plans online. I called a Disney cruise specialist the next day and that phone call turned into several emails, some literature that came in the mail, and my first small payment on our cruise. In October 2014 we set sail to the Bahamas on the Disney Dream! A simple intention and the action following it with a phone call made that bucket list family vacation a reality.

What I'm really loving is watching Mason learn about the power of intention and how to set his to get what he wants. In 2013 Mason set his intention to be on the Food Network and this year, he competed on and won Chopped Junior! I look at him and I just imagine what my life would have turned out like if I had learned the power of visualization and intention at his age. Stay tuned, I see big things in his future and I suspect his Somedays will come sooner than most others Somedays.

What do you want to do, what is on your list to happen Someday? I bet there is something you can do right now that could set the wheels in motion to that someday coming sooner than you think. Go ahead, start.