Introducing the Jack of All Trades

I introduced the blog in the “Shut Up Stupidhead” post but now I would like to introduce myself. After all, if we are going to be spending some time together here, you need to know me so your mom won’t say you can’t talk to me. Now I am not a stranger… I am Robin Reifsnider and I live in Richmond, VA with my wacky and wonderful husband, John and our neurotic and food-crazed pup, Georgia. We have 4 mainly terrific, grown kids. Carter is a 26 year old girl, followed closely by her sister, Cole, 24. Jack, 22, starts off the boys for us and the caboose (who used to love to scream SHUT UP STUPIDHEAD) is Travis at 21.

So what’s my deal? I grew up in Jacksonville, Florida and think it is one of the best places on earth. I still crave sand in my toes and salt wind on my face. I went to college at University of Georgia (Go Dawgs!) and think that place is pretty frickin’ special too. I majored in Broadcast News and worked as a television news reporter in Mississippi for a while before I figured out I loved the creative part of the work but hated being a public figure. Once I noodled through not wanting to pursue a career in broadcasting (that had been my goal since I was 10) I was kinda lost. I went to visit my sister in Washington, DC for the weekend but ended up staying for years. That cool town is where I met John, my hubby. In DC, I waited tables for a couple of years and then got into sales. I sold Dictaphone (truly horrible job) but learned that sales wasn’t so scary after all. I switched to selling commercial printing for RR Donnelley & Sons (a super awesome job) and fell even deeper in love with the printed word. I also learned just how important it is to work with principled, good people. Donnelley is packed with really good folks. John & I married while we were in DC but very quickly, we got pregnant and moved back to Jacksonville.

Carter made us parents and upended our world in the very best way. But, I distinctly remember thinking  “we will do that once our life gets back to normal.” I am a slow learner sometimes so it took me about a year before I realized that there was a tiny new sheriff in town and nothing was ever going back to the way it was before. I took a part time job for a computer company working from home as the Director of New Business Development until I realized they were just kidding about the “part time” and about  “working from home”.

So I was out of work with a one baby and Cole on the way when I started a painted glassware company that I sold to retailers at the Atlanta Merchandise Mart. John got another, better job opportunity in Charlottesville, VA so two months before Cole joined in the fun we moved again. That job was a real weird one!  We quickly packed up again and moved to Richmond, VA and we have been here ever since. Jack followed 20 months after Cole and Travis pushed his way into the fray 16 months after Jack. Once the whole gang was here painting pretty glass objects turned into a nightmare of no time, high stress and no deliverables to the customers. So I stopped. But pretty quickly, I realized that I have to have a creative outlet or I am an unpleasant, angry little elf. I picked up a camera and spent the next two decades doing photography for fun and working as a professional sports photographer. And I loved it but when the caboose went to college I was once again forced to re-evaluate how I was spending my time. Hanging out at a field or court every afternoon, evening, and weekend is fine when your family is in that groove too. When their groove changed, I wanted mine to change too so that I could spend more time with them. So I quit and enjoyed a little over a 18 months of travelling, doing pilates, and wondering what the next meaningful interlude would be.

I was drifting and not unhappy but I also knew I needed something else. Then, I read Dr. Brene Brown’s work on living with whole hearted authenticity. This quote hit me in the face, “Unused creativity is not benign. It becomes grief, rage, sorrow, and shame.” So I realized I REALLY needed to find a new creative outlet!  The truth is I am a jack of all trades and master of none. Lots of things bring me joy but I am not necessarily great at anything. But here’s the thing, I am willing to try. I hope I will get satisfaction out of it, bring some joy to others, foster connection with more people, and find a like-minded community. I found a note in my phone from when I very first started thinking about making a blog or podcast. I had forgotten about it but it read, “My goal is to help you go to bed smarter than when you woke up by mastering the best of what other people have already figured out.”  And that sums up my goal pretty well…I really believe that if we continue to grow and to learn throughout life we can be smarter, happier, more fulfilled versions of ourselves.

My superpower, if I have one at all, is reading. Not much of a super power, huh? But it allows me to go through a bunch of text and cherry pick the very best stuff to share with you. So tell me, what is your superpower? And since we ate getting personal, my love language is food. There is almost nothing I like better than cooking for people I love so let’s share the good stuff!

Is there anything that you’ve been wondering about or hoping to find? If so, tell me about it and let’s get smarter together and enjoy the journey!