![]() I turned to Instagram in search of ideas, but I couldn't find a page that really spoke to me. In 2012, we embarked on our first home renovation. And that purpose can take many forms, but it needs to be yours, and, more important, make your heart dance. Now, don't get me wrong, my family certainly makes me happy, but I truly believe that everyone needs to have their own “thing,” their purpose in life. I wanted a career that would make me happy, to love something I could do for myself. Believe me when I say I asked myself over and over, wondering how-in spite of all I had-I could continue to feel a tug, a pull, a NEED for something more. I felt guilty even acknowledging something was missing. A devoted husband, beautiful kids who filled my time, loving parents, extended family and friends. And that purpose can take many forms, but it needs to be yours, and, more important, make your heart dance.Ī couple of years passed. I truly believe that everyone needs to have their own “thing,” their purpose in life. I summoned my courage and told my family I needed some more time to figure out what I wanted to do. I knew deep down that being a lawyer wasn't going to make me happy. I wasn't truly excited by the idea of studying the law. But, after I went to college in Michigan and prepared to apply to law school, I realized I was just going through the motions. I was always opinionated and strong-minded, and from the time I was young I thought I wanted be a lawyer. I didn't realize how much of an impact it had on me until I had a home of my own. Watching her start from scratch and make her vision a reality is something that stayed with me. ![]() My mom would pick a new house, and no matter what state it was in, within a few months she would turn it into a beautiful home for our family. ![]() But once things settled down, we'd return to start all over again, which I believe played a huge part in instilling a strong will and determination in me. My childhood was disrupted quite a few times: Leaving Kinshasa meant abandoning our family's home, leaving behind cherished items. We frequently had to grab what we could carry on our backs and run to the airport due to a military coup or uprising. Like many other African countries, there was a lot of political upheaval. My father was a businessman, and my mom stayed home to take care of my brother, my sister, and me. I'm Lebanese American, but I grew up in Kinshasa, in the Congo. As the kids got older, he’d wave a flag for the high school or read college mail, preparing himself for the day his charges would pave their own path.I had what you might consider an unusual childhood. In the early days, when we were constantly on the move as young families are, driving from events and practices and parties, we might find him hanging on to the door leading to the garage or actually in the minivan, peering out from the passenger side visor. (His human helper has no desire to produce messes that must be cleaned nor time to create elaborate scenes.) Sure, he occasionally finds an open package of marshmallows and dives in, but he’s mostly content to nestle into the leaves of a houseplant, hang out with eggnog in the refrigerator and recline in the arc of a wreath. He has never emptied a tube of toothpaste into the sink or set up a zipline across our kitchen. ![]() Little Red never gets into the kind of mischief that some elves stumble upon. I adopted him with gusto, reading the accompanying picture book to the kids and then helping the elf find a new perch late each night so that early risers would be able to find him the next day. And to kick off the whole season, our friend Mary gave us the Elf on the Shelf, at the time relatively new to the Christmas scene.
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