Book 249 - A Year of Magical Learning (Part 1/2)

Reflection Title: Jenny McCarthy - Living a Life of Values is a Team Sport!

Book – Year of Yes: How to Dance it Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes (Part 1/2)

Book Description: With three children at home and three hit television shows, it was easy for Shonda to say she was simply too busy. But in truth, she was also afraid. And then, over Thanksgiving dinner, her sister muttered something that was both a wake up and a call to arms: You never say yes to anything. Shonda knew she had to embrace the challenge: for one year, she would say YES to everything that scared her.

This poignant, intimate, and hilarious memoir explores Shonda’s life before her Year of Yes—from her nerdy, book-loving childhood to her devotion to creating television characters who reflected the world she saw around her. The book chronicles her life after her Year of Yes had begun—when Shonda forced herself out of the house and onto the stage; when she learned to explore, empower, applaud, and love her truest self. Yes.

Reflection:

Jenny McCarthy?

You’re probably wondering what the hell Jenny McCarthy has to do with a Year of Magical Learning? Well, let me explain.

In case you are wondering, Jenny McCarthy doesn’t have anything to do with the famous Jenny McCarthy that is a judge on The Masked Singer, former MTV personality, and celebrity wife to Jim Carey. This Jenny McCarthy is Shonda Rhimes’ nanny to her 3 children who just so happens to share a name with the other famous Jenny McCarthy.

Shonda spent a whole chapter of the book telling the world how much she loves Jenny and how she can’t do anything she does without her help. Jenny is the glue that holds the family together, Jenny is the safety and security Shonda needs to feel free to create her meaningful work, and Jenny makes sure that Shonda’s children are in the best of hands while she is out living her Year of Yes. You don’t see Jenny, but the Shonda Rhimes we all know from her meaningful work couldn’t happen without her.

I loved that Shonda spent so much time professing her love for Jenny because all know that nobody can accomplish anything of substance alone in this world. As this is the Year of Magical Learning, this got me thinking about the Jenny McCarthy’s in my own life that support this Year of Magical Learning and my lifetime ambitions of Living for 2 for Emilia, which is really just another way of saying a lifetime of performing actions that reflect my values with and for my daughter to bring meaningful work into this world together. It is about damn time for me to give them their due on this journey because none of it would be possible without them.

Producing meaningful work and living a life of action driven by your values is not always the easiest thing to pull off in reality. It requires consciously and systematically saying yes to only the activities that align to your purpose, values, and mission while saying NO to as much as you can that doesn’t align. When done right, there is nothing more fulfilling. Most of the time the choices are pretty black and white for me as to what aligns and doesn’t. Sometimes, those choices are grey, especially when it involves your children.

While changing a diaper or watching your son go all Tasmanian devil on a room and leave it looking like a tornado of kids’ toys hit your house may not technically be meaningful work, it is a blessing to be able to do. Trust me, if there is anyone that understands how big of a blessing it is to have the opportunity to change a poopy diaper, you’re looking at him. I’d give anything to have the opportunity to change Emilia’s poopy diaper right now…I really mean anything. Losing a child is the ultimate way to put life into perspective. I don’t take these things for granted, but I also know that changing a poopy diaper or watching Luca explore every cabinet in the kitchen isn’t exactly my definition of meaningful work either.

These are the trade off’s one must make in order to live a life of values and bring meaningful work into this world. Don’t get me wrong, I do my fair share with Luca, but I certainly don’t do it all. If I did, none of what Emilia and have done over the past 2 1/2 half years would have been possible.

For that to happen, I need my own team of Jenny’s to help me out and I have 2 of the best in my corner.

First, I have to start with my wife, Felicia. Felicia puts up with a lot of asks from me. For me to Live for 2 with our daughter, I need to have space and time to make that happen and focus on the task at hand. Felicia provides that space for me by giving me the peace of mind to know that our son will be loved, nurtured, and cared for while I’m off spending time with my daughter. I know it isn’t always easy for her, because she has her own meaningful work to produce as well, but we make it work for each other.

Second, and most importantly, is our own nanny named Ciara. Ciara is literally the glue that holds this family together and gives my wife and I both the opportunity to spend time with Emilia producing meaningful work in our own unique ways. For my wife, it has been becoming a founder and launching a charter school here in Indianapolis. For me, it has been starting ClubAny, writing I Can’t Imagine, and working on this Year of Magical Learning project. Without Ciara, it is safe to say that none of that would have been possible. She loves and cares for Luca just like we would, hell…sometimes it feels like even more J. There is nothing more reassuring that knowing that Luca is in good hands with Ciara to give me the peace of mind to feel free spending my time with my daughter, and I’ll forever be so grateful for her contribution to our meaningful work in her honor.

Never forget that living a life of values is a team sport and you can never do it alone. So, here’s to all the Jenny McCarthy’s that make our meaningful work possible. THANK YOU!

Question: Who are the people in your life that make your meaningful work possible?

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Links:

What is The Year of Magical Learning? - An Introduction

YOML Podcast Discussion - Coming Soon

YOML Bookstore - Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes