A Moment of Gratitude For Going Beyond

On Saturday night it rained a spring rain- steady and cool without the bitterness of winter. I put on my galoshes and grabbed my biggest umbrella and stepped out, despite the precipitation, to meet my best friend for drinks and dinner. Saturday nights in our house are mine. I don’t always take them, but we have an understanding that this night is my night to step out and see my friends.

It’s not always a super late one (ok, almost never), but I love Saturday nights to catch up on my friend’s sagas, to laugh at myself a little, to try new, popular restaurants, and yes, to sip a cocktail or two. It’s on these nights that I go Beyond the businesswoman who had a multitude of meetings over the work week and Beyond the Mom who changed diapers, cooked meals, gave baths, and disciplined her silly toddler son. I put on a cute outfit and step out into the city, in some ways totally anonymous and in other ways, embodying myself more than ever.

This past Saturday night, as I walked to the West Village I felt cloaked in gratitude for having a supportive husband who understands how important my ME time is and my FRIEND time is. I felt grateful for the relationship he has with my son and that they, on some level, enjoy when I step out because they get to hang out on their own terms. I felt grateful for the friendship, the conversation, and the laughs that awaited me meeting up with my bestie since 11 years of age. And I felt grateful to this great city of New York with endless restaurants to try, people to meet, and a million opportunities to reinvent and go Beyond. Underneath my big, red umbrella I felt humble and incredibly lucky.

Where can you find moments to step out on your own terms? To disengage from the pace of your daily life and step into the story of who you are as you and only you? Do you make time for your girlfriends? Do you make time to be by yourself? These are the moments that are so important to keep the relationship with oneself strong and ever evolving.

Randi Zinn

Randi Zinn is the founder of Beyond Mom and randizinn.com. Born from her own experience of motherhood, and the desire for a more connected community, Beyond Mom offers mixers, events and retreats for forward-thinking New York moms. She encourages moms to cultivate a life “Beyond Mom”—one that embraces the gifts of motherhood but expresses all that they are as individuals: creators, businesswomen, thinkers, friends and so much more. Randi has partnered with Comptoir Des Cottoniers, SoulCycle, Mio Skincare, TOWN Real Estate, The Mother Company, Body Conceptions and IntenSati. Her writing has appeared in FitBump, Epoch Times and Well Rounded NY. She is a certified yoga instructor through Laughing Lotus NY and has taught since 2008.