Meet Ren / 5 personal highlights about me
Have you noticed that though it can be hard to talk about yourself, when you do, all sorts of possibilities open up?
Points of connection emerge. You become curious to know more about this or that tidbit of the story. The other person becomes more real and your relationship becomes more intimate.
In this spirit, here are 5 personal highlights about me.
1 / EMBRACING my DNA
I grew up coming home to a different furniture arrangement all the time. My mom started side hustles as a SAHM before the gig economy was a thing. She's a talented baker and artisan, crafting impressive desserts, embroideries, rugs, wreaths, and flower arrangements. In 2005, she started a flourishing interior decorating business. I admire my mom's taste, grit, and entrepreneurial zest.
My dad is an aerospace engineer who started his first job in aviation at just 16. At 57, he enrolled in a full-time Architecture bachelor degree as a retirement plan. He worked 9-5 days and went to school 6-11pm for 5 years. Though he retired after graduation, he returned to aviation with gusto after just 3 short months. I admire my dad's impressive ability to visualize and draft anything; a true renaissance man, he can sew, make furniture, fix anything, cook restaurant-like meals, and answer most questions without Google's help!
2 / Embracing my DNA, AGAIN
During the last year of my graduate degree I got confirmation that I'm a visual learner and patterns thinker through a battery of learning (dis)abilities tests. Throughout my life, I suspected my mind was wired differently, but far from defining me, a diagnosis of ADHD has made me curious about the cognitive sciences and helped me step into the world from a position of strength, not deficit. I do the work I do because I'm wired and made for it.
3 / building COMMUNITY
I've spent a third of my life in Brazil, where I was born and raised, a third in Canada, where I spent my formative years, and nearly a third in the USA. During this journey, my parents built 2 custom homes, and I moved 14 times. I'm passionate about community building and have volunteered to serve on the board of directors of 2 homeowners associations. I love being able to strengthen neighbors and neighborhoods. Speaking of neighbors, throughout my life, they've become my best friends (and bridesmaids and our children's godmothers).
4 / making HOME
It's no surprise, then, that I LOVE all things home. I love imagining it. I love renovating it. I love refreshing it. I love furnishing it. I love styling it. I love running it. If I'm honest, (beneath the weight of overwork that comes with being a working mom at this time in history, I'll admit that) I even love cleaning it. I love opening our doors to guests - for a few hours or a few days. Up and down the years, the consistent compliment I've received is that our homes are "calm." I treasure this collective insight and it's core to my mission and brand.
5 / Answering my higher CALLING
Building on the above is my maturation as a person. I've spent years homing in on my true identity and vocations. Once I understood that I've been called to glorify God, I became free to answer in my own unique way: through marriage, motherhood, art, and teaching other families make the home they need for the life they want. My identity in Christ has become my "timeless plan" and the template for evaluating opportunities that cultivate and grow the charges and talents I've been given.
Until next time,
Ren
PS - ICYMI here are 5 highlights from my career.