Living the Dream

I'm happy to report that my first solo trip downtown was a huge success. Usually there's a gang from St. Fozzie's going such events…but not today. I was the sole representative. I was vaguely worried about oversleeping, being late, and of course, someone throwing themselves in front of the train. Alas, all went as planned.

The event I attended was through CHEF (Chicago Health Executives Forum) and the topics revolved around customer service in healthcare. It was on North Michigan, right across from the Drake Hotel. Me, being 50% thrifty and 50% exercise junkie, figured I would walk from the train. I brought my sneakers and slipped into them as the train pulled into Millenium Station. I walked that whole way, savoring the early morning "quiet" of the city. Lots of people jog the city streets before the pedestrian traffic infiltrates and I kept thinking how cool it would be to do my morning jog on Michigan Avenue. Who am I kidding, I'd still be in bed at that hour! I did slip back into my pumps before I arrived, but I amazed myself by not caring how I looked. Function over fashion. Just this once!

Anyway, the event was amazing and the subject matter extremely relevant. After listening to two wonderful speakers, we broke out into discussion groups to focus on particular issues pertaining to customer service in healthcare. I joined a table and immediately recognized a woman I worked with at Muppet Corporate (she worked for our largest contracted vendor). Then I met another administrative fellow who's doing her tenure at Northwestern. She has two friends who are fellows at University of Chicago. I told her we should set up an informal network of young hospital administrators and she readily agreed. Plus, it would be very neat to hop a train in Fozzie Fields and meet these new friends downtown for cocktails in the Loop. As I've already discovered, most of the executive "stuff" is all about relationships.

After the event, I struck up a conversation with a woman from Rush who also holds a degree in theology. We had a lively chat about Catholic healthcare and the unique challenges facing hospitals as they try to hire employees who espouse the hospitals' mission and values. We parted ways in front of the Sears Tower and as I walked back to Millenium, I realized I had become one of "them." I fit in. I knew the password and the secret handshake.

Even if it's fleeting and goes away tomorrow, today I was a completely confident woman who spoke her mind, introduced herself to 30 strangers who are professionals in their fields, and wasn't going to take crap from anyone. I may have been inspired by the dynamic conference in the fancy high-rise overlooking Lake Michigan…or maybe I inhaled too much asphalt from the nearby road construction. Whatever the case, it was a great feeling and a terrific experience.