Paige Vidrine

It’s 4:30 am and I am sitting at my desk for the day, an 8 top table to the side of the dining room in Steamboat Bill’s in Pearland, TX.

Let me recount the last few weeks so we are all caught up. About a month ago a lovely couple showed up at Steamboat Bills in Lake Charles. As they were talking to my mother, they reminded her that their son was my friend in college at Baylor University. My mom immediately called me and asked, “Do you remember (who we will call) Star. (He was a track star and by far one of the most athletically successful people I knew back then. ) “Of course.”, I responded. He was like family. We rode to school together.

“His family lives in Pearland!”, she told me. I immediately found him on instagram and reached out. “I need a friend!” We instantly connected like no time had passed. A week later I found myself at George Bush International Airport in Houston, late for my flight to Chicago. The plan was to meet my mother and sister in the city to plan for what we wanted to explore at the Restaurant Show. Problem was that I was busy getting the keys to my place in Pearland that morning, Thursday May 15. By the time I made it to the gate I realized I was going to be catching a flight on Friday instead of waiting on standby all night. I needed a place to crash for the night. I called Star and he opened his home to me.

His mother, father, him and I stayed up until midnight catching up over a couple glasses of the finest wine. It felt like a family reunion, natural and quite comforting. The next morning my friend drove me to the airport around 4:30am. I spent the next few days walking upward of 10 miles throughout the exposition for restaurants. I found a lot that I could use for both of my endeavors and made some great connections along the way. When we weren’t working, we met up with family. One family friend took us to Al Capone’s old neighborhood in the suburbs around the city. There, we were introduced to the owner of Frankie’s Pizza, a famous Italian restaurant and grocery store. Our friend called the owner up and let him know we were coming. They rolled out the red carpet for us. We had a buffet of free food and a tour of the place. It was lovely.

On the 20th of May, my sister, mother and I flew into New Orleans, were driven to Ocean Springs, MS where I gathered my things briefly and went to a business meeting at the city. The next day I hired two movers, booked a Uhaul and emptied my storage shed in Mississippi. I drove myself back to Lake Charles where I hired another set of movers to empty my house in Lake Charles. Then I headed to Pearland with my things. The realtor that I met out there connected me with her daughter who was waiting for our arrival with another set of movers. I found another woman, through an employee, who showed up as well. Within a few hours, my boxes and furniture were being unpacked by my crew.

About a day or so into the move, I asked Star for help with the man stuff that I just couldn’t tackle alone. Fortunately, during my travels back and forth to Houston in the previous months, I met a man who we will call “Universal”. He works for NASA and had been lovely to me. Star and Universal both showed up for me to accomplish so much. Within 3 days of actual work on the house I was fully moved in and grounded in my new place.

The very first night that I introduced the kids to our new home, my guys were there doing the big things I needed while I cooked us all smothered chicken over rice and gravy. I wanted the kids to have a home cooked meal and for it to feel like home for them. It was perfect. I cried, hugged the guys and thanked them immensely for showing up for me.

I had about 5 days of life in the home alone with the kiddos before the install for a new Point of Sale system at Steamboat Bills in Pearland. If you don’t already know, a point of sale is the register system. In most businesses, it’s the heart. If it’s down, so is your system. My first major action in my new business was to change the POS so that I could integrate something for loyalty points, which could also be used in the franchise as we grow.

Needless to say, it’s been a busy couple of weeks. It has left me feeling like I have sea legs if I am being honest. My head is spinning. So, I decided that in order to ground, I needed some alone time in my business. In gaining that, I felt it best to utilize that time productively. I hired a networking specialist to handle another important task for the business, cleaning up the lines for printers and networking. We scheduled a 4am appointment and here I am, sitting with myself as he works.

There’s a lot to process and I don’t often feel that I have enough time in the day to do so. I find that’s normal in an entrepreneurs life. You have to make the time.

As I sit with myself there are a few things about my journey that have been standing out lately.

1. Celibacy and the clarity it brings. If I haven’t already disclosed, I am celibate. My relationships that I am creating now begin with that boundary. “I don’t want my time in Pearland to be defined by the drama of intimate relationships.”, I told a potential suitor. He understands. The men here are different. Maybe I am different in this new phase of my journey. I feel more respected, honored, served, loved. An Italian Man who we will call “Italy” came into my life recently due to some business dealings we have. “I have been telling my family about you. You’re Italian, hot and smart.”, he said. “Yea but you don’t even know if I am crazy.”, I responded through my laughter. “You’re Italian. It’s expected.”, he joked. “Look, I am not looking for a husband out here. I am on a business mission. What I need is a community who will connect me to the right people, help me, support me.”, I explained. Within a day or so he had his trusted contractor friend and a man who runs a dirt yard scheduled to help me with Phase 1 of my project: Reduce Liability Issues.

So What I am really finding is that when I take sex off the table, the true protector, provider, servant’s heart of men is forced to the forefront. When intimacy doesn’t play a role, friendship is birthed. I am able to step into my softness and let these people, Italy, Star, Universal and others show up without expectation. I give in whatever capacity feels pure and they step up in whichever way they are called.

2. They say that when one door closes another one opens. The problem that I have found in that statement is that no one talks about the in-between. As doors are opening, you have to walk through this hall of uncertainty, doubt, fear and pain. It’s uncomfortable. You feel lost at times. There’s a glimmer of hope, but is it worth it? Somedays you will want to turn around and enter the door that closed. When you try to go back into that room, you find that everything looks familiar but it feels foreign too, like you aren’t supposed to be there anymore. It’s like outgrowing your favorite pair of pants. No matter how much you squeeze and stuff yourself in them, it’s awkward and unappealing. Everyone can tell. You feel it. You might as well just retire the pants, journey through the hall and keep moving forward. This is where I am right now. I always have hope. I took a leap of faith and moved to Ocean Springs where I blossomed. I wrote my novel. I found this deeps sense of understanding within my being. I dove into that reality with everything in me. I fell in love with an amazing man. I will never forget how awkward it was to jump.

I told a friend the other day, “I remember running off the side of the mountain in Argentina with a parachute in my harness. At that moment, Do you think I wasn’t questioning all of my life decisions that led me to that one? I was panicked, scared and wondering what made me think this was a good idea. Then, in a blink of an eye, I was airborne. I saw the world differently after that moment. It was 30 minutes that changed me forever, anchored me into a higher perspective. That is what growth feels like.” I am on the side of the mountain. I am wondering how I got here, although I know that this is growth. Holding all of those feelings without judgment is the human experience. I don’t have to know. All I can do is carve out a couple of hours of alone time in my business before the sun comes up. I trusted my move to Ocean Springs. Coming home and dealing with the sacrifice of that experience made me a better leader, more fit for the franchise experience. I had gained and lost and gained again. There is so much that was birthed, even from the trials.

So I have no doubt now. I was called to Pearland for a reason.

At some point, you just have to adjust to the fact that, if you want an adventurous life, you have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. All I need now is a little help with my children, a community and network to grow into.

All in all, life has its way of refining you. At a certain point, you just have to do what’s best for your peace of mind, your financial security and the health of your family.

I am grateful these days for the little breaks in between the work. I am thankful for my team, the people I care about and everyone who shows up to support this journey. Community is my life breath. I couldn’t do what I do without the angels. The gratitude flows through my body on a cellular level.

Pray for me. This Phase is quite the challenge, but with your support I know it’ll all pay off.

With the Deepest Love,

Paige Elliott