Colorado is a dry state. Most years water is rationed and you are given guidelines.
We've had a good deal of rain this year so we haven't had to worry about watering - until the last couple weeks. I've been nagging myself - "I need to check on the watering schedule and set up the sprinkler!"
Yesterday I was chatting with a friend on the phone. She's like-spirited and inspiring - providing me with lots of great insights. But this time I wasn't present because I was looking at that damn lawn and beating up on myself about not getting to it yet.
As we spoke I looked up the watering schedule, thought about getting the sprinkler set up, wondered where I left the attachments last autumn...
I finally got to the "That's IT!" place with myself and told my friend I had to run. I got the water turned on, found the attachments and struggled with the muddy equipment. I got it all hooked up and positioned the sprinkler, turned it on and watched it hit too much of the sidewalk. Turned the water off, moved it a bit - nope, it's hitting the neighbors car. Moved it again - perfect! I grabbed my book and kept an eye on the time. After 30 minutes I moved went through the same routine - moving the sprinkler, turning the water on, then off and adjusting. Then on ... and off... every 30 minutes. I'm sure it looked like some ridiculous dance! Needless to say, it was hard too get into my book about being open to Spirit!
The sun was amazing and I got to wave to the neighbors as they were coming and going on their Sunday errands. After two hours, I washed off the equipment, turned off the water, coiled the hose up, removed the sprinkler, stored everything and came inside.
I sat down to chat with my husband and within 15 minutes a huge clap of thunder came out of nowhere as if to say "watch THIS!!!" The skies opened up and thoroughly, perfectly, watered my lawn. It stopped just as abruptly an hour later.
I laughed out loud as I grasped the meaning. When we do what we need to do to allow Spirit to flow through us, life also flows. When we fill our days with busy work, we are never still enough to tune in.
If we spend just a bit of time each morning connecting to Spirit and getting that flow started, things fall into place. It is in this way that we find, fully know and live our purpose.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Spirit
I, like so many others today, watched the memorial service for Michael Jackson with gratitude for his music and how it is weaved through my life and memories.
People say his music, dance moves and career were genius. I would agree, but Jackson said these things were never "his." In fact, he said he felt guilty about putting his name on "his" work because it was effortless for him. The music, he said, came through him from God.
His real brilliance was that he was so open to Spirit that all of this amazing music simply flowed through him. And Spirit moved through him in other ways too. It was said at the memorial service that when he suffered a serious burn on his scalp, he used the experience to empathize with others and build a burn unit. And he did this in many other circumstances as well - bad experiences were turned into opportunities to help others. Spirit doesn't see negatives.
Michael Jackson's music is his legacy to the world. But a less obvious legacy is this: when we allow Spirit to flow through us, not only are we lavishly fed and nurtured - magical gifts are bestowed upon us to share with the world.
I heard a sermon recently where the minister said that often times we pick and choose "Okay God, you can take this and that part of my life but this other thing is really important so I better handle it..." We all laughed but it really is true.
What would our lives look like if we opened our whole lives to Spirit? THAT would be an amazing example to our children and a lasting legacy.
People say his music, dance moves and career were genius. I would agree, but Jackson said these things were never "his." In fact, he said he felt guilty about putting his name on "his" work because it was effortless for him. The music, he said, came through him from God.
His real brilliance was that he was so open to Spirit that all of this amazing music simply flowed through him. And Spirit moved through him in other ways too. It was said at the memorial service that when he suffered a serious burn on his scalp, he used the experience to empathize with others and build a burn unit. And he did this in many other circumstances as well - bad experiences were turned into opportunities to help others. Spirit doesn't see negatives.
Michael Jackson's music is his legacy to the world. But a less obvious legacy is this: when we allow Spirit to flow through us, not only are we lavishly fed and nurtured - magical gifts are bestowed upon us to share with the world.
I heard a sermon recently where the minister said that often times we pick and choose "Okay God, you can take this and that part of my life but this other thing is really important so I better handle it..." We all laughed but it really is true.
What would our lives look like if we opened our whole lives to Spirit? THAT would be an amazing example to our children and a lasting legacy.
Monday, July 6, 2009
New Discoveries
People who know me tend to think I'm a very "up" person. I tend to be the optimist and can almost always find the silver lining.
But I'm going to be honest. Last night I got about 4 hours of sleep and I woke up pretty grouchy. Coffee didn't seem to help. Meditation usually puts me right but I couldn't seem to focus.
And then I had a webinar to learn how to use Blog Talk Radio. I felt sluggish when I started the call but enthusiasm is contagious and my publicist, Malathy Drew of Whispering Energy has that in spades. It's a gentle enthusiasm - an "I'm putting my arm around you and helping you figure this out" sort of enthusiasm - and I love it.
After an hour my day is back on track. I will need a nap later to take care of myself and get the rest I need, but for now I'm happy that I've found another solution to pull my way out of a bad mood...and I learned a new skill to boot!
So now that I've learned how to use blog talk radio, I have to plug the show - Mary Elizabeth Bradford will be interviewing me on how mindset can impact your job search. So if you know anyone looking for a job or if you're a career coach, stop by for a listen on Thursday, July 9th at 12 noon EST. You can find my show page at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ProParentCoach I'd love to see you there!
But I'm going to be honest. Last night I got about 4 hours of sleep and I woke up pretty grouchy. Coffee didn't seem to help. Meditation usually puts me right but I couldn't seem to focus.
And then I had a webinar to learn how to use Blog Talk Radio. I felt sluggish when I started the call but enthusiasm is contagious and my publicist, Malathy Drew of Whispering Energy has that in spades. It's a gentle enthusiasm - an "I'm putting my arm around you and helping you figure this out" sort of enthusiasm - and I love it.
After an hour my day is back on track. I will need a nap later to take care of myself and get the rest I need, but for now I'm happy that I've found another solution to pull my way out of a bad mood...and I learned a new skill to boot!
So now that I've learned how to use blog talk radio, I have to plug the show - Mary Elizabeth Bradford will be interviewing me on how mindset can impact your job search. So if you know anyone looking for a job or if you're a career coach, stop by for a listen on Thursday, July 9th at 12 noon EST. You can find my show page at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ProParentCoach I'd love to see you there!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
There's A Recession - have a blast!!!
With the recession, people are cutting back. They're canceling vacations, skipping the restaurant and staying home. And when news of a layoff comes, they cut back even more.
It's important to watch our pennies these days, but the people who do the best are keeping one thing at all costs - fun.
When we give things up, we often don't replace them - then we feel deprived, angry, hurt and sad. It's why many diets don't work. We feel like we're being punished, that things are unfair. And if we have kids, they often pick up on that and feel the same way. We say things like "we can't afford that" and "we don't have the money."
It creates sort of a self-fulfilling prophesy. And we go into job interviews with this hurt, deprived, "I can't afford it" quality permeating everything we say. Not very attractive.
What if instead of this we took a look at our budget so we could tighten it, network to find jobs, look for the best deals, trade for what you need, cancel vacation (if necessary) but also took a look at how can we maintain the fun?
I would argue that fun should be at the top of the list because it helps us maintain a positive mind-set. It reduces stress and helps us reconnect with our kids and with one another. It can help you sleep better at night, reduces over-eating ... and imagine going into a job interview with this fun attitude. Imagine the night before you played cards with your family and just finished a picnic with your partner just before the interview. You'll be a better mood - and it'll show.
Instead of saying "we can't afford that" - see it as a choice. Instead of dinner at a restaurant and going out to a movie, you might trade movies with the neighbors and have a pot luck. Instead of taking a vacation, you can set up a tent in the back yard or trade homes with a friend.
Instead of going to a ball game, play baseball with your kids and their friends. Board games, pic-nics, swimming, tennis, learning a new skill in exchange for teaching, pot lucks...all are free or low cost ways to have a good time.
During the recession don't give up the fun. Think of a way to translate more expensive activities you enjoy into more frugal entertainment. It doesn't have to be expensive but having fun is vital for peace of mind and good relationships.
Enjoy!
It's important to watch our pennies these days, but the people who do the best are keeping one thing at all costs - fun.
When we give things up, we often don't replace them - then we feel deprived, angry, hurt and sad. It's why many diets don't work. We feel like we're being punished, that things are unfair. And if we have kids, they often pick up on that and feel the same way. We say things like "we can't afford that" and "we don't have the money."
It creates sort of a self-fulfilling prophesy. And we go into job interviews with this hurt, deprived, "I can't afford it" quality permeating everything we say. Not very attractive.
What if instead of this we took a look at our budget so we could tighten it, network to find jobs, look for the best deals, trade for what you need, cancel vacation (if necessary) but also took a look at how can we maintain the fun?
I would argue that fun should be at the top of the list because it helps us maintain a positive mind-set. It reduces stress and helps us reconnect with our kids and with one another. It can help you sleep better at night, reduces over-eating ... and imagine going into a job interview with this fun attitude. Imagine the night before you played cards with your family and just finished a picnic with your partner just before the interview. You'll be a better mood - and it'll show.
Instead of saying "we can't afford that" - see it as a choice. Instead of dinner at a restaurant and going out to a movie, you might trade movies with the neighbors and have a pot luck. Instead of taking a vacation, you can set up a tent in the back yard or trade homes with a friend.
Instead of going to a ball game, play baseball with your kids and their friends. Board games, pic-nics, swimming, tennis, learning a new skill in exchange for teaching, pot lucks...all are free or low cost ways to have a good time.
During the recession don't give up the fun. Think of a way to translate more expensive activities you enjoy into more frugal entertainment. It doesn't have to be expensive but having fun is vital for peace of mind and good relationships.
Enjoy!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Weeds
Colorado has been unseasonably cool and rainy this summer. It's a good thing overall - we often have watering restrictions. It's good for the weeds too. For the past five years or so, we've had a bumper crop of weeds. This year I finally surrendered and called a landscaper. He took a look and said "Round-Up!" I explained we tried that - twice. We also tried planting other things (the weeds won) and even a blow torch. But the weeds are back...again.
Another landscaper has suggested pulling them out by their roots, so instead of mowing, we're pulling. The problem is that they're growing faster than we can pull! We have some that look like sequoias.
And so we have resolved to pull the tallest ones and just mow the rest. The other alternative involves a back hoe, a team of highly skilled professional xeriscapers and a tag team of laborers working 24/7 for weeks if not months.
But this whole thing got me thinking...we work so hard against our natural tendencies. My yard's natural tendency is to grow weeds and I'm fighting it. In that case I probably should.
But what about us? If we have straight hair, we curl it. If it's curly, we straighten it. If we're fat, we beat on ourselves - but the same thing happens if we're thin. We can always find a reason not to accept ourselves. And we spend so much time, money, energy and resources on fighting against our genes!
Yesterday Farrah Fawcett passed away. I watched the documentary she made and as she lost her hair, her skin darkened to an ashen color and her body bloated she never whined about it. She had been arguably one of the most beautiful women on the planet and that was all fading away quickly as the cancer invaded her body. But she had such a clear sense of what was important - being alive, being loved and loving right back, fighting for what's right and a sense of humor and altruism.
Thank you Farrah - wherever you are - for this final lesson. Accept yourself but not only that - embrace yourself. Don't throw away valuable time trying to change who you are. I attended a talk recently and the speaker quoted a poem. I loved it, but didn't catch the author. He said, "I dreamed I was a great ocean that was jealous of a pond."
Instead of picking out all your flaws and ruminating on them, ruminate on all your fantastic qualities - share them with the world. Feel free to admire others, but recognize your own gifts too.
As Antoine Saint Exupery said "What is essential is invisible to the eye."
Another landscaper has suggested pulling them out by their roots, so instead of mowing, we're pulling. The problem is that they're growing faster than we can pull! We have some that look like sequoias.
And so we have resolved to pull the tallest ones and just mow the rest. The other alternative involves a back hoe, a team of highly skilled professional xeriscapers and a tag team of laborers working 24/7 for weeks if not months.
But this whole thing got me thinking...we work so hard against our natural tendencies. My yard's natural tendency is to grow weeds and I'm fighting it. In that case I probably should.
But what about us? If we have straight hair, we curl it. If it's curly, we straighten it. If we're fat, we beat on ourselves - but the same thing happens if we're thin. We can always find a reason not to accept ourselves. And we spend so much time, money, energy and resources on fighting against our genes!
Yesterday Farrah Fawcett passed away. I watched the documentary she made and as she lost her hair, her skin darkened to an ashen color and her body bloated she never whined about it. She had been arguably one of the most beautiful women on the planet and that was all fading away quickly as the cancer invaded her body. But she had such a clear sense of what was important - being alive, being loved and loving right back, fighting for what's right and a sense of humor and altruism.
Thank you Farrah - wherever you are - for this final lesson. Accept yourself but not only that - embrace yourself. Don't throw away valuable time trying to change who you are. I attended a talk recently and the speaker quoted a poem. I loved it, but didn't catch the author. He said, "I dreamed I was a great ocean that was jealous of a pond."
Instead of picking out all your flaws and ruminating on them, ruminate on all your fantastic qualities - share them with the world. Feel free to admire others, but recognize your own gifts too.
As Antoine Saint Exupery said "What is essential is invisible to the eye."
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