I love fairy lights ...

It's late Sunday afternoon, and I'm feeling pretty grateful - for everything.

I've just returned from a lovely weekend away with my daughters ~ we travelled to visit with friends of ours, friends we haven't seen in 4 months. Driving home earlier today, I thought about how very fortunate I am to be able to plan get-aways like this. Fortunate to have a car, fortunate to have a friend, fortunate to have a lifestyle that means no work on the weekends unless I choose to.

Fortunate to have two daughters whose company I enjoy and who are still willing to travel with me. Fortunate to have appliances that allow me to already have three loads of laundry completed in preparation for tomorrow. Fortunate to have the means and the foresight to have a dinner planned and about to be prepared.

And fortunate to know in the very core of my being that the secret to a life of happiness and a sense of inner peace and balance is the capacity to feel grateful for all that is mine, and to appreciate what may not be mine - but still brings me great joy; like fairy lights, falling rain, blowing wind, laughter, brewing coffee, inspiring people and time alone.

What makes you feel grateful? Sometimes even just thinking about it can make a bad day better.

Put THAT in your bullet and blend it ...

I don’t like fruit. Heaven knows why this is ~ what’s not to like about fruit? Its sweet with pleasing textures and mouth tingling sensations that make the taste buds sing. And yet – eating fruit is a chore for me.

In fact, there are a lot of foods that I eat because of the health benefits they provide; yogurt and flaxseed come immediately to mind.

Imagine my glee when I discovered a kitchen gadget called Magic Bullet! With this wondrous, magical, sleek device – I can put a buffet of food items I’d rather avoid into a see-through container, wrap my hands around its neck – and watch the offensive morsels get pulverized and annihilated with just a little pressure from my upper body, wrists and hands. It’s exhilarating! In fact, there’s only one thing that tops this experience … and that’s the divine concoction that my food aversions transform into.

Honestly – it’s incredible. My hat is off to whomever invented the Fruit Smoothie … ingesting my vitamins and minerals has never been more wonderful! I like to imagine this delicious libation was birthed in the throes of somebody’s fridge-rage.

“Why doesn’t anyone eat this fruit before it goes bad? And look, the yogurt expires today! And why am I the ONLY one eating ground flaxseed? Do you people think money grows on trees? I’m so sick of wasting food like this …” And all amidst a mad flurry of smashing and splurting and squishing left-overs that went in with negativity and came out with more benefits than I care to list at this time.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a Magic Bullet for our pain? Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could take hurtful experiences, moments in time we wish we could take back, toxic people and other black energy – toss them into a see-through container and, with the slightest of pressure … watch them get pulverized and annihilated before our very eyes?

And wouldn’t it be great if this concoction transformed into something meaningful and beneficial with more benefits than you’d probably be able to list in one sitting?

Think back on a bad experience for which you are now grateful. Maybe because it taught you something. Maybe because it prepared you for someone. Maybe because it made space for a miracle that you would have missed otherwise. And celebrate your creative genius – your masterful ability to move through the pain or the hurt or the shame to create a grander version of the greatest vision you are right here, right now.

And know that no matter what faces you ~ you can be the space for it to exist and you can blend it into the cocktail that is your life - with meaning, and flavour and heart health.

You are the Magic Bullet .. and you are awesome!

The Spiritual Spin on Twitter and other forms of social media ...

When I was first becoming aware of Spirituality, I really connected to the works published by Neale Donald Walsch. I distinctly remember avoiding his books at first - though I didn't realize I was doing that at the time. You see, he had the word God in the title ... and I was not comfortable with that concept or its interpretations in my mind.

As luck would have it though - Conversations with God: Book One would show up in my path a lot. I'd see it in book stores, of course. But then - I'd see or hear about it in unexpected places. Like, there'd be a copy of it lying in the Linens Department at WalMart, or there'd be a book review about it in a magazine I was flipping through - or I'd overhear people discussing it while standing in line at the grocery store. I now know that this is how synchronicity works ~ but I did not know that at the time. As far as I was aware - Synchronicity was the name of the The Police's final album together as a group.

Long story short, I finally borrowed a copy of it from my local library - and then got quite sick, and read the book cover to cover in less than one weekend. I was THAT connected to its message. Honestly, it spoke to me - and it made perfect sense. Not at ALL what I'd expected from a book with the word God on its cover.

This post isn't about how I got from there to here however. I merely desired to preface a concept that I read in one of the Conversation with God books (I believe it was Book 2) where we are told that we are the gift.

It struck me at the time. I wrote it in my Quotes Journal so that I could return to it again and again - and I've shared its premise with people over the years when a perspective shift was needed for a difficult relationship to gain forward momentum again.

In short - relationships serve us best when we enter into them with the knowing that we are the gift, and that we are in relationship with people for what we can offer them -- not what we can take from them. And in an enlightened pairing - they reciprocate in kind.

I don't mean we need to subjugate ourselves in an unhealthy 'people pleasing' way ~ but more in an enlightened 'we have been brought together at this time for a reason, so - what do I know or what can I share to enrich your journey?' kind of way.

This came to mind now as I've spent the last few weeks learning all I can about Social Media and the benefits and purpose of platforms like Facebook and Twitter. There are a myriad of blog posts published on what you should and should not do to successfully create relationships and build business and followers via social media. It can be really confusing - it's no wonder more people don't throw in the towel and even less of a wonder that there are so many different approaches that your head could spin right off your body trying to capture it all.

It took me months to get my head around Twitter. I knew it was cutting edge in many ways, but in my limited reality, I was really struggling to see the point. Without going into great detail - let me just say that if you do not have a clear idea of why you're there or how you'll use it ... it's not yet the place for you. On the surface, in less technological paradigms - it makes little sense. Having said that, it is a very powerful networking and relationship building tool - and if used effectively, it can lift you to heights and connect you with experts and like-minded individuals more efficiently than anything I've experienced to date.

This brings me back to my initial reason for writing. At the end of the day, I always find it helpful to remember that I am the gift. Regardless of the interaction taking place or the reasons for the interaction in the first place - if I'm engaged with another ... I am the gift. I am there to offer whatever I have gained over time to the individual(s) I'm interacting with ... and in-so-doing, I reap the rewards of helping another, which - in turn - lifts me.

There are more people on Twitter (and Facebook if you consider those with Fan pages vs your friends) than you can count who use the platform to promote themselves. And that's basically all they use it for - self promotion. And if and when they do reply to someone else, it's to tell that person how good they are ('they' being the self promoter). Life is littered with people who only see themselves, their own needs, their own accomplishments, etc. Why should Twitter or Facebook be different?

There are also people, though, who genuinely make an effort to establish a relationship of sorts with you. They'll respond to your posts and keep you as the focus - with encouragement, or praise, or support, or whatever. These people are onto something.

You see, when you reach out to another - and you're doing it with a genuine interest in them, their success, their life ... you are giving a gift beyond measure. And in time, that self-less exchange may manifest into something wonderful for both of you - because you've created a space for the both of you to exist. The more people you invite into your light - the brighter you all become.

I guess I just wanted to say, don't get lost in the drama. Ever. It's never just about you. You come alive and relevant when you perform something meaningful and significant for another, from the heart, because you care about them and their success. And you do so because you trust in the knowing that what you desire most comes to you when you gift it to another.

I saw a post on Twitter today that ranked the Top 10 things not to do on Twitter. I made the list - I'm #9. Apparently no one cares about self-improvement and personal growth. I refuse to believe that though - and I'm grateful for having read it ... because it clarified my feelings about things instantly.

I am the gift. YOU are the gift. And if you enter relationships and exchanges believing that at your core ... your time on Twitter and Facebook will never be wasted.

I have met the most incredible people on Twitter and at a social networking community known as www.pnn.com

To all the fabulous people who have enriched my life in so many ways -- Thank YOU.

Walking with the Spirit Sleuth

Walk with me as I sleuth for the Universe's answers to questions I have and challenges I'm facing in every day elements all around me. In the words of Henry David Thoreau, "It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see."

Please ~ join me, and leave me a comment so I know you were here. If you like what you see - Follow me by clicking on one of the Follow options at the right of this page. I appreciate you stopping by ...

Embracing the ALL of Change

Every Wednesday, a creatively inspiring woman I follow online hosts a prompt on her blog page called Wishcasting Wednesdays.

A question is posted about a wish - and readers are encouraged to reflect on the question as it relates to them, blog about it on their own pages, and then support others who have done the same thing by putting energy behind their wishes in the comment section of their blog posts.

This week's question was: What do I wish to embrace? I'm a day late in responding to this prompt, but that's okay ~ I don't think wishes carry the same sense of time that I do.

Right now, I wish to embrace all that Change brings with it. The parts that I like to fool myself into believing don't really have to be addressed - like meeting new people (I'm an introvert and this requires so much energy on my part that I shy from it time and time again), changing ingrained habits (working on auto-pilot is so much easier than remembering how to invest focused effort for long durations of time), delegating responsibilities that may no longer be mine to carry (or releasing them altogether because perhaps they've deluded me into believing I'm simply too busy for Change at this time).

I wish to remember that Change seldom presents itself as a Buffet Table, where you can pick and choose the parts you like and leave the rest for others. And I wish to remember that I've transitioned with Change before, and it always leads me to a better place than the known one I left - and only when the time is absolute right to do so.

Just Begin ~ (or how I kicked Fear to the curb)

Yesterday, I referenced a podcast in which I heard the term Marching Orders. This connected with me, because I feel I received a Marching Order of sorts last week - and it directed me to look into Video Blogging as an enhanced creative expression to the writing I do. I chose to follow this prompting and set a goal to release my first ever Video Blog by this Friday, Nov. 20th.

I watched tutorials, learned the basics of working the camera, editing the footage, getting over how much I don't look like the image of myself in my head (in my head, I weigh less, my hair is always perfect, and I always sit centered on the screen), that kind of thing.

This is the point where Fear stepped up and filled my head with the anchors of doubt, uncertainty, and a grand desire to call myself ridiculous and move on.

I actually expected Fear's arrival ~ it's become a predictable pattern. So this time, I was ready. I gathered my Courage and my Inner Power ~ and decided to create and upload the V-Blog TODAY! Ha! Take that Fear!!

Here it is. I just know they will get better in time ...

To DO or to BE, that is the question ...

I was the best student as a child. In fact, as archaic and ineffective as the public education system may now be - I was one of those few children who was able to thrive in its constructs. Give me something to do, tell me how you want it done ~ and no one was more exemplary than me.

Once I left student academia however, things became increasingly more confusing. So many emotional overlays, mine and those of others, made it very difficult for me to determine what was truly expected of me in any given situation. My centre of power was always external, my sense of accomplishment and achievement always in the hands and opinions of others.

I thought of this while walking this afternoon. As I was about to walk down this path with Freakin' Dog (not her actual name, though it could be - we've called her that enough) - my attention was caught by the symbology before me. A path, somewhat drab and grey, lit up at the bend up ahead - indicating that following this direction may lead to something brighter than where I stand now.

At the head of this path, a bare tree - about to start the path's travel or perhaps, very near its end. I've been comparing myself to trees a lot this month ~ I'm about to do it again. I see myself in that tree - and I very much feel like I am at both the beginning and the end of a path right now.

Part of me stands proudly at the end of a path that has been well-travelled; filled with memories, a sense of accomplishment, all aspects of my being representing the time invested, the love devoted, the nurture provided. And there I stand, bare, finished and initiating hibernation for my next season's work.

And part of me is standing at what is the beginning of a path ~ a path whose end I cannot see, whose ultimate destination is unknown; yet it beckons me to follow it anyway.

I have grown a lot over the years, learned a lot about myself, devoted time to finding and appreciating my Self ~ and today, heading down this path with Freakin' Dog, I realized that the reason I seem to be in limbo so often these days is because I don't really know what I'm DOing - because for the first time in my life ... DOing is not the aspect of my Self that must take the lead at this point; BEing is.

No one is going to tell me what to DO now, or how they want it done. I have reached a point where I must determine who I will BE - and then course correct from there.

So, who will I BE? 

I listened to a podcast this morning (Marching Orders and a Voice Recovery Revolution by Jen Lee - and her final phrase struck me, so I wrote it down. She said this, "When you get taps on the shoulders like little assignments from something outside of you, often these are the things that make the biggest difference to people ~ when we in fact say Yes and then when we follow through and finally give it away." 

These Marching Orders can take us by surprise, they can sound crazy and they can take us completely out of our comfort zone. Jen Lee was reflecting on this in her podcast - and I thought of this, too, as I walked down the path with Freakin' Dog this afternoon. 

I'm stuck not because I don't desire to receive Marching Orders - Marching Orders make me very comfortable and provide direction, evaluative measures, and an end-goal. I'm stuck because I'm looking to receive the Marching Orders from an external source of power - as I've always done, as I've always done well. 

And at this stage in my life, that's simply not going to happen ~ because my days on that path are over. The days of going through life by myself have truly come to an end. And what awaits up there, at the bend, where the light is - are the days of going through life with my Self, with insight, intuition, gifts and purpose.

I still have no real idea of where I'm going specifically, but it does feel good to remove a barrier that was blocking my progress - and in so doing, I now know where directions won't be coming from. 

Perhaps, this is not my time to teach - but to BE, and to allow others to try to BE too by creating a space where BEing is safe, respected, honoured and celebrated. For one thing I definitely know how to BE is human ... I guess it's time to focus my energies on creating this human BEing.

Authenticity in Action

What do you see when you look at this picture? Where do your eyes take you?

There are shadows and light. There's colour and aspects that might be referred to as rather drab. There's history and perhaps even neglect.

If you were asked to sum up this picture in one word - what would that one word be? Bleak? Dull? Boring? Inspiring? Hopeful? Twisted?

I look at this picture and I see Life, my life, a life well lived.

I see myself standing behind the lens of the camera and seeing my past before me - strewn on the ground like carpeting, some in the darkness of shadow, some in the blurred splash of light.

I see myself in the tree. The tree with the roots that run deep beneath the surface, out of sight, hidden and also in bumps and twists above the ground, visible to all who look for them, tripping those whose focus is elsewhere. The tree who started its growth as a sapling, straight and tall - and who learned to bend to the sun in its ongoing pursuit of weathering life's storms and intrinsic programming for survival.

I see the various stages of life, standing together, some providing shade, some creating beautifully dappled light - all strong, all alive, all quietly going about the business of being a tree.

And I see Hope - shining above, slightly in the distance, but not out of reach - never out of reach.

I look at this picture and I see the all of me - and I marvel that I could take a picture like this and not even see its reflection of Authenticity in action ... until later, when I actually stopped to look at it, and let it speak to me. And I give thanks and appreciation for this message from my Self - and vow to stop, and sit, and look, and listen more, often.

Did this picture speak to you? Please, let me know ...

I wished and I dared to Just Begin ...

A few weeks ago, I had the great good fortune to find the website of a woman dedicated to encouraging and supporting Creativity in others. Her name is Jamie Ridler and her website is Jamie Ridler Studios.

Every Wednesday, she posts a Wish Prompt -- a statement that encourages you to dig deep and actually give voice to a wish you have inside that you may be suppressing, afraid to voice or perhaps completely unaware that it exists at all. 

Not only that - but she provides space below the prompt for 'Wishers' to leave the link of their stated wishes, and encourages us to leave support for the wishes of others in the comment streams of their blogs.

I love this on so many levels. This exercise walks the talk of the Spiritual truth that what you most desire for your Self, you will manifest most quickly by generously offering it to another. 

Jamie is providing a safe place for us to make space for our wishes. OUR wishes - not those of everyone we love and support - but our own. As grown ups with responsibilities galore and task lists abounding - how often do we write "Wishing, Dreaming, Creating" in our To Do lists for the day?

This week's prompt was this: What do you wish to dare? 

I wish to dare to take on something new. Something that may or may not already exist in the world at large -- but it makes the most of a gift I have and my desire to share it with others. 

I wish to dare to 'out' my Self as a Spirit Sleuth ~ an individual who can see the clues, meaning, potential and/or shining opportunities in every person, event and circumstance that crosses her path. 

I desire to share the vision and the attributes of a Spirit Sleuth with others - so that they, too, may feel the empowerment that comes from knowing that a shift in perspective, a willingness to see what is happening immediately before you with fresh eyes and no filters from the past, and a desire to assign meaning and significance to life events so that more people can feel peace and joy and appreciation and enchantment from the core of their being - as is their Divine Right.

I wish to dare to be the loving presence that is often absent from the life of others - so that they feel the safety and the courage and the ability to risk getting to know who they really are without fear of being judged or ridiculed or shamed.

And so far - I have followed up on my wish to dare to Just Begin. I have chosen to Just Begin and not follow my typical pattern of having the dream get lost in the myriad of planning, strategizing, and preparation that all to often ultimately serves as anchors, weights and stop signs to my progress.

I have created this blog space to document my journey on this unknown path of Just Begin. I have a way with words. My words heal, uplift, inspire, encourage, support and speak Truth. Spirit is whispering to me that it is time to Just Begin - to put my Self out there to serve others with my gifts and abilities. And while I can't see beyond the headlights at this point - I'm following up on my wish to dare to honour my Self.

And I thank Jamie for clearing the space in my mind for my inner whispers to be noticed ~ and I thank my family and many friends for their unconditional support and belief in me ... at this time when none of us really know what I've just triggered.

Blessings to all ...

Today I am an Autumn Tree

While looking at the world around me, I like to zoom in on certain 'scenes' and look for ways that they parallel my life or 'personal growth' at the time.

I've been participating in Brene Brown's 5 Week Authenticity Workshop - and those of us participating just completed our 5th and final week. The process has been worth every moment of time invested and I've enjoyed learning to make authenticity a daily practice, committing to cultivating emotional courage, nurturing true and honest connection with others and travelling with a whole-hearted beleif that grace, joy and gratitude are all qualities we're entitled to and not rewards randomly passed around at the whim of others.

Based on the comments that have been made over the last 5 weeks via the Comment Boxes ~ this experience has touched us all in different ways, though we seem quite united in our appreciation for the process as a whole.

And as I sit with the question that, for me, always follows experiences like this - as I contemplate the "Wow, that was awesome -- now what?" ... I find myself falling back on my pattern of observing all that is around me in search of something that will mirror back the way I feel.

Today, I have decided that I feel like a tree in Autumn. A deciduous tree that stands in glorious, colourful majesty.

An Autumn tree that is fully aware that its work in the past two seasons is now done and that it has earned the right to be thanked for its past achievements, admired for the radiance and brilliant hues that signal it is time to welcome a new season - one that will require rest and self-nurture and time to prepare for its re-emergence anew in Spring - and accepted for what it now must do to sustain itself and ensure that it is always ready to do what it is on this earth to do.

An Autumn tree doesn't fret and wonder if it's going to be okay with everyone else if it allows the diminishng sunlight and cooler night-time temperatures to change the colour of its leaves.

An Autumn tree doesn't clutch and grasp at its leaves, fearful that letting them gently spiral to the ground is somehow a failure and representative of an inability to master its craft.

An Autumn tree doesn't lament the leaving of birds and creatures who've sheltered and nested within it over the past two seasons - and take their migration and/or hibernation as a personal reflection of its own ability and worth.

An Autumn tree stands majestically in all its wondrous glory - a symbol that time passes, functions change, roots are deep and authentic wonder is simply programmed into its DNA.

An Autumn tree is an Autumn tree no matter who stops to notice it, no matter what comments are made about it, no matter what's going on in the world around it - it is what it is. And it requires no validation, recognition or permission to fully serve its purpose - season after season, storm after storm, sunset after sunset.

Today, I am an Autumn tree. A deciduous Autumn tree with colour and splendour. And as I look around me ~ I see many Autumn trees on my path.

Enjoy the crunch of our leaves beneath your feet as you pass our way ~ they are symbols of past accomplishments that have gotten us where we are today ... and hearing them sound as you walk by is like music to our ears.

As we all head into the season of rest and nurture ~ think about what you might release in gentle spirals in preparation for your re-emergence when the Winter of your personal soul-searching has passed.

And know that whatever you choose requires validation and permission from no one but your Self, because choices that grow from authentic roots always serve the best interests of everyone involved ...