July 18, 2010

liar liar pants on fire

Okay, so there I was, playing nice on a work project with a team, when I realized that one of the team members started giving off some really icky vibes. I didn’t say anything, just kept observing the individual. The weird vibe was consistent. Over time, I knew it was there, and then today: BAM, it all came to a head.

In a way, I was relieved, because it confirmed my intuitive hit: something was off. Now that I think about the situation, I know that there are several more elements in play, even though he denies it. Before, I would have tried to engage him about what he was saying, even though I knew he declared I was wrong. Now, I know that there is more going on than meets the eye. I know that there is a nasty little piece of work in play, even though my colleague says there’s nothing more to it.

Oh, please, don’t think that I am all fluffy puppies and moonbeams about all this. Heck no! I got all up in my stuff about it, all defensive, all co-dependent. Sigh. In case you still think that things are just random and circumstances just “happen,” think again. Just as I am going through my little drama, guess who calls? K! So there I am, all off-center, off-balance, SO not in my goddess all-knowing. I needed to vent. And bless her, K listened. See, I so love her about this: sometimes she really calls me on my sh*t, knowing when I can handle it. But this time, she just listened and supported me, told me to stand firm, stand tall.  But most of all, she said, “that’s so 3D, such an illusion. Let’s just think about doing God’s work.” Wow: talk about a shift.

When I get all twisted up, Marianne Williamson has a prayer that gives me comfort and it goes like this: “Dear God, where would you have me serve?”  That pretty much takes the ego out of it, totally deflates the defensiveness. Where would YOU have me serve? Not my sad little ego, my wounded little self, but You who know all things and know better than me why this drama is rising up and grabbing my attention. Still haven’t worked that out yet, but I can tell you I stand in a place of power when I consider the players in this little drama, the hurtful things they say, and know exactly what they do not say.

People lie all the time, and they think no one knows. There is no angel standing by taking notes about our so-called sins, as I was taught in catechism class. No, it’s us. We know. We know when someone is lying to us, deceiving us, saying one thing and thinking another. We are all psychic. We know, if we are only willing to honor our knowing. Love, C

My two cents: Trust your gut. It is never wrong.

♥♥♥

Sometimes this work can seem exhausting.  Sometimes it seems like there is no end to it, like what’s the point?  When do things start getting easier?

C texted me earlier today and was not in a good space, I called her back when I had a color processing  and  she filled me in on the jerk she was dealing with at her office .  She was frustrated, because someone who has no idea what she does or how good she is at her job with trying to tell her how she should be doing it his way and his way was much better than her way and in his mind the only way. NOT.  As much as she really didn’t want to hear it in that moment, I told her there was something there for her.

Whenever something keeps coming up in a similar fashion, there is something we are not getting, maybe it’s a sign it’s  time to move on from the situation, or maybe it’s about standing up for yourself, and not going against your gut when you know you’re right.  Whatever it is, if something is rubbing you wrong and it just feels icky, know that there is a lesson lurking and a potential for growth there for you.

I told C about my experiences with clients who come in and try to tell me how to do my job.  I want my clients to be happy, and they get to pick whatever style or color they want.  I do give my opinion but ultimately it is their hair, their choice.  What they don’t get to pick is how I get the end result.  I am the expert I do things my way, period.  I have learned the hard way that when I let someone sway me to do thing against my better judgment things don’t turn out well, and then they aren’t happy and neither am I.  Then on top of it, if I do what they want and it doesn’t turn out, who’s fault is it in the end? Mine of course.  Seriously?

I decided a few years ago, I have to do what I am good at, do what I think is right, and not let anyone, ever, make me doubt myself.  I am confident in my skills, and abilities and who I am as a person and I am always going to stand up for me.  As much as I would defend a friend, and have their back, I will have my own back.

I have learned to never go against what I believe in,  never let anyone change how I feel about myself as a person, or change how I do things because I fear  someone won’t love me, approve of me, or that they will leave me .   I will never again, second guess myself, sell myself short or let anyone’s opinion of me override my opinion of me.  That is my commitment to myself, and I know that if I  hold true to that, everything will just fall into place in my world.  xo-K

My two cents:  Nobody can do YOU as well as you can.  Remember that…everyday.

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July 14, 2010

mambo mama

I love summertime! Okay, so there I was this morning, lolling around in my fluffy yummy bed, appreciating the fact that it was Saturday, which meant I was free to sleep in if I wanted. Yes! Then I looked at the clock and realized that if I was going to take a morning walk I’d better get on it so I jumped up, got dressed and ready to go.

I’m so lucky! I live in a pretty little condo on a ribbon of river, a beautiful body of water that always provides a new view.  One of my favorite ways to get out and take advantage of the view and to get out and move my energetic body, is to take a morning walk along the river. For a while there, I was a complete potato. No exercise baby! And then suddenly the weather got good and I was excited about working out. Does that ever happen to you?  Suddenly, I’m getting up in the morning and doing yoga before work. With the longer days, I’ll sometimes come home at the end of the day and hop on my bike for a spin around the island. Yay! Wait. Who is this maniac who is suddenly so about the work out? Who cares! We love her!

So anyway, I live on the water, next to a beautiful yacht harbor, which btw,  is a great manifestation workshop, to look at all of those beautiful boats and going ‘good for you and that’s for me. . . .’  I love to walk around the harbor on weekend mornings when the  sun is just coming up and the air is sweet. I always feel great when I get out there and start appreciating the dazzling flowers, beautiful boats, the wildlife that is also attracted to this special spot.

I like to take my ipod with me on these morning jaunts, it provides me with a soundtrack to keep me ultra-inspired. So there I am this morning, half-way through the harbor loop, when the Mambo Kings come on. Normally, I skip theses guys and go straight for the Abraham or Barefoot Doctor inspirational messages, but somehow this morning, the Mambo Kings are perfect.  So there I am, singing along to the music, doing a little salsa shuffle as I pass million dollar homes and perfectly polished yachts bobbing on the placid water. I am so in my zone! I don’t care who sees me, what they may think. I am enjoying the moment so fully, I am so completely in my joy that I feel illuminated. That feeling has stayed with me all day, and all I can say is, life is good! Love, C

My two cents: sometimes it’s worth looking like a fool just to get to your happy place~

♥♥♥

It feels good to feel good, and I say get there anyway you can.  If it means skipping down the walking path for all world to see do it, who cares. . . actually people do care, they see you in joy and they feel good too.  Feeling good is contagious so go for it, and when it’s beautiful outside, I feel like, how much better can it get?!

I absolutely love how I feel in the summer, I am definitely a warm weather girl.  I kinda hibernate when the weather is cold but man do I love being out and about when summer hits and the sun is shining.  I want to go places and do things, move my body and be outside.  I, like C have been a bit of a potato, regarding exercise.  After standing all day, the last thing I felt like doing was moving my feet.  But it is amazing after my long hiatus with exercise how great it feels almost immediately once you pick it up again. As much as I know it’s doing great things for my muscles, I think it is doing  much more for my head.

Like meditation, and I know  a lot of people don’t know how to meditate or just can’t seem to quiet their mind, exercise can get you to the same place.  When you are taking in all that oxygen, moving your body, you are in the zone, in the Vortex.  You meditate to release resistance, exercise does the same thing, and  that is where inspiration lives.  I can’t tell you how many times in the last few weeks when I’ve been working on a problem or even wondering what to blog about and I get on the elliptical machine or go out for a walk and BAM, there it is, divine inspiration. It’s like opening up a wonderful treasure chest full of everything you need, answers to questions, solutions to problems. Great ideas just seem to occur to you, when you get to a good feeling place, you are inspired.

Life really is good and things really do always work out for you so enjoy your life.  When you wake up in the morning, before you jump out of bed, take a few minutes to appreciate all the good things in  your life.  Do some yoga, go to the gym, go outside for a quick walk before work or just put on some great music and boogie around your house. It’s amazing how when you start your day like that the day just seems to flow, and you will have more great days than not.

My daughter and I have a thing,  whenever we go on vacation we speak with different accents, especially when we are in taxis.  We started  a few years ago and it’s hilarious. We are terrible at it but it’s fun and we don’t care what other people think. I know it is something we will always remember.  Ahhh, good times. xo-K

My two cents:  Do whatever it takes to feel good.  Move your body, sing, dance, be silly. . .enjoy.

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July 11, 2010

i will remember you

I once knew a photographer, an amazing and talented  man.  D had a wildly eclectic collection of friends, and I am glad to have been counted as one.  I had just run away (sort of) to California, and he was living next door to a pal from the hot air balloon crowd I ran with. He was living with his children in a sprawling ranch-style home in the wine country and hosting impromptu summertime pool parties when I met him. His wife had high tailed it back to San Francisco, but D was happiest in the country. He was a rogue, a ladies man, and though I always enjoyed his company, I never enjoyed it like that. Not that he didn’t try: I was always swatting his hand away from my girl parts. I never took it personally, and neither did he.

After a while, D’s kids grew up, and he remarried. We remained friends. While I was never close to his second wife, we were friendly, connected by our affection to charming,  lovable, dapper, D. My friend was old school. He grew up in Austria, and his family fled the Nazis. Soldiers actually visited his family home one night, took his father out and roughed him up. Soon after, the family fled Austria Von Trapp family style: over the Alps. They eventually landed in San Francisco, and then migrated up to wine country. D never lost his old world charm. He was a speaker of languages, a lover of life.

About ten years ago, his memory started to go. First it was little things like appointments, grocery lists, the exact location of car keys. Then it got gradually worse. Finally, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. There was a period of time when he would call me every week. “C,” he said. “We miss you! Please come visit!” I agreed. “Of course I’ll come,” I said. “I’ll see you soon.” And I did come. We had lunch and a visit. Somewhere along the line, he stopped making grabs for my girl parts, and it was kind of sad. I knew he was slipping away.  The calls continued. Weekly. “C! It’s been so long since we’ve seen you. We miss you! Please come visit!” Yes, yes, I said. I didn’t feel too bad about not visiting as often because I realized he didn’t remember when I did.

Finally, the last time I visited with them, I happened to be in the town where they live and dropped by. This had always been our custom: drop by when you can. Visit. Have a glass of wine, share stories. This time, Wife Deux was very glad to see me. “D, look! It’s C!” she said. “Say hello!” she said. Charming and sweet as ever, D politely kissed my cheek and said hello. He hadn’t a clue who I was.

Abraham says that people like D are living in two worlds. Part of them have re-emerged with Source and are well and happy and content, while part of them remain here fulfilling a promise, not quite yet ready to go. Even though D can’t remember me, I remember him with enough love and gratitude for both of us. Love, C

My two cents: The love you share exists. Always.

♥♥♥

Ahhh, I remember D, he was a scoundrel, a flirt, a real ladies man.  I don’t think that guy could look at you without making you feel like a million bucks.  He sure did know how to appreciate a lady.  I cut his hair for years, and when his memory started to go, and he started just showing up at random times, I took care of him anyway.  I haven’t seen him in years, but I think of him often.  He was old school, he look like an old movie star but a little more rugged, with a heart of gold.

He lived about forty minutes away from the salon so in the last year or so that I saw him I was always a little surprised to see him.  He always tried to make it down for a haircut.  I’m sure he could have gotten his hair cut five minutes from his house, but no; he would always try to make it in to see me.  Sometimes he would schedule an appointment and not show up. That always worried me.  I didn’t really like him driving that far, it made me nervous that he might lose his way or get into trouble, but then I figured he had his angels with him and if he lost his way they would take over and get him where he needed to be.

Who knows why some people end up without memories of the past?  Maybe when you are half in this world and half in another it’s not important to reflect back.  Maybe he was ready to go before others were ready to let him go, it’s hard to live without someone who has been such a huge presence in your life.  I guess that’s why we have memories while we’re still  here, so it’s a little easier to let someone go when it’s their time and we can always have them in our hearts.  Love to you D.  xo-K

My two cents:  True love never dies.

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July 7, 2010

it's not what you think it's about

Here’s the thing about doing the kind of “work” K and I do: sometimes it’s like having a foot in two worlds. It can drive you crazy! This came up just the other day. She called me and said, “Okay, something just happened, and I want to hear your take on it.” We do that. A lot. We use each other as a sounding board when things start going sideways, because face it: when you’re in the middle of a minor or major drama, you can’t always see clearly what’s going on.

So anyway, K tells me about a situation she encountered. Now, it’s interesting. She could see the sich, she could stay in the Vortex about it, but she still couldn’t make sense of it.  We talked for a minute and then my channels opened up, and I got a “hit.”  Nice.  “Well,” I said. “You’re trying to make it make sense and it doesn’t.” Huh?? It seems to be one thing on the surface, right? But it isn’t really about that at all. My advice to K was, “Stop trying to make it make sense.”

Our spiritual teachers have been saying for years, “we are spiritual beings having a human experience.” The Course in Miracles says that everything around us is an illusion and the only thing that is real is Love. We get that. We get that we’re living on a planet that is like a giant school. We get that, but sometimes we forget that 99.999% of the people we encounter out there don’t know that.

This is where the confusion comes in: there are things (most things) that seem one way on the surface, but they are  just a mask for what’s really going on. Like dreams. If you look at the meaning of a dream on the surface, you think that you and a black cat climbed a tree to get in your bedroom window (really?). The real meaning of the dream isn’t cats or trees at all.  Those are just metaphors.

Okay, for example: a former job I had keeps popping up lately, so there must be some work to do around it. At the time that I was going through that particular drama, I kept trying to make sense of it, trying to appease a particular co-worker, who no matter what I did, just became more enraged. That’s because it wasn’t about what she kept insisting it was about. Trying to work through it “logically,” I felt like I was walking on hot coals. Now, with the wisdom of hind-sight, I can clearly see that her issues with me were never about me; her issues with me were about her. I just happened to be the lucky one  to show up to help her play out her drama.

Life is one giant series of puzzles that will drive you crazy until you realize: it isn’t always what you think it’s about. Love, C

My two cents: Like a magic trick, the obvious can just be a diversion.

♥♥♥

It’s true: I had my panties in a bit of a bunch yesterday.  Yeah, it happens to me, not as much as it used to, but it still happens.  I have a bit of an issue with things being fair and things making sense to me, and in this situation, neither feeling was a match. I don’t care what is going on or what the issue is, if I can wrap my head around it and understand it, I am okay with it.

I  got a notice that the lease for my apartment was up for renewal in a month. I knew that  my rent was going to be raised, no big deal; it hasn’t been raised in years so I was fine with that.  Then I talked to a friend who lives in my building and her rent wasn’t being raised.  Same apartment, and she has been here less time.  Didn’t seem fair.  Anyway, I talked to the manager and she said that it happens that some people get their rent raised and some don’t possibly depending on what month they moved it.  Seriously?  The reasoning couldn’t have been more ridiculous.  I have to tell you, I got so irritated, but since it was so out in left field I knew there was something in this situation for me to learn.

Life’s not fair.  Isn’t that what people say, isn’t that what your mother said?   Wait. That sounds so pout-y, so boo-hoo, so poor me.  How about life is not the same for everyone?  We are all working on different things, we all have a different agenda, so why would we think things would play out the same for everyone?  Wow, this is big.  I happen to be working on money not being an issue, working on prosperity, and it is interesting that the rent being raised didn’t bother me at all.  Awesome, I’m really making progress on the money thing, yippee.  Maybe, my friend who didn’t receive a rent increase isn’t working on the same things as me.  Actually I know her and I know she isn’t so, maybe that is why she didn’t need to have her rent increased.  Just a thought.

I am feeling so much better about this stuff, you have no idea.  Last night I was so irritated.  I was trying to get to a place where this didn’t bother me and I just couldn’t.  Even after talking to C, I couldn’t get there, but today, I feel amazing.  I get it, it makes sense to me.  We are all having our own experiences, learning our own lessons, so we are going to attract different things into our lives.  And even though it may not seem fair, or make sense, everything really is exactly as it should be.  xo-K

My two cents:  Do your own work. Everything coming your way is for your benefit, and your growth, and it’s not the same for everyone.

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July 7, 2010

it’s not what you think it’s about

Here’s the thing about doing the kind of “work” K and I do: sometimes it’s like having a foot in two worlds. It can drive you crazy! This came up just the other day. She called me and said, “Okay, something just happened, and I want to hear your take on it.” We do that. A lot. We use each other as a sounding board when things start going sideways, because face it: when you’re in the middle of a minor or major drama, you can’t always see clearly what’s going on.

So anyway, K tells me about a situation she encountered. Now, it’s interesting. She could see the sich, she could stay in the Vortex about it, but she still couldn’t make sense of it.  We talked for a minute and then my channels opened up, and I got a “hit.”  Nice.  “Well,” I said. “You’re trying to make it make sense and it doesn’t.” Huh?? It seems to be one thing on the surface, right? But it isn’t really about that at all. My advice to K was, “Stop trying to make it make sense.”

Our spiritual teachers have been saying for years, “we are spiritual beings having a human experience.” The Course in Miracles says that everything around us is an illusion and the only thing that is real is Love. We get that. We get that we’re living on a planet that is like a giant school. We get that, but sometimes we forget that 99.999% of the people we encounter out there don’t know that.

This is where the confusion comes in: there are things (most things) that seem one way on the surface, but they are  just a mask for what’s really going on. Like dreams. If you look at the meaning of a dream on the surface, you think that you and a black cat climbed a tree to get in your bedroom window (really?). The real meaning of the dream isn’t cats or trees at all.  Those are just metaphors.

Okay, for example: a former job I had keeps popping up lately, so there must be some work to do around it. At the time that I was going through that particular drama, I kept trying to make sense of it, trying to appease a particular co-worker, who no matter what I did, just became more enraged. That’s because it wasn’t about what she kept insisting it was about. Trying to work through it “logically,” I felt like I was walking on hot coals. Now, with the wisdom of hind-sight, I can clearly see that her issues with me were never about me; her issues with me were about her. I just happened to be the lucky one  to show up to help her play out her drama.

Life is one giant series of puzzles that will drive you crazy until you realize: it isn’t always what you think it’s about. Love, C

My two cents: Like a magic trick, the obvious can just be a diversion.

♥♥♥

It’s true: I had my panties in a bit of a bunch yesterday.  Yeah, it happens to me, not as much as it used to, but it still happens.  I have a bit of an issue with things being fair and things making sense to me, and in this situation, neither feeling was a match. I don’t care what is going on or what the issue is, if I can wrap my head around it and understand it, I am okay with it.

I  got a notice that the lease for my apartment was up for renewal in a month. I knew that  my rent was going to be raised, no big deal; it hasn’t been raised in years so I was fine with that.  Then I talked to a friend who lives in my building and her rent wasn’t being raised.  Same apartment, and she has been here less time.  Didn’t seem fair.  Anyway, I talked to the manager and she said that it happens that some people get their rent raised and some don’t possibly depending on what month they moved it.  Seriously?  The reasoning couldn’t have been more ridiculous.  I have to tell you, I got so irritated, but since it was so out in left field I knew there was something in this situation for me to learn.

Life’s not fair.  Isn’t that what people say, isn’t that what your mother said?   Wait. That sounds so pout-y, so boo-hoo, so poor me.  How about life is not the same for everyone?  We are all working on different things, we all have a different agenda, so why would we think things would play out the same for everyone?  Wow, this is big.  I happen to be working on money not being an issue, working on prosperity, and it is interesting that the rent being raised didn’t bother me at all.  Awesome, I’m really making progress on the money thing, yippee.  Maybe, my friend who didn’t receive a rent increase isn’t working on the same things as me.  Actually I know her and I know she isn’t so, maybe that is why she didn’t need to have her rent increased.  Just a thought.

I am feeling so much better about this stuff, you have no idea.  Last night I was so irritated.  I was trying to get to a place where this didn’t bother me and I just couldn’t.  Even after talking to C, I couldn’t get there, but today, I feel amazing.  I get it, it makes sense to me.  We are all having our own experiences, learning our own lessons, so we are going to attract different things into our lives.  And even though it may not seem fair, or make sense, everything really is exactly as it should be.  xo-K

My two cents:  Do your own work. Everything coming your way is for your benefit, and your growth, and it’s not the same for everyone.

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July 4, 2010

if you can't say something nice…

I used to have a friend, a novelist, who would often complain about her books, her publisher, her agent. As an aspiring writer, I found this to be really painful to listen to. I thought to myself if only I had a publisher, an agent, a string of books, I would be the happiest girl on the planet! But then I realized that my friend complained about her success (in part) so that  other people wouldn’t envy her, resent her. It was like she cast a spell of unhappiness around herself to protect herself. Clever!

There seems to be a prevailing belief that to claim happiness is to jinx it. What? It’s true.  Why do we do that? Why, when someone compliments us on the snappy little outfit we’re wearing, we say, “Oh, this old thing?” We’re used to telling lies. We’re trained from early on to say things that are not true in order to please someone else.  We do it all the time.

One of the weird ways people socialize is to complain. It goes like this: someone complains about something, maybe their mean boss. The next person has a worse story, the list of complaints grow, get worse, expand, and the next thing you know, someone is working for witchy Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada.  It’s an epidemic! People seem to really love the rush they get from topping the last bad story with something even worse. Why do we do that?

My mother used to drive me crazy when she said, “if you can’t say something nice to your brother, don’t say anything at all.”  I thought she was nuts.  My brother was the torment of my childhood. Although my mother was just trying to mold me into a polite little lady, there was really a deeper truth at work. Language isn’t simply about telling stories. Thoughts are things. Words are magic.

When you realize the words you say create the world you live in, you start to watch what you say. If you really get serious about it, you start to monitor your thoughts. How in the world can I manage my thoughts, you say, there are thousands of them a day! Exactly. There are thousands of them a day, and they are mostly just a string of the same thoughts playing over and over again on a loop. When you start to monitor the things you say because you know you create your world by your words, you start to say nicer things. You start saying nicer things to other people and best of all, you start saying nicer things to yourself.

Affirmations aren’t just fluffy little words we spread around like pink icing on cupcakes. Affirmations are how we start telling a better (truer) story about ourselves and our world. And isn’t that what we really want? Love, C

My two cents: start saying one nice thing to yourself in the mirror everyday and see what kind of magic you can make!

♥♥♥

What if someone told you that everything you said, every word out of your mouth especially if you repeated it over and over would come true?  Would you be more careful what you said?  I have been really aware of what I think and what I say lately  and I know it’s hard not to notice “what is.”

There are so many things going on out there that are true.  So many things to look at; things that make you feel good and things that make you feel terrible.  Why does it seem that the icky stuff  is so much easier to focus on?  Do we really think we will jinx something if we affirm it?  Some people don’t want to think or expect anything good because they don’t want to be disappointed.  Really? If you believe things always work out the way they are supposed to –and they do, by the way –then I say why not dream big.

I got the idea for this post after sitting down by the pool  in my building. I touched on it a bit in the last post turn it around. One of my neighbors was on her cell phone going on and on about how crappy her life was, complaining about some issue she was having with Comcast and AT&T. Seriously? You’re sitting by a beautiful pool on a beautiful summer day in beautiful wine country, and you’re complaining about your internet provider?  My daughter and I were lounging nearby, totally present in the moment, totally enjoying where we were, sitting in one of the top vacation destinations in the world, and we get to live here.

It really made me think, what if we just enjoyed right where we are, in the moment, and looked around for things to appreciate, things to love, and milked them for all they were worth?  What if we complimented instead of complained?  What if when someone complimented us we just said, “thank you,” instead of trying to talk them out of their admiration and appreciation of us?  What if we didn’t have something nice to say about ourselves, someone else or a dilemma we are dealing with we just shut the hell up?  I don’t know about you but looking at problems and talking about them incessantly is getting really old.  It doesn’t help anything AND it doesn’t feel good, in case it matters.

Last year C, got a purple rubber bracelet from an organization, A Complaint Free World. The idea was to wear the bracelet on one wrist for 30 days. The catch: you could only keep the bracelet on that wrist if you did not let one complaint pass your lips. If it did, you had to switch wrists.  At first, you might move the band two or three times a day. Eventually,  you might keep in on a whole day . . .or even a whole week!  Imagine a whole month.  Give it a try, you’ll be amazed how many times you notice yourself being negative and once you notice, you can make a conscious effort to change the way you see things and what you say about them.  xo-K

My two cents:  Consciously turn whatever you say into a positive and if you can’t, don’t say anything at all.


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July 4, 2010

if you can’t say something nice…

I used to have a friend, a novelist, who would often complain about her books, her publisher, her agent. As an aspiring writer, I found this to be really painful to listen to. I thought to myself if only I had a publisher, an agent, a string of books, I would be the happiest girl on the planet! But then I realized that my friend complained about her success (in part) so that  other people wouldn’t envy her, resent her. It was like she cast a spell of unhappiness around herself to protect herself. Clever!

There seems to be a prevailing belief that to claim happiness is to jinx it. What? It’s true.  Why do we do that? Why, when someone compliments us on the snappy little outfit we’re wearing, we say, “Oh, this old thing?” We’re used to telling lies. We’re trained from early on to say things that are not true in order to please someone else.  We do it all the time.

One of the weird ways people socialize is to complain. It goes like this: someone complains about something, maybe their mean boss. The next person has a worse story, the list of complaints grow, get worse, expand, and the next thing you know, someone is working for witchy Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada.  It’s an epidemic! People seem to really love the rush they get from topping the last bad story with something even worse. Why do we do that?

My mother used to drive me crazy when she said, “if you can’t say something nice to your brother, don’t say anything at all.”  I thought she was nuts.  My brother was the torment of my childhood. Although my mother was just trying to mold me into a polite little lady, there was really a deeper truth at work. Language isn’t simply about telling stories. Thoughts are things. Words are magic.

When you realize the words you say create the world you live in, you start to watch what you say. If you really get serious about it, you start to monitor your thoughts. How in the world can I manage my thoughts, you say, there are thousands of them a day! Exactly. There are thousands of them a day, and they are mostly just a string of the same thoughts playing over and over again on a loop. When you start to monitor the things you say because you know you create your world by your words, you start to say nicer things. You start saying nicer things to other people and best of all, you start saying nicer things to yourself.

Affirmations aren’t just fluffy little words we spread around like pink icing on cupcakes. Affirmations are how we start telling a better (truer) story about ourselves and our world. And isn’t that what we really want? Love, C

My two cents: start saying one nice thing to yourself in the mirror everyday and see what kind of magic you can make!

♥♥♥

What if someone told you that everything you said, every word out of your mouth especially if you repeated it over and over would come true?  Would you be more careful what you said?  I have been really aware of what I think and what I say lately  and I know it’s hard not to notice “what is.”

There are so many things going on out there that are true.  So many things to look at; things that make you feel good and things that make you feel terrible.  Why does it seem that the icky stuff  is so much easier to focus on?  Do we really think we will jinx something if we affirm it?  Some people don’t want to think or expect anything good because they don’t want to be disappointed.  Really? If you believe things always work out the way they are supposed to –and they do, by the way –then I say why not dream big.

I got the idea for this post after sitting down by the pool  in my building. I touched on it a bit in the last post turn it around. One of my neighbors was on her cell phone going on and on about how crappy her life was, complaining about some issue she was having with Comcast and AT&T. Seriously? You’re sitting by a beautiful pool on a beautiful summer day in beautiful wine country, and you’re complaining about your internet provider?  My daughter and I were lounging nearby, totally present in the moment, totally enjoying where we were, sitting in one of the top vacation destinations in the world, and we get to live here.

It really made me think, what if we just enjoyed right where we are, in the moment, and looked around for things to appreciate, things to love, and milked them for all they were worth?  What if we complimented instead of complained?  What if when someone complimented us we just said, “thank you,” instead of trying to talk them out of their admiration and appreciation of us?  What if we didn’t have something nice to say about ourselves, someone else or a dilemma we are dealing with we just shut the hell up?  I don’t know about you but looking at problems and talking about them incessantly is getting really old.  It doesn’t help anything AND it doesn’t feel good, in case it matters.

Last year C, got a purple rubber bracelet from an organization, A Complaint Free World. The idea was to wear the bracelet on one wrist for 30 days. The catch: you could only keep the bracelet on that wrist if you did not let one complaint pass your lips. If it did, you had to switch wrists.  At first, you might move the band two or three times a day. Eventually,  you might keep in on a whole day . . .or even a whole week!  Imagine a whole month.  Give it a try, you’ll be amazed how many times you notice yourself being negative and once you notice, you can make a conscious effort to change the way you see things and what you say about them.  xo-K

My two cents:  Consciously turn whatever you say into a positive and if you can’t, don’t say anything at all.


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June 30, 2010

turn it around

You know, we Two Girls aren’t just handing out advice here like Lifesaver candies on a road trip. We’re actually doing the work, talking about it between ourselves, chatting about it some more, and then putting it out there for all to read. Fun!

One of the best tools I’ve found lately is the Turn-Around.  It’s a Readers Digest Condensed version of Byron Katie’s work, which involves a series of questions.  Katie’s work is amazing stuff. I’ve heard about it for years, and I guess I just wasn’t ready to hear it, because I only just recently picked up her book. You know how that is, right? Someone tells you about a great self-help book, and you listen to interviews, read reviews, dance all around it, but don’t actually do the actual work because that’s too scary, right? Oh, wait. Maybe that’s just me. . . .

Anyway, so Katie has this process that involves focusing on something that pushes every hot button you’ve got. And that’s where the work begins. Like a grandma, Katie says, “okay sweetheart, let’s begin.” Seems safe enough to talk to Grandma, right?

The trouble with the work for me, is that it involves a series of logical and armor-piercing questions. But when I’m in the middle of my drama, the last thing I want to do is sit down and run myself through a list of questions. So I’ve figured out a shortcut. I go right to the apex of Katie’s work: the turnaround. The turnaround works like this: whatever it is you’re blaming the other person for, you turn it around and own it. “She’s so selfish!” becomes “I am so selfish!”  Projections like “He never supports what is important to me” become “I don’t support what is important to me.”

It seems kind of crazy, but it works. When you reject a part of yourself, your little inner goddess finds it too painful to bear, and so you project it onto someone else, blame someone else. I’m not bad. . .you’re bad! It seems to fix the problem, but the problem never really goes away until you deal with it.

I recently had the chance to work this out with a co-worker who bailed on an important project just a couple of hours before I had to present it to the board of directors. I started to stew. “She’s so irresponsible!” I said to myself, feeling justified. And then I stopped, took a breath, and turned it around. “Wait,” I said to myself. “I’m so irresponsible.” It wasn’t until I said that, that I realized where I had let the project down, I hadn’t given it my best.  I immediately felt better. And you know what? My co-worker who had called in sick showed up at the office, completed her part of the project, and then went home again.

This stuff isn’t always fun, and it isn’t always pretty, but it works if you’re willing to work it! Love, C

My two cents: The world is just a mirror of our thoughts, showing us the places we still need to heal.

♥♥♥

Like I said before I haven’t read Byron Katie’s book yet but I guess since it keeps coming up, (thanks C), I better get on it. But I have been noticing the same things in my own life C is talking about.  I love how that works.

All the things that bother you, or things you simply notice are clues for you, like a cosmic treasure hunt, guiding you along your path to higher consciousness.  I have become really aware when I notice something that  someone else is doing and it really annoys me, that there is a lesson in there for me.  There is something around it that I need to work on  and instead of it just being annoyed by it, I am starting to see it as a gift.

This is new to me so I am still bumbling around with it but you have no idea how cool it is when you get to the point that no matter what is happening out there you are still okay. Or better than okay because you really get that everything that gets your attention, that you are noticing is for your benefit.

One of the things that can stress me out and get my panties in a bunch are red lights.  Sounds so silly and unimportant but don’t most people get the craziest about the simplest things.  I get irritated when I am running late for work and I hit every red light, is someone watching me and pushing a button turning those stupid lights red as I pull up?  Of course not but doesn’t it feel like that sometimes?  Grrrr.

I now know that red lights only bother me when I am running late.  The light is the same, my reaction to them is different depending on what I am doing.  If I leave the house with plenty of time I have no issue with sitting at a stoplight. And let’s face it, don’t you sometimes hope you hit a red light  because you need to look at directions or apply your lipstick ?  Just sayin’.

You can apply this way of thinking to pretty much any issue, big or small.  It’s easier to start with something seemingly small and unimportant, but sometimes those are the ones you have to biggest problem with.  Do you really care if the waitress or someone you don’t know or care about is rude to you?  Does it really matter if an anonymous driver speeds up to cut in front of you on the freeway?  Really?

Last week my daughter and I were relaxing at our pool.  There was a girl sitting near us  on the phone complaining about her life, while her kids were in the pool screaming for attention.  She repeated her “story,” over and over to each friend who came to join her at the pool.  At first I was annoyed, I wished she would just shut the hell up, then I stopped and realized how interesting it was that we were sitting in the same place by a beautiful pool, on a beautiful day and in that moment having two totally different experiences.  Does she have more problems than I do to fuss about?  Maybe, but in that moment, she wasn’t even appreciating what she had. xo-K

My two cents:  Everything that is happening out there is for your benefit, it really is.

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June 27, 2010

what did you expect?

I just got back from a great trip to Maui with my daughter.  We stayed at an amazing resort, ate delicious food, relaxed, swam, played and just had a wonderful week.  I knew we would, I expected it, how can you not have an amazing time in paradise, right?  Well, some people don’t and it is really interesting to me how and why that is.

The week before we left I went on TripAdvisor, a website with unbiased hotel and travel reviews and message boards with comments from people who have traveled to the location you are interested in.  I happen to love going onto message boards of all kinds, I love hearing what people have to say about anything and everything.

Most of the reviews were five stars, it is a five star resort after all so I wasn’t surprised that most people raved about the accommodations. What was surprising to me was the fact that there were a few people who were really disappointed and not happy with their accommodations… at all.  We have visited Maui and stayed at this resort for the last few years. We absolutely love it there, it feels like our Hawaiian home away from home and they always upgrade us and give us other perks for our repeat business. Gotta love being appreciated! Anyway, it got me thinking: what makes one person experience things one way and someone else experience  the same thing or place so completely differently?

Every one of the staff we came in contact with was friendly and wonderful; yet one person in particular commented that the staff was awful.  The same person complained that she requested a certain kind of room since she was reuniting with her husband, whom she hadn’t seen in a while,  and their room got screwed up.  Wow, seems everything that could go wrong did.

It got me thinking: did everything go wrong, even in an almost perfect place because she was so worried things might go wrong?  Was she expecting things to go wrong?  That’s gotta be it, right?  I have seen similar things like this happen before, we are always talking about the laws of attraction, and that we attract what we want, but we don’t necessarily attract what we want we attract what we expect.

We attract what we think about, worry about, put our attention on.  I know that sometimes all this attraction stuff can be challenging but it really is fun once you become fully conscious of what you are thinking about, what you are expecting and actually see it come to fruition.  It takes practice, I have to say even I toyed with the idea of calling the hotel to request a room similar to the one we had last year, but I changed my mind about calling and decided to just know and expected that I would get a great room with a great view, just as good if not better than the last one. Sounds so simple, and it is.  Just takes practice.  Oh and we did get that great room, directly one floor above the room we had last year, and it was perfect.  xo-K

My two cents:  Be deliberate in your thinking, know what you want, imagine what it will feel like and expect it to happen.

♥♥♥

I love how this stuff works! In fact lately I’ve been wondering why it took me so long to get to this place where I can see “stuff” as it is unfolding before my very eyes, but I suppose that is part of the fun.

Just as K and her darling daughter were returning from a week in paradise, I have another dear friend who was jetting off to Paris. “It’s a beautiful day in Paris” she said in a fb post. Mmmm! “Isn’t it always a beautiful day in Paris?” I replied. I mean seriously, how can it not be fabulous in one of the most amazing cities in the world?  Another person replied to the post and said: “Well it isn’t beautiful if your car is broken into and . . .drama, drama, drama.” Come on! It’s true: you get what you expect. Did that person expect her car window to get bashed in? Probably not. . .but she probably wasn’t willing to believe in a stress-free trip, either.

So anyway, I just came through planning, organizing, and hosting a major fund-raising event for 800 people. That’s what I do, I’m a fund-raiser. We host big parties where people have a good time, and then they make a donation.  Before I took on this job, the biggest party I had hosted was 300 people. Now, from a planning perspective, that’s quite a leap! What I’ve learned in planning events is that you can do all the right things, put all your ducks in a row, plan for every possible scenario, but there is always, always something that pops up to test your resolve to let things play out smoothly.  It’s kind of like life that way: it isn’t what happens, it’s how you respond.

So there we were, 800 people were on-scene, and the glitch happened. The license required in order to serve beer was missing from my event binder and without the license, no beer. Let me tell you, for about a minute, I broke out into a cold sweat. I mean, I had 800 people at my party expecting to have a glass of micro brew! And then, I got very calm. I knew I had it, it was a matter of finding it. I dashed back to my office repeating my matra, “everything always works out for me.” And the thing was, I believed it. I was totally calm. I walked into my office, found the certificate in about a minute, and was on my way. Day saved. Event success. Party hero.

This is what I know. You can have the success, love, happiness you crave, if you’re willing to allow it in. Love, C

My two cents: Think about who told you that you can’t have what you want, forgive them for being wrong, and then get on with your life!

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June 23, 2010

believe it or not

I was having lunch today with a friend I hadn’t seen for a while. We ran into each other after church service and were in one of my fav cafes, catching up on each others lives.  Our waitress was rather distracted and I made a comment about how long it took to get a cup of coffee. My friend quickly agreed. “Well you know,” I said. “We usually see in others what we don’t like about ourselves.” This time, my friend quickly disagreed. “I don’t believe that,” she said. “I don’t think it works like that.” I smiled. “That’s okay,” I replied. “You don’t have to.”

I’m not out to convert anyone. I also think that universal laws are in place whether you agree with them or not. Can I just say? I’m so glad to have reached a point where I don’t feel like everyone has to agree with me in order for the world to make sense. You don’t have to know how electricity works, but if you flip the switch, lights will come on anyway. You don’t have to understand gravity either, but if you trip, you may fall. I’m just sayin’. . . . It isn’t my job to try to make everyone think like me. In fact, I rather like it when they don’t.

So I said to my friend, “well, in my case, maybe I’m not as focused as I could be, and I see that in the waitress.” She didn’t know what to do with this new information. She thought that I had been making a remark about her state of consciousness, when really, I had been making one about mine.  I let it go. She wasn’t ready to hear it.

Byron Katie has a process she calls “The Work.” The Work involves asking a series of questions that can help bring you closer to the truth of the matter, if that’s what you want. (Personally, I’m always on a quest for the truth of the matter, but that’s just me. . . .)

The first question you need to ask is: Is it true?  Is it true that the waitress is over looking my needs? Really? No. My needs are always met, and it isn’t the waitress’s job to calm my insecurities.

The next question: How do you react when you think that thought? If I think the waitress is neglecting me, I feel rejected, unloved.

Next question: Can you think of a reason to drop that thought? Yes! I would feel happier, more secure to not believe I’m being singled out and neglected.

Final question: Who would you be without that thought? Happy! Free! Calm!

Okay, now here’s the clincher: The Turn-around. “The waitress isn’t neglecting me, I neglect myself.” Ouch! We always project what we don’t want to own. Getting what you want is easy, especially if what you want is happy, because the only person withholding happy from me, is me. Love, C

My two cents: when you are willing to own your own stuff, your stuff stops tracking you down!

♥♥♥

I know my beliefs have changed over the years, I used to believe what people told me, my parents, friends, the news.  I used to think because a lot of people thought or believed the same thing, it made it true.  Really? I know a lot of people who believe in a lot of different things now, some I agree with and some I don’t.

Abraham says a belief is a thought you keep on thinking, makes sense.  I know  so many people who think and believe in so many different things, who’s right?  I personally think you get to choose what you believe, what your reality is going to be so for right now, I’m going with that.

In my profession I talk to so many different people, people with different lifestyles, different income brackets, different beliefs. I love my clients, and friends, love listening to their stories, I feel I am a student of life and I enjoy what makes people tick and watching their lives unfold.  It is also interesting to me how their lives and my own play out depending on their own personal beliefs.  I am not claiming to know everything, but I have observed a lot of people, many of whom I have known  for years, and I have to tell you their lives are playing out in perfect accordance to what they believe.  Mine too.

It’s amazing, just like C mentioned earlier, we can create a whole scenario, around what we believe.  Be it a waitress being rude or dismissive or  your bf or bff is angry at you for some reason.  We love  the quote, the universe always says yes, and use it often, but I think that we can also apply this to our own thoughts.  We can  get a whole big story going about something, get all fired up about it and BAM, doesn’t it seem like it ends up playing out in your life?  It’s like the universe lines up events that line up with what you are thinking, or maybe, you are just noticing things that line up to what you think or believe.

I don’t know if anyone really knows what makes our beliefs  true, but I have noticed that there is no one way to do anything and I am glad about that.  As for myself, I am going to believe in the things that I want, and focus on them.  I want to believe that most people are good and kind, and I  tend to come into contact with people like that.  If you think that people are not nice or out to get you in some way,  you will probably meet up with those kind of folks along your path.

Do we believe things are going to happen in a certain way because they have played out that way in the past?  So we also have expectation, in the mix now too. We’ll get into that one next time.  As for me, I get to choose my thoughts, I get to choose what I put my attention on, and I get to choose what I believe in. xo-K

My two cents:  If you don’t  like the way your life is playing out, change the way you are looking at it.

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June 20, 2010

dream on…

I have been paying attention to my dreams now for as long as I can remember.  If I am going through something and I just can’t seem to figure out exactly what is going on and what the solution is, one of the first things I do is look at my dreams.  I’m lucky, I have always had pretty good dream recall, and there is always a lot going on when I go to sleep at night, sometimes I wake up just exhausted.

If you are interested in understanding your dreams there is only one book you need, The Dream Book, by Betty Bethards, is hands down the best most clear and helpful book on the subject and it really goes into detail about exactly what is going on when we sleep.

A few weeks ago when I had that “altercation” with my dad and basically told him to get out of my home, that night or maybe the next I dreamed I had a mustache.  Not a dark peach fuzz girl mustache, a full on thick coarse man mustache.  I was figuring out how it got there and trying to shave it off.  I looked up mustache in the dream book and mustache means power to clearly communicate. Well I was really clear with my dad for the first time ever, and I have to say I have never dreamed of a mustache before.

There are six basic kinds of dreams, according to Betty Bethards, she calls these dreams, clearing house/clutter, teaching, problem solving, precognitive, prophetic or visionary, and outside interference.  It can sometimes seem that we have just as much going on while we slumber as we do when we are awake and going about our day.

I started my spiritual path in my early 20′s and I became really fascinated in dreams, reading about them, and analyzing their meaning.  This was also around the time I fell hard for a wonderful boy who lived a million miles away.  When we were together in LA I would ask him every morning when he woke up what he dreamed the night before.  He thought it was a little silly but he would indulge me, and we would discuss our dreams over coffee.  When he was back in NY he would call me every morning and wake me up, he wanted to be the first voice I heard when I woke up, so sweet.  Anyway, on one particular morning he called me right as my alarm was chiming,  he was so excited as he reported to me, ” I dreamed about you last night, you were here, in bed with me.”  I was hardly awake but stunned nonetheless, I had dreamed of him too.  As he described his dream to me, it was the same dream I had.  I didn’t tell him, it was unbelievable.

Fast forward a few weeks, I’m on a red eye to NY for a visit.  Upon arrival, we had a quick breakfast then back to his apartment.  I hadn’t slept on the plane and needed a nap. When I walked into his room I almost lost it.  His room was exactly as I had seen it in my dream: the bed, the bedding, the view out the window.  Everything.  I kept this to myself, I didn’t know exactly what that was, I still don’t,  but I know I will never forget it. xo-K

My two cents:  Dreams are just one of many tools/gifts we have to help us navigate through life.

♥♥♥

I am so glad K decided to write about this! I love dreams. I love sleeping, I adore the whole fluffy pillows, cozy bed, nocturnal journey through shadows adventure.

Back before I started studying dreams, astrology, and other esoteric topics, I had two very vivid pre-cognitive dreams. The first one was not long after I moved to Northern California. I dreamed of watching a volcano erupt, and very soon after that, Mt. St. Helens blew her top up in Washington state. A couple of years later, I dreamed of waking up in a Victorian mansion, startled by an earthquake, and vividly remember the chandelier in the room swaying from side to side. Fast forward a couple of months, and I was visiting with a beau in his apartment that was part of a Victorian mansion that had been subdivided into flats. We were dozing in his room in the afternoon, and suddenly the earth started shaking, and the chandelier in his room started to sway. That was the Coalinga earthquake, a pretty big one. I knew immediately that my premonition had not been “just a dream.”

I’ve always felt that dreams spoke a language that I wanted to understand and so when I found Betty Bethard’s dream book, it was like finding the key I had been searching for. Betty was an amazingly gifted woman, who after a near-death experience, came to realize that there is no “death” as we think of it, and she was gifted with a second sight. K and I saw her in person a couple of times, and she was amazing.  She had a gravely voice, like Sylvia Brown, and a heart as big as the moon. Betty is gone now, but her book is still in print; it’s that good.

We’ve all heard the basic explanation: “everyone in your dream is you.” But sometimes, there is more to the story. K just told me about an amazing dream she just had, involving vividly seeing a string of the number 4.  Then, there was another number, and if you know about numerology, you’re supposed to reduced all numbers down to a single number (22= 4, 33= 6, etc). Well so after the string of 4s, there was a larger, seemingly unrelated, number. As she was telling me about her dream, I quickly reduced the number down, and guess what? It was 4.  Some experts say that the number 4 means teaching/learning — and we sure are doing a lot of that, these days!

One thing for sure: dreams are never, and I mean NEVER, random my dear. So pay attention! Love, C

My two cents: What if your “dreams” are real, and “reality” is just the dream?


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June 16, 2010

expecting miracles

Don’t you just love it when the cosmos gives you a little shout out?  I had a shift of perception this morning, an opening where my soul slipped through with an insight. In that moment when I went from feeling stuck to feeling grateful. Nice!

We all have blue moments, right? It’s part of the work we do, just becoming aware of the moment we fall under  what Robert Ohotto calls a cultural spell, start believing that it’s all real out there, when it really is just a movie of our making.  The number one fix for that is meditation and/or prayer. So simple, and yet so easy for the ego to say, “Honey, don’t you worry your pretty little head about that. You’re so good, so spiritually evolved, you can get by without it, just for today!” Trust me on this one: doesn’t work!

Another trick I use is to keep myself surrounded by spiritual masters. Sometimes this means going to a church service, a lecture, a concert, a reading.  I recently had two different friends from different corners of the country come to the town where I live for their work. I had heard about James O’Dea coming to lecture at the Unity Church that I attend, and really wanted to see him. I had a dilemma for about half a minute about how to spend time with my girls, then I realized that they would both enjoy hearing O’Dea speak. I told them that our Sunday program included a church service with a world-class speaker, then brunch at my fav local egg and toast joint. It was fantastic, and we all had a great time! (Except for darling P, who was not fooled by that hand-holding Unity business for a minute!)

Another way to connect is with the amazing collection of spirit-related videos on YouTube. Do we live at a great time on this planet or what?? Feeling a little blue?  Check out Jessica’s affirmations on YouTube!  Want to connect to something bigger than yourself? Listen to Eckhart Tolle on YouTube! So easy.

This morning I found my brain worrying a minor life issue like a dog with a bone. I refused to go into a huge drama about it, but I still have some energy around it, or it wouldn’t be an issue at all, it wouldn’t resonate at all. Anyway, I started to go there. You know what I mean!

Then, in the midst of looking for a nice morning message to distract myself, I found a video that contained beautiful celestial music, with images of great, galactic spans of space filled with pinwheels of magnetic gas and columns of light and star dust, and my puny little problems just vanished. Where was Earth? Where was I? It was like looking into forever. I mean, in the perspective of eternity, does it really matter if that parking ticket was fair or unfair? Really? Come on! Get over it already! Love, C

My two cents: I am the writer, director, and actor in the movie of my life and I can change it in any moment.

♥♥♥

I used to pray for miracles, look for them, hope for them.  Now I expect them.  And because I expect them and appreciate when they happen they come more frequently and in many different ways.

I got a very expensive traffic ticket in the mail last week, I had been working on my feelings of prosperity and money really not being an issue for me.  Money is energy and really neutral, it has whatever power or feeling  you put behind it. So anyway, got this ticket, right before I am ready to leave for vacation and I have to say my first reaction was I was pissed.  I was caught on video making a right hand turn on a red light.  I remember doing that, and the light had just turned red.  Yeah right, so what, what I did was wrong so I had to pay.  They had a video of me so even if I was going to fight it, which I wasn’t, no winning that one.

When I opened the ticket and saw the fine I had to put it aside for the night, I felt sick to my stomach and knew I had to get into a better space before I could deal with it.  I had a feeling I got that ticket for a reason so I wanted to sleep on it.  I had been doing so well on my money not being an issue for me, money was flowing in and flowing out, I had plenty and I was feeling good about it.  Now this, okay well I did say I wanted to master this and I was being given an opportunity here.

When I woke up in the morning the first thing I thought was I would call and ask if I could make payments on the ticket, explain I was leaving for vacation and that I needed more time.  That didn’t feel good, I was going to try to convince a total stranger that I couldn’t afford the ticket?  That was not in alignment with what I was trying to master regarding money. Uggg, I did my morning meditation and it came to me,  I would pay the whole thing right now.  I just knew that by doing that everything would be fine and I would be lined up to what I was trying to accomplish around prosperity.

As soon as I made that decision, I felt like well, a million bucks.  Another thing that happened after I made that decision was I opened a pocket in my purse, a pocket that I know I looked through the day before when rounding up my checks from my clients for deposit and I found a stack of checks, $700 to be exact. Now that’s a miracle, oh and another thing, when I looked again at the ticket, I had  read it wrong, it was $100 less than I thought it was.  I think it was worth getting the ticket just to really get the lesson on prosperity. xo-K

My two cents: Miracles are everywhere, even where you least expect them.


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June 13, 2010

more on money~

You know we Two Girls love our teachers, right? My current fav is Stephen Russell, aka the Barefoot Doctor. BD has a series of guided meditations that I really like, and always find myself feeling more energized after listening to them. He also has a website called the Supercharged Taoist.  (Tao pronounced Dao) I don’t know about you, but I don’t know much about Taoism. Oh, sure, I’ve heard Wayne Dyer talk about the teachings and wisdom of the Tao, but haven’t really studied it myself.

I first heard about BD on Hay House Radio, where he had a program for several months, and got totally hooked on his down to earth teachings and before I knew it, I had subscribed to his websites. I love opening my email and finding messages that spark my curiosity or offer a new way to look at the world. Recently, BD sent me a message about manifesting abundance with Wu Wei. He said: “if you want to manifest effortlessly with Wu Wei, you set up an intention, then either fear not achieving it, or trust you will achieve it. If you are successful, you will transition into a more expanded, satisfying, fulfilling and glorious reality.” Sign me up!

According to Russell, Wu Wei is the  Taoist principle of achievement without struggle. It means you have to give up the idea that you know exactly how things should turn out for your highest good and the highest good of those around you. Instead, we are to trust the universal life force, God, the Tao, whatever you call it, to make sure everything turns out for your highest good. Ha! Easier said than done, right? According to BD, “manifesting different realities depends on letting go of the erroneous notion that your rational mind knows best.” According to BD, you have to allow the Tao. Since I’m fascinated by the topic of how we manifest anything, I zeroed in on this.

If there is something you wish to manifest in your life, you need to imagine it with as much clear detail as you can. Do what you can to make the idea as real to you as you can. This is important especially if you have never actually experienced, say, a new car. Many people have, and there are pictures to prove it. Next, identify the feeling you would have if you manifested your desire. Calm, happy, joyous, safe, loved, whatever the feeling is, bask in it. and then you let it go. Things have a way of showing up when you forget about them. Have you noticed?

By practicing feeling, you attract the object to you without struggle;  you don’t make it come it. You set your intention to let the universe/God/Tao bring you want you desire, and then you have to have trust and faith that if it is for your highest good,  a power greater than you will find a way to get it to you, “special delivery.” Love, C

My two cents: Get out of your own way and trust that your best and highest good desires you!

♥♥♥

I love manifesting, I love playing with the energy,  just focusing on something and watching it come is so much fun.  It has taken me years, and daily practice but I am getting this down.  In some areas more than others but I am getting it.

Years ago I was given a great meditation tape from a friend, “Receiving Prosperity,” by Louise L. Hay.  It changed my life, and the way I view  money.  I played the tape so much it  finally wore out.  I recently purchased a copy on cd and listening to it again has really reinforced some positive thoughts on prosperity in all areas but especially money.  I highly recommend checking it out.

In the meditation, Louise has you visualize walking on the beach and down to the waves crashing on the shore.  Depending where you are in your thinking she has you bring down a thimble, a cup, a bowl, a bucket, or any container to fill up.  The ocean being infinite supply of money and endless prosperity.  I think I started with a bowl or a bucket but after doing the meditation for a while I think I was filling up a bathtub.

When you start to think about money like  the infinite ocean or like air, that there is a limitless supply, it changes your whole perception.  Do you freak out that you will go to take a breath and there will be no air to breath?  No, you just know there will always be enough and you get to the point pretty quickly that you don’t even think about breathing.

I wanted to get to that point with money,  just like with breathing, not having to think about it, and just knowing  that there will always be enough for me.  You don’t need to hoard it, worry about it, have fear that you will not have enough.  It can be hard when people around you are in fear about money but it is just all the more reason to use the tools available to change your mind  from scarcity to abundance.

Another thing to do is find a great affirmation about money something that feels good to you, maybe set it to music so it gets stuck in your head and repeat it over and over.  One of my favorites comes from numerologist Glynis McCants‘ “I pay my bills with ease, and I always have extra money.”

Let’s face it, if you watch TV, listen to the radio, or are around people at all you are probably getting negative impressions about money and prosperity.  Possibly starting with your own parents at a very young age.  Most people don’t have any idea how powerful their thoughts, words and beliefs are.  I know that having money is not just about working hard.  Most of the people who work the hardest make the least amount of money, while some people are making money while they sleep.

Now that’s a great affirmation, I make money while I sleep! Love it.  xo-K

My two cents:  What would it be like to have what you want?  Imagine it, visualize it, affirm it, feel it.

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June 9, 2010

divine order

After we finished writing all you need is love, there was something bugging me a bit.  Especially regarding  the oil spill in the gulf.  I was picking up that it might be a little hard for some people to just let go of their anger and blame and just pray for healing and peace.

I know it has been hard for me in the past when something terrible has happened in my life to just let it going with the knowing that things work out the way they are supposed to, sometimes it is just easier to be mad.  But over the last 15 plus years I have seen some amazing things, even when it seems like someone is getting away with something, they really never do.   The universe always knows what’s going on and there is divine order.

Who could forget living through the OJ trial? I remember it first hand.  I was living in Brentwood (LA) at the time, actually a half a block from where the murders took place.  I knew some of the players in that case and since I was pregnant when it happened and then home with a brand new baby at the time of the trial I watched how it unfolded everyday on Court TV while my daughter napped.

It seemed pretty obvious to me that OJ was guilty, and I personally was shocked when they read the verdict, but even then on some level I knew that he would end up paying for the crime.  I knew he would end up in prison.  And he did in Las Vegas. Yeah, they don’t mess around in Vegas. It was a different crime, but he ended up serving time.  Same with Al Capone, of all the criminal activity he was involved in that they could never pin on him, he ended up in prison, for tax evasion.

Last night on the AOL front page I noticed that Joran van der Sloot, the boy connected to Natalee Holloway disappearance, was in the news again. Remember Natalee? She was the American high school girl who went missing in Aruba a few years ago. I was following that case when it happened probably because I had a young daughter and could relate to her mother’s anguish — and I also used to be really interested in following trials and trying to solve mysteries.  Even though they had arrested this kid numerous times and even had tapes in which he confessed to the crime, he was never put to trial.  Could it have been the fact that his father was a judge in Aruba? Ya think??

Well it seems like young Joran is in a bit of trouble again, surprise, surprise. It appears that he is connected to the murder of another girl, but this time in Peru.  Don’t think things are going to play out the same way in Peru as they did in Aruba.  I have a feeling that he is going to pay for this one and probably far more than he would have if he was convicted in his homeland. Bet  he is wishing he was sitting in a jail cell in Aruba right about now. xo-K

My two cents:  I believe in universal laws, what you reap you sow, and something bigger than us is always keeping tabs.

♥♥♥

Yeah, karma’s a bitch, right? Young  Mr. Van der Sloot won’t be cruising any clubs or beaches for pretty young girls anytime soon. I’m sure whoever helped him dodge charges in Aruba thought they were doing him a favor, but you can’t fool karma. Universal law is immutable. You can run, but you cannot hide. Tsk.

I met K years after the whole OJ trial, in a city far away from LA. One  day as K and I were talking, we realized that we were dating a guy with the same name, same profession, same personality. We thought we were dating the same guy, but no: double trouble!! It wasn’t until a year or so ago, that while talking on the phone (of course),  we realized that in addition to the Two T’s, we had both lived in LA at the same time, and had begun following Betty Bethards, Louise Hay, and Marianne Williamson at the same time, but literally worlds apart. Crazy! (Then, flash forward, and we are Two Girls, writing a blog. . .just sayin’.)

Anyway. I remember the whole OJ thing too, but only peripherally. I lived in another beach town, newly married, and beginning a love story. But K was closer to the celebrity scene: half a block from the crime scene! Seriously?? No, I lived closer to the OC, but nevertheless, when you were in LA then, you couldn’t get too far from the story. It was ugly and sad.

Looking for peace, I remember asking Dr. Marj Britt, the minister of the church I attended at the time, “what is this about?” Dr.Britt answered that maybe the high-profile murder happened to give us all a chance to open our hearts, to find forgiveness for everyone, including ourselves. That felt right to me. Marj also said that maybe Nicole Brown Simpson was a messenger to the world to call attention to domestic abuse.  The statistics for domestic violence are shocking and I don’t really want to go there, but the message that I took away, is that sometimes these “big” stories are there to teach us to connect with something with a deeper meaning.

I think collectively, we’re coming through a bit of a rough patch, and we need messages of hope, right? Let’s all just keep making the right choices for the right reasons, and believe that everything always works out. Because they do, always. Love, C

My two cents: Trust and faith trump doubt and fear, every single time.

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June 6, 2010

all you need is love

The world is in turmoil, have you noticed?  A part of me says yes, okay, the world is in turmoil and we all have something to do about it. Another part of me says, the world is not in turmoil, it is all a grand illusion constructed movie-style for our entertainment, and none of it really matters.

Or, how about this: if the world is in turmoil, and we are all one, then we are in turmoil. And if we create our world and our world is in turmoil, we created the turmoil. What if this is true? What if we created the gulf oil spill tragedy? “Not me,” you say. “I have enough on my plate without being responsible for that, too!” But this isn’t about blame. It’s about connection. It’s about healing. It’s about realizing that we all have a stake in what happens, whether it’s a hurricane or an earthquake or an oil spill of epic proportions.

Back in the day, minutes before cell phones were an everyday accessory, and when Ronald Reagan was a president not just an actor, cold wars still existed, there was a giant wall dividing one part of Germany from itself and one part of Europe from the world. The new thought movement was just beginning to pick up steam. Marianne Williamson was talking to small groups of people in Santa Monica, and Louise Hay was famous at the time for having written a book called “You Can Heal Your Life.” I received an email one day, announcing a world day of prayer to bring down the Berlin Wall peacefully. People from different time zones around the world were called to stop for a few minutes and pray for world peace.  The day came and went and then, not long after, the wall came down, uniting a country with itself.

Love had a big win that day. I remember watching the news, and feeling my heart open and connecting with all the love from around the world, watching that same news.  The official records about the fall of the wall say that it was because of a series of civil riots and political erosion, but I think it was because of the prayers for peace, united from around the world, that did it.

I think we owe it to our home planet to try to heal the Gulf of Mexico in the same way. K suggested on our fb page the other day that we all offer prayers of healing for the gulf waters.  The more I think about this, the more I think this is a holy mission. Blame and anger won’t help heal those beautiful waters, home to rare and magnificent sea life. I’m committed to offering prayers of healing for the gulf every day, for the next month. Probably more after that, but each day as I say my waking prayers, and each night as I offer my gratitude to the all that is, I will offer a prayer of blessing and healing love and gratitude to the gulf for being a messenger that once again, working together, we can heal our home planet, heal our world collectively. Love, C

My two cents: there is enough love in the world to heal every thought we think, and every thought we think is enough to heal the world.

♥♥♥

I have been thinking about this a lot lately, healing and grace vs anger and blame; interesting.  I have had this come up in my personal life recently and chose to take the high road and am well on my way to healing and grace thanks to a turn of events. Actually it was two things that seemed horrible and unfair at the time but turned out to be eye-opening and healing, even transforming, who would have known.  This afternoon I got confirmation that the choice  I made to let go of the past and of  blame was the right decision.

I was sitting in front of my daughter’s school a few minutes before the bell rang and caught the news at the top of the hour; have I not learned yet that I never feel good listening to that stuff??  They were going on and on about the oil spill and how “they” — whoever “they” are –weren’t  going to rest until whoever was responsible paid, and paid handsomely.  I do agree that whoever is at fault should take responsibility but the anger and the resentment just felt, well, not helpful.  As C mentioned earlier I posted a prayer for healing the gulf waters.  Sending loving prayers and good positive thoughts just seems more helpful and productive at this point and time.

I think many people underestimate the power of love and prayer.  They think it is fine for some things, but this is serious. Do you know how many people with life threatening, terminal illness, after they have exhausted every other avenue, been told by every doctor that there was no hope, fall to their knees and turn to the only thing that ever really works anyway?

Abraham always says it is of no use to push against what you don’t want, and Mother Teresa said, “If you hold  an anti-war rally, I shall not attend.   But if you hold a pro-peace rally, invite me.”

I believe in the power of love and prayer and meditation and  I have quoted Marianne Williamson so many times, “When two or more are gathered miracles happen.”  So put your focus on healing.  Healing broken hearts, or broken bones, childhood wounds or our beautiful planet.

The Beatles, one of the greatest bands ever sang, “All you need is love, love is all you need.”  I don’t know if I agree that it is all you need but I think it is a great place to start.  xo-K

My two cents-  Love those around you, compliment more than you criticize, and your world will change around you.


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June 2, 2010

getting Lost

I like to say that I don’t watch TV, but I’m a liar. I love TV. Maybe too much, which is why I don’t own a TV. I’m a TV slut, I just can’t step away once that unblinking eye trains itself on me. I must confess, having no TV hasn’t stopped me from keeping up with a few shows I really like. There’s this little thing called the Internet, and now many great (and terrible) shows can now be found online.  Yes! Okay, so my guilty little secret is that I’m a Lost fan. Come on!

I know. It’s cliched, it’s trite, it’s. . .delicious. Who can resist beautiful bad-girl Kate? And tough guy Sawyer? Be still my heart. But the boy scout of all high achievers, Doctor Jack, is the ultimate hero. Everything about Lost is epic: it’s the mythic good versus evil story set on a tropical island. The truth is, we tell stories to make sense of our world. Stories tell us who we are, where we’ve been, where we’re going. As stories go, Lost is a hum-dinger.

But what makes me love Lost most is the final episode.  With a storyline as weird and quirky as this show has, I thought the final word would be: a) smarmy, b) vapid, or c) completely over the top. This was none of the above.  This was subtle and simple and  genius.  K and I have been talking for some time now about how spirituality and the new thought movement are going mainstream. City of Angels was a stunning endorsement of the idea of angels walking among us (I still think of them in black trench coats and beautiful, flawless skin). Oprah does a webinar series with Eckhart Tolle about spiritual philosophy and it’s so popular it shuts down their entire computer system the first time everyone wanted to log on. Louise Hay is a rock star. I could go on, but you know what I mean.  Spirituality (not religion, darling) has gone mainstream. If I needed any more proof, I got it with Jack’s finale farewell on Lost, which as it turns out, was not so much goodbye as see you later.

The last word in Lost is: life is just a show and we’re all playing parts. We are here playing roles with our soul group and we’re here doing it because we love and support one another. Sometimes we play a villain; sometimes we’re a hero. We never get it wrong, and we never get it done. What  I loved, watching this final story unfold, was how the various characters were “triggered” to ‘wake up’ from the dream, realize that there was more to the story than they had believed, and when they ‘remembered’, they realized that there are infinite possibilities at any moment.

I was talking to a co-worker about the last Lost, how it was about life after life. “Like purgatory or something?” she asked.  “Yeah,” I replied, “Or something.” Love, C

My two cents: lighten up, sweetie! We’re all just playing our parts.

♥♥♥

I have to say I never watched Lost, tried one time probably a couple seasons in and it was a really dark (visually) episode so I couldn’t tell what was going on.  I was literally lost so that was it for me and the show.  After hearing C’s rave reviews of the final episode I might have to break down and rent the whole series. Hell, I might just have to cheat and just watch the finale online.

Although I didn’t see Lost so I can’t speak to that in this post I was online every Monday night a few years back with Oprah and Eckhart Tolle, for the “New Earth” webinar and I have to say it was nothing short of amazing.  The first night they had so many problems, seemed the whole world was trying to sign on and the system did go crashing down.  I got a little choked up, I could feel the collective energy around this ground breaking never before done class with two very powerful people in the lead and millions of others signing on.  Energetically it felt a little like being in a huge concert arena, listening to your favorite band with thousands singing along in unison, but at home in your jammies.

I committed to doing the Monday night classes every week, told my daughter and everyone else that for those few hours I was not available and I sat in that amazing energy and just soaked it in and I loved it.  I felt so connected to something so much bigger than me, and I did it just for me, the gift of time I gave to myself every week.

Back to Lost,  I have always felt that I was here, on Earth just playing a role.  Like this wasn’t really real and it was like being in a movie or a Broadway play. Some times it felt like it was off-off Broadway, but still you know what I mean.  I felt, and still feel like none of this really matters, it’s all illusion and there is something so much bigger really going on here.  Are we are all just following some invisible script that we wrote before we got here?  Did we think, ”Hey wouldn’t  it  be really funny if the way we became a strong independent powerful woman was by picking a jerk who would push us in that direction?”  Or , “How about we really get what is important in life by losing everything  we thought we needed?”

I just have to tell you I am really enjoying, whatever this is.  Movie, reality, all there is?…  and after years of worrying about things that ended up not really being that important I am done with worry and fear.  My movie is a love story, or sometimes romantic comedy, and I am getting my happy ending. xo-K

My two cents:  What if the Hokey Pokey is what it’s all about?

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May 30, 2010

tuned in, tapped in, turned on

Unless you have been hiding under a rock, out on some deserted island or just don’t have a computer you have undoubtedly seen the YouTube video of Jessica’s affirmations.  We posted it a few weeks ago on our facebook page and it was amazing to see how it was just, well, everywhere.  Suddenly, it was all over facebook, it was on the front page of Aol,  and now the original post is at close to two million hits.  Everyone is loving little Jessica and her robust, enthusiastic affirmations.

That little girl, who was four at the time of the video, is what Abraham calls tuned in tapped in turned on, or, in the Vortex. She is in alignment with herself and what she wants and affirming it to the universe with such joy and clarity, you just can’t help but get swept up in it.  Even the most negative, doubting people I know were mimicking that little girl and posting similar affirmations on their facebook pages or walking around exclaiming to themselves and the world.

We have all known about or have at least heard about affirmations. I use them on a daily basis and have for years, but a lot of people I know don’t, and don’t think affirmations have much power.  Well they do. They get you to focus and line you up with what you want so you can actually start to feel what it would be like to be having or doing or being what you want. Oh, and don’t forget the most important part: it feels good!

Think about it: the reason anyone does anything is because they think they will be happy in the doing/having  it.  Why do you want more money?  You think it will make you happy.  Why do you want a great relationship?  You think it will make you happy and will make you feel good.  This pretty much applies to anything out there that you desire.

Yesterday I took my daughter to the orthodontist. When she went back, I sat in the reception area.  They have a brand new huge flat screen TV that always seems to be on CNN.  I am aware of what is going on out there in the world but I tend to stay away from things like CNN.  It never feels that great when I watch, so I just don’t.  Well, it was on and I was watching for a few minutes and they have one of those ticker things at the bottom of the screen and it is recapping the same 4 or 5 negative stories over and over.  Urrrrg, I felt terrible and went  outside to make a phone call.  Watching that ticker, play over and over is an affirmation, a negative one.  It is repeating something over and over until it is the truth to you.  You can affirm what CNN wants you to think or you can be like little Jessica and affirm what you want to focus on and what feels good to you.  It’s your choice.  xo-K

My two cents:  We say it over and over: focus on what you want, not what you don’t want and be in your joy while doing it.

♥♥♥

I wasn’t crazy about facebook at first. When I joined a year ago, it just seemed like a giant time drain. I checked in once a week, just to see if anyone I knew was there. I wanted to see what clever thing they said, or photo they posted.  It took a while, and then I became a believer. Videos like Jessica’s affirmations are a good example of how we can change the world with one post at a time.

I have come to realize that my fb page is my “station” and I can play anything I want on it. No CNN, no hand-wringing ain’t-it-a-shame media, no filtering out annoying talking heads just to have the good stuff I want flowing into my world. Nice! You may have noticed that Two Girls likes to post graphics and videos. And it’s all stuff we like! Once upon a time, I worked in radio. The best part of that gig was programming the music. So much fun! This is like that, but better.

Two Girls promotes information that feels good, books that are uplifting, teachers who can take us all to the next evolution of our souls, music that puts us in the vortex, and of course videos like sweet Jessica’s affirmations.  I don’t know about you, but my heart just opened like a big flower when I watched her for the first time. There is a lot of good news out there, and it is our mission to share it because that’s the world we want to affirm: all is good, all is well, we are loved, and we are never alone.

For me, being tuned in, tapped in, and turned is a  daily practice. When you consistently affirm the pleasant things you wish to experience: peace, harmony, joy; you begin to look for them to show up. When you look for them to show up and expect them to show up, they do. What you focus on shows up. What you expect to happen, happens.

If you start to “forget” for a minute and catch yourself afraid of what might happen, just pause, take a breath; and affirm a better outcome, allow a better outcome. It’s that easy and it’s that hard! If you are all wound up and needing to release a burst of energy, fear and anger are a shortcut that can work. It’s just better for your peace and well-being if you take a moment to connect to what is your real power. In case it matters. Love, C

My two cents: begin your day tuned in and watch the magic that is your world unfold in a whole new way.

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May 26, 2010

it takes as long as it takes

I was talking to one of my bffs the other day, a girl wh0 goes in and out of hell  pretty much daily. She’s at war with her ex and it’s a battle of wills, the kind of battle that can never really be won and she knows it but for some reason she just can’t let it go.

My friend wants it to be over but she also wants to be right and wants to win, a  deadly combination.  In one minute she wants it to be done, she can’t stand dealing with him or his drama  for another minute and doesn’t care if she wins or who has to pay.  Then. . . she thinks about it and that’s where the trouble starts.  “It’s not fair,”  she cries, and now she wants to win.

Is she justified? Yes. Does she deserve to win? Oh hell yeah.  Is that stopping the ending from beginning?  Yes my darling it is.

Does she want to be right or be happy?  She wants  both, and frankly that is the problem because both is not an option.  Sorry, you have to choose. It’s hard, but it can be done, and it takes as long as it takes.  I love my friend to death but when she reports on the latest, way he’s done me wrong, I can’t help but think, you could end this right here, right now. . .just let it go.

No one person is your source. No one is responsible for your happiness but you.  If you don’t like what is going on, either get out of it or if that isn’t possible, look at it in a different light.  What other choice do you have?  If you can’t see it in a way that you feel okay about, then maybe you need to look at something else.  Some other aspect in you life that is working.  That does make you happy.  It’s always a choice.

If you are always looking to others to do things in a way that works for you or say the perfect thing or you can only be happy when you hit all the green lights on the way to work and nobody says anything to hurt your feelings, you have a tough road ahead of you.

I have learned from years of looking at things from all different perspectives that there are as many green lights as red, but most people don’t seem to notice the good things as much as the things that annoy or irritate them. You can’t make the light change shades by sheer will but you can change the way you feel when sitting at the red light.  Stop, look around, notice something beautiful.

And if you can’t manage to do that don’t worry, just give it some time,  with a little practice you can master being happy no matter what the circumstances are, but in the mean time, if those red lights are driving you  crazy and ruining your day. . . leave 5 minutes earlier.  Just a suggestion. xo-K

My two cents:  Just like you wouldn’t scream at a two year old, “get up ya little dummy”  when he falls learning to walk, don’t be hard on yourself when you don’t get it.  Just know that only YOU can change the way you look at things.

♥♥♥

Marianne Williamson has a prayer that I adore and which is brilliant in its simplicity. It goes like this: “Dear God, please don’t change this situation before me, but help me to change my mind about it.”

It isn’t that your spouse left you for another woman when you were three months pregnant, it is the thoughts you hold about that affair. There are so many feelings you can attach to a situation like that. Betrayal, sadness, rage, anger, the whole spectrum of pain and suffering. And they are all valid. But the truth is, you are the one who attaches the pain and the suffering, no one else. There is a saying about resentment: it’s like taking poison and expecting the other person to die. Love it!

Sometimes life lessons knock us off our pins. Sometimes we aren’t done with the tug of war because we feel like if we stop fighting and just let it be, it will mean we don’t care or that our love never mattered or that no one will love us ever again. We do such a number on ourselves.

Byron Katie had a technique called The Work. It mostly involves taking a position and then asking a number of questions to determine if your thoughts about it are “true.”  For instance, the woman whose husband left her could say, “he should pay for what he did to me.” Is this true? Did she really have no part in the rift that eventually divided their marriage, no responsibility?  The final element of Katie’s work is to turn it around. The abandoned woman could say, “I left me long before he did.” You know when you hit on the truth. Rather, you feel it. You get goosebumps, or let loose a big sigh, or feel a chill. You know.

When you ask God to help you change your mind about a situation, you are really asking for peace. You are really asking to detach from the pain and suffering that you have attached to the scene (which your soul really just created to give you a chance to heal a past emotional wound). The pain only exists in our mind anyway, right? You can’t point to a room in your house and say ‘this is where betrayal lives.’ It’s just an idea. And like any idea, you can either think it over and over and over again until it becomes a belief, or you can let it go. Love, C

My two cents: We are all just bumping around here, doing the best we can, trying to remember that we are all emissaries of love, learning to love again.


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May 23, 2010

it ain't over till it's over

So many tears I’ve cried, so much pain inside, but baby it ain’t over till it’s over. . .”-Lenny Kravitz

Wow, did I get that in a big way this last past week.  We all have our stuff, family stuff, some worse than others but we all have it.  I know I’ve got mine, hell I kept dating my dad until the thought of dating at all was not even an option until I worked it out.  I have been working on it for years, and have been feeling pretty good about it, feeling healed around it. Spent time in therapy, worked it out in my romantic relationships, it has come up in this blog many times and I think that writing has been the most healing thing for me.  I felt I was good on the subject, and I was, but someone else was not.  And he was waiting for me right back where we left off 30 +years ago.

My dad, who I felt never wanted to talk about this or anything deep for that matter, had been holding onto our relationship just where we left it so many years ago when it went south.  We were never big on communication, I thought he wouldn’t be willing to go there, or maybe that was me not wanting to go there with him.  Wasn’t pleasant the first time around, thought it might be easier just doing the work by myself or with a partner who mirrored  his. . . let’s just say “energy.”

Never thought I would have the opportunity to deal with it directly with my dad, too much time had passed, where do you even start.  So you can imagine my surprise when the other day it happened, I won’t go into what lead up to this confrontation, doesn’t really matter, had nothing to do with anything but I have to say it was the perfect storm.

He came at me out of the blue or maybe out of the oblivion, and in one fell swoop tried to time-travel me back to about age 15. And guess what, I was there, but then I wasn’t.  I didn’t cower, I stood up for myself in a way I never have and didn’t think I ever could.  Granted I wish I would have cooled it on the f-bombs I sent  flying around my living room, but I was calm, I was firm and I was so in my own power it was surreal.  As I was pretty much giving him the bums-rush out my front door, I don’t know who was more shocked him or me.  All the old tricks he used to pull on me, shame, guilt, etc. didn’t work.  Under the circumstances I felt like a million bucks, and then I didn’t.

I started to feel guilty, just a little bit but it was there.  I basically told my dad to get out of my home and my life, I was done with him and his rage.   My daughter, who was not home during the altercation, later asked me, ”Where are we going to have Thanksgiving?”  I told her I didn’t know, but we would figure it out.

It’s been almost a week and I haven’t spoken to either of my parents, and I don’t know what is going to happen.  I spoke to two of my spiritual advisers and I now have a new perspective on what is going on here.  This is hard work but I feel so good, like I don’t have anything to be afraid of anymore.  Now I feel I can really get on with things.  xo-K

My two cents:  You can look away, run away, even move away but things don’t go away until you deal with them.

♥♥♥

Wow, this work is so amazing. I am so awed and impressed with the work K has done these past two weeks. We keep telling each other: I’m so glad I’m doing my work because when sh*t happens, it feels really good to remain conscious and heal what has been brought up for a holy healing!  K got the big whammy of healings that led to a spiritual breakthrough, and it was like watching goddess Kali at work.

You know Kali, the goddess of destruction and regeneration. She will burn your ass up and then dust you off your wings and let you fly.  As a close observer of K’s transformation, it was like watching a perfect storm unfolding. I could see/sense the storm clouds gathering, saw the flashes of lightening. And then shazam she was deep into the hero’s journey, all on her own, fighting for her soul, and she won. All I can say is there must have been one h*ll of a flash of energetic release blasting out of K’s living room that afternoon. She healed not just herself in the here and now, but also herself across time and space. Awesome!  K connected with her soul in a way she never had and she will never be the same again.

K mentioned that to her dad, she was that same defiant teenager who told him to stuff it, just before she started off on the journey to become the fierce, holy, and fabulous goddess that she is today. All I can say is he must have been so totally dazzled by her light that it scared the crap out of him and he resorted to all of the old tricks that used to subdue the girl before she became a woman. K met her dad as a fully evolved woman, not a child, and that is a beautiful thing to behold. The apprentice became the master. It’s the hero’s journey, in case it matters. The stuff of all great legends and heroines. Stay tuned. We are almost iconic. Love, C

My two cents: we are all on a hero’s journey that takes as long as it takes.


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May 23, 2010

it ain’t over till it’s over

So many tears I’ve cried, so much pain inside, but baby it ain’t over till it’s over. . .”-Lenny Kravitz

Wow, did I get that in a big way this last past week.  We all have our stuff, family stuff, some worse than others but we all have it.  I know I’ve got mine, hell I kept dating my dad until the thought of dating at all was not even an option until I worked it out.  I have been working on it for years, and have been feeling pretty good about it, feeling healed around it. Spent time in therapy, worked it out in my romantic relationships, it has come up in this blog many times and I think that writing has been the most healing thing for me.  I felt I was good on the subject, and I was, but someone else was not.  And he was waiting for me right back where we left off 30 +years ago.

My dad, who I felt never wanted to talk about this or anything deep for that matter, had been holding onto our relationship just where we left it so many years ago when it went south.  We were never big on communication, I thought he wouldn’t be willing to go there, or maybe that was me not wanting to go there with him.  Wasn’t pleasant the first time around, thought it might be easier just doing the work by myself or with a partner who mirrored  his. . . let’s just say “energy.”

Never thought I would have the opportunity to deal with it directly with my dad, too much time had passed, where do you even start.  So you can imagine my surprise when the other day it happened, I won’t go into what lead up to this confrontation, doesn’t really matter, had nothing to do with anything but I have to say it was the perfect storm.

He came at me out of the blue or maybe out of the oblivion, and in one fell swoop tried to time-travel me back to about age 15. And guess what, I was there, but then I wasn’t.  I didn’t cower, I stood up for myself in a way I never have and didn’t think I ever could.  Granted I wish I would have cooled it on the f-bombs I sent  flying around my living room, but I was calm, I was firm and I was so in my own power it was surreal.  As I was pretty much giving him the bums-rush out my front door, I don’t know who was more shocked him or me.  All the old tricks he used to pull on me, shame, guilt, etc. didn’t work.  Under the circumstances I felt like a million bucks, and then I didn’t.

I started to feel guilty, just a little bit but it was there.  I basically told my dad to get out of my home and my life, I was done with him and his rage.   My daughter, who was not home during the altercation, later asked me, ”Where are we going to have Thanksgiving?”  I told her I didn’t know, but we would figure it out.

It’s been almost a week and I haven’t spoken to either of my parents, and I don’t know what is going to happen.  I spoke to two of my spiritual advisers and I now have a new perspective on what is going on here.  This is hard work but I feel so good, like I don’t have anything to be afraid of anymore.  Now I feel I can really get on with things.  xo-K

My two cents:  You can look away, run away, even move away but things don’t go away until you deal with them.

♥♥♥

Wow, this work is so amazing. I am so awed and impressed with the work K has done these past two weeks. We keep telling each other: I’m so glad I’m doing my work because when sh*t happens, it feels really good to remain conscious and heal what has been brought up for a holy healing!  K got the big whammy of healings that led to a spiritual breakthrough, and it was like watching goddess Kali at work.

You know Kali, the goddess of destruction and regeneration. She will burn your ass up and then dust you off your wings and let you fly.  As a close observer of K’s transformation, it was like watching a perfect storm unfolding. I could see/sense the storm clouds gathering, saw the flashes of lightening. And then shazam she was deep into the hero’s journey, all on her own, fighting for her soul, and she won. All I can say is there must have been one h*ll of a flash of energetic release blasting out of K’s living room that afternoon. She healed not just herself in the here and now, but also herself across time and space. Awesome!  K connected with her soul in a way she never had and she will never be the same again.

K mentioned that to her dad, she was that same defiant teenager who told him to stuff it, just before she started off on the journey to become the fierce, holy, and fabulous goddess that she is today. All I can say is he must have been so totally dazzled by her light that it scared the crap out of him and he resorted to all of the old tricks that used to subdue the girl before she became a woman. K met her dad as a fully evolved woman, not a child, and that is a beautiful thing to behold. The apprentice became the master. It’s the hero’s journey, in case it matters. The stuff of all great legends and heroines. Stay tuned. We are almost iconic. Love, C

My two cents: we are all on a hero’s journey that takes as long as it takes.


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May 19, 2010

the universe always says yes

Have you ever noticed? The universe always says yes. Think traffic always snarls on your morning commute? Yes! Believe that you have no self control? Yes! Convinced that there’s a shortage of money? YES!

K and I have been running an experiment for about a year. Well truthfully, it’s been longer than that, but let’s just say a year, because it’s relevant to the topic at-hand. For the last year, pretty much all of 2009  and part of 2010 — or the period of time I like to call the season of the Great Panic Attack — we’ve been ignoring “the economy.”

What?! Yes, it’s true. We’ve been going merrily about our business affirming that “My income is always increasing,” and “I thrive in any economy.” Crazy? Probably. But let me just tell you something, while many people we know have been lamenting “the economy” with doleful sighs and running around looking for the sky to fall, we’ve been fine. I believe this is because the Universe Always Says Yes.

Am I delusional? Possibly. But I have to say, I’ve been pretty stress-free for the past year. And stress causes your hair to turn gray and your face to pucker up and wrinkle. I mean, who needs it? Are there people out there who are really suffering? Of course, and I have compassion for them. But in the world I live in, all is well. Now, mind you, I don’t watch the TV news or read the so-called newspapers (which is mostly bad news, have you noticed?), so I don’t get exposed to the “ain’t it a shame” game that passes for “news.”

Skeptics will say that positive thinking doesn’t have a real effect. Good for them. All I know is, K is self-employed and her business is as robust as it ever was. I found a job after moving to a new town just after the stock market tanked in 2008 and am doing very well, thank you very much. Does our radical practice of believing in the best outcomes possible protect us from the desperation of the masses? Not entirely. After all, we do live in the “real” world. We just haven’t swallowed the Kool Aid that about 99.999% of folks out there have.

Does it make us better than the rest of humanity? I don’t know about that. But it does make us happier, and call me crazy, but I’ll take happy any day.

Okay, for real: this morning I woke up in a pretty grim mood. But experience has shown me where that line of thinking takes me and for sure, that wasn’t a place I wanted to go. My thoughts|my choice. I changed my attitude from gloom to gratitude for my blessings, and I gotta say, this day has totally rocked. Love, C

My two cents: don’t take my word for it: monitor your thoughts and see for yourself if your beliefs are creating a self-fulfilling prophecy for you.

♥♥♥

This is probably my favorite thing to talk about ever.  I could go on and on and on about it.  I have been working on this, living it, being in total amazement for the last few years.  It has always been really interesting to me why people’s realities are so different.  Why do some people seem to have such a hard time, while others seem to just skate through life?   Why are some so sad and depressed and others in similar situations so happy and hopeful?   Was it their outlook on life?  Their thoughts?

Just as C stated before, the universe always says yes. Period.  Think life sucks, yours will.  That might seem a little harsh but it’s not.  It’s empowering, we are not victims, we are co-creators here.  We all get to decide what we believe in, so choose wisely and choose what you like.  I know for me, I don’t watch the news, It’s depressing, and I don’t want to feel bad.  I guess they feel if they scare you and worry you, you will tune back in so you can prepare yourself for whatever they think you need to prepare yourself for.  Uggg.

I have adopted the philosophy: “Not in my world.”  Stuff could be going on out there, bad stuff, scary stuff, but, not in my world.  When everyone started talking about, and panicking about “the economy,” I knew I couldn’t go there. I knew it could go so wrong for me if I didn’t line up with what I wanted.  A lot of people were scared and fired up about it. I knew that as a  self-employed, single mom, I couldn’t afford the luxury of a negative thought. So in one moment I decided to focus on the mantra “I thrive in any economy.”   First thing I think about when I wake up in the morning is how lucky I am and that I thrive in any economy.  If my mind starts to worry about bills, I stop and go to my mantra.   It took some practice but I have to say, my business has never been better, and I have peace of mind that I have never had before, ever.

We really do get to pick the way our life plays out. My dad for example: great guy love him so much, has always had issue with his weight.  He truly believes and will tell you over and over that he gains 5 lbs. every time he goes on vacation.  I don’t know where he got this idea but he really believes it  and guess what?  He gains 5 lbs. every single time he goes away.  I also have a friend: great girl, whose father cheated on her mother then left her.  She believes all men cheat.  She says it all the time. She truly believes it and guess what?  Every single man she has ever dated has cheated and disappointed her.  I have tried to point out to her that she knows lots of married couples where the guy is  totally in love with his wife and doesn’t cheat, but she just can’t see it.  Pity, that one thing that she so doesn’t want is the thing that she has such a strong belief about.  The universe always says yes. . . .  xo-K

My two cents:  I get to choose the life I want to live; me, not my family, not the newscasters, ME….. Yippee!!!


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May 16, 2010

soul connections

You know what I’m talking about when I say you’ve had soul connections in your life, right? I’m not just talking about romantic love here. You know deep in your core when you meet someone: a friend, a co-worker, someone at church or the PTA, and you feel that zing somewhere in the region of your heart. You just know. It’s like, hello again.

We all come here to earth school with certain soul agreements. Hey! It’s confusing enough to muddle through life here in 3D without knowing there was a plan set in motion, a contract if you will. We made agreements with other souls to show up at certain times, to support each other, love each other, help teach each other lessons.

When you think of it like that, it’s much harder to hate that loser for divorcing you, or that b*tch who got you fired, or that cheating liar who broke your sweet heart into a million pieces. Because think of it: hasn’t adversity made you a stronger person, a better person? Didn’t your soul evolve just a little bit each time your ego got bruised? Michael Beckwith has a great saying that I love so much it makes me laugh. It goes like this: “A bad day for the ego is a good day for the soul.”

Soul connections are your peeps, your soul family, your backup system. Are your soul-mates just those people who break your heart or hurt you? Heck no! Soul-mates can help you grow and love you, too. K and her daughter are soul-mates, and they are beautiful to behold.

You’ve had dazzling soul connections in your life, and I have too. Our souls want us to be happy. They are whispering in our ears all the time, if we bother to listen. If we get really quiet and still the constant background chatter playing in our head, the soul speaks. It doesn’t always speak loudest, but it does have something to say and if you are even just the slightest bit curious about your life’s destiny, you will want to sit down, be still, and listen.

I read a metaphysical theory the other day that bent my brain all over itself. It went like this: If you have a quarter in one hand, then move it to your other hand, is it the same quarter? The answer is: no. It’s complicated, something to do with the quantum field, and how consciousness rearranges itself in each moment to present a unified picture for us. Crazy! That means you’re not the same person you were last year, or last month. I think this is good. This opens you up to embrace all the soul connections you can, and that’s a beautiful thing. Love, C

My two cents: see soul connections in every encounter you have, and make them all holy.

♥♥♥

That C, she  can practically read my mind.  I was thinking of this very same topic this morning when I was waking up, not quite ready to start my day.  However, I was going to title this post Frustration. Haha, love how the universe works.  She calls it ‘soul connection’ and I want to call it  ‘frustration.’

I have bucked up against a couple of my soul-buddies, friends/ family, recently. Of course, I love them to death but for some reason, our dealings have been a bit frustrating to me.  Initially I thought it was all about them, as in: why don’t they get it?   I thought: can’t they see they are doing the same thing they did the last time, and we know how that turned out!  Grrrrr! But then I thought: wait, why is it bothering me so much?  It’s their stuff not mine, why do I care?

Well of course I care, they are people I care about, that is my job as a friend right?  I thought about both of the instances, it only took two this time to throw me off. Sometimes I can get my panties in a bunch with everyone I encounter,  from my lovely daughter to the dude who doesn’t know if he wants to turn into this winery for a taste or the one that is a quarter mile up the road and is creeping up the highway at a snails pace not exactly sure where he is and where he is going.  Pretty sure that guy isn’t in my soul group but who knows, maybe he just popped in to get me to slow down and look around and really see the beauty that I get to live in everyday.

Well, back to those soul connections, otherwise known as lovers, friends, teachers, kids, angels, aliens. . . when you bump up against someone or something and it gets to you good or bad, pay attention.

We talked about this a few months ago in dating my dad , it seems that you keep getting different versions of the same guy or the same situation over and over again until you learn whatever it is you are supposed to learn.  Guess that blows the whole you only get  one soulmate, one true love theory out of the water, huh?

I feel that most of the people in my life I have a soul connection with.  They just feel waaaaay too familiar to not be.  That is the good news and the bad news.  The good news is they know me, and the bad news is, yep you got it, they know me. I’m not getting away with anything, and I am coming around to the idea that I am kinda glad I’m not.  There is something so comforting and safe knowing that the people in your life really know you and get you, and you can’t really be mad at them if they call you on your s**t.  Just sayin’. . . . xo-K

My two cents: just knowing we are all in this together makes it a little less scary and a whole lot more fun!

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May 12, 2010

three simple things

It’s no secret that relationships require maintenance. Heck, even the best romance hits a rough patch now and then. When a dull or even sharp crisis arises, our primitive brain kicks in and we (predictably) revert back to cave girl fight or flee behavior. Our primitive brain equates conflict with a sabertooth tiger and then we say and do things that we later come to regret. Does it have to be this hard?

In a word, no. In his relationship bible called Getting the Love You Want, Harville Hendrix has  an exercise he uses with troubled couples and it works so well he uses it in his own marriage as a daily practice. I read about this little drill last night before I went to sleep, and I dreamed about it all night. It is, quite simply, brilliant. Hendrix calls the exercise ‘three things.’

When a pair of anguished lovers come to Hendrix to help resolve their disputes, they agree on the “boundaries” of the therapy, and then they begin with the ‘three things.’  Each partner in the relationship writes down a list of ten things that they would like the other to do for them. These are pleasant things that make them feel safe, loved, secure in the lovingkindess of the other. These could be  things like ‘bring me flowers,’ or ‘rub my neck for five minutes,’  or ‘make me toast in the morning.’ Small things, elegant gestures of affection.

Once the lists are made, each partner agrees to do three things each day from the other’s list, as a gift with no strings attached. They perform the tasks as an act of love, not of negotiation or a barter for something else. Often, these are behaviors that each may have performed when they were still in the rosy courtship phase of their relationship, thoughtful things they did when their only intention was to please the other. Sometimes these are gestures that as a child made the person feel totally safe and loved in the world. Hendrix found that as the partners performed these behaviors, their attitudes and feelings began to soften, that love is able to overpower the jealousy or insecurity or anxiety that the ego had become fixated upon, and love became to most dominant feeling once again.

Sounds so simple, right? Instead of digging in, it only takes one to enter choose grace for the other to put his or her guard down long enough to feel those yummy feelings we only want to feel anyway, right? I think that in a healthy, robust relationship we tend to do things to please our partner naturally. But it’s easy to forget. It’s easy to get caught up in kids and cars and careers and yaddah. The best relationships I know are ones where two people consciously make an effort to make the other a priority. But just in case, it’s good to make three simple things a habit. Love, C

My two cents: good habits trump bad habits every time!

♥♥♥

I love this post C, and I so get it.  Abraham says, if there are nine things you like about your partner and one thing you don’t, if you focus on the one thing, the relationship won’t work, but the opposite is also true, if there are nine thing you dislike about your partner and one thing you adore and you focus on that one thing your relationship will flourish.

Sometimes when I have a new client and after I am clear about what we are doing with their hair, I try to get to know them, their life, what is important to them. Hey, I spend a lot of time with my clients and I really develop a relationship with them.  Some people are a little harder to get to know than others.  A great way to really get someone to talk and open up is to ask them about  how they met their spouse or about their  wedding.  You can’t even imagine the glow of someone who is almost time traveling back to a time when they were young and in love, and probably haven’t felt that kind of love for their significant other in I don’t even know how long.

Forget about how much their husband of 25 years just made them crazy out of their minds just this morning at breakfast, ask them about the way that man asked for their hand and he turns into price charming in the here and now.  I have done this on more than one occasion and I have to say it is quite lovely to see the change in the face of someone who just minutes before was tired, feeling old, possibly unappreciated, and not very hopeful, turn into a beautiful girl, so hopeful and full of promise before your very eyes.

I’m not talking about making someone out to be something they are not, what I am suggesting is that you look for the best in your partner, or business associate, or friend.  Focus on the best parts of them. The reasons why they are in your life in the first place.  And by the way you are not doing this for them, you are doing this for you.  When you focus on all the wonderful things about someone you love, someone you chose to spend your whole life with or someone who you pick to be your best friend or maybe your child, it just plain feels good.  Revisit why you decided to love that person in the first place. xo-K

My two cents:  Focus on what is great about the people you love, not for their benefit but just because it feels so good.


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May 9, 2010

if I wasn't afraid

Woof. I just had a breakthrough that threw me for a spectacular loop.  I got an insight Saturday that I had been trying to ignore. You know the kind I’m talking about: intuition speaks up loud and clear and you jam your fingers in your ears going lalalacan’thearyou! Anyway, I spent the better part of Sunday, my favorite day of the week, moping around in a funk, letting the revelation sink in.

Maybe you’re not like me. Maybe when you learn a life lesson, you don’t beat yourself up for not knowing that thing your soul set you up to learn in the first place.  So there I was, working on myself yet again, when I picked up my journal and read through the notes on my life thus far.

I flipped through the pages and realized that the first quarter of 2010 has been amazing. Together, K and I launched a blog, which has grown into a healthy and thriving chronicle of life, love, relationships. (So cute! And popular, too!) So far, 2010 has been a rootin’ tootin’ ride.  We are living at what Abraham calls The Awakening. If you’re doing your work, things are starting to pick up speed, moving really fast.  Things are moving pretty fast if you’re not doing your work, it just isn’t as much fun. Just sayin’.

Anyway, so there is an inventory in my journal, dated Dec. 31, 2009. The inventory contains a list of all the things I accomplished last year. Impressive, if I do say so myself! What the inventory also contains, is an exercise I picked up from a rebroadcast on Hay House Radio, from Sonia Choquette. The exercise is called “If I wasn’t afraid, I’d. . . .”  The idea is to take a sheet of paper or a page from a journal, and write “If I wasn’t afraid, I’d. . .” and then as quickly as possible, without thinking about it, make a list of all the things you’d do if you didn’t let fear stop you. It’s a very illuminating exercise, and I highly recommend it.

What are the things you’d do if you didn’t let fear stop you? Allow love in? Take a vacation? Stand up for yourself? Love yourself more? Lose weight, take a class, make a friend, tell your mother to stop bossing you around like you were still 10?  The funny thing is, when you look at the list of all of the things you’re afraid of, you realize that there really is no monster under the bed. You’ve just pretended that by not living your life fully, you’ve somehow earned a prize for being the most well-behaved person in your PTA/office/marriage. But guess what? There is no prize for letting fear win, and it isn’t too late to decide to live life like you really mean it! Love, C

My two cents: fear is nothing more than our fragile egos wanting to be safe. . . but there really is nothing to be afraid of!

♥♥♥

If I wasn’t afraid, if I only had a brain, if I didn’t give a s**t about what people thought about me.  It’s all kinda the same thing.  If I didn’t worry so much about anything outside of myself and what others thought.  What if I just trusted, really trusted my first thought, my intuition and acted on that.  What if I didn’t really think about it at all?  What if I just went with the flow of the river and let it take me for an amazing ride without trying to control or manipulate the outcome?  Just askin’.

I have been doing alot of work on myself, hard work but so rewarding and it is starting to be fun and entertaining.  I am reflecting back on past relationships and experiences in my life, and I know they always say hindsight is 20/20, but I am really starting to see the gifts in my life and experiences pretty much immediately, I don’t have to wait 2 or 20 years to see, “Oh now I get why that had to play out the way it did.”

As C said earlier, Abraham said it is now a time of awakening, they also say that all those who are looking will  find.  That just makes me feel that all of this work has been worth it and I feel at peace and I know there is nothing to be afraid of.  We re in amazing times here guys, things are moving faster, our intuition is at an all time high, hell just look at your kids,  hand them an iPhone or a new computer game,  they just instinctively know how to do this stuff.   Amazing times, so exciting.

So, back to fear,  it does have it’s place, if danger is lurking in a dark parking lot and you get that ick feeling, listen to that.  If you are alone with someone and get an uneasy feeling, again, pay attention.  But outside of those kinds of creepy dangerous situations my motto has been for the last couple of years, don’t base your decisions on fear, period.  Don’t not do something you really want to do because of what you think might happen.  Don’t stress about that job interview because they might not hire you.  Don’t beat yourself up before a date because he might not think you are smart or pretty enough.  If a situation presents itself and you aren’t sure if you should go for it or not, ask yourself, am I not doing this because I am afraid?  If that is your answer, maybe you need to take another look at it.  xo-K

My two cents:  As one of my favorite teachers, Marianne Williamson says, “You never make your decisions based on fear, you make you decisions based on love.”

 

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May 9, 2010

if I wasn’t afraid

Woof. I just had a breakthrough that threw me for a spectacular loop.  I got an insight Saturday that I had been trying to ignore. You know the kind I’m talking about: intuition speaks up loud and clear and you jam your fingers in your ears going lalalacan’thearyou! Anyway, I spent the better part of Sunday, my favorite day of the week, moping around in a funk, letting the revelation sink in.

Maybe you’re not like me. Maybe when you learn a life lesson, you don’t beat yourself up for not knowing that thing your soul set you up to learn in the first place.  So there I was, working on myself yet again, when I picked up my journal and read through the notes on my life thus far.

I flipped through the pages and realized that the first quarter of 2010 has been amazing. Together, K and I launched a blog, which has grown into a healthy and thriving chronicle of life, love, relationships. (So cute! And popular, too!) So far, 2010 has been a rootin’ tootin’ ride.  We are living at what Abraham calls The Awakening. If you’re doing your work, things are starting to pick up speed, moving really fast.  Things are moving pretty fast if you’re not doing your work, it just isn’t as much fun. Just sayin’.

Anyway, so there is an inventory in my journal, dated Dec. 31, 2009. The inventory contains a list of all the things I accomplished last year. Impressive, if I do say so myself! What the inventory also contains, is an exercise I picked up from a rebroadcast on Hay House Radio, from Sonia Choquette. The exercise is called “If I wasn’t afraid, I’d. . . .”  The idea is to take a sheet of paper or a page from a journal, and write “If I wasn’t afraid, I’d. . .” and then as quickly as possible, without thinking about it, make a list of all the things you’d do if you didn’t let fear stop you. It’s a very illuminating exercise, and I highly recommend it.

What are the things you’d do if you didn’t let fear stop you? Allow love in? Take a vacation? Stand up for yourself? Love yourself more? Lose weight, take a class, make a friend, tell your mother to stop bossing you around like you were still 10?  The funny thing is, when you look at the list of all of the things you’re afraid of, you realize that there really is no monster under the bed. You’ve just pretended that by not living your life fully, you’ve somehow earned a prize for being the most well-behaved person in your PTA/office/marriage. But guess what? There is no prize for letting fear win, and it isn’t too late to decide to live life like you really mean it! Love, C

My two cents: fear is nothing more than our fragile egos wanting to be safe. . . but there really is nothing to be afraid of!

♥♥♥

If I wasn’t afraid, if I only had a brain, if I didn’t give a s**t about what people thought about me.  It’s all kinda the same thing.  If I didn’t worry so much about anything outside of myself and what others thought.  What if I just trusted, really trusted my first thought, my intuition and acted on that.  What if I didn’t really think about it at all?  What if I just went with the flow of the river and let it take me for an amazing ride without trying to control or manipulate the outcome?  Just askin’.

I have been doing alot of work on myself, hard work but so rewarding and it is starting to be fun and entertaining.  I am reflecting back on past relationships and experiences in my life, and I know they always say hindsight is 20/20, but I am really starting to see the gifts in my life and experiences pretty much immediately, I don’t have to wait 2 or 20 years to see, “Oh now I get why that had to play out the way it did.”

As C said earlier, Abraham said it is now a time of awakening, they also say that all those who are looking will  find.  That just makes me feel that all of this work has been worth it and I feel at peace and I know there is nothing to be afraid of.  We re in amazing times here guys, things are moving faster, our intuition is at an all time high, hell just look at your kids,  hand them an iPhone or a new computer game,  they just instinctively know how to do this stuff.   Amazing times, so exciting.

So, back to fear,  it does have it’s place, if danger is lurking in a dark parking lot and you get that ick feeling, listen to that.  If you are alone with someone and get an uneasy feeling, again, pay attention.  But outside of those kinds of creepy dangerous situations my motto has been for the last couple of years, don’t base your decisions on fear, period.  Don’t not do something you really want to do because of what you think might happen.  Don’t stress about that job interview because they might not hire you.  Don’t beat yourself up before a date because he might not think you are smart or pretty enough.  If a situation presents itself and you aren’t sure if you should go for it or not, ask yourself, am I not doing this because I am afraid?  If that is your answer, maybe you need to take another look at it.  xo-K

My two cents:  As one of my favorite teachers, Marianne Williamson says, “You never make your decisions based on fear, you make you decisions based on love.”

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May 5, 2010

dating blind

I had breakfast with a friend this morning and told her I had a date tonight. “Text me when you’re done,” she said. That’s how we roll these days. Intro online, meet briefly, text results. My girl and I sat there for a while, talking about the perils and pleasures of dating in the digital age. L married her man when she was in her forties, and a decade later, they are still very much in love. They are sweet to be around, and he adores her.  “Remember, everyone has baggage,” L said as we parted ways.

Call me reckless or foolish (pick one), but a small corner of my romance-believing heart thinks that maybe happiness can be found online, that expanding the numbers of people you encounter exponentially can work for you, like playing the slots at a casino. That by stirring up the cosmic pot of attraction, fate and destiny will conspire to deliver romance right to my door. Hey! It’s a theory!  So then, here are the results of dating blind thus far:

Bachelor Number One was a really nice guy with boy-next-door good looks,  who is still reallllly angry about the tragic death of his wife ten years ago in a completely random accident and who is tenderly caring for an aging labrador that as a couple they adopted when the old girl was still a pup. That dog is his most loyal and steadfast companion and it gives me shivers to see that heartbreak peeking over the horizon.

Bachelor Number Two, was the retired physician who was really smart, I mean really, like Mensa, smart. And interesting. World traveler. Dancer. Smooth, except he thought it was entirely appropriate to try to feel me up as we sat side by side in a romantic little resto on our third date. Oops. Come on!

Then, there was Groovy Guy, dude who was hella fun on our first/last/only meet up and who felt safer texting than actually meeting face to face, so risky. Groovy guy, as it turns out was  smart, funny, sexy as all get out. . . and who’s wounded heart stopped him from being fully present. Pity, because among other things, he gets two girls! Tsk.

A couple of weeks ago, I had coffee with a guy who suggested we meet for the first time  right after his weekly yoga class. Seriously, dude?   Man sweat is so not a first date turn-on.   Anyway, when we finally met, I introduced Yoga Man to a groovy little coffee shop I know, where we talked and swapped stories for an hour or so. Said he’d call. Have yet to hear from him. Could be he pulled a hamstring.

And now we are up tonight’s audition for most beloved new friend and potential love interest: retired pilot.  He thinks I’m spicy, a hot little tomato. He wants to go to cooking school in Tuscany. Hm. As it turns out, I could get used to someone who knows their marinara from their puttanesca!  Love, C

My two cents: suit up, show up, enjoy the adventure!

♥♥♥

This is the reason why, when dating, especially online dating that you get really clear about what you want.  Whether you are looking for love online or just going out and putting yourself in the position to meet a potential partner, know what it is that you are looking for.   When you are interacting with a number of men, as you do when you are meeting online, you need to have a little bit more to go on when choosing, besides the superficial things like how he looks and what he does for a living.  You could possibly be spending a lot of time with this person, possibly the rest of your life, soooo. . .what exactly is it that you are looking for?

It’s so odd that when dating, and perhaps picking a potential life partner, we just kinda go out and wing it. We just bump around and kinda just go out with whoever shows up.  Well not everyone who shows up, but kinda whoever asks you out that seems nice and is physically attractive to you.  You don’t do that when picking a job, or buying a house. Most people are really clear about what they want in a house and they don’t really think about settling.  I think a lot of people put more thought into picking out an outfit to go on the date than actually what they want in the person they are dating.

Sometimes it is easier to start with what you don’t want and go from there.  C was put off with a guy who was going to meet her all sweaty after a yoga class.  Not what she wants, so what does she want?  Maybe someone who puts some thought and consideration and preparation into an initial meeting.  Don’t want to always have to do all the planning for a date?  I know after working all week, making decisions all day and being a mom, I don’t want to have to decide what to do on a date.  I like a man who asks me out and has a plan, or at least throws out a few options for me to pick from and then he makes the arrangements.

I have made a list and it is divided into negotiable and non-negotiables.  There are some things that I would love to have in a partner but if  I meet someone amazing and he doesn’t have or do those things it’s okay, they would be preferred but they are not deal breakers.  Then there are a few thing that are on my no how-no way list.  It is helpful to me because I have been known in the past to jump into something with a super hot guy who has a whole laundry list of characteristics that I didn’t even know that I didn’t want and then I was stuck in love with them and let’s just put it this way, I wish I would have been a little bit clearer about what I was looking for.

We all know about laws of attraction, and we are getting really clear about what happens when you put your attention on something.  So maybe it’s time to take a little time and give some thought about what the perfect relationship would look like.  Besides helping you get clear and upping your chances of getting exactly what you want, it’s a fun exercise as well.  xo-K

My two cents:  Put a little thought into what it is you would prefer, because the universe wants you to have exactly what you want.

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May 5, 2010

dating blind

I had breakfast with a friend this morning and told her I had a date tonight. “Text me when you’re done,” she said. That’s how we roll these days. Intro online, meet briefly, text results. My girl and I sat there for a while, talking about the perils and pleasures of dating in the digital age. L married her man when she was in her forties, and a decade later, they are still very much in love. They are sweet to be around, and he adores her.  “Remember, everyone has baggage,” L said as we parted ways.

Call me reckless or foolish (pick one), but a small corner of my romance-believing heart thinks that maybe happiness can be found online, that expanding the numbers of people you encounter exponentially can work for you, like playing the slots at a casino. That by stirring up the cosmic pot of attraction, fate and destiny will conspire to deliver romance right to my door. Hey! It’s a theory!  So then, here are the results of dating blind thus far:

Bachelor Number One was a really nice guy with boy-next-door good looks,  who is still reallllly angry about the tragic death of his wife ten years ago in a completely random accident and who is tenderly caring for an aging labrador that as a couple they adopted when the old girl was still a pup. That dog is his most loyal and steadfast companion and it gives me shivers to see that heartbreak peering over the horizon.

Bachelor Number Two, was the retired physician who was really smart, I mean really, like Mensa, smart. And interesting. World traveler. Dancer. Smooth, except he thought it was entirely appropriate to try to feel me up as we sat side by side in a romantic little resto on our third date. Come on!

Then, there was Groovy Guy, dude who was hella fun on our first/last/only meet up and who felt safer texting than actually meeting face to face, so risky. Groovy guy, as it turns out was  smart, funny, sexy as all get out. . . and who’s wounded heart stopped him from being fully present. Pity, because among other things, he gets two girls. Tsk.

A couple of weeks ago, I had coffee with a guy who suggested we meet for the first time  right after his weekly yoga class. Seriously, dude?   Man sweat is so not a first date turn-on.   Anyway, when we finally met, I introduced Yoga Man to a fabulous little coffee shop I know, where we talked and swapped stories for an hour or so. I had to get back to work; he said he’d call. Have yet to hear from him. Could be he pulled a hamstring.

And now we are up tonight’s audition for most beloved new friend and potential love interest:  recently retired.  He thinks I’m a spicy little tomato. He wants someone to travel with.  As it turns out, I have a penchant for adventure.  Love, C

My two cents: suit up, show up, enjoy the ride!

♥♥♥

This is the reason why, when dating, especially online dating that you get really clear about what you want.  Whether you are looking for love online or just going out and putting yourself in the position to meet a potential partner, know what it is that you are looking for.   When you are interacting with a number of men, as you do when you are meeting online, you need to have a little bit more to go on when choosing, besides the superficial things like how he looks and what he does for a living.  You could possibly be spending a lot of time with this person, possibly the rest of your life, soooo. . .what exactly is it that you are looking for?

It’s so odd that when dating, and perhaps picking a potential life partner, we just kinda go out and wing it. We just bump around and kinda just go out with whoever shows up.  Well not everyone who shows up, but kinda whoever asks you out that seems nice and is physically attractive to you.  You don’t do that when picking a job, or buying a house. Most people are really clear about what they want in a house and they don’t really think about settling.  I think a lot of people put more thought into picking out an outfit to go on the date than actually what they want in the person they are dating.

Sometimes it is easier to start with what you don’t want and go from there.  C was put off with a guy who was going to meet her all sweaty after a yoga class.  Not what she wants, so what does she want?  Maybe someone who puts some thought and consideration and preparation into an initial meeting.  Don’t want to always have to do all the planning for a date?  I know after working all week, making decisions all day and being a mom, I don’t want to have to decide what to do on a date.  I like a man who asks me out and has a plan, or at least throws out a few options for me to pick from and then he makes the arrangements.

I have made a list and it is divided into negotiable and non-negotiables.  There are some things that I would love to have in a partner but if  I meet someone amazing and he doesn’t have or do those things it’s okay, they would be preferred but they are not deal breakers.  Then there are a few thing that are on my no how-no way list.  It is helpful to me because I have been known in the past to jump into something with a super hot guy who has a whole laundry list of characteristics that I didn’t even know that I didn’t want and then I was stuck in love with them and let’s just put it this way, I wish I would have been a little bit clearer about what I was looking for.

We all know about laws of attraction, and we are getting really clear about what happens when you put your attention on something.  So maybe it’s time to take a little time and give some thought about what the perfect relationship would look like.  Besides helping you get clear and upping your chances of getting exactly what you want, it’s a fun exercise as well.  xo-K

My two cents:  Put a little thought into what it is you would prefer, because the universe wants you to have exactly what you want.

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May 4, 2010

Get ready so you can be ready

Do you know how special you are? All the amazing things about you?  When is the last time you thought about it? Have you ever thought about it?  The truth is we all have beauty, talent, and that something special that makes you, you. We can all be so hard on ourselves, notice that extra pound or five, or when you hair is not just so, but when was the last time you gave yourself props for how great you looked or how smart you are?   A year ago?  Never?

A lot women don’t value  and appreciate themselves and then wonder why the men they end up dating don’t appreciate them.  The thing is you have to do it first.  If you put yourself on a pedestal, the man in your life will have to, or he won’t be in your life.  You want to be treated with love and respect, don’t put up with less.

You have to get there first, shift the energy. If in the past, you have put up with less than loving respectful treatment, maybe you need to take a break.  Spend some time with yourself, figure out what you want and how you want to be treated and what are your deal breakers are.  Know that you are amazing and worthy and don’t settle for less.  No more excuses. Ever.  If you don’t value yourself, others won’t either.  Not everyone is a match and not everyone needs to like you, but you need to like you.  You are the one that matters the most.

You need to get ready so you can be ready. If you want this great amazing guy and he shows up you need to know that you are worth having someone like that.  If you feel insecure or not worthy, it’s not fun and you might do something to sabotage the relationship or just get jealous or something. Another thing that happens when you haven’t done your work is you just don’t meet anyone that you would even consider dating. Then you are disillusioned and think there are no good men out there.

A good friend of mine, G, after trying the Match thing without much luck took a little break to re-evaluate.  She really got serious about what she wanted, even made a list.  She got really clear, she was a catch and deserved a good man.  On some level she just knew that something shifted after that.  She just had a feeling that she was really close to getting what she was looking for and had this sense of peace about it.  She met her husband soon after and he was everything she was looking for and more.  He absolutely adores her and  feels he hit the jackpot finding her.  They have mutual love and respect for each other and are having the time of their lives.  I am so happy for both of them.

I have heard so many stories like this lately,  so I know it really happens. I have asked a few of my friends and clients to share their stories with me and I will be sharing them here.  It is so inspiring and really makes me feel hopeful.  I know we can all get the feeling sometimes,that it will never happen.  Like you have to settle, because nobody’s perfect right?  Don’t do that to yourself, there is someone out there who will be just what you are looking for and guess what?  They are looking for you too, and it’s going to be so worth the wait.  xo-K

My two cents:  see your beauty, know your worth and just know you are going to get exactly what you want.

♥♥♥

One of my favorite ways to get ready or “pre-pave” in Abraham-Hick lingo, is to imagine.  Not creative, you say? I beg to differ, my darling. We are always imagining stuff. More often than not, we imagine the worst rather than the best. How do I know? You can tell how you’re thinking by the words you use. Phrases like “just my luck” or “yeah, right!” are symptoms of a negative imagination.

What if instead, we started imagining a better future instead of the same dreary, uninspired one we’ve been hauling around behind us all our lives like some kind of moth-eaten hunting trophy? Instead of feeling all boohoo, nothing good ever happens to me and then secretly hoping that something good does manage to fight its way through our defenses, we imagine something that we want, like oh, happiness?  Remember, you don’t have to figure out how to get happy all we have to do is figure out how to be happy and all the rest will follow.

One of my favorite ways to get over my own  habitual thinking, is to imagine a scenario in my mind, start pretending it’s so, and then allow the good feelings to flow. Lately, I’ve been feeling what it’s like to have my perfect partner in my life. When I’m getting ready for work, I’ll imagine that he’s in the next room, reading the paper or writing emails, planning his day.  Or, I’ll be driving, and imagine that the evening ahead is already planned: a quiet dinner, just the two of us. Or I’ll be running my Saturday errands, and imagine that he’s out running man errands, and we’ll meet up in the afternoon for a bike ride out along the river, or a movie in town. These are not full blown fantasies, they are simply small, quiet thoughts that make me feel happy.

Albert Einstein said, “imagination is more important than knowledge.”  Dude knew something. I’m going with that.  Practice feeling the feeling! It costs nothing and offers big rewards. Huge. Love, C

My two cents: practice feeling how you want to feel and the universe will bend over backwards to second that emotion.


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May 2, 2010

get ready so you can be ready

Do you know how special you are? All the amazing things about you?  When is the last time you thought about it? Have you ever thought about it?  The truth is we all have beauty, talent, and that something special that makes you, you. We can all be so hard on ourselves, notice that extra pound or five, or when you hair is not just so, but when was the last time you gave yourself props for how great you looked or how smart you are?   A year ago?  Never?

A lot of women don’t value  and appreciate themselves and then wonder why the men they end up dating don’t appreciate them.  The thing is you have to do it first.  If you put yourself on a pedestal, the man in your life will have to, or he won’t be in your life.  You want to be treated with love and respect, don’t put up with less.

You have to get there first, shift the energy. If in the past, you have put up with less than loving respectful treatment, maybe you need to take a break.  Spend some time with yourself, figure out what you want and how you want to be treated and what are your deal breakers are.  Know that you are amazing and worthy and don’t settle for less.  No more excuses. Ever.  If you don’t value yourself, others won’t either.  Not everyone is a match and not everyone needs to like you, but you need to like you.  You are the one that matters the most.

You need to get ready so you can be ready. If you want this great amazing guy and he shows up, you need to know that you are worth having someone like that.  If you feel insecure or not worthy, it’s not fun and you might do something to sabotage the relationship or just get jealous or push him away. Another thing that happens when you haven’t done your work is you just don’t meet anyone that you would even consider dating. Then you feel hopeless and disillusioned and think there are no good men out there.

A good friend of mine, G, after trying the Match thing without much luck took a little break to re-evaluate.  She really got serious about what she wanted, even made a list.  She got really clear, she was a catch and deserved a good man.  On some level she just knew that something shifted after that.  She just had a feeling that she was really close to getting what she was looking for and had this sense of peace about it.  She met her husband soon after and he was everything she was looking for and more.  He absolutely adores her and  feels he hit the jackpot finding her.  They have mutual love and respect for each other and are having the time of their lives.  I am so happy for both of them.

I have heard so many stories like this lately,  so I know it really happens. I have asked a few of my friends and clients to share their stories with me and I will be sharing them here.  It is so inspiring and really makes me feel hopeful.  I know we can all get the feeling sometimes,that it will never happen.  Like you have to settle, because nobody’s perfect right?  Don’t do that to yourself, there is someone out there who will be just what you are looking for and guess what?  They are looking for you too, and it’s going to be so worth the wait.  xo-K

My two cents:  see your beauty, know your worth and just know you are going to get exactly what you want.

♥♥♥

One of my favorite ways to get ready, or “pre-pave” in Abraham-Hick lingo, is to imagine.  Not creative, you say? I beg to differ, my darling. We are always imagining stuff. More often than not, we imagine the worst rather than the best. How do I know? You can tell how you’re thinking by the words you use. Phrases like “just my luck” or “yeah, right!” are symptoms of a negative imagination.

What if instead, we started imagining a better future instead of the same dreary, uninspired one we’ve been hauling around behind us all our lives like some kind of moth-eaten hunting trophy? Instead of feeling all boohoo, nothing good ever happens to me and then secretly hoping that something good does manage to fight its way through our defenses, we imagine something that we want, like oh, happiness?  Remember, you don’t have to figure out how to get happy all we have to do is figure out how to be happy and all the rest will follow.

One of my favorite ways to get over my own  habitual thinking, is to imagine a scenario in my mind, start pretending it’s so, and then allow the good feelings to flow. Lately, I’ve been feeling what it’s like to have my perfect partner in my life. When I’m getting ready for work, I’ll imagine that he’s in the next room, reading the paper or writing emails, planning his day.  Or, I’ll be driving, and imagine that the evening ahead is already planned: a quiet dinner, just the two of us. Or I’ll be running my Saturday errands, and imagine that he’s out running man errands, and we’ll meet up in the afternoon for a bike ride out along the river, or a movie in town. These are not full blown fantasies, they are simply small, quiet thoughts that make me feel happy.

Albert Einstein said, “imagination is more important than knowledge.”  Dude knew something. I’m going with that.  Practice feeling the feeling! It costs nothing and offers big rewards. Huge. Love, C

My two cents: practice feeling how you want to feel and the universe will bend over backwards to second that emotion.


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April 28, 2010

sacred space

When I think of sacred spaces, I think of churches, temples, beautiful places in nature. But the truth of the matter is, that the most sacred space you can occupy is the present moment. The god you seek isn’t in your worries about tomorrow, in your regrets of yesterday. Your god is in the Now, your inspired thought is in the Now. Actually, the only time there is, is Now. The sacred space we keep in our town or our national park or in our home is a reminder to bring us back. . .body, spirit and mind. . .to Now.

I was raised Catholic, which probably explains a lot about me. . .and even though I do not participate in that tradition any longer for a variety of reasons, there are some aspects of it that I find beautiful and comforting. Many of the rituals adopted by the church are steeped in even more ancient and sacred mysteries: candles, incense, and chanting, to name a few.

Many rituals have changed over time, but in their core, at their essence, they are still, to me, pure and beautiful. Also, there is no disputing the beautiful art that the church has inspired over time. I mean, seriously. Have you been to Notre Dame in Paris? Or even the local cathedral in your hometown? Churches used to be these grand, epic affairs, with spires and towers that literally raised your eyes to heaven. Entire generations of families devoted their lives to creating these sacred spaces, and it’s difficult not to feel a small measure of awe when you enter them and at the same time, feel your heart expand.

Every religious tradition has maintained the importance of a sacred space. Siddartha sat beneath a bodhi tree until he attained enlightenment and became the Buddha. Jesus went into the desert to meditate. Where is your sacred space?

I try to meditate each morning before I start my day. Much to my chagrin, those times when I feel especially rushed or pressured or stressed, are the times when I’m most likely to feel that I “don’t have time” and skip my morning meditation ritual. You know where I’m going with this, right? When my life stops running smoothly and things start to glunk up, I only have to reflect for a moment and realized that I’ve neglected one of my most important self-care regimens: I’ve neglected to spend time in my sacred space.

Meditation is like working out. The more you do it, the better the benefits. It calms you, it restores a sense of peace, balance, a connection to the divine Now. In case it matters. Meditation stops the chattering mind that will distract you from a million and one things until you forget who you really are.

I have an altar in my living room, that contains statues and chimes and candles to help create my holy ground. A sacred space doesn’t have to be an entire room, it can be a shelf, or a table, just some place where you can place crystals, pictures, statues of those things you find beautiful and comforting.

Once you have created a sacred space, it’s an easy step to meditating. There are tons of resources for learning to meditate, all you need is a willingness to surrender, and trade all the self-chatter for inner-peace. Namaste! Love, C

My two cents: surrendering to meditation feels like shedding a coat on a sunny day; it makes you feel lighter.

♥♥♥

I am so with C on this one.  There is nothing like starting your day connecting with Spirit.  I start every day with meditation, and I go through a long list of things I appreciate before I go to sleep at night and as soon as I wake up in the morning.  The more you see to appreciate the more you will have to appreciate and I can attest to that!  It is amazing how things keep getting better and better when you actually see and acknowledge them.

I have quite a few sacred spaces in my home,  I love my little reminders that spirit is always with me.  Makes me feel happy and I don’t feel that I am at this whole thing all by myself.   I think we all need to be reminded of this from time to time.

There are so many ways you can feel your connection to your Source, or the Divine.  If you don’t like to meditate, and some people are not into sitting and just breathing, go outside, take a hike or a run, and commune with Mother Nature.  Same thing.  Whatever gets you out of your head and connected to something bigger than yourself is all that matters.   But I would always show gratitude or appreciation for all the things that you have everyday.  That really is an easy one and boy, does it really change things in a big way.

My friend T and I try to meet every Tuesday for coffee,  we are on a similar path and we spend an hour or so talking about what has gone on with us and our families and our stuff during the past week.  We end up really doing some great work and it’s amazing how similar the lessons we have are.  We always seem to get to some really big work when we meet.  I consider wherever it is that we meet a sacred space.  Spirit is present and we are both really open to working things out and open to divine guidance.  

T’s son has this thing with FedEx trucks, sees them everywhere, all the time.  I am the same way with bright yellow cars.  It is so funny that it seems wherever we are having our Tuesday coffee,  and we have a big aha moment, it never fails we either see a FedEx truck or a bright yellow car.  I think it is a sign that we are on the right track. xo-K 

My two cents:  Keep things around you that remind you of Spirit and anywhere can be a sacred space.

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