Category: Roadsigns

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Moments

A day consists of 1400 minutes, and each minute is filled with many moments. Each moment contains the essence of a miracle. Most miracles go unnoticed.

As I joined Jim and my neighbors for our morning walk, I tuned in to the miracle of the frost lined surfaces of every element of nature, the crowning glory of the many dead flower heads, turning their browned edges to diamond studded tiaras. As the sun rose above the trees, the morning glittered. A train whistle blew in the distance, one of my roadSIGNS, reminding me of the trainloads of abundance that exist in my life. The chocolate colored llama, who usually greets us with a nasty hiss, stood placidly in his corral, his back glistening from the frost. I wondered, had he been outside all night taking in the star showers predicted in the news. Arriving home, I walked our garden labyrinth. Still in the shade, nothing had melted and I took delight in studying the geometric patterns created by the coolness of the night before. In all, it was a buffet of gourmet delights, stimulating my senses and waking me up to the miracles of the day. 

I find it is so easy to be complacent, to wake up haunted by the night’s dreams or the early morning worries that filter through my head. I remind myself that my thoughts and feelings are what I will attract, yet I seem unable, at times, to ‘flip’ them to a much more perfect place, that place of abundance and joy. I ask my higher power for help, and then, as if answering my prayer, there is the glory of this morning. When I return to the house, my own miracle has happened, my spirits have lifted and I feel renewed and awake and fully alive.

Moments – I am learning that I need only to be in them fully. Allowing myself to ‘BE’ with the miracles that surround me, lifts me, and once again I can fly. Inhabit you moments and witness your miracles.

Until next time…

Betty

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My Board of Directors

I was reading the new book by Jan Stringer and Alan Hickman this morning called, BEE-ing Attraction ~ What Love Has to do With Business and Marketing. In the second chapter they spoke of the importance of having a Board of Directors, even as a solo-entrepreneur. This led me to consider the possibility of having a Board of Directors for my life.

In ME FIRST- If I Should Wake Before I Die, I write about the importance of surrounding yourself with an Intimate Circle. This is comprised of friends, possibly family, who love you unconditionally and who likewise challenge you when they see you embarking on a misguided venture.

Last evening all this ‘theory’ came into practice. We call ourselves Kirsty’s Circle now. We were once one of the ME FIRST coaching groups that emerged from one of my programs. The new name is in honor of Kirsty Ann MacLeod who led us on a journey of living and dying this past summer and early fall. This is our way of honoring and remembering her. 

The six remaining members of the group get together monthly. A large part of what we do is to share and to support one another. It is also the one place where we can be completely vulnerable, to take off the mask we wear with others and simply be ourselves.

They are my Board of Directors. As Jan and Alan suggested in their book, the group provides “space for accountability, a place to brainstorm, and a nonjudgmental community to share your needs“. 

It was the medicine I needed  and as I looked around the table, I saw that through the evening transformation was occurring. There is a deep shared sadness among us since Kirsty’s passing yet this is shifting, as it must, and as each of us finds a way to move forward. We grieve together, we laugh together.

It is not easy to be vulnerable, or at least it isn’t for me. I was taught that personal matters are personal and need not be shared. This is a limiting belief I am releasing for I know that the ability to share lifts a great weight from my shoulders and allows me to breathe again.

I am not an advocate of sharing with everyone. In the perfect circumstances with your intimate circle however, speaking your truth, taking the mask off and being vulnerable, allows you to be truly authentic.

It is my belief that we all need this format for being real with others. You  get to see yourself differently, to challenge some of the beliefs that have been driving you (flawed or not) and perhaps re-frame something that is holding you back.

There were many humorous moments last evening which I am not privy to share for we have a code of conduct which I refer to as our Well of Confidentiality. In this we commit not to share with others what belongs only to us, and that is the secret which allows us to show up every month and take off the masks we wear.

Until next time…

Betty

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My Board of Directors

I was reading the new book by Jan Stringer and Alan Hickman this morning called, BEE-ing Attraction ~ What Love Has to do With Business and Marketing. In the second chapter they spoke of the importance of having a Board of Directors, even as a solo-entrepreneur. This led me to consider the possibility of having a Board of Directors for my life.

In ME FIRST- If I Should Wake Before I Die, I write about the importance of surrounding yourself with an Intimate Circle. This is comprised of friends, possibly family, who love you unconditionally and who likewise challenge you when they see you embarking on a misguided venture.

Last evening all this ‘theory’ came into practice. We call ourselves Kirsty’s Circle now. We were once one of the ME FIRST coaching groups that emerged from one of my programs. The new name is in honor of Kirsty Ann MacLeod who led us on a journey of living and dying this past summer and early fall. This is our way of honoring and remembering her. 

The six remaining members of the group get together monthly. A large part of what we do is to share and to support one another. It is also the one place where we can be completely vulnerable, to take off the mask we wear with others and simply be ourselves.

They are my Board of Directors. As Jan and Alan suggested in their book, the group provides “space for accountability, a place to brainstorm, and a nonjudgmental community to share your needs“. 

It was the medicine I needed  and as I looked around the table, I saw that through the evening transformation was occurring. There is a deep shared sadness among us since Kirsty’s passing yet this is shifting, as it must, and as each of us finds a way to move forward. We grieve together, we laugh together.

It is not easy to be vulnerable, or at least it isn’t for me. I was taught that personal matters are personal and need not be shared. This is a limiting belief I am releasing for I know that the ability to share lifts a great weight from my shoulders and allows me to breathe again.

I am not an advocate of sharing with everyone. In the perfect circumstances with your intimate circle however, speaking your truth, taking the mask off and being vulnerable, allows you to be truly authentic.

It is my belief that we all need this format for being real with others. You  get to see yourself differently, to challenge some of the beliefs that have been driving you (flawed or not) and perhaps re-frame something that is holding you back.

There were many humorous moments last evening which I am not privy to share for we have a code of conduct which I refer to as our Well of Confidentiality. In this we commit not to share with others what belongs only to us, and that is the secret which allows us to show up every month and take off the masks we wear.

Until next time…

Betty

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Fear of Falling

I have a fear of falling. Am I only now just realizing this? I have known for a long time, yet whenever the reality pokes up its head, I manage to push it away. I have taken the time to examine my fears – again and again and again – inside and out, top and bottom, Freudian and Jungian. I have always been able to name a fear, usually settling for the success/failure one. It seems to be the  motherlode. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t dwell here, I am only an occasional visitor.

This morning however, I decided to use the quiet of a Stowe morning to gift myself with some additional wisdom and did an ‘Osho Zen Card Spread’ for myself. Lots of things came up for examination including the Trust card with a picture of a figure in free fall. There it was, wham, lurking under the layers of all the historical stuff, the big fear, FALLING. I wondered why I hadn’t seen it before. A year ago as I hung to the top of a telephone pole I had climbed trying to complete the ascent for one of my Beyond Courage activities, I had an entire conversation with my mother (she had long been deceased), about falling. I won the battle after lengthy clinging. It led me to wonder how many times I have failed because I was afraid of falling.

Falling takes on many forms – both real and metaphorical. As an adult, as well as I child, I have fallen easily – up stairs, down stairs, on ice in winter, pulling out stubborn  weeds in summer. I have learned to laugh too, a lot, for I am ridiculous! No doubt my fear of falling has contributed to the frequency over the years. NO MORE! I want to attract something else.

And then there is life, the metaphorical falls – where does this manifest I am wondering? I have to work at patience and trust all the time, trusting my intentions and that my life is unfolding perfectly. But I resist and I recognize this in itself is a from of this old fear. What if I lost control? OMG – will I fall on my face? And even if I did, would it matter? SIGH!

Okay let’s reframe this – the antedote to falling is flying. WeHoo! Evidently I have known this for a while. The logo for our company is a flying heart. DAH! I have a finely tuned Bucket List which includes skydiving as one of the most important next things to do – scheduled for my 60th birthday.

Yes, and, why am I waiting? What if skydiving is the thing I need to do everyday, to allow myself to simply fly into life, trusting my Personal Guidance System and my intuition, allowing my dreams to manifest. Free of Fear, full of Life – what would that be like? I am tired of the old fears and so here is my declaration to you, publicly on my BLOG, today I begin trusting my life and my higher power fully, today I accept the offers that show up along the path knowing they are guided by my intentions and my clarity of purpose. I embrace my love of flying and of free fall. Feel free to remind me should I lose my focus!

Who wants to fly with me?

Until next time…

Betty

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Fear of Falling

I have a fear of falling. Am I only now just realizing this? I have known for a long time, yet whenever the reality pokes up its head, I manage to push it away. I have taken the time to examine my fears – again and again and again – inside and out, top and bottom, Freudian and Jungian. I have always been able to name a fear, usually settling for the success/failure one. It seems to be the  motherlode. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t dwell here, I am only an occasional visitor.

This morning however, I decided to use the quiet of a Stowe morning to gift myself with some additional wisdom and did an ‘Osho Zen Card Spread’ for myself. Lots of things came up for examination including the Trust card with a picture of a figure in free fall. There it was, wham, lurking under the layers of all the historical stuff, the big fear, FALLING. I wondered why I hadn’t seen it before. A year ago as I hung to the top of a telephone pole I had climbed trying to complete the ascent for one of my Beyond Courage activities, I had an entire conversation with my mother (she had long been deceased), about falling. I won the battle after lengthy clinging. It led me to wonder how many times I have failed because I was afraid of falling.

Falling takes on many forms – both real and metaphorical. As an adult, as well as I child, I have fallen easily – up stairs, down stairs, on ice in winter, pulling out stubborn  weeds in summer. I have learned to laugh too, a lot, for I am ridiculous! No doubt my fear of falling has contributed to the frequency over the years. NO MORE! I want to attract something else.

And then there is life, the metaphorical falls – where does this manifest I am wondering? I have to work at patience and trust all the time, trusting my intentions and that my life is unfolding perfectly. But I resist and I recognize this in itself is a from of this old fear. What if I lost control? OMG – will I fall on my face? And even if I did, would it matter? SIGH!

Okay let’s reframe this – the antedote to falling is flying. WeHoo! Evidently I have known this for a while. The logo for our company is a flying heart. DAH! I have a finely tuned Bucket List which includes skydiving as one of the most important next things to do – scheduled for my 60th birthday.

Yes, and, why am I waiting? What if skydiving is the thing I need to do everyday, to allow myself to simply fly into life, trusting my Personal Guidance System and my intuition, allowing my dreams to manifest. Free of Fear, full of Life – what would that be like? I am tired of the old fears and so here is my declaration to you, publicly on my BLOG, today I begin trusting my life and my higher power fully, today I accept the offers that show up along the path knowing they are guided by my intentions and my clarity of purpose. I embrace my love of flying and of free fall. Feel free to remind me should I lose my focus!

Who wants to fly with me?

Until next time…

Betty

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Take Back the Night!

Late this afternoon I joined a group of women and one fella, our local MP, the evening for the Take Back the Night Walk. I decided not to participate in the walk itself as I felt pressed to get home and start packing for our trip to NYC and Vermont tomorrow. I had been asked to kick off the walk with a brief talk, more of a ‘rallying cry’, so to speak.

I woke up this early morning wondering how I would approach this, wondering what would be meaningful to this crowd of which I had so little knowledge. These invitations are usually a challenge. I take the request to participate and to speak seriously as I want to impart the perfect message for those attending. With some reflection, and I believe a little guidance from my higher power, the answer came to me.

This event is for the survivors of sexual abuse. Statistics suggest the 2 out of every 3 women are sexually abused during their life time. Isn’t that staggering? “Take Back the Night’ is at least a positive intention to over come sexual abuse and I wanted to build on this theme.

For those who have experienced abuse there are two choices, to allow the abuse to rule you or for you to take charge and live your life large anyway. At least that’s how I see it. The rallying cry – I am powerful beyond measure! I love myself unconditionally! I am worthy of being loved, respected and honored by others. I step into my own POWER! I take back the night! This is what I led the crowd in after speaking briefly about fueling our personal power with positive, affirming self-talk.

I watched the walkers leave the school where we had gathered, a police escort with their cars flashing their lights, flanking the participants. They turned off Augustus onto Second Street, a sea of feet moving slowly toward the center of town. Several women from Cornwall Island, who had arrived late, drummed softly, as rattles and other noise makers interrupted the drum’s rhythm. A large black and white banner led the parade, with Take Back the Night emblazoned across it’s width; a French banner pulled up the rear. I paused before I turned the corner to head home, waving to the passing crowd. They didn’t see me – I was now invisible.

Until next time…

Betty

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Take Back the Night!

Late this afternoon I joined a group of women and one fella, our local MP, the evening for the Take Back the Night Walk. I decided not to participate in the walk itself as I felt pressed to get home and start packing for our trip to NYC and Vermont tomorrow. I had been asked to kick off the walk with a brief talk, more of a ‘rallying cry’, so to speak.

I woke up this early morning wondering how I would approach this, wondering what would be meaningful to this crowd of which I had so little knowledge. These invitations are usually a challenge. I take the request to participate and to speak seriously as I want to impart the perfect message for those attending. With some reflection, and I believe a little guidance from my higher power, the answer came to me.

This event is for the survivors of sexual abuse. Statistics suggest the 2 out of every 3 women are sexually abused during their life time. Isn’t that staggering? “Take Back the Night’ is at least a positive intention to over come sexual abuse and I wanted to build on this theme.

For those who have experienced abuse there are two choices, to allow the abuse to rule you or for you to take charge and live your life large anyway. At least that’s how I see it. The rallying cry – I am powerful beyond measure! I love myself unconditionally! I am worthy of being loved, respected and honored by others. I step into my own POWER! I take back the night! This is what I led the crowd in after speaking briefly about fueling our personal power with positive, affirming self-talk.

I watched the walkers leave the school where we had gathered, a police escort with their cars flashing their lights, flanking the participants. They turned off Augustus onto Second Street, a sea of feet moving slowly toward the center of town. Several women from Cornwall Island, who had arrived late, drummed softly, as rattles and other noise makers interrupted the drum’s rhythm. A large black and white banner led the parade, with Take Back the Night emblazoned across it’s width; a French banner pulled up the rear. I paused before I turned the corner to head home, waving to the passing crowd. They didn’t see me – I was now invisible.

Until next time…

Betty

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Mindfulness

It is Monday, overcast, the evidence of autumn ever present as the days grow shorter and the leaves release their hold on the branches and drift to the ground. Despite the dreariness of the day, I have choices to be made and projects to complete.

One of the perks about working for myself and having a home office is that I do not have to commute. No roads to navigate and no rush hour traffic to compete with. I simply have to make my way down the stairs without tripping over one of the four frantic felines. Instead of sitting in a car for an hour or more I have the luxury of going on a morning walk. Today I chose my treadmill and a short work-out over my usual 6km, as I knew neither I nor my walking mates would enjoy the rain that was pelting down. 

I use this ‘treadmill’ time to be mindful. In front of me I have a vision board I created for our perfect Retreat Center, something which already exists in so many ways yet which Jim and I dream of expanding. I don’t want to be fixed on a specific manifestation of this dream as it is an intention not a goal. I simply stay focused and keep myself present with the intention.

Jon Kabat-Zinn says that “Mindfulness is the practice of being completely engaged in the present moment. The idea is to clear your mind of every thought, every judgment, every reflection and every decision so that you are simply experiencing the present. This enables us to see the moment for what it is, without any pre-conceived notions or thoughts.”

Now this is a challenge, being present in the moment when life seems to constantly pull at me. I took a few moments today to begin watching a presentation Kabat-Zinn did with Google. Something he said about meditation really struck me. He said that meditation was a way to find our mind, that meditation is an act of love and an act of sanity.

I am realizing that I want to find that quiet place within me, that mindful place. Why? I believe I have much work yet to accomplish. In some ways it feels like my work has only just begun. For me to manifest what I believe to be my work, I need to remain grounded and clear. As Kabat-Zinn suggests, it is important to embrace a willingness to know what you don’t know, to create an opening for something much bigger than our minds can conceive. This is what Kabat-Zinn, calls awareness.

There is plenty I don’t know. What I do know is that it is very difficult to see the SIGNS, those synchronous events that cross my path everyday, if I am not able to find the quiet place inside. In the world of doing, there is no space for reflection and understanding.

I have decided that I want to expand my mindfulness practice to something more than a morning jaunt on my treadmill. I see this as a sure fire antidote to busyness. I am not sure what this looks like yet – I will keep you posted.

 Your thoughts?

Until next time,

Betty

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Mindfulness

It is Monday, overcast, the evidence of autumn ever present as the days grow shorter and the leaves release their hold on the branches and drift to the ground. Despite the dreariness of the day, I have choices to be made and projects to complete.

One of the perks about working for myself and having a home office is that I do not have to commute. No roads to navigate and no rush hour traffic to compete with. I simply have to make my way down the stairs without tripping over one of the four frantic felines. Instead of sitting in a car for an hour or more I have the luxury of going on a morning walk. Today I chose my treadmill and a short work-out over my usual 6km, as I knew neither I nor my walking mates would enjoy the rain that was pelting down.

I use this ‘treadmill’ time to be mindful. In front of me I have a vision board I created for our perfect Retreat Center, something which already exists in so many ways yet which Jim and I dream of expanding. I don’t want to be fixed on a specific manifestation of this dream as it is an intention not a goal. I simply stay focused and keep myself present with the intention.

Jon Kabat-Zinn says that “Mindfulness is the practice of being completely engaged in the present moment. The idea is to clear your mind of every thought, every judgment, every reflection and every decision so that you are simply experiencing the present. This enables us to see the moment for what it is, without any pre-conceived notions or thoughts.”

Now this is a challenge, being present in the moment when life seems to constantly pull at me. I took a few moments today to begin watching a presentation Kabat-Zinn did with Google. Something he said about meditation really struck me. He said that meditation was a way to find our mind, that meditation is an act of love and an act of sanity.

I am realizing that I want to find that quiet place within me, that mindful place. Why? I believe I have much work yet to accomplish. In some ways it feels like my work has only just begun. For me to manifest what I believe to be my work, I need to remain grounded and clear. As Kabat-Zinn suggests, it is important to embrace a willingness to know what you don’t know, to create an opening for something much bigger than our minds can conceive. This is what Kabat-Zinn, calls awareness.

There is plenty I don’t know. What I do know is that it is very difficult to see the SIGNS, those synchronous events that cross my path everyday, if I am not able to find the quiet place inside. In the world of doing, there is no space for reflection and understanding.

I have decided that I want to expand my mindfulness practice to something more than a morning jaunt on my treadmill. I see this as a sure fire antidote to busyness. I am not sure what this looks like yet – I will keep you posted.

Your thoughts?

Until next time,

Betty

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Busyness

Have you noticed that when you greet friends and colleagues these days and ask them how they are, the standard response is, “I am so busy.” I even find myself responding in this way even though the word busy is not part of my normal lexicon. After uttering the word busy, I usually self-correct and say, “well I mean GOOD busy; I am enjoying life and what I do.”  Just the other day I caught myself doing it again, and I saw this as a SIGN. Am I really that busy? What is busy and what does it mean? Is being busy just a habit? Do I stay busy to avoid other things that I see as less important or less interesting? Or do I stay busy because I am a ‘doing addict’ and I simply don’t know how to ‘be’?

I suspect that there is some self-discovery lurking in the fabric of these questions. The one that strikes the strongest chord however is the ‘doing addict’ issue. I believe many of us simply get caught up on the treadmill of life and that doing becomes a habit, unconscious, and robotic. I am left wondering, what if we became more conscious, and what if we woke up? Would we still continue all this doing just to fill the space in our life or would we choose another option?

I have decided to take pause and consider these questions. Care to join me? As I began my inquiry, I chatted with a few friends. As we discussed the notion of busyness and how our lives were unfolding these days, I proposed that perhaps we did not want to be busy any longer, that what we really wanted was to be joyfully engaged.  A few nodding heads confirmed that I was on the right track.

Joyfully engaged – what would that look like as opposed to simply busy? It means that we actually become clear on where we want to invest our energy. Now there’s a thought – that would require a little reflection, something that seems to be scarce these days. Reflection requires stopping, stepping out of doing and into being for a few minutes to actually have the space to discern what I want to engage in. That in itself breaks the busyness cycle and gets me off that darn treadmill.

So, what would be perfect for me? What is it I really want – at work, in relationships with others, at play? And if I took the time to actually respond to this “I want…” what would be different in life? Oh Oh! I might have to start saying ‘NO’ to some things, the most difficult two letter word in the English vocabulary, especially when my lips so easily form the ‘YES’ word. I loved what Jack Canfield said in his book Success Principles: “I am not saying NO to you, I am saying YES to me.”

I keep repeating this to myself and teaching it to others as this phrase is a permission slip to put you and your desires first on your priority list. Yes, there it is, the priority list. Where are you on yours? I have to ask, as so often when I ask this question in my seminars, the participants simply laugh as they know that they, as an item, have probably not even made the priority list of their life, and if they have, they are at the bottom. Busyness is the excuse that emerges when I ask, “And when will you become an item on your list?” Busyness, the great excuse! 

Here’s the challenge – begin to examine your busyness. Ask yourself the same questions I found myself asking. Clarify what is meaningful to you in that busy bee behavior and wonder about whether you are joyfully engaged. Consider how being joyfully engaged would shift your energy and what, in your busyness, would fall off your plate. It is about assessing what is really important to you and what is just filling space in your life. It is time – life is too short as most of us will acknowledge so why not spend those precious minutes and hours being joyfully engaged?

Until next time,

Betty