Flo

“Just write”.  Sounds like instructions I’ve received from Natalie Goldberg at workshops I’ve attended in Taos, New Mexico.

There are times I sit down to write and my mind goes in 90 directions.  It’s actually like what my mind does when I sit down to meditate.

First, I take a deep breath.  I notice my breathing.  I notice the sound and feeling of the air from the ceiling fan.  I notice my breathing.  I notice the sound of the attic fan.  I notice my breathing.  Then, I notice thoughts.  I think about emails to write, emails written, thoughts of clients and my husband, conversations held over the last few days.  I notice thoughts of paperwork that needs faxed, reports that need written and some things that need filed.  At some point and before my meditation time is up, I eventually notice my breathing again.

When writing, particularly blogging, it’s a little more effective to others not to wander in my thoughts.  Today I meditated before I wrote.  That seems to help me stay a little more focused.

Namaste’

I talked with an artist named Leo this week, who paints and sells her pictures at Pike Place Public Market, in Seattle.  Her art work is reminiscent of Van Gogh and she sells other art she has created as well.  I discovered two 8 x 10 prints which state “I love you” in red ink with red hearts decorating the pieces.  All each page, she has written personal statements to the person she created this gift for.  Here are examples of the statements:

“You are loving”

“I love you because you love a slow boat to china”

“You sing”

“I love you because you pretend you are a kitty-cat”

“Because you give and give”

“Because you say the moon is made of cheese.”

“I love you because you dig in the dirt”

“I love you because you secretly know how to fly”

“I love you because you fuss over your hair as if it were the crown for the Queen of England” (this is my favorite)

 These are amazing and personal gifts Leo made for others and is sharing.  I bought both prints.  They make me think about the things I love about others in my life, things that probably should be said, yet never are. 

Think of all the people you know who would appreciate being told they are loved by you and why.  Tell them!

Earlier this week, I had a “day off”.  The problem is, I worked all day long.  Phone calls, reports, consultation – it didn’t stop and I became pretty discouraged.

In her book “Inspiration Sandwich”, SARK makes suggestions about increasing creativity, getting unstuck.

“I think it is about little things. Altering your routine as much as possible:

Buy purple flowers and put them on a hat.

Rake leaves and quit in the middle.

Don’t check your mail for 3 days.

Read the newspaper in the opposite order.

Break a dish you never liked.

Wear hideously colored socks.

If you’re in a hurry, do things slowly.

These “little things” will lead you into a new mood.

A new mood will lead you into new creativity.

Then immediately take a nap and let it all soak in.”

SARK’s books are filled with inspiration and creativity.  It is entirely impossible to read them without smiling, without laughing aloud.  Apparently, I should have followed SARK’s advice and altered my routine, even slightly. What is your creative idea for altering your routine today?

I read that May 15th was “Freedom from Self-improvement Day”.  Jennifer Louden “the contemporary voice of women’s comfort — a best-selling author, life coach and social commentator who provides women with the information, inspiration, and tools to create lives they love” chose this date to create a day to just take a break from self-improvment for just a moment, an hour, a day.  That sounds like such an inviting thing to do, and although it’s no longer May 15, I find it something worth thinking about.

Of course, this leads me to SARK again and her concept of “radical self-acceptance”.  In  her book “Succulent Wild Woman” (men can read it too, by the way), she tells a story of a phone message she received that stated “SARK, I send you waking naps, where for brief periods of time you can stop working on yourself, and simply luxuriate in where you are right now, just as you are.”  It was as if someone gave her permission to take a break from the constant “work” she was doing on herself. 

This is a good goal for the day (sounds like I’m trying to improve on taking a break from improving!?)

In case you haven’t had enough of me talking about SARK this month, today I’ve noticed her focus on things we do for ourselves.

In her book Succulent Wild Women, SARK asks:

“How do you nourish yourself? (Besides food)

nourishing touch?

nourishing walks?

nourishing books?

nourishing words?

nourishing naps?

nourishing self-talk?

The nourishment starts on the inside.  When we tell ourselves and others the truth and identify what we really want and need, we are nourishing ourselves.”

Today has been a good day to think about nourishing me – lots of rain (at least the ground was being nourished).  In my ideal world, I would have spent some time appreciating me.  Instead, I worked, buzzed around completing thing after thing after thing on my “To-Do” list and I ended up only fatigued and ready for sleep, but not yet done with the “list”.  Before I go to sleep, I will list what I appreciate about me and anticipate I will sleep better for it.

As I continue to explore my forthcoming birthday I read in “Transformation Soup” SARK’s personal process with aging. She states things in a manner all of us can relate to.

 She lists:

“The benefits and gifts of my aging I’ve seen so far:

- Men or women playing games don’t even vaguely interest me.

- My centeredness and power.

- I have more insurance and different kinds of garbage bags.

- My vision for helping others is much clearer and keener.

- I am less self-absorbed.

- I am more grateful for health and more compassionate in general.

- I know what I like and how to experience it.

- Emotional balance.

- Freedom from reproduction and childbirth.

- Being Aunt and Godmother and friend to children.

- Being fiercely in love with myself.

- Being able to more deeply give and receive love.”

- SARK, Transformation Soup

Personnally, I am on the cusp of recognizing the benefits of my aging.  That recognition is important for me, I’m just not yet sure how.

impossible
means
I’m possible
- SARK

It was in the 1990’s that I discovered SARK.  I madly started collecting her zany, creative  and inspirational books with titles like “Prosperity Pie”, “Succulent Wild Woman” and “Living Juicy”.  A visit to her website will give you a brief glimpse of her style and brightness.

I can remember receiving a newletter subscription and anticipated my monthly installment of inspiration and wisdom.  Reading treasures included stories about her travels, her cat, speaking engagements and friends. Her website now offers an e letter that seems to serve the same purpose, in a more technologically savvy way, while remaining highly creative and appealing (who else writes in crayon?!)

This month I’ll be sharing snippets of her wisdom.  I hope you get a chance to check out this wild woman’s approach to life.  It’s amazing.

I just finished reading The Tender Bar, a memoir by Pulitzer Prize winning author, J.R. Moehringer.  Because he is a writer for the Los Angeles Times, I went to the LA Times website to check out his writing.  Upon reading, I was immediately distracted by the content of the story. 

In his March 25, 2007 story entitled “Dear Me”, Moehringer tells about two people who created and developed FutureMe.org.  Matt Sly and Jay Patrikios decided to develop software and a website that enables us to email ourselves in the future.  What a concept!  What imagination, talent and creativity of these two people.

Some of you might ask “why in the world would I want to email my future self?” After reading the story, you might change your mind.

If you were to write an email to your future self, what would you say?

Saying kind things to ourselves.  It’s an interesting idea, isn’t it?  It’s the theme of Michael’s blog today and a favorite topic of author Louise Hay.  In her book “You Can Heal Your Life” she starts her book with “Some Points of My Philosophy” and the first stated is “We are each responsible for all of our experiences” and she continues from there beginning the first chapter with “What we think about ourselves becomes the truth for us”. 

This book contains a section of Problems, Probable Causes and New Thought Patterns.  The new thought patterns are affirmations, sayings to state to yourself repeatedly.  Hay also states to “assume that you are already in the process of healing” and to repeat the new thought pattern whenever thoughts of the problem occur.

I can remember a period of time when my bathroom mirror was covered with colored index cards which had different affirmations printed on them.  When brushing my teeth, washing my face and putting on makeup, I was reminded to say kind things to myself.  This affirmation process stayed on my mirror for a very long time, entirely changing my pattern of self talk. 

Have you ever “practiced” a resignation letter?  It can be fun to do so because when practicing you can say every little, minute thing that you can never really say.  Things like: “Hasta’ lavista”,  “I’m outta’ here” and “adios amigos” (I’m sure there are other choice words out there that could be added to the list!)

In the last week, I have “practiced” my resignation letter many times and having verbalized it on Friday, I will be submitting it officially on Monday.  There is an endless amount of relief as well as other emotions that follow this letter.  My goal is to increase my happiness.  That may sound trite, but working 60 hours in a week doesn’t give me alot of time to do “fun” things that add to me being a well-rounded being.  I have been happy working two jobs; I believe in being happier.