solutions for the people and planet

see... i have great faith in humanity. they find wonderful solutions that benefit on so many levels when they put their amazing brains to work.

i found this over on treehugger. it seems the help reduce their carbon imprint the stat of Utah is going to a 4-day work week. it's absolutely brilliant. better for the people, and they get to have lots of buildings closed and not using resources. let's hope they find it works wonderfully and more states follow.

can they do a study on the reduced impact of telecommuting now :D

Friends

I got a call this morning from my Morganna queen of the faeries. She is one on the most magical people I know. It was amazing how after 3 months of her being away there was never any loss of connection. I feel like a years worth of activity has taken place but it only took my 15 minutes of rambling to have her fully caught up.

There are only so many people on this planet that you feel safe enough to have that deep of a connection with. The wonderful thing is that once you find one, more pop out of the wood work to join in.

We are all seeking love. To be connected at such a deep level that words are no longer needed, just the sound of their voice and suddenly all is understood, even from across the country, or the world.

To have this I have recently learned you have to be so open and so vulnerable that it no longer matters if you feel like you are breaking apart. Most people are so afraid of that openness, but in it we find our true self, our true strength and the silvery connection that binds us all. And from this view we see the pain of humanity and understand that nothing is ever about us but is only wounds being expressed to be healed. We are all hoping that by driving others away we will find that one person who will look back at us and say NO I won't leave.

exercise

do you ever wish someone else could exercise for you and you would get all the benefits?

i'm just sitting here knowing i need to go to the gym and not wanting to disrupt my very snuggly cats nor put in the effort to actually move.

there are just days where it is difficult to be motivated. in my rational brain i know that i will feel so much better after... alright, alright... here i go.

sorry kitties.

Reflexology in Portland

Whew!

I have made it past my trepidation and fear and am finally putting myself back out there to teach reflexology. It has been a roller coaster of highs and lows on this journey and I am so delighted to be back.

Oregon School of Massage has accepted my proposal of teaching a weekend reflexology class! The class will focus on how reflexology can help reduce and eliminate foot pain. I never would have made it this far without my dear friend Nancie! Thank You!

I'm heading down on the 15th of July to meet finalize things and pick dates!

I have also decided to make a video of the sequence I have created, I'm sure there will be many funny stories to tell about that process in the near future!

Next stop! Cortiva in Seattle... then on to who knows where...

saying YES by saying NO

These past few weeks have been a little manic. I am finishing up one job and trying to recover momentum in my reflexology practice while building the awareness that I do tarot reading.

In the midst of all the commitments and housework and gardening I ran across something that made my head spin and my body perk up and pay attention.

I saw an activity in that requires you to say No to every invitation you receive for the next two days. This is to get you into the practice of artfully being able to say no. I believe the reason you have to say no to everything at first is so you can begin to pause before answering and from the pause decide if the activity is of interest.

From this pause and momentary check in with body and breath you can begin to truly say YES to life and the opportunities that really resonate with you.

so let's practice:

Hey do you have a minute? No, I'm really busy right now please send me an email or voice mail
Do you want to....? No, right now I'm a it overwhelmed but what about in a few days
Can you....? I'd like to but I am crunched for time can you email it so I can look at it later or go ask so-in-so

See you can be courteous while saying no. It is great practice, and you don't have to miss out on any opportunities just ask them to get you the details and make the decision later. Our instant reaction is often YES when faced with a request. We are by nature wanting to ease other peoples burdens and help out, often to the detriment of ourselves. This leads to mis-directed anger and resentment. Stop playing the victim and learn to say No first, then gather details and make an informed decision after.

Remember your body NEVER lies. Listen to it so you can say YES with lightness and strength. I have noticed a huge increase in my energy from playing with this activity, I hope you do too. And feel free to use me as a sounding board, I'd love to hear you say NO :D

what I want

I just found myself responding to a friends inquiry and felt the need to share as someone else out there in this big world might relate.

How do I know what I want?

Well this is a very difficult answer for me. Here is what I know. I know that when I get confused, angry or freaked out that I am not asking for what I want. Unfortunately this reaction usually has a negative effect on the person with me and I end up pushing them away and getting exactly what I don't want yet somehow think I deserve.

I had a hard childhood (we all did), I grew up in a emotionally needy yet detached family who had sever money issues and believe they would a) never get ahead and b) were haunted by familial beliefs of poverty and self denial. It has taken me 10 years of therapy just to be able to begin to identify these issues and start to move on them.

So how am I starting to understand what I want. I smile... I can help but smile when I see something or think about it. I feel peaceful (versus the butterflies I get when I state something I think I should want, or am offer something i don't want). When I have identified something I really want and start to think about how to get to it or obtain it things fall into place, the universe conspires to give it to me in strange and beautiful ways. And the most difficult one. I hurt... and I cry a lot... why? Because of the years that I have denied myself? No mainly because it hurts acutely to come back and love yourself enough to give it to yourself. So when the hurt is almost unbearable and I find myself smiling and crying at the exact same time I know I am in the exact perfect place and that I have begun to heal one more piece.

Imagination and Failure

JK Rowlings Harvard Commencement Speech

unicorn

a one horned deer was found in Italy.

a most important movie

I love having a spouse who is a film composer. It gives me the chance to go to film festivals! I have got to see several in the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) but on Tuesday we went to a show at (STIFF) Seattle's True Independent Film Festival.

We went because a short Eric had written music for was showing :D

The feature we saw after was incredible. Anyone in the US who can vote needs to see it. It will piss you off and hopefully make enough people stop being apathetic and stand up and take back this country. It talks about the last two elections, and that's all I'm going to say. Here is the website. Check it out... attend a screening if you can. Order a dvd and host a gathering. I have to say that the best thing about this film is at the end it gives you solutions to the problem so you still leave angry but with a possible solution in hand.

Uncounted The Movie.com