I'm working at home today. I can see my shamrock plant that is positioned near the window so it can get sunlight with my faerie statue next to it as a pixie guardian.
I brought the plant home from a reverse raffle excited because it reminded me of my travels in Ireland and the spirit of magical things. I thoroughly watered it and put it on the counter next to my light blue gnome my friend gave to me on my birthday. Over the next two weeks, the shamrock leaves started turning yellow and then brown and wilting. My friend with a green thumb informed me I had probably over watered it and to let it dry out. One week went by and then two. The leaves started drooping and dying off. I kept pulling out the dead leaves and stems until there were only a couple shamrocks left. I sighed and thought, "See, I'm just not good with plants. Might as well throw it out like all the others that went to the elephant burial ground of my plants." But a friend who has about 100 plants at her house said it needs sunlight. I thought what do I have to lose and put it by the window. A week went by and then two and then three. I'd almost forgotten about the plant because it was sitting so low but I looked over and saw new leaves had formed and grown. All healthy lifted up. I thought about all the times I've about given up on myself. I'm not far enough along in life. I don't have my book written yet. I'm not good at technology. I'm still working at better communication with my boyfriend. I seem to have a start and stop with my good habits I'm working to establish. And why can't I sing like Stevie Nicks or Judy Garland? My little shamrock plant was a reminder to not give up on myself even when it feels I am stripped down and worn down. That my roots are still there ready for new life and a new perspective on things. They always say it's about location, location, location. Sometimes it's a matter of putting ourselves in a nurturing environment that will support us whether that is with positive thoughts, friends, family, a different job, self care routines, nourishing food, or uplifting and inspiring music. "Let today be the day...Create a nourishing environment conducive to your growth and well-being.” - Steve Maraboli, The Power of One What is your sunlight? The environment that nurtures and supports you? Move towards that and you may find new life abounding.
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“Success leaves clues,” he said.
I was listening to James Mel on Facebook presenting a Get Ahead Challenge. At age 25, he networked his way into a successful growing online education/coaching business while investing in property becoming a millionaire at the age 30. He had my attention because he looked like the boy next door and said he wasn’t all that smart but had a system, was a hard worker, and “success leaves clues.” It made me think of the breadcrumbs I’ve followed in life. The whispers of synchronicity that make you take notice and sit more upright. Take you out of the mundane into the magical world of “did I just really hear that?” or “see that?” Hearing a line in a movie feeling it was written just for you or those repeated phrases that keep popping up. That weekend I was watching the Easier Life Online Summit and almost exited. However, as I looked and paid close attention, I could see a picture of the speaker’s book as the backdrop - Success Left A Clue: 6 Ultimate Steps To Success. God, the Universe had my attention. The speaker was Robert Raymond Riopel, an author and highly sought after life transformation trainer who went from $150,000 in debt to to financially free in 9 months and teaches and inspires people across the world about success through his “clues.” My slouched back went upright. I tuned in instead of out. In the presentation, he was speaking about continuous cycles of life. And if you follow the flow of things, you more easily live life instead of life living you. Through his teaching, I found I am in the observation phase. Similar to the dating stage in a relationship he said when things are new and you’re curious and want to know everything about that person. Well, things are new and not necessarily by choice. Hours at my job have been cut and business income has fallen away because of COVID. Interesting, because the unclutter phase comes right before observation. Out with the old, what is the new? Instead of a time to panic, I am seeing it’s more of a time to get curious. Which is good to realize. The observation phase is a time for meditating, listening and allowing for that higher wisdom to come through, and learning. The time for dream boards. He called it a time to be a human creating instead of a human being. No wonder I’m wanting to soak up as much knowledge as I can right now listening to webinars and reading books. We are in Mercury Retrograde, a planetary time for reflection, so this is right in rhythm with my observation stage. It’s hard for me to be still. As a kid, I rocked my crib right up to the door and blocked the entrance. My sister had to crawl through the window. I crawled on counters as soon as I could walk. And sometimes my right leg is in a back and forth rock, rock or an up and down bounce, bounce motion. But the answers will have a hard time dodging my leg, so I’m taking time to just listen. When I talk with my angels, I sometimes start out asking all sorts of questions and spilling out my worries and what do you think? And then I say, “Okay, I’ll be quiet now.” The other day I heard a line from the Mary Oliver poem The Summer Day, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” Definitely letting go of playing small. I dreamed big as a kid wanting to be a vet and an author. I’m thinking I need to get a bigger dream board. And it’s even more than getting a bigger dream board. It’s also being aware of and knowing what is precious to me? What do I really want? So I’m taking time to listen instead of going into the same old, same old patterned responses or beliefs of I can’t do that. That same belief that came up when I wanted to go to Ireland a few years ago. “ I can’t do that,” I thought. And definitely not by myself. But I did. I questioned that belief and thought why not? I stayed for eight months instead of the original two months I had planned by volunteering for room and board at a Buddhist Center I stumbled on overriding my old beliefs of what is possible. I’ve put up a picture of Ireland in my bedroom so it’s the first thing I see when I wake up to remind myself of those travels and think “why not” to something else. I love the scene in the movie The Magic of Belle Isle with Morgan Freeman’s character, a writer of Westerns, and an actor playing a boy with special needs. Morgan Freeman looks at him and says, “You are Diego Santana, train robber and faithful sidekick.” “I am?”, he said. “Yes, you are,” replies Morgan Freeman. The boy then straightens up and takes on a walk of confidence and purpose. Sometimes we have to tell ourselves, this is who I am so we can start showing up differently. “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” It can be anything not measured in actual size but the size of joy that it brings you. There is a quote by Robert Louis Seveson…”Find out where joy resides, and give it a voice …..For to miss the joy is to miss all.” I challenge you to be a kid again and ask yourself what brings you joy? What do you love? Then act on it. Why not? Check out Robert’s book Success Left A Clue at http://www.successleftaclue.com In his book, which I’m reading now, he outlines six steps to re-set your mindset for success. Things he’s learned from first hand experience and gives CLUES for success. I was sitting at my computer working on a project. My mind drifted a bit asking myself, "Am I on the right path? What are my immediate next steps?"
Then I heard a voice telling me to turn around right now and I'd get my sign and clarity. I started to go back to my project. "Turn around NOW," the voice said. This time much stronger, "Okay, okay, I'll turn around," I thought. Hmm, nothing. Then I looked down. There was a big wasp on my carpet. I gasped taken back. He managed to find his way out my open patio door. I immediately googled wasp totem. This is what I found. When Wasp comes buzzing into your life: You are being reminded that simply thinking about your dreams will not make them a reality as quickly as going out and doing it. Make a plan, keep working towards it and let nothing get in your way. Perseverance, desire and action are what is called for. Apply your passion to the reality you wish to achieve! Alternatively Wasp is letting you know that resistance to change is by definition self sabotage. It’s time to allow yourself the notion that all things are possible, and that you deserve to have all your dreams come true. Be the best you can be! I got my sign through the teaching of that wasp. A message for me that while visualizing my goals and dreams and writing them down is important, the action part is also needed. I love the interview conducted by Oprah Winfrey with Comedian Jim Carrey on the power of visualization. A broke and depressed Carrey trying to make it in Hollywood wrote himself a check for $10 million for "acting services rendered," post-dated it 10 years and kept it in his wallet. The check remained there until it deteriorated but Carrey eventually made it: he earned millions for movies like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and Dumb and Dumber. Oprah said, "So visualization works if you work hard." Jim Carrey responded, "Well yeah, that's the thing. You can't just visualize and then go eat a sandwich." Spring. I was ready for spring. The blossoming of things, the smell of green grass, and moving forward on some things. So when we received a snow storm the first day of Spring, I could hear the words, “thank you for your patience.” Seems I keep hearing that phrase. People say I’m a person of patience, however, if they were inside my head watching my thoughts do somersaults and cartwheels, they would realize it’s only partly true. I get in the mode of not wanting to wait and when I do have to wait, it's usually about timing. It’s not the right time yet. Divine timing. Waiting for things to line up. Maybe not even meant to be at all. And all along I feel I’m running out of time. I usually find these delays do bring the right connection, the insights and foundation needed first for learning and stability, some kind of growth in me that prepares me for the next steps or next level, and sometimes it’s a re-direction of my plans the new path even better than I could imagine. I did take note of my external conditions realizing they were perhaps a representation of what needed to be going on inside. I’ve been reading about the bear and evidently my coming out of hibernation is suppose to be a slow one. A yawn and stretch and not dark roasted coffee speed. A turning inward or at least a 3/4 turn to think about the direction I want to take before moving forward. A few road blocks, closing doors and shut doors have been placed in front of me while out of the corner of my eye, I see new doors opening. I have to trust I know what to do and to follow my heart. “Bear medicine teaches us introspection, aiding us to digest our experiences and to discover that we have within ourselves the answers to all our questions. We all have bags of wisdom, if only we slow down and listen to what our intuition, our inner knowing voice is telling us. It is useful to be with yourself at times, so you can be yourself and are able to uncover your own answers to whatever challenge you are facing. On the other hand, just like Bear you need to know when to come out of ‘hibernation’ and to interact with others.” -- Ina Woolcott Most the snow is melted but there is still a chill in the air. So some introspection this afternoon and then an evening with friends. An outward motion for starting to move forward. Wednesday it will be almost 60 degrees. Let’s see what doors open that day. I’m ready. Bring on the coffee. In the meantime, patience. “Work on my newsletter.” Check
“Call libraries about doing a presentation.” Check. “Laundry.” Check. “Know I’m Wonder Woman and realize I’m also human and need some downtime.” I like my “to do” lists. They keep me organized and give me a sense of accomplishment as I check things off. And if I do something that wasn’t on the list, I’ll write it in and check it off. I have an organizer with space for daily entries where I write my “to do” lists. I usually try and cram as much as I can in the space allowed and then scribble sideways in the margins. I know I’ll never get it all done but there is a compulsion to do as much as I can. Luckily yoga was on my list. Ok, I have to go to yoga. It’s written down. I got there early. Rolled out my mat and sat among the other early arrivals. The teacher told us to go ahead and get into Savasana – a resting pose. “You’ll get a head start over everyone else,” she said. Then smiled realizing what she said. “Hurry up and wait,” she laughed. I lay there thinking about all the things I needed to do creating new lists in my head. The last person came in feeling late but she was actually right on time. While in Savasana, the teacher calmly reassured us there was no where to be. Nothing to do. “Sometimes we need to slow down or stop so happiness can catch up with us,” she said. I had this image of “happiness” with running shoes huffing and puffing thinking “what the….I have a gift. I’m just trying to give this person a gift. Someone stop this person, trip them, whatever it takes.” I thought about all the things I feel have tripped me up. Things seen as mistakes or stumbling blocks that actually in the long run were to my advantage. Waking up late one morning and missing my usual yoga class and trying out One Love Yoga where I now practice yoga and provide Reiki and workshops. Tired of looking online for a new apartment deciding to go out to eat instead and meeting people who guided me to my current apartment. Not being able to stay at someone’s house overnight while out-of-town and forming a new friendship by staying with someone else. Jobs not received. Relationships that ended. So, if you feel like you are getting tripped up on things, maybe happiness is just trying to catch up with you. |
AuthorMy blog is accounts of my observations, living life, lessons learned, seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary, the paintbrush and palette for inspiration. Hopefully it opens you up to new worlds and lets you know that you are not alone in this one. Archives
August 2020
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