Eat Pray Love - I loved it!

Tina posted a comment about Eat Pray Love and how much she missed it after she finished savoring its pages. Yes! I couldn't agree more. Doesn't a book like this just become part of your life while you're immersed in its engaging dialogue? It's like a conversation with a friend - a 2-way conversation - because in your head you are actively engaged with the books author. I love it I love it I love it! Liz Gilbert became my friend and I've never met her in person. Yet, I could SO identify with her struggle to understand spiritual connection and all of its mysteries.
Putting a book like this down is like going to a weekend workshop and meeting - and truly connecting with - awesome people who you know deep down inside you'll never see again. Yet, they touch you and create a soul memory that you will carry always. In some minute way, or sometimes in a very significant way, this meeting has left an imprint on your life and you'll carry it always.

What are some other books have you connected with like this? How have they left an imprint on your life? Please share!

Those Darn Cosmic Forces!

The other day, my alarm clock went off at 5:30am. Now, that would have been fine if I had to get up at 5:30am as I did the day before, but on this day my first client wasn't until 9am and I could have slept in for another hour or so. Suffice it to say, the persistent beeping of the alarm at 5:30 brought my peaceful slumber to a speedy end. Ok, so I gave in and decided to get up and enjoy a leisurely morning (my favorite time of the day by-the-way.) Perhaps I would take an extra-long shower, enjoy a good novel (Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert) over a cup of the morning coffee that I love so much. I know, I'll take myself to the coffee shop and snuggle up in front of that cozy fireplace for a while. Oh yes, life is good! I actually found myself feeling a bit on the grateful side that I had neglected to turn off my alarm...an unintentional shift in my mood and state - alright!
But there was something in the air - some collection of cosmic forces - that didn't think this should be quite so easy. In the half-hour it took for me to get dressed and ready to walk out the door, any number of minor irritants persisted to convince me that I may as well get right back into bed and hit restart. Oh ya, all the classics: stubbing my toe, tripping over the dog, no clean socks, and the ever popular "where did I leave my car keys?" Alas, I decided to give into the crankiness and allow myself to revel in this discombobulated state.
On my drive to the coffeehouse, I thought about one of my clients who often talks about days like these so I decided to use this morning as a study in consciously shifting one's state. "Are you joking?" you might ask. No. Really, think about it - what a great opportunity. Here you have a life coach who is having an awful day and the sun isn't even up yet (there has to be the makings of a joke in here somewhere.) So, here's what I did:
1) named 5 people in my life who can easily make me smile
2) watched for 2 things during my drive that brought a smile to my face
3) looked for 1 thing in nature that made me feel thankful to witness
4) named 3 things on the day's schedule that I could look forward to
Wow! Instant transformation, cosmic forces be damned! This was such a fun experiment.
How do you shift your mood/state when things aren't going as planned? Give it a try, it’s fun – really. Ok, at the very least it's an interesting thing to do. Try it, then let me know what did and didn't work for you.... send us YOUR list!

Grow with the Seasons of Change

The upcoming weekend will be devoted to closing down and winterizing my beautiful backyard pond and surrounding gardens. It feels like such a bittersweet event; one that I seem to postpone longer into the fall each year. But with it comes the excitement of knowing that the spring will bring a whole new experience into my little sanctuary as the pond blossoms to life again with many new aspects and features. There has never been a summer that repeats itself in the garden because each year I join with nature to introduce new plant life and surrounding features into the existing beauty of my little backyard retreat.

I relate this to my life experience as I grow and change with every new experience. Every day we have an opportunity to introduce new beauty into our lives. It’s such a joy to allow the positive influence of others into our lives and to learn and grow from each and every encounter.

Yesterday, I had a kitchen remodeler come to my home to discuss his bid for remodeling my outdated kitchen – YAY! Mitro’s bid was fair, but because he does custom work, a little more than I choose to spend in my current home. But, wow, was I tempted. I watched as his brilliantly creative mind concocted one scheme after another with such ease. I can’t even select a floor tile and he redesigned my kitchen 3 times in 10 minutes! After Mitro and his brilliantly creative mind left my home, I felt twinges of regret that my kitchen is not destined to experience this level of a makeover. Only moments passed before I moved into gratitude for the experience that changed my perspective on the “limited” space and potential for beauty in my humble kitchen. I could now see the space through his eyes and felt uplifted by the energy and creativity that Mitro brought into my home.

Every day, every person we meet, every insight we gain, bring opportunity for growth and change. How exciting! Like opening a beautiful gift every day, I look forward to the unknowns ahead in each day.

Are you able to name a simple experience that has given you an opportunity for change or shift in perspective? I bet you can…please share!