Up early this morning, reading thru Facebook, which has become a direct route to speak to a bunch of people and hear what a bunch of people have to say. Mostly reading, listening, and sometimes really hearing, and then even more rarely I write a post. Mostly I share what others have posted. This morning it was a source of news for me. The Senate did not pass the universal background check. What is interesting and encouraging is that a large population of people know what that term means. We are listening and we are hearing. We are being forced to. Destructive forces are looming large in our lives. Nearly everyday there is another travesty, tragedy. And it hits closer and closer to home if it already hasn’t.

Peace and love…a force for change. It is true. Be kind to someone who at least halfway expects otherwise. Watch the transformation of the interaction. I am a person who has been mean to people anonymously on the phone when I didn’t get what I wanted. I can no longer do that. Instead, I am honest. I express what I feel and what is true for me. And I expect others to do the same in relationship to me and in the world. Otherwise, my life is filled with lies and I do not know what is true. There is too much to sift thru that is true and I have no time for what is not.

And so my patience with people who know better than to be mean is challenged a lot. BUT…I am seeing a difference. I am seeing, that despite what we might be told otherwise, we are beginning to see each other. Too many of us have been touched by sorrow, the violent death of innocents. I am a grandmother of 9 beautiful beings who deserve to live in a world that is at peace with itself. I am mother of 3 beautiful beings that deserve to live a life of peace and love and joy and harmony. That is all I have ever wanted for them because in having that they get to experience a life they can sink back into. Snuggle up. I do not feel that is the way of the world at large.

At small (if you will allow me my own metaphor) the world is full of all of that. We know love and wish for it. We are forgetting what a peaceful world feels like and looks like and accepting a modified version of what we hope for. We allow Senators to speak for a very small minority, rather than the masses who think they have elected them. In reality it seems that special interest groups elected them and keep them in fear of the next election. How do we fix that?

What would happen if a Senator could not be elected twice? Instead, senators would only have one term. Would that be enough to make a difference in who they served? I am pretty sure it would take more than that. When they are sworn in, what are they swearing to? Who are they pledging allegiance to? Perhaps they could pledge allegiance to the earth and all of her inhabitants. That would be a good refresh button to hit.

Perhaps we can and will and do. Stand by it. Live our lives by it. And drive around with a peace and love sticker on our car as our public declaration of our intention. That is what I do, as well as some of my friends and people I have met along the way. It makes a difference in how I drive and who I am behind the wheel of my car most of the time. Admittedly, there are days when “I cannot believe that person is allowed on the road!” I’m a work in progress.

So what do we do? What do we believe in? How do we truly take a stand for it? Probably it is different for everyone but it all does start at home. Right here inside of ourselves. Being kind to ourself gives us a platform to stand on and then reach out to others. “Put your own mask on first before attempting to help the person beside you.” The implication is that you are taking care of yourself so that you can take care of others and the planet. It makes sense. Feed ourselves well. Exercise. Meditate. Pray. Love. My experience is that it leaks out to others automatically. People can tell and they respond. It is true there are those who do exactly the opposite. Some part of their heart is missing and they put the blame on outside forces to fix it in the name of some cause. What cause is justified in the killing of innocents?

Rather than blame those people, we must respond with a strength that rivals theirs. Not a destructive strength as theirs is, a CONSTRUCTive strength with peace and love as our intention of a force for change. Which means we will have to do something real in that regard. Take a step. Baby step. Then a bit bigger and a bit bigger…that part will come on its own as we continue to walk toward change. But we have to walk. Push the edge of our comfort zone and then relax into where it works for us in that moment.

Well, the birds are singing and the light is coming up in the sky. Another day of possibilities.

Two days ago I flew US Air from Greenville to Dulles via Charlotte. It took 10 hours to get to my destination, including the time it took to drive from Asheville to Greenville. I flew out of Greenville because the fare difference was $600. Save the client money and what’s an hour drive? The drive ended up including fear of icy roads and buckets of rain. Once in Greenville US Air called and emailed the flight was delayed, causing a missed connection and arriving in DC 5 hours after the scheduled arrival.

Internally I immediately freaked, though I continued a me-to-me dialogue that all would be well. As the time ticked on, I began to worry that I would not make it at all that night and miss the next day of work which would mean losing the dollars and likely pissing off the client. I sat stressed in my seat in the waiting area at the gate for hours. And I eventually got to my destination, failing miserably at my yogi philosophy of staying centered though the storms.

Today I get another chance. I arrived at the airport with lots of time to spare and have been already given an extra half hour. Another mechanical delay. If this delay is the last one and we arrive in Charlotte at the new time, I will make my flight to Greenville. If not, I will have yet another sit at the Charlotte airport this week. The worst that could happen.

But already I can feel the tightness in my upper back, the hunger in my belly. And this concourse only has a Subway…not much I want to eat there. But I brought a banana from the hotel so that’s all good for now.

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I wrote the thoughts above 2 days ago at Dulles and I am now home and have had a chance to reflect on the week. Definitely a growth week. All in all I did pretty well. I got home as scheduled on Thursday. Spent some quality time with a friend and family. And did a little work. And a yoga practice. Bikram yoga. Been thinking about that too.

In a few weeks, I will offer the What’s Right With Me? workshop in my hometown of Asheville, North Carolina. For the last 2 and a half years I have been offering sessions and have done several workshops asking these questions and drawing out the answers. Literally. Drawing the answers to the questions about the very core of us. I did not set out to design this question series. It sort of designed me…

The inspiration for the questions came as a result of 2 friends and I attempting to collaborate to be of service and make a living with this new career I’d stepped into as a graphic recorder or facilitator. (There are a few different names for the work that I do. In essence I capture information, thoughts, hopes, dreams in illustrations and text on a white board or paper live-time mostly – though I do illustrate maps, visions, ideas, information montages, my own thoughts and those of others.) The 3 of us came up with a few questions to clarify our individual life goals to be sure my dear friends were not simply stepping into my dream and forgetting theirs.

Amy is a mega talent in a tidy package of beauty inside and out. And she is hilarious on stage in her character roles. Amy and Ken met over 30 years ago on the road in a band where Ken played I imagine an Eric Clapton-like brilliance on a shiny guitar, while Amy kept the audience entranced with her out in front of herself soul and voice. It is easy for me to see what Amy’s give back to the world is…it was more difficult for her then before we “did the questions” for her. I often say, and I’ve heard it often said, we are the last ones to see ourselves. Or we can be, until we turn it around and look at ourselves through our own eyes of appreciation…”what’s right with me?”…our new mantra. Amy sees who she is…it’s awesome.

Some of you who have been following my crooked (not the illegal kind of crooked) pathway with Verbal Remedies, thank you, first of all. You may have been there when I was thinking nobody cared in my very dark days of fear in the transition from being suburban up and comer, to tried-to-be-hippie-like, to not knowing who or what I was, to settling down and finding that I’m a pretty cool person, living a pretty cool life. I’ve followed a bunch of different healing methods and guru-type things. What finally works is taking a good look at myself and appreciating who I am, not who I hoped to be. Being okay with my faults, because they are most definitely there. Some I am changing, some I will change, some I can change, some I don’t change.

What I find in general is that some of the very things I have tried to diminish are my greatest gifts. They help me to be who I have wished to be and always have been somewhere inside. I am aware of my current and maybe life-long mission.

These questions have changed lives. I see it in the lovely people who have allowed me to ask and record their answers in the form of a poster for them to take home and color and truly see. The playfulness of coloring in or simply tracing the lines with your eyes helps the answer to be taken to heart. Lovely image.I am always honored to be a part of it with those who have played and helped me to see the value in making it my job to offer the questions on a much larger basis.

Sue is another dear friend of mine. Sue came into my life in the midst of my chaos and I into hers. We had both recently divorced and thrown our safe and secure lives into the air, scrambling to get the pieces to come back together. She is a filmmaker…the little filmmaker who could. Sue’s motto must have been “I think I can, I think I can!” because she just kept going. When last I saw her one year ago, Sue told me her beloved movie was over and she was giving up on it. We talked alot and we “did the questions”. Within 2 weeks, she was offered 2 distribution deals and now the movie is very much alive and being distributed. She attributes looking at what’s right with her and seeing who she is to be the catalyst for allowing in the future she had been trying so hard to keep out…all the while thinking she was pulling it in. I know it is because she chose to do something with the answers she received in the process of answering simple questions. Sue’s current motto must now be “I know I can.” because she is doing it, she is moving in the direction of her dreams with big steps.

I’ve learned that any kind of control is resistance. If we hold on too tightly, we cannot access the gifts that are in the palm of our hand.

For the last month or so, I have been lucky enough to find support with a woman who is brilliant at what she does and has accepted being my biz partner. So if you can’t make it to this workshop, it looks like there will be more and more … Also I will certify people to offer the questions in their own practice of whatever kind by attending a week long workshop in, hmmm, I don’t know… Costa Rica? France? Meanwhile I hope you will check out my ebook once I get it all put together. It’s written and it is like a workshop in a book. An app that is interactive (is that redundant?) is on the way. Also, the children’s book titled “I’m Awesome” is in the early sketch stages.

I love what I do. It’s my mission.

COME TO THE WORKSHOP! (March 16th, 1:30-3:30 at Nourish & Flourish in Asheville.) It will change your life…if you let it. It is just 2 hours on an early Saturday afternoon as we step into spring. Nourish & Flourish is a lovely space, small and intimate, so space is limited. Please sign up online or comment here or email me and tell me you are coming. http://tinyurl.com/acmvj58 to sign up via paypal. I hope to see you there. I promise at the least it will be entertaining to take a journey down memory lane to childhood and walk it right up to today and what’s next. At best your life will never again be the same and you will begin to feel absolutely perfectly outfitted to be that person you hope yourself to be. And you will begin to ask “what’s right with me?” instead of the heretofore usual alternative. Start asking that question right now.

Post a sticky note, everywhere you might see it often, that asks the question: What’s right with me?

Experiment. Let me know what happens.

Or a minute, or a second. Life can change in the blink of an eye as many of us can attest. Just when you thought it was never gonna happen, there it is…a miracle. And then it becomes normal. I remember when I used to work in Colorado Springs as a consultant. Every day I drove to work I was in awe of the snow-covered majestic Pike’s Peak towering above. I would remark and those who lived there all the time would often look at me with a little puzzled face and say “oh, yeah…” They hardly saw it anymore because it was just there.

What are you not seeing that once was a miracle? Time to look again. Refresh.

Our Deepest Fear
Click on the link above to view the video…I don’t seem to be able to post it any other way…not sure why…sometimes technology and I just don’t see eye to eye!

Waking up this morning to the realization that it is now February, the Hallmark designated month of love, I froze for a moment. Once again, another Valentine’s Day without a Valentine. But wait, I thought. I have many Valentines…starting with my children and grandchildren. I can make this month all about giving love instead of my usual seeking it. I’m pretty sure that I am not alone in having a deep need to express love. And I’m pretty sure I am not alone in thinking that first I have to have someone who expresses love to me so I feel safe enough to express back. A whole bunch of us wait around until it is safe enough to express love…get the picture? Somebody has to go first! So…here I go, here we go. Let’s get out there this month and BE LOVE! Come back here and let us all know what happens as a result.

Nearly 2 decades ago…not really sure of the time frame…I made a decision to “practice positive”, switch around how I focused on things, situations and people around me. My well-entrenched habit was to look at things as though the bottom was about to fall out of any situation, if it hadn’t already. What I know now is that a shift in what I focus on in any given situation determines how I move through it and how it it affects those around me.

This weekend I made the decision to euthanize my little, wacky, beloved Shih Tzu, Chloe. “Put her to sleep” is more preferred as it portrays a loving kindness that was inherently wished for in taking the action.

My dear friend Amos stood through it with me. She helped me to stay grounded. Just by her presence as she freely and lovingly fed back to me my open thoughts. Guiding me to a stronger self.

The circle of fine women who gathered. Divinely given.

The support team at the vet hospital. Beautiful.

And Chloe. Brave Chloe. Strong Chloe. Loving Chloe. Feisty Chloe. Insistent Chloe. She kept us captive of a bit of tension in her later years. Still she delighted with her latest toy, the green alligator. Molly hasn’t touched it since Chloe has been gone. Molly is sad. She is my big briard that Chloe bullied. A site to see with the two of them playing tug of war inches from each others face. Chloe was a daredevil. Or she simply didn’t let size be a unit of measure of worth to her.

I pray she is at peace with my decision, that she is happy about it. That she is free of pain. That she knows she is loved and missed. That she is playing with Luci. Chloe and Luci. Namaste.

Short and lovely visit with Kathii in Minneapolis…

If the definition of jet setting is getting on a plane to spend less than 24 hours in a city, well then I am jet setting. I am sitting at the airport waiting for a flight to Minneapolis to visit my sister. My flight was schedule for 7 am and I would have been laughing it up by now if Delta had not cancelled the flight. Instead, I land at almost 2pm and get back on a plane tomorrow at 2 to come back. In between promises to be a great time with Kathi who I last saw in July in LA.

Kathi is 3 years younger than me which makes no difference now but certainly did when we were growing up. I got when she was still in high school…me just barely out. We became best friends, talking nearly every day for 26years until my divorce somehow also ended our best friendship. Kathi pretty much kicked me out of her life which I don’t quite understand to this day. However, she is back in, I am back in. Our trip to LA put us there. I was scribing for Marianne Williamson and Kathi came out to help. Somehow we found each other again.

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The week has quieted down today. It started with a couple earthquakes here in Oklahoma City right before I arrived on Sunday. Monday brought storms and a tornado warning, meaning tornados had been sighted and we prepared with the knowledge of a room to rush to that has 3 foot dense walls. Didn’t have to make that dash as the toughest weather went around us.

Later in the day I got the news from my dog sitter (who is great, by the way! Asheville Pet Steward…check him out on fb) that there was an “aggressive” bear in my neighborhood. Though there are some woods across the street, the mall is literally over the fence in my backyard! Seems an odd place for a bear to show up.

And just to make things crazier, I had written an email to a friend (before the bear showed up) that was titled the same as the title of this blog post. Oh, yeah, and I had drawn a journey map for a client based on the wizard of oz theme. Life imitating art or some such thing. I imagine if I were looking at my life from “above” it I would be laughing…I guess I am laughing a bit anyway.