Fun Little Spoof Video … and non-techy help with WordPress

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Virginia

I got a fun video for you today from my friend Christina Hills.

She created this spoof on of Little Red Riding Hood, and she’s
calling it “Little WEB Riding Hood”!

Poor Little Web Riding Hood.

She’s frustrated.

She needs to get her website up for a new product she wants to create!

But her “oh so busy” webmaster won’t return her calls 🙁

Watch what happens in this short video as “Little Web” shares
her predicament now with her mother…

Click to watch now:  Little Web Riding Hood

And be careful out in those woods alone.
There are webmasters lurking about…

Enjoy!

If you want to free yourself from your webmaster, you can sample Christina’s training methods and materials in this FREE CALL TODAY, January 26th at 1pm PST. Even if you can’t make the call live be sure to sign up because there will be a recording available after.

If you’re looking to learn how to set up or ‘tweak’ your WordPress blog or website, I highly recommend Christina’s Website Creation Workshop.

Thought for Today
“I am learning all the time. The tombstone will be my diploma.”
~Eartha Kitt

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I’m an Alumni of TeachNow and …

Posted on January 15, 2012 by Virginia

… am absolutely LOVING the support provided in the Modules and on the Q&A calls!  I encourage YOU to check it out if you long to share what you’re passionate about with others in sustainable ways … earning a living by teaching what you know to those who long to learn.

If you long to teach – or to renew your passion for teaching, or to stoke the profitability of the way you teach, TeachNow is the best course ever.

Click to hear me read this piece now:

Many of you know me as a ‘happily retired’ teacher and writer who feels called to share a unique Labyrinth Writing process with others. What’s been fascinating for me to realize is just how hesitant I am to jump in and ACT on that impulse after eleven years of retirement. Of course I have the skills and the knowledge. Methinks I’m more afraid of being overwhelmed by success than encountering failure and believe Marianne Williamson was right when she wrote the following:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

So … I relish the support, encouragement, information, and authentic ‘modeling’ of Jen & Michele as they teach this program again and again. It gets richer all the time and what they’ve created at Rizuku is a wonderful community of teachers that I’m delighted to be a part of. If you’re a teacher already and would like to enhance your skills … or if you’d LIKE to be more comfortable sharing what you know with others … this program is definitely worth checking out as soon as possible because you save $100 off until January 18th — the course is currently $298.

TeachNow is a digital, self-led program for anyone who longs to share their passions – whether you’re an established teacher or simply would love to teach one day. Michele and Jen expertly weave interviews with master teachers – Natalie Goldberg, Sharon Salzberg, Christina Baldwin, Elizabeth Lesser, Mark Nepo, Parker Palmer and many more – together with the nuts and bolts of teaching. More importantly, they address the heart and soul of teaching: the inner work that makes your teaching powerful and effective. I listen to, am inspired by, and learn from these amazing interviews over and over again.

Jen Louden wrote a bestseller when she was 29. Michele Lisenbury Christensen was a prodigy at 23. In the many years since then, they’ve taught and taught. Oh, and suffered. Now, to help you teach in less-expensive, more sustainable ways, they’ve created TeachNow, including interviewing more than three dozen revered teachers. I initially signed up for the interviews, but now I love the whole program so much I’ve registered as an alumni! I hope you’ll take a few minutes to read about it so you can see if the program is a ‘fit’ for you.

Thought for today:

“The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind.”

Kahlil Gibran
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A Delightful Evening at Z’Tejas

Posted on January 14, 2012 by Virginia


As you may remember, I’ve started saying the following several times each day:
“I’m Open To Receive and Willing to Accept All that the Universe has to Offer Me”
… so last Sunday afternoon when an invitation to a ‘complimentary winter menu tasting’ from Z’Tejas in Costa Mesa, CA came through my Facebook feed, I immediately sent email to ‘comments @ ztejas dot com’ (even though the posting was 4 hours old) asking if my sister and I could attend.  Later, I was pleasantly surprised to find an email from Deborah Topcik, Director of Marketing Z’Tejas Southwestern Grill saying:

“Great! We’ll see you on 1/11 at 6pm.
Have a great night!”

That evening when I called my sister to let her know of this good fortune, Barb reminded me they had friends visiting from Colorado and wondered if we could expand our party to include them and her husband too. Since she is better about making such requests, I forwarded the email to her whereupon she called Deborah, who said that was fine … so all 5 of us went to Z’Tejas last Wednesday evening and joined 6 other folks (two parties of 3) for a total of 11 to ‘test’ the winter menu together. What an absolutely delightful and positively delicious experience!

Here's a photo of the 11 of us taken that evening

What’s even more astonishing to ME, was discovering that apparently I was the ONLY (or at least the first) person to respond to that Facebook invitation even though it was 4 hours old when I saw it. I ask, how likely is that? One of the parties of 3 learned about the event on Twitter, and the other received an invitation while dining at the restaurant the previous week.

Over a two and a half hour period, we sampled everything on the Winter Menu (including the two wines and two mixed drinks) … and everything was tasty!

I absolutely LOVE ‘Tostada Bites’ Z’Tejas serves as an appetizer, but these ‘Tempura Avocado Strips with the Julienne Slaw‘ are a close second now. I’ve never had a ‘tini of any kind before and I confess I like this St. Nick ‘tini very much. I preferred the red wine to to white one. My favorite entree was the Jalapeno Cornbread Stuffed Striped Bass with the Achiote Braised Pork Ossobuco a close second, and the dessert (which we didn’t have to share with anyone else) was ‘to die for’ delicious!!! I don’t usually order dessert and can’t believe I ate the whole thing by myself at the end of the evening … but I enjoyed every bite!

Winter Spice Molten Chocolate Cake with Pistacio Almond Ice Cream, whipped cream, and caramel sauce

I intended to share some of the photos I took with my PalmPrePlus phone, but since this post is pretty long ‘as is’ methinks I’ll share those at Facebook instead and add a link to the album here later for those with inquiring minds. I wish I’d taken my iPad2 with me because the camera in it is much better than in the older Palm phone, but I’m all the more likely to switch to an iPhone4s when April rolls around and I’m eligible for an upgrade at VerizonWireless. That way I can use my SquareUp app on both to swipe credit cards when I’m attending live events and folks want to purchase a labyrinth journal.

To the lovely folks at Z’Tejas who shared this evening with us, I’d like to say THANK YOU once again right here. My sister and I eat at your wonderful restaurant in South Coast Plaza often and I’ve written of it before when I used to regularly Blog my Blessings on Sundays at Sacred Ruminations and shared other images of tasty memories like these:

My sister and I have many good memories
of delicious Southwestern lunches and dinners at Z’Tejas!

Thought for Today
“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”   William A. Ward

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Doing the ‘Hokey Pokey’ … turning myself around

Posted on December 23, 2011 by Virginia

In reminiscing about the ways I spent my time in childhood, I realize how many wonderful and lasting lessons are best learned through play … even today as I approach my 67th birthday, which is coming up quickly in just two months. Songs like
‘Row, Row, Row Your Boat’ and dances like the ‘Hokey Pokey’ convey deep meaningful and practical truths to children that we tend to overlook as adults until we see them through a symbolic, universal perspective for the miracles they are.

Stop for a moment to consider what you loved doing most as a child, and when you last engaged in that … or a comparable activity. I’d love to know what’s running through your mind as you read this, and invite you to share in comments below if you’re willing and have the time.

I wasn’t much for ‘organized group games’ like ‘Simon Says’ or ‘Red Rover Come Over’ or ‘Duck Duck Goose’ … but I did enjoy an occasional game of tetherball or four square and I loved playing on the ‘rings & monkey bars’ by myself on playgrounds. At home, I engaged primarily in individual creative play using my imagination to ride through the prairie on horseback, travel the world by train, and live in remote places out in the countryside.    I disappeared for hours and days into books which whisked me away to faraway lands where amazing adventures transpired, and I could be a silent observer of it all … savoring the experiences vicariously from a safe distance.

I much preferred individual pursuits like swimming, dancing, and tennis to team sports. Family, school, church and community activities took precedence in my life and the ‘tribal truths’ of shared beliefs and behaviors shaped my life, pulling me away from the desires of my heart until, in my mid-40s, a series of life experiences shattered my worldview … after which I embarked on an individualistic journey looking within myself for answers to unspoken questions of my heart. Pouring these onto the page with my pencil privately in my journal … sharing with no one … saved my sanity and gradually restored my spirit.

Last week as I helped a friend purchase domain names online, I realized that I’ve been dancing at the edge of the threshold for almost 11 years now … since retiring from my job as a public school teacher in June of 2001. In numerology ’11’ is a gateway and methinks it’s time for me to step through the portal into the adventures ahead with child-like zest and eagerness … trusting that I’m ready for whatever awaits and that invisible support is always available to us when we ask. We need but BREATHE deeply as we stop, look, and listen … then act with faith on whatever guidance arises from within.

I posted this image and affirmation recently at Facebook with great gratitude after it was shared by Darlene Hamrick. I add both here as a declaration of my readiness as an invitation to you to do likewise if you dare.

I am open to receive and willing to accept all the Universe has to offer me now.

I’ll try to publish my 2011 Labyrinth Christmas card very soon, and will be writing here at least weekly from now on … so watch for what comes next and let me hear from you, because I really want to create a community here and at Labyrinth Journal too.

Thought for Today
“The older I grow the more earnestly I feel that the few joys of childhood are the best that life has to give.” Ellen Glasgow

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My Recurring Lessons on Health and Well-Being …

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Virginia

Although I did add a quick message about TeachNow two weeks ago, I notice my last update was in mid-July … so it’s been about three months since I’ve shared anything here even though I’ve wanted to publish more regularly. Apparently my body needed rest and I’ve opted to honor that need in order to remain healthy because I remember what happened in the early 1990s when I ignored those messages from my body and simply pushed through the symptoms as I’d been taught to do early in life. I’ll share those stories another time, but if you’re curious now … you’ll find a brief overview of my life here: 101 Things About Me.

I intend to remedy this situation and begin to publish more often … starting with the goal of posting at least weekly and increasing that as I’m able. Today I begin with three labyrinth pieces I wrote this morning as I contemplated a few recent quotes from my perpetual calendar from Dr. Christiane Northrup who wrote Women’s Bodies, Women’s Health in 1994 … about the Mind Body Connection … and helped me stabilize my health after an extended illness.

I realize these labyrinth pieces are challenging to read on the computer so I’ve added audio files above each that you can click to listen me read them to you. Please note that it’s possible to print out a copy to read in your hands as I wrote them … if you so desire.

Press play to listen to me read this piece now.

Press play to listen to me read this piece now.

Press play to listen to me read this piece now.

Thought for today:

“Be open to the messages and mysteries of your body and its symptoms. Be eager to listen and slow to judge. What you learn may have the capacity to save your life.”

Dr. Christine Northrup

 

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Don’t Miss this Wonderful Opportunity

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Virginia

Coming soon! Best-selling author and teacher Jen Louden of the Savor and Serve Cafe and master coach and teacher Michele Lisenbury Christensen of Working with Power are offering their life-changing program Teach Now once again with an updated message: Shine on a Shoestring with Free Support for Brilliant Programs!

I believe you will love it whether or not you see yourself as a teacher already or want to become one. What I loved most from the first two sessions of their interactive program were the fascinating 20-30 minute interviews with amazing teachers from diverse fields like Susan Piver, Christina Baldwin, Mark Nepo, Elizabeth Lesser, Mark Silver, Sharon Salzberg, Angeles Arriens, Amy Weintraub and many others. I’ve listened to each of these recordings multiple times and come away with new insights each time. Click the link to check the program out for yourself and sign up for the free call on September 21st.

Watch their brief video and subscribe to download a free action guide with:
• 5 Kinds of Support That Don’t Cost Money
• 8 Keys to Training Impeccable Free Help
• 5 Signs Your Support Plan is Likely to Go Well
• 9 Questions to Help You Decide What to Delegate (and What Not To)

The free call stands alone, it’s not a sales pitch, it’s recorded in case you can’t be there live, and it’s an actual class. Let me know what you think.

I know it’s been a long time since I’ve updated this blog and I plan to catch up very soon because there’s much to share. The most exciting news is that I’ve published my first Journal “Writing the Labyrinth with Virginia: Choice” and you can click the link to read more about it at my website.

Thought for Today
“Who dares to teach must never cease to learn.”
John Cotton Dana

Posted in invitations, labyrinth journal writing, progress update | 1 Comment

Where did the past 4 weeks go?

Posted on July 13, 2011 by Virginia

… or what’s been happening in MY busy life???  LOTS … and most (but not all) of it quite enjoyable!!! This morning I’m wishing I hadn’t upgraded to the most recent version of Firefox because everything moving slower than molasses at the moment … taking much longer than usual, but hopefully it’s just my laptop’s security getting used to the new way things work and everything will be back to normal speed soon.

Three rooms of my home have been de-cluttered thanks to help from my 2007 Taos ‘writing buddy’ Jan of My Dumbo Feather, and her good friend Kathy. After traveling from Minnesota to catch up with family & friends in Northern California, they arrived in Southern California for a two-day visit and stayed for SIX … putting their considerable organizational and Feng Shui skills to excellent use for about half of them … teaching me to do things in tiny steps … celebrating along the way … and I’m exceedingly grateful to them both!

Of course that leaves one more room downstairs plus a bathroom, laundry room, and pantry to deal with before I begin upstairs, but I’m amazed at what we accomplished in just 3.5 days of dedicated effort together. I’m caught up in the momentum and doing something every day to keep myself moving in the right direction, feeling confident I’ll finish the task much sooner than anticipated. Here they are on my front patio on their last evening ready to eat delicious pizza from Munchies, but I prepared breakfast, lunch and dinner for them using my rusty but adequate ‘culinary’ skills most of our days together.

It wasn’t all work and no play however. Since they arrived on ‘Taco Tuesday’ we dined in the Barefoot Bar of Duke’s by the HB Pier then walked the Tuesday evening ‘street fair’ that evening. On Friday I gave them a guided tour of the local coastal area … driving out on the Balboa penninsula then taking the ferry to Balboa Island before continuing south through Newport Beach, Corona Del Mar, Laguna and all the way to Dana Point Harbor before turning for home. Unfortunately neither the Chart House nor Cannons were open for lunch so we ended up at Ruby’s Diner for tasty burgers instead. Jan and I walked barefoot on the beach at the shoreline looking at rocks & shells in the surf while Kathy (who had fallen and injured her hip earlier in the trip) sat on the bluff above overlooking the ocean.

The place seems lonely without them … especially since my sister & her husband left to visit family & friends up north for a couple of weeks, but Ms. Kitty and Molly keep me company and I’ve been busily catching up with gardening tasks … weeding, pruning, repotting plants, etc.

In some one-on-one coaching the past couple of months, Isabel Parlett (the Soundbite Shaman) has been helping me work through ‘money & marketing’ issues and I’m making steady progress. I’ve established a PayPal account attached to a newly established checking account for Labyrinth Journal so when my first journal is published finally, people can purchase it there. In addition, I’m participating in Lissa Bole’s free ‘Jupiter-Midas Effect’ virtual symposium and trying to catch up then stay current with the two-month intensive ‘Get Your Work Out There’ training with Samantha Bennett & Steve Harper because ‘life’ has tossed a few health related hardballs for some dear friends of mine and we’d all appreciate your prayer for healing, comfort, courage, and strength to face whatever comes. I’ll be attending the Awesome Women’s Hub Tour event in Riverside this weekend.

There’s more but I’m out of time for now. I’m closing this post with the exciting news that my first ‘Writing the Labyrinth’ journal with the theme of ‘Choice’ is at the printer and should be available very soon! If it’s successful, I have several more such journals on other themes ready to go right away. I’ll leave a link on this site when it become available, but this is what the cover will look like. It’s a cropped ‘portrait’ version of a ‘landscape’ snapshot of the labyrinth on the Mabel Dodge Luhan grounds taken last summer.

Thought for Today
“The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you.”
John E. Southard
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Meet my colorfully expressive creative self

Posted on June 11, 2011 by Virginia

… dancing joyfully with uncharacteristic flamboyant abandon! I hardly recognize myself. How about you? Kasha Mama shared this amazing ‘resonant’ image at Facebook this morning, and I fell in love with it!

‎”To be nobody but yourself
in a world which is doing its best, night and day,
to make you everybody else means to fight
the hardest battle which any human being can fight;
and never stop fighting.”
e e cummings

So when Athena Burke – Singing Love shared a poster from ‘Singing in the Rain’ as representative of her day and invited others to share images illustrating our day, I couldn’t resist using it as my response! Once the floodgates opened, I shared it on BOTH of my pages (with quotes from e e cummings and Robert Frost shared above and below here), and at The Hurricane of Gratitude together with the following message:

I’m grateful for the freedom to CHOOSE how I respond to whatever comes, and to be myself … just as I am … no modifications needed. Thanks to @KashaMama for this beautiful image illustrating how I feel today. ♥

I hope I’ve not stepped on anyone’s toes using this magical image repeatedly. If you know who created the graphic, I’ll be happy to add credit everywhere. Just let me know, please.

I relieved to report that it didn’t take me long to get myself moving forward productively after giving in to a little ‘whining’ briefly last Thursday evening in response to Sam Bennett’s feedback the Get Your Work Out There private Facebook support group lamenting:

I’m pretty sure (the technical things) would be fairly easy for me to do … if I could just get a ‘c’ rather than giving in to my inner editor who is very fierce and hard to ignore when I’m at the keyboard. I took Christina Hills’ Website Creation …course this past Spring so I wouldn’t need to hire a web person, and I’m enrolled in her ‘extended support’ group so I have access to the ‘how to’ directions, explained clearly and directly. In the past, I taught myself to do lots of technical things (including some HTML coding) when it was all new and I didn’t have other fish to fry, but the ‘technical stuph’ isn’t something I enjoy any more so it tends to get shoved to the bottom of the list. I guess that’s why I asked about hiring someone … just to get it done and move on to other things. That said, as far as the communication sequence for Aweber follow up goes, if I wrote those out ahead of time on paper rather than trying to compose at the computer as I’ve thought about doing … that might flow quickly.

At the moment, it feels like I’m spinning my wheels … having trouble making any decisions at all. Maybe I’ll listen to the last coaching call with Isabel to get myself FOCUSED again. I have the sense that using a teacher’s lesson plan book (a tool I used for decades) might help me get a handle on things because the different aspects of getting published, starting a web business, and marketing stuph would be like the different subject areas I covered in the classroom. I could see everything all at once and have an overview of how everything fits. Thanks for the support, suggestions, and the space to let this all spill out of almost as if I was writing the labyrinth by hand. Guess my inner editor was bored because this took me no time at all. Now if I could just figure out how that happened, maybe I could get the technical stuph done?

Friday I regained a sense of clarity and focus, decided I’d use the GYWOT support as originally intended to actually ‘Get My Work Out There’ rather than to write the TAE ‘book proposal’ because I’ll get enough support from Christine Kloser on that project. I dug out a ‘plan book’ I’d purchased a while back and started blocking tasks into the two month-long time frame, decided against signing up for yet another tantalizing offer in the form of Molly Gordon’s Wise Women’s Mastermind group. I’m fully aware that one way I procrastinate is by jumping into such exciting opportunities because I love to learn!

Instead I sat down, scanned, recorded, and published five labyrinth pieces at my Labyrinth Journal website that I created (and intended to share) last Sunday … then added links at Facebook to let people know what I’d accomplished, inviting visitors. This morning I spent some time networking and letting myself be seen at Facebook which generated some traffic to my public pages and earned me some additional followers. After taking a break to walk Molly then do some gardening (my citrus trees were covered with sticky ‘gunk’ from flies and needed to be washed with soap), I took a shower, washed my hair, then created an account at Vervante which was easier than I anticipated. When I tried to do this last November, I didn’t realize it wasn’t necessary to fill in ALL the information.  Live and learn!

It seems I’ve acquired useful experience over the past several months which hopefully will continue to serve me well. Either this afternoon or tomorrow morning I’ll send an email to Cyndy Tyler with some questions, and perhaps send her a print-ready PDF of my first Labyrinth Journal for publication. Soon I’ll be able to hold a copy in my hands, after which I plan to send copies to a number of people who have helped me get this far and begin to offer the journals for sale!

I’m feeling pleased with my vibrant expressive energy today.  After I leave a link to this post at the GYWOT group, I’m ready to relax and savor this moment with all I’ve accomplished!

Thought for Today
‎”Freedom lies in being bold.” Robert Frost

 

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Synchronicity abounds … and the beat goes on

Posted on June 9, 2011 by Virginia

Recently I encountered a new friend at Facebook who happens to live just minutes from me. She’s familiar with and is planning to attend the Awesome Women’s Hub Tour stop in Riverside, CA this July (2011) and thinks it might be perfect for me to attend as well. Yesterday we met for coffee at 9am and talked until noon, when we both needed to run to catch up with pressing schedules. Although I’m not sure I’m fully ready to ‘sponsor’ anything, after listening to Denise talk about the event … I’m almost positive I don’t want to miss it, so I’ll probably register soon.

We spent those three hours getting acquainted by sharing our stories, noting places of intriguing & unexpected ‘connection’ … like her growing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan where my mom lived before moving to California with her family and both of us winding up on our knees in 1989 when our lives fell apart and we were left wondering what happened. One expansive gift I carried with me long after was that of seeing my labyrinth writing through her eyes … as ‘art’ … not simply words on the page written slowly in a confusing convoluted form. Perhaps I don’t need to hire a typist after all? Time will tell …

I hurried home, quickly changed into more casual clothes and headed in to get my hair cut in Signal Hill … anxiously keeping my eye on the needle of the gas tank gauge sitting just above the red line … knowing I didn’t have time to stop for gas on the way … hoping I’d arrive with enough fuel left to get myself to Costco to fill up … fearing I’d run dry and have to call the Auto Club instead.

That probably would have happened if I’d headed to Costco in Los Alamitos (as intended), but when I mentioned my dilemma to Lee Magallanes at Encore Hair Studio (who cuts & perms my hair regularly and has done for YEARS making my life so much simpler), he reminded me of a Costco at the Lakewood Mall, so that’s where I went instead.

Eighteen plus gallons and eighty plus dollars later (YIKES!!!), I breathed a sigh of relief and stopped at my sister’s house on the way home, checked out her new flooring & visiting briefly before continuing to Mimi’s Cafe in Long Beach where I stopped for a late lunch/early dinner … and to pick up 4 free muffins using a coupon 😉

Upon arriving home, I put left-overs in the fridge, muffins in the freezer, fed the fur-kids. brewed a cup of white tea and sat down at the Sony laptop to fill out my ‘weekly progress update’ for the Get Your Work Out There two-week ‘intensive’ training with Samantha & Steve … which took longer than necessary because I was unable to turn off my obsessively critical inner editor. I’ve made a note to myself to print the report form, fill it out by hand, then scan to send in from now on. I’m sure that will ‘work’ much better.

I tried to watch THE VOICE, a new ‘tv favorite’ right up there with So You Think You Can Dance, but dozed off … so I turned off the television and slept soundly. I awakened just after 3am, arose, fed the fur-kids, brewed Kona coffee in my Keurig machine (a gift I’m grateful to have given myself) and wrote for almost 3 hours before checking email and Facebook.

This morning my heart goes out to all those affected by the fires raging in Arizona (and weather related challenges world wide). I was relieved to hear from a dear friend in Placitas, New Mexico that they’re okay, but the photos she shared reminded me of personal experiences with fires here in Southern California … where the sky turns an ominous orangy brown that makes you want to stop breathing entirely. I’m praying for relief and rain, hoping you’ll join me.

For quite some time now, I’ve used the Maitri Meditation daily. It centers me and opens up a wider space of compassionate concern for self, others, and the world. Recently with so many real challenges all over the world, it has become a walking meditation … a prayer for all of us.
May we be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be peaceful.
May you live with ease.

There’s more, of course, but I have things I want to accomplish and time is fleeting … so that’s where I am today. How about you?

Thought for Today
“We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future.” George Bernard Shaw

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What an AMAZING day!

Posted on June 6, 2011 by Virginia

I awoke at 2:22am (glancing at the clock brought to mind a television show from the past called Room 222 about which I have fond memories) and I rolled over hoping to sleep a bit longer, but that was not to be. I arose about 20 minutes later, made coffee, fed the fur-kids, then sat down to write. Around 5:30 I felt hungry but didn’t want to cook anything so I took a shower, washed my hair, and walked downtown (carrying my journal so I could write more if the muse remained with me) to eat at a local IHOP instead. On the way I found a penny in the first block and picked it up, reminding myself that ‘all day I’d have good luck’ … then a few blocks later I found a dime and laughed at my good fortune because both the coins felt like reminders of abundance all around me.

While at the restaurant, I chatted with the waitress who is fascinated by my labyrinth writing … wrote a bit more, ate two pancakes with two pieces of bacon and scrambled eggs, then wrote some more before heading home. As I rounded the corner at my street, I stopped to visit briefly with neighbors then headed home to get ready for the twice monthly Beyond Mindset Village call with Christine Kloser (scheduled on the first & third Mondays) and noticed an email from Christine about a new BONUS for Platinum Pass members of the Transformational Author Experience! She’s added 6 monthly coaching calls scheduled on the last Tuesday of the month from June through November … totally FREE! I laughed aloud at the ‘unexpected gift of additional support’ as I write my book with the intention of submitting a proposal to the contest associated with this program.

I’ve listened to THREE calls with Christine today (one for Beyond Mindset Village and two for Transformational Authors) … the first two of which were 90 minutes long (with about a half hour break), and the third call was more than two hours long because she promised to answer ALL questions asked … and there were more than 144 questions in the Q&A box on the webcast. What a trooper she is! Energetic to the end for sure and so positive through it all. I’m full-up with practical information and ready for what comes next, but right now I’m about to take Molly out to play, then go for another walk to clear my head … this one along the beach. I’ll write more about the calls another time.

I hope YOU’RE having an amazing day too! If you’re struggling or facing challenges, may I suggest you stop to count your many blessings … naming them one by one … even writing them down. It could lift YOUR spirit 😉

Thought for Today
“Gratitude is an art of painting an adversity into a lovely picture.” Kak Sri

Posted in AboutMe, progress update, stories | 1 Comment