Seedlings

Signing Up for Blog at New Site

Dear Blog Readers and RSS Feedburner Subscribers,

 

Since I moved my blog in late August to my new emerging website, http://yoursoulsatisfaction.com, the RSS Feedburner address changed. 

 

So, DO sign up at: (http://yoursoulsatisfaction.com/blog) for the RSS Feedburner to receive my blog posts on a regular basis!

 

The Diva of Delight is shaking things up and you will be hearing more from her!

 

Here’s to your Success,

Sandra

Sandra Jones,  PCC

Sandra Jones, Inc.

Office:  (425) 646-8170
http://www.coachingadventures.com
sandra@coachingadventures.com/

blog: http://yoursoulsatisfaction.com/blog

 

 

 

We've Moved!

As of August 29, 2009 Seedlings has moved to my YourSoulSatisfaction website.  Please, visit my blog there and sign-up for feedblitz:

http://yoursoulsatisfaction.com/?page_id=16

Thank you for continuing to join me!

Warm Regards,

Sandra Jones

Passion as Fuel

Have you seen Julie & Julia?  If you haven’t get yourself to a theater! The sheer delight that is created in this film as Julia Child discovers and follows her passion for French cooking is richly entertaining.  Meanwhile, her passion for exploration is mirrored by a protégé’s experience 40 years later as Julie in 365 days tries all 524 recipes in Julia ‘s book, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.”  The film’s characters reflect off of each other in the ongoing playful banter between mates. Their banter seems to reflect unequivocally the fact that they are crazy about each other through multiple challenges.*

As you can imagine I was hot on this movie from the start as I saw Julia’s passion grow from an appetite for gourmet food and natural curiosity about French cooking to full blown mastery and a desire to share it.  Her quest for mastery and writing about French cooking grew even when thwarted by several obstacles.   Find out all of the juicy details when you attend the movie.

Julia was 49 when she and her co-authors published “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” in 1961.By 1963 she had her own television program in the United States, and it ran nationally for 10 years.  During her 60's and 70's she continued to expand her cooking, teaching and entertaining abilities and shared them with millions.  In 1989, at 77 she created what she consider her magnum opus a book and instructional video series collectively entitled The Way To Cook.

Julia’s passion not only for French Cooking but for life kept her growing and glowing well into her elder years.  She is an amazing model of following one’s passion with dedication and verve.  I am not sure that I am inclined to dig into” Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” however, I am truly inspired by this woman’s commitment to her passion(s).

*Turns out, Julie has an affair after writing her second book.  ... After some re-entering this blog post several times to get the formatting "right." I am allowing a little Halloween humor to creep in early and getting on to other things!

Being Thankful

Last night although I seemed to have a wrestling match going on in my mind,
as I prepared for bed I began to surrender to simple things,  opening the
windows to let the fresh air flow in, finding a good book to spend a few
minutes with before sleep, taking exquisite care of my sweet feet. 
As I settled down, I heard the gentle patter of the rain and just imagined
how grateful a newly pruned bush was for the added moisture.

Nature is one of the fonts of gratitude for me.  It brings me back to
the simple pleasures.  Birds are a fascination.  This morning the birds
in the area were quiet, several robins and a flicker were rapt in search
of worms brought to the surface by the rain.  Stellar jays, the only ones
breaking the silence swooped overhead and lighted without agitation.
Harmony seemed to surround us all.

When I go to gratitude, harmony and abundance often follow.  I danced this
morning, the Five Rhythms to open my body to fresh flexibility and my mind
often follows.  The Fifth Rhythm is silence.  After about ten minutes of
silence, I heard the phone ring, and chose not to interrupt my meditation. 
And, I couldn’t help but hear a message from a colleague whom I had asked
for information from a couple of days earlier. From that space of well-being
and gratitude, good things were already beginning to flow.

Let’s take time throughout the day to:
Be still
Be aware, and
Be grateful.

Hot and Cranky

Yes, we were!  Friends were, neighbors were, and I was, at least once over the last week.  Here in the Seattle/Bellevue area we were having some of the hottest temperatures on record for this region as we broke 100 degrees on Wednesday.   As I saw tempers flare with the temperatures, I became aware that when I am physically uncomfortable, it is much less easy for me to be “nice.”  I am more likely to speak my truth whether I “intend to” or not.  That is, socially acceptable behaviors can go out the window.

Socially Acceptable…just what is that?!  No, I don’t want to directly or indirectly send angry responses that I don’t intend, however, I do think those kind of “errors” can be fruitful occasionally.  We can discover how we really feel about a situation/person.  Once that is in the open, then the choice is whether or not we want to be responsible for those feelings and how we handle them from that point forward.

During peri-menopause we can experience significant heat waves that are not weather related and they can push us to that place of expressing our true feelings in less than a graceful way.  Once again, the learning opportunities are great.  What is true?  What is that anger really about?  Have I owned up to my real feelings to myself, to others?  At earlier periods in our lives we may have tolerated, now is not the time to tolerate but to investigate.  Gently, compassionately.

A tool I often use the four questions from Byron Katie's The Work:

Is that true?

Can you absolutely know that it’s true?

How do I react when I think that thought?

Who would I be without that thought?

In my case, I thought I was doing more than my share of work on a project.  I am not really sure that was true from the other person’s perspective and it was from mine.  So, if I want to be more compassionate and loving to myself and this co-worker, then it’s important to share my truth and find out hers.  Then we have something to work with.  In the meantime, asking and answering the above questions brings me back to me.  The only place I really have true power.

Following Your Passion

Eighteen months ago I met a woman over 45 who was thriving as she taught English as a second language in China. Catherine beamed as she shared some of her experiences and how she had documented them in one of her three blogs. Meeting her lit a fire in me, "I want to be encouraging women over forty five to follow their passion(s) as Catherine has!".  Lo, 18 months later I have a client that is doing just that.  She just happens to be leaving for China in a few days as part of pursuing her passion.

This client came to me when she realized her vision for her future is huge and she wants support in staying true to it.  One of her fist major discoveries was that what she previously thought were distractions in her life can actually be part of her plan.

Suzanna wants to teach children important, nurturing life skills through art and story.  She not only wants to teach locally but in other cultures.  However, she felt stuck because a trip to Laos this spring had not resulted in in the generous sharing of stories and images as she had imagined.  So, as she planned for her trip to China, she decided it was important to get a coach to support her in realizing the fruits of that trip and staying on purpose with her larger vision.

So, Suzanna has fresh focus for the trip ahead as well as clarity on what will happen when she returns.  Stay tuned, with her permission I will share a picture or two and link you to her blog.

How about you?

Are your passions clear?

How are you folllowing them?

The Power of Acceptance

The first time I heard that if I wanted to stop suffering, all I needed to do was accept, I didn't exactly "accept" that news with open arms.  Doing so would have required my giving up on having things be different!  And, I came to realize the freedom that acceptance can provide.

A simple example of the way acceptance can work is that every summer I find that I develop a bit of a "south of the border" disposition.  I don't work at the same pace all day.  I find myself wide awake at 5:15 a.m. and wanting a nap at 2:00.  I start to balk at the pattern until I remember that this is the way my body works during the hottest summer months.  Why fight it!  If I want to get as many productive hours in, just start earlier!  Fortunately, I am self-employed so this can happen.  And, I have heard of those in corporate settings who close their office door or go to their car for their siesta.

I saw a wonderful example of accepting the temperature and its impact when I traveled years ago in Europe, particularly in Greece.  In Greece people disappeared from the streets in the afternoon and then there was great activity and conviviality in the late afternoons and night.  They know how to accept the weather as a friend.

As women over forty-five, accepting that it takes more consist-ant effort to keep your body in terrific shape, gives me a sense of peace and control.  I can't always control how my body will respond, but I can accept that consistent effort on my part can make a difference.

Where in your life might acceptance make a difference?

Cracks Let the Light In

Sky* knows hundreds, if not thousands, of important artists, writers, preachers and politicians.  Daily as “Spirit Warrior” he shares snippets of those Individuals’ works through the web with what seems like great multitudes.  When I first began to receive these daily missives they rather annoyed me. “How could anyone be in touch with that many folks, and do I really need to know all of them?!! “

Over time I have come to treasure Sky’s daily offering.  Now several times a week I open up a crack in my world to let Sky in.  Through those cracks Sky educates, entertains, berates, provokes and celebrates.  Sky is someone whom I share with you as women 45 and over as he is over 45 and I have learned to trust him as someone committed to his spiritual path and who shares his own cracks and life lessons. 

Sky's sharing also shows up at a contemplative service which he instigated and helps maintain.  This past Sunday he chose to reintroduced me and others to Leonard Cohen , a prolific singer-songwriter and author, and his song Anthem.  Wow!  The chapel rocked.  We were moved by both the rich rhythms and the provoking lyrics:

“Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.”

After playing the song, Sky led us in an illuminating discussion of how, indeed, our cracks do inform our life journey, and, perhaps can be the instigators of our spiritual journey.  Years after leaving home where I rarely rebelled even as a teenager, I began my rebellious phase.  I tested some of the tried and true family values that my parents had so carefully laid down.  Expressing my rebel created one of my cracks as it provided a contrast to my “pleaser.” The rebel continues to inform my awareness of my values and what happens when I don’t honor them.

So what are some of your cracks?  What light have they brought in for you?

*Should you want to be on Sky’s email list, contact him at: SpiritWarriorSky@aol.com.  If you find that his offerings don't suit you, he assures me that you can cancel at anytime.

The Power of Being Seen

Recently I had the great privilege of being in on a Mentor Certification Course through invite.CHANGE, a coach training organization where I am on staff.  Now, certification programs are not always known for their inspiring nature.  However, when it comes to coaching, I have found that inspiration and accelerated personal growth are almost always part of the package.

While all of the participants came to this course with depth of coaching experience and training (most of the coaches are nationally credentialed Master Coaches), we are all human beings going through our own challenges and life changes.  During the course over a three month period we coached and mentored each other on real issues.  What is unique about this group is that we have been trained and embody the belief that all human beings are whole, capable and resourceful at their core.

This commitment to see anyone we are coaching or mentoring through this lense of unconditional personal regard creates an environment that immediately and in a most satisfying way opens up possibility.  Given a commitment to deep work within a space of safety, things can get messy; tears, doubt, confusion may show-up.  However, these conditions are not seen as having any real permanence because we know who the individuals we are coaching really are.  This embodiment of knowing and seeing a person at a deeper level frees them to experience and see themselves at the level of essence.  Tension, fear, and doubt gently dissipate.  Energy and clarity and confidence return.

This way of being with one another that transformative coaching provides is one of the skills that we all can benefit during this time of tumultuous change.  We all benefit from being reminded who we truly are and learning to reclaim our good just when we and others need it most.

Swinging Into Summer - Reduce Stress, Increase Fun

What are you doing to reduce your stress by strengthening your physical CORE? 

Recently I decided that I wanted to add more FUN to my walk, weights and 5 Rhythms Dance routine.  So, I am taking an East Coast Swing dance course.  Yes, I have taken dance lessons numerous times throughout my life with mixed results.  The main missing element has been getting good enough so that I am a confident follow.  That has changed since I took tango lessons.

For many years I had wanted to dance the tango, and yet had only seen it done “on stage” or in movies.  Then I was asked by a tall, handsome gentleman if I had ever thought of taking tango lessons.  Needless to say, he had my attention.  He was very generous and helped me get started with the basics before I even took a class.  I was smitten. 

James, my first tango dance partner, was a great advocate for social dance.  What he and I agree you gain from social dance is:

1)    Enjoyable exercise, physical and mental.

2)     Being taken to a "different world" where stress naturally melts away.

3)    Fun… most long-term ball room dancers dance because they love it and you can see it on their faces and with their dancing.

4)    “I feel more alive!” quipped one of my fellow dancers after a recent dance.

5)    A place to mingle with men as well as women as a single person.  There are generally enough singles who will dance that you can be on the dance floor whether you have a designated partner or not.  (I am focused on finding these groups, and welcome any suggestions.)

The icing on the cake with tango was that I learned to follow.  Sonny Newman, who teaches Argentine tango in Seattle’s north end, is a task master and it pays off.  Thanks to him I began to experience dancing the tango with a partner as almost a spiritual experience.  Being present with a partner translated into my becoming an increasingly competent follow with greater appreciation and compassion for my partner.

How about you, are you dancing?

What keeps you dancing literally and figuratively?

If you want to enjoy skilled instructors, check-out:

jodi@LeftFootBoogie.com

Sonny Newman and his wife Nancy at http://www.tangoseattle.com/