Rest and Relaxation

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This last weekend was a much-needed rest and total relaxation at my Sister’s lovely home with our childhood friends and fellow knitter’s, Chrissy and Cathy.  We spent the weekend knitting, eating, sipping wine and basking in the warmth of Spring and a lifetime of memories together.  I was in total appreciation of this moment of time especially after working so hard these past three weeks.  Not only did I work 6 days a week at my Studio but I also worked at my Corporate Massage Job, started promoting my new home-based business for ViSalus 90-Day Challange , made it to Director in the first 3 weeks and lost 7 lbs. too!  It was exciting, prosperous but, let’s face it, I was pooped!

Spring at my Sister’s property means baby lambs.  She had 6 born in the past few days so we would take a break from knitting every few hours to walk the property to check on them.  There was no hurry, no agenda, no clock watching, and no worries.  I swear the grass was greener, the sky bluer and the air even smelled sweeter.  Yes, I was definitely in a pure state of appreciation for every aspect of this perfect 28 hours of letting go.

I start this week renewed and refreshed and feeling appreciation for all the wonderful details of the life I’ve created.  I love knowing I get to choose what I give my attention to.  I love the people I attract into my life.  I love the health and well-being I enjoy on a daily basis.  Life is good and getting better everyday.  More to come……

In the Zone

It’s been a little over 2 years that I decided to put my focus on well-being and write about my journey through this blog.  I can’t express the delight of all the wonderful manifestations that have come to be during this time.  I’ve written about a lot of them but they are coming so fast now that I haven’t managed to find the time to write them all down.  I have been the recipient of abundance in many unexpected ways.

Since my last blog entry I have been given the opportunity to do Corporate Massage at a company that employees 300 people (which came out of the blue).  This wonderful company provided me with a massage chair and I just happened to have an extra massage table I can keep set up in a room they have provided for me.  I have a receptionist that schedules my appointments and everyone shows up on time and are very grateful for this service.  I only do this one day a week but I am enjoying it more than I thought I would.  In the meantime, my business at SOAP Studio is getting busy as well.

I also had another unexpected opportunity handed to me.  A few weeks back I was minding my own business, having lunch in the parking lot of Taco Bell and knitting when I got a phone call from my friend Janet  (she was in the car next to me).  She got in my car and told me of an exciting new network marketing company she recently got involved with and wanted me to do it with her.  I felt a little resistance at her offer because I just took on the corporate massage but I told her I would check it out.  She was very insistant and gave me a shake to try and videos to watch plus accentuated that it would be so much fun to do this together.  I was thinking to myself….well, I could stand to lose 15 lbs. but I already have a full-time job with my massage business.  As the week went by,  she broke down my resistance and I went to her 90 Day Challange Party with my friend and now we are both Promoters of ViSalus Sciences.  These past three weeks have been super-charged with activity.  I have never worked so hard in my life or have had so much fun.  On Monday I will have achieved the next level in this company, have lost about 5 lbs., and my business is picking up at the Studio as well.  I am in my zone and loving it.

Still taking my English Riding lessons and feeling more comfortable with every lesson (my instructor is on the 90 Day Challenge as well).  Am I loving my life?  Most definitely!!!  More to come……

Tally-Ho!

I’ve taken 3 riding lessons so far at Hillside Training Stables.  It has become apparent that I will be needing lots of lessons in order to fulfill my goal of riding in Ireland with my daughter.  My teacher Kathy has exceeded my expectations though and assures me that everything will kick into place by my 5th lesson (I trust her completely).

Since I have the first lesson spot in the morning, it is my job to get my mount, Joker, out of the stall, groom him and tack-up for my lesson.  This process is a complete lesson in itself.  Joker is a 12 year old Quarter Horse (15.2 hands) and is very patient with me while I go through the process of scraping off dirt, brushing out shedding hair and picking out his hooves.  Then I go to the tack room and retrieve his bridle, saddle, girth and pad and tack up.  I get a little better each time but I’m hoping this whole process will finally kick into a comfortable gear on the 5th lesson too.

English riding is completely different from Western.  Kathy has explained to me that even the bridle is designed for a completely different communication.  So far my lessons have been focused on my body position and leg pressure.  Last week we concentrated on holding the reins and turning.  I have to say, it’s a lot more complicated than I was expecting.  I still have a lot of the western habits to overcome.  Once again, I have been assured the 5th lesson will bring it all home.

Learning something new is always uncomfortable at first.  It takes time for everything to fall into place and make sense.   I feel courageous in this new endeavor and embrace the temporary discomfort with faith that I will be soon riding with ease and skill.  Tally-Ho and away I go!!

Next lesson we trot.  More to come……

Manifestations

Samantha and Sunee

Last month I had my first workshop at SOAP Studio called Write Your Own Story Book.  I was hoping to have 6 people and ended up with 8.  The workshop covered the principles of The Law of Attraction and how the Creative Process works plus putting together a Creation Journal.  I spent weeks putting this workshop together and found myself focusing on what topics to cover and deciding on how much time to give to each subject and so on.  I got so caught up on the details it occured to me that I hadn’t even read my own Creation Journal in a while.   The next day I decided to read it from the very beginning (which was about the time I started this blog about 2 years ago).  I was amazed and surprised to find that a lot of the things I had written down had already been manifested.  It was quite an eye-opener!!

Riding in San Juan Capistrano

One of the newer entries was a desire to take some Horseback riding lessons.  While visiting my daughter last fall in San Juan Capistrano, I spent a lot of time with her at the barn while she took care of her “leased” horse Sunee.  We went for a ride together and I had a blast.  I used to ride a lot when I was younger and after spending time at the barn and around horses, I found that I wanted to get back in the saddle again.  My thought process was that if I took riding lessons then I would get familiar with taking care of a horse again and eventually might even lease a horse for myself.  It felt good writing it down in my Creation Journal.

Last week while driving home from my hair appointment, I saw a sign that said Riding Lessons and a phone number.  I didn’t have time to go back to write down the number so I made a mental note to check it out next time I was there.  When I got back to the office, I quickly checked my emails.  There was a message from my daughter and a link for a contest for an all-expense-paid trip to Ireland to ride horses in the country past castles and such.  I got chills up my spine.  Now we have been talking about doing this very trip for about 2 years.  In fact, it was written in my Creation Journal at the very beginning (I also was wanting to visit some Pubs and Yarn Shops too).  I read the fine print and it said the winners must be able to ride English.   Aha!  I’m not suppose to take Western riding lessons, I’m suppose to take English riding lessons.  Again, goosebumps up my spine.

Today I took the first step and visited a barn where I most likely will be taking my lessons.  The instructor actually got her instructor certification in England and she is all about positive thinking.  Now all I have to do is make the commitment and buy some riding pants and boots.  Should I take the plundge?  I think I already have.

More to come……

 

New Year-New Perspectives

What is it about coming to the end of a year that puts us all in a reflective mood?  We automatically look back at the year we are just finishing and find ourselves looking forward to that stroke of midnight on the 31st for that fresh new start.  It’s just a moment in time but somehow it feels completely different; it feels brand new and full of promise.

This week I sat down projecting some goals for next year in one column and what I accomplished this year in the other.  I was amazed how much I had written in the 2011 column.  I left the comfort of the day spa environment that I had been in for the past 15 years; created SOAP Studio;  moved my business twice; created a website and managed it on my own; had 2 events at SOAP Studio since September; and now working on my first workshop in January.   I did this all on my own except for moving the heavy furniture (thanks to my wonderful friends and family).  When I look at the list, it occurs to me how relatively easy it all was.    I didn’t put a lot of pressure on myself knowing that I would certainly be evolving through this whole process.  All that was needed on my part was to simply get started and keep going.   I had a little resistance at first, but mostly it flowed along smoothly.

Today here at SOAP Studio, I’ve put away all the Christmas decorations and have throughly cleaned my space.  I’ve washed windows, dusted, vacuumed and rearranged furniture creating a new perspective in my beautiful space.   When I finish this blog, I will continue working on my first workshop “Write Your Own Story Book” I will be teaching next month.

This was an incredible year of growth for me and this new year promises more of the same.  I want to thank the individuals who made life uncomfortable for me so I could move in the direction I so desperately needed to go.  I could not be here without you and feel blessed for this awareness.

Am I looking forward to this new year?  You bet I am.  It’s going to be the best year ever!!

Happy New Year Everyone!

Giving Thanks

Fall leaves in Nevada City

This past month has been full of wonderful blog-worthy events but I have to admit to laziness as far as my writing is concerned.  As I sit here in my beautiful office at SOAP Studio  listening to music at the end of my day, I wanted to take the time to send a quick post in gratitude to all the wonderful people who have blessed my life and added to my personal growth this year.  I always get a little mushy with my thankfulness on Thanksgiving and this year is no exception.  I would like to encourage everyone who reads this post to remember that the amount of well-being in the world is so much greater than what is perceived as “bad things”.  So turn off your TV, go outside, look at the fall colors, breathe in the sweet air, give all those in your path a friendly smile, and be conscious and aware that all is most certainly well.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING DEAR FRIENDS!!

Appreciation and Freedom

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This past weekend was spent up at my Sister and Brother-in-Law’s cabin up by the Sierra Buttes.  I was looking forward to seeing the fall colors and hiking in the solitude of the fall season.  Autumn has come late to the Sierra’s this year.  Even though there was snow a week ago, the foliage hasn’t quite got in the act of changing for the season quite yet.  None-the-less, it was a beautiful time to be in the mountains.

My Sister Jenny, and I planned to hike from the cabin to Dead Man’s Lake which can only be accessed on foot.  It’s about 4 miles and has some awesome views along the way.  We didn’t see a soul but were watchful in hopes of seeing deer or a bear.  Unfortunately, we didn’t see anything but squirrels and birds.

I love being in the woods with my Sister.  She and I both have great appreciation and respect for nature.  We never tire of witnessing the balance and perfection of nature and find ourselves reflective of our own lives and living through the natural process of life and death, growing and expanding.  Nature has taught us what a beautiful thing it is to let go of the struggle and see what pops up through the crack of least resistance.

We have walked this path several times over the years but this time there were a few surprises to delight us.  As we walked through Happy Valley (Jenny’s name for this portion of the trail), a large tree branch had fallen from one of the big trees and impaled itself into the ground perfectly straight to create a huge arch.  Jenny had been there just 2 weeks before and it wasn’t there.   I’ve never seen anything like that before.  Talk about perfection.  We were amazed how such a large limb was not only intact, but standing perfectly straight.  I’m still scratching my head.

As we climbed up to the top of the ridge we found another surprise.  Someone had taken the time to place some rocks between two little trees to make a labyrinth or a vortex if you will.  We had just been talking about being in the Vortex and then here it is!  I’m sending out a cosmic thank you to the creators of the Vortex. 

Lunch at Dead Man's Lake

We reached Dead Man’s Lake and found a large rock to sit and eat our lunch on.  We forgot to pack the fruit so all we had to eat was cheese and salami.  There are trout in the lake but they are pretty small and apparently hungry.  We tossed in little cheese pieces and watched them dart out of the shadows to snatch up the crumbs.  The lake is so clear you could not only see the fish but I was totally mesmerized with the light playing on the bottom of the lake as well.  The sun was directly overhead and the ripples looked like shifting colorful tiles.  Even the cheese ripples took on a life of its own.  If we had been there just an hour earlier or later, the light would have been much different.

Cheese Ripples

It was a lovely setting but we needed to say goodbye to the lake and head back home.   It was a delightful day indeed.

The Crooked Mile

The next day everyone needed to get home early so we were all packed up to leave right after breakfast.  I wasn’t in a hurry to get down the hill so I drove up to Sand Pond and decided to walk the Crooked Mile (that’s what we have always called it).  It’s a little interpretive trail that meanders through and around the marshes created by beaver when they were in residence.  I continued my walk around Sand Pond to the spillway between lakes.  No one was around.  I then walked a short way to Sardine Lake and again was amazed how deserted it was.  This is the most beautiful time of year and I got to enjoy it all to myself.

Sardine Lake

Knitting View at Sand Pond

I decided to find a bench and knit for a while in the sun and enjoy just “being” there and appreciating the beauty and silence.  The majestic Sierra Buttes were perfectly framed from my vantage point and the breeze occasionally created little sparkling diamonds on the water.  I was in no hurry to leave this place.

I drove through Sierra City and headed down to Downieville.  I had this impulse to stop and walk around Downieville.  I didn’t really have a reason except it was a beautiful day and I wanted to take some pictures.  When I got out of the car, I was surrounded by a swarm of ladybugs.  They were everywhere and crawling all over me.  Once again I was alone with no other person was on the street except for some occasional bike riders.  It was just me and thousands of ladybugs.  I was utterly delighted.  Ladybugs migrate every spring and fall along the path of the river.  I’ve never experienced it before but I was so glad I listened to the impulse to stop and get out of my car.

Ladybugs

My intent for the weekend was to get some Sister-time and experience the Sierra’s during my most favorite time of the year.  Indeed, I got what I had intended.  I love that feeling of being aligned with my well-being.  I love having the time to myself to focus and appreciate the life I am living.  I love the fact that I can be alone but not feel lonely.  Appreciation and freedom are my favorite words these days.  I practice the feeling place of those two words daily and often.  It truly is a wonderful world we live in.  I’m learning all right –  I’m learning to tap into my own unique vortex of creation.  It’s not about anything else but reaching out and “feeling” good.    More to come…..