Dawn on spring morning; shades of green exploding amidst bird euphoria. A pair of finches flit and dance in the low branches of the bridal wreath, dynamic yellow stars in a Friday morning musical. Fuchsia colored blossoms cling to the trunk and thick branches of the redbud tree. At the very tips of the skinny branches, tiny heart shaped leaves emerge. New growth.

Like the red bud on a spring morning, I am experiencing new growth. My days are filled with moments of exploration and learning. My life is abundant with opportunities to consider what I want to create, to take responsibility for what I am up to, to choose a direction, and to take action.

Lately my actions have me playing on the skinny branches where I’ve not been before. As the narrow limbs bend and bow, I am present to several options. I can choose to relax, to accept what is so, to develop flexibility, and to manage circumstances as they materialize. Or I can choose to tense up and fall, to evidence reasons for quitting, and scamper down the tree to the safety of my comfort zone on the ground. It is my choice.

Like the tiny hearts on the red bud tree, the new growth in my life starts on the skinny branches.

What do you want to create?

Where can you take responsibility?

What actions will move you forward?

Why not play on the skinny branches?

What does playing it safe cost you?

I have a vision of him emerging sleepily from his hole, stretching, yawning, looking around some, spotting his shadow and racing back into his den. I don’t know if that’s how it works for a groundhog. I know that is sometimes how it works for me.

I set my intention, create a vision for a project, build a plan, break it down into actions, and get busy moving forward. Progressing nicely, I celebrate my successes and reward myself for reaching milestones.

My days are sunny and all is well until the “next thing there is to do” appears too big and way too scary for me to take on. Fear creeps in and the stories I tell myself about failure and “what if?” partner up and come a callin’.

This stops me dead in my tracks. I am motionless, action-less and frozen. I look around tentatively and my shadow sneaks up behind me. There it is, tall and mighty, a perfect reflection of me and yet I feel timid and small.

This is familiar. I have been here before and what I have learned is this: I have three choices.

1. I can run and hide.

2. I can choose to do nothing.

3. Accompanied by my powerful shadow, I can take one small step toward my dream and see what happens.

The first two options most assuredly lead to six more weeks of sleepy inaction, amid blustery conditions. The third choice takes me toward the sun and the life I intend to create.

What do you notice about choice when fear comes a callin’?

Where do you let your shadow be a dis-empowering inauthentic reflection of you?

What is the next small step toward your dream?

What can you choose to create in the next six weeks that will speak powerfully of your unique magnificence?

Today I invite you to stand tall and choose powerfully.

I decided to hang it in the kitchen area, where participants gather for lunch during my workshops. The process of attaching the ball to the ceiling fan was challenging. I had to stand on a chair and balance the ball, while knotting the string attached to the top. This proved awkward and the JOY ball kept slipping lower than I originally planned. After several attempts, I felt satisfied with the presentation and I tied the knot.

I jumped down, returned the chair to its place in the corner, and promptly smacked my forehead on the JOY ball, which as it turns out, is hanging a tad low. Hmmm.

At first I thought I should adjust it, raising it slightly so as to avoid a good noggin-knockin’ each time I ventured across the kitchen. And then I realized leaving it “as is” provides a valuable lesson for me. Many times I have found myself searching for elusive joy, only to discover it was right in front of me all along. Sometimes I get entangled in “what could happen” and JOY has to hit me in the head for me to experience it. Given that A-HA, I choose to leave the JOY ball right where it is for now.

What do you see for yourself in this tale of the JOY ball?

Where in your life is JOY right in front of you

Where can you choose to look for JOY?

Where can you create it?

When I stumble upon a situation or circumstance that presents itself as a barrier to what I intend to achieve, my brilliant coach Sally will ask me “What’s perfect about this?”

I experience this question in a variety of ways. Sometimes I am baffled, unable to see anything remotely perfect, or I pause to consider the lesson to be excavated. Other times I feel angry that things don’t go as planned and head down the road of self defeat, evidencing my imminent failure. At my best I step back from the emotions and thoughts of the circumstance and get real curious about the perfection of the situation.

Earlier today my Kindred, Jacque called me at my little cottage office. We hadn’t seen each other in weeks and I was delighted to connect with her. When she mentioned she was in town and would soon be driving by on the way to an appointment, I stepped outside to wave as she passed. Anticipating I’d be outside for only a moment, I left my shoes inside and closed the door behind me, standing on the front step in my socks. Within seconds, the cold concrete penetrated my thin socks and I turned to open the door and grab my shoes. The door was locked. I found myself out in the cold with only socks on my feet.

Fortunately I keep a spare key in my car. Unfortunately I walked to work and my car was at home in the garage.

What’s perfect about this????

So many things….

I was still on the phone with Jacque.

She was driving by.

My house was on the route to her appointment.

She volunteered to give me a ride.

I easily accessed my house and garage since one of our daughters was home.

And the most beautiful PERFECTION of this situation was that I had the opportunity to see my beloved friend, if only for the brief interlude of the short drive.

When you find yourself challenged by circumstance, get curious, stop and ask yourself, “What’s perfect about this?”

Shifting your mind from doom and gloom to curiosity creates a space to choose what is next for you. Identifying what is perfect, can give voice to a powerful reminder of your commitment to your dreams.

What is perfect about this moment?

What golden opportunity awaits you when things don’t go as planned?

Barn burned down. Now I can see the moon.

Rumi

How often in life we find ourselves mired in the same old familiar thoughts, attitudes and habits. From this perspective our days become predictable. The infinite menu of life is obsolete as we stick with “the usual.”

When we choose the same old thing, we produce the same old actions with the same old experiences and the same old results. We automatically make choices without even opening the menu.

As you consider this, what shows up for you?

Do you want something to be different in your life?

I invite you to consider the entire menu and then order the special.

What sparks your interest?

What catches your eye?

What floods you with wonder and delight?

What possibilities await you?

Consider this:

You are UNIQUE!

You are MAGNIFICENT!

I invite you to create moments that are dazzling expression of you!

Choose the SPECIAL.

That’s who you are.

As we head into the holiday season and the end of the year, it is easy to spin ourselves into a tapestry of activity that weaves one day into the next with barely a sunrise and sunset in between.

“To do” lists pile up and days sail by, pushed along by the winds of perceived expectations. There never seems to be enough time. In the midst of the “doing” there evolves a separation from who we are as human “beings.”

In this moment of reflection I know in my heart that as a human being, I am committed to creating connection everyday, everywhere, with everyone. During this busy season, I invite myself to hit the pause button, to presence myself to the moment in which I stand, and to reach out to connect with others.

For me connection takes many forms. It can be a wave to the driver in a passing vehicle while I am running, a smile and hello to a person I meet on the sidewalk, or a kind word of acknowledgement for the folks who work at my local grocery. It can be an intimate conversation with friends, when I am truly present and focused on their uniquely beautiful essence. Connection shows up in the laughter between family members as we recall holiday memories, tickled by the wackiness and delight of being family. And connection arrives in my heart when I take time to connect with myself over my journal or with a cup of hot tea or under a star dazzled winter sky.

What joyous expressions of connection can you create right now? And tomorrow? And the day after? And the day after that?

What’s available to you when you hit the pause button and reach out to another with a smile of acknowledgement or a kind word?

What does taking time to reconnect with your magnificent self make possible?

What does connection mean to you?

To me connection is the fuel for living and loving full throttle, heart wide open. Wowza!

Go?

How often I have found myself standing in a shiny puddle of intention.

Intention to create, intention to achieve, intention to “get this party started.”

From this place I busy myself with gathering the details, the ingredients, and the information to GET READY to begin. This process can last quite a long time for whenever I think I have all the answers, my scaredy cat self puts forth the question, “Are you sure?”

Desire to be “sure” launches me into more research, more prep work, until I am certain I am not only ready, I am SET to begin.

I am at the start line. I am in the blocks. I am READY and I am SET.

And in comes a little voice that whispers, “What if?”

Aaaah!

At that moment I have a choice, I can back out or I can choose to trust myself and allow my intention to blossom into something beautiful something powerful, something perfect.

I can choose dilly dally or I can choose GO.

How often do you find yourself avoiding “GO?”

What is available to you if you trust and allow?

Where in your life can you transform your intention into commitment?

What three actions can you take on today in support of your commitment?

You are ready. You are set. Go.

Friday morning I was sitting at a corner table in the local coffee shop designing a workshop. As I worked on the details, I noticed a group of older folks gathering at two square tables pushed together to accommodate their group. As each new person arrived they were greeted with boisterous salutations, hugs and laughter. Their joyful energy filled the entire room.

When the tables were filled to capacity they began to sing “Happy Birthday” and one of the baristas presented a glowing candle bedecked carrot cake to a beaming gentleman. The candlelight illuminated his weathered face adding magic to the sparkle in his eye and wide grin. He took a deep breath and blew the candles out with the flourish of an expert, while his companions cheered and clapped.

Just when I thought the big moment was over, they began to sing, “For he’s a jolly good fellow,” serenading their dear friend one more time. It was a chorus of beauty and light.

As I watched the celebration, it occurred to me how many of us fret about birthdays and aging, denying ourselves the glorious joy of celebrating the day we were born. I believe each of us is a miracle, brought to this planet to love and be loved, to share our unique gifts with those around us, and to celebrate in gratitude the moments of our lives.

We are all “jolly good fellows, which nobody can deny!”

What are you celebrating today?

How will you choose to sprinkle your unique magic on the world?

I invite you to find something each day that celebrates the miracle of your life.

What are you present to?

In this moment of this day, what has your attention?

Early Sunday morning I took our dogs for a walk on the lane behind our house.  For the first hundred yards or so, I was oblivious to my surroundings and to my self in the moment.  My monkey mind was busy chattering about the day before, the weeks before, even years before.  This went on before I started fretting about the “shoulds,” “if only” and “what ifs” of “tomorrow.”

Suddenly a car backfired in the distance, startling me.  When I realized where I was, I stopped in my tracks, inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, centering my spirit and grounding my awareness in the present moment.  I lingered for a few moments, breath watching and settling my thoughts.  Fully engaged in the privilege of being me, I resumed my walk.

In this place of presence, I began to notice the subtle scent of pine, rich damp earth and the last few remnants of honeysuckle blossom clinging to the vine.  Choir music danced on the breeze as robins, cardinals, crows and wren trumpeted their morning prayers.  I looked up into a stand of hardwoods and a vision of green leafy branches dancing a tango with the wind against a brilliant blue sky.  I felt the warmth of the sun upon my face and the strength of the ground beneath my feet.

By shifting my awareness, the moments of the morning were transformed.  My thoughts shifted from chaotic monkey chatter to calm serenity.  My energy shifted from anxious to joyous.  My heart shifted from closed and protected to wide open and present to the miracles of life.  The experience was beautiful.  Even the monkey was awed.

What are you present to?

In this moment, where is your awareness?

What’s available for you by quieting your mind and standing fully present?

What miracles are revealed?

Every morning before sunrise, I head out to our deck with our two dogs, Tug and Emmie.   Tug, our nine year old pug, generally burrows under a fleece blanket on the ottoman to snooze against my leg while I meditate, read and write.  Emmie, our one year old German Sheperd pup, revels in the morning, racing around the orchard and under the deck with a tattered rawhide chew bone in her mouth.

She pauses every so often to bury her bone in the ground.  After a few minutes of sniffing elsewhere, she digs up her slippery treasure, tosses it in the air, picks it up again and merrily races through the fresh spring grass, a spray of diamond dew in her wake.

Watching Emmie, I am reminded of the joy available to all of us if we recognize the treasures we possess; the treasures within, the treasures of an open heart and the magic of joy, compassion, love and laughter.  Have you ever buried your treasures deep within, thinking things have to look a certain way to be presentable to others?

There is no right or wrong way to live with an open heart.  Life’s beauty lies in every moment of authentic connection.  Embrace life and the perfection of every moment, be it calm and pristine or muddy and messy, as the access to your buried treasure.  Open your heart and experience joy.  Dance in the early morning dew of a new day with laughter in your heart.

What treasures are buried within you?

What is available for you in choosing to live with an open heart?

Where can you create the magic of authentic connection?