Life Potential

I think it is really about the skates we were handed when we came to live on the pond of life.

Some skates are particularly designed to travel near shore, where the ice is thick and sure. They are beautifully suited to navigate around the natural debris in the calm coves and interesting shoreline.

Other skates shine in their capacity to glide on the ice as it gets thinner, but also smoother and faster. They take to the possibilities of the pond with a steady stroke, knowing the frozen surface holds no hazard.

I have been given skates most suited for thin ice. Gliding across this surface, my spirit sings. I can clearly see the depths of life’s pond and my heart beats with it. My mind craves the many nuances of the shimmering beauty beneath the visible.

I have come to that moment in my journey for celebrating my skates and acknowledging I skate best on thin ice. Though it is sometimes daunting and often befuddling, it always feels right. It feels natural. I often forget how far I have skated away from security and, when the ice starts cracking around me, I look back to the shore knowing my skates would not do well there. Neither would I feel my joy skating on the firm ice away from the shoreline. For me, the pond of life reveals her beauty, potential, and opportunity out here. It’s not about which skates I was given, but giving my self the freedom to skate with abandon.

Notes along the way… Jeanne

Empowering Emotions

Connecting to personal power comes in many colors, but the one I love most uses a yellow crayon. This transparent hue never covers the insight waiting for me. In fact, it gives me a sense of turning on the light.

I use light, lemon yellow images when I close my eyes to symbolically see the world around me. In this empowering choice, I ask myself to see beyond the obvious and the physical. I am looking for the feeling and shape of what I am experiencing in the moment.

If I am worried, I might ‘see’ dark forests or a path ahead of me that drops off precipitously on each side. Joy might come as rainbow-colored hot air balloons lifting off green grass to greet fluffy, white clouds. Anger has felt like sitting in a small box with no way to move. Grief made me feel like I was falling out of the sky; kind voices were threads keeping me steady.

In this empowering imagery, every emotion is invited. The purpose is to see them clearly and claim their presence at that time in my spirit journey. Then my feelings move out of abstract sensations into something tangible and this opens up the opportunity for me to change, adapt, tweak, or re-imagine my inner landscape.

If I am scared and it ‘looks like’ I am standing at the edge of a cliff and needing to jump, I can ‘see’ a net ready to catch me. I might add wings to help me soar. Perhaps I would invite spirit friends to blow bubbles until I could float on their iridescent softness all the way to the other side of my fear.

My emotions are the road signs in my life journey. I want to connect to them. Encouraging them to take recognizable shapes empowers me to work with them to grow my life in the direction that fills my heart.

Notes along the way… Jeanne

Joyful Manifestation

The delightful event is just around the corner. It’s been imagined, planned, set in motion, and now another step awaits… anticipation. It seems like this emotion would quite naturally bubble up like a geyser in harmony with Mother Nature, but that’s not necessarily so.

I often get so very caught up with my plans; I arrive at the precious moment in a whirlwind of activity. Details fill my thoughts. Action is my companion. Responsibilities catch my attention. I come to the beautiful, abundant, bubbling moment feeling stretched.

Or I get caught in the motion that created the opportunity. One thing leads to another and, quite naturally, I find myself focusing on those things coming my way after my anticipated experience. Like hopscotch, my thoughts and feelings are willing to jump over to the next square.

And I know it’s not unusual to be hesitant about fully, joyfully, and thoroughly embracing whats been imagined. Perhaps past disappointment recommends moderation. Inner fears can invite caution. Low expectations might seem like insurance.

But as I finalize the details of the plans I’ve set in motion for the Gathering I’ve imagined, I know it’s now time to open my treasure chest of anticipation. It’s time to slow down and dip my hands into the jewels of possibilities coming my way. This is what will grow the wonder of five spirit sisters gathering in a PlaceOfNoTime. Anticipation is the energy to nurture for this spirit adventure because, right now, with my thoughts, feelings, heart, and spirit, I am shaping our time together

Notes along the way… Jeanne

Abundance Mantras

I’ve noticed I attach to what feels uncomfortable for a longer time than those events that feel excellent or encouraging. I get a refund check, think “Cool”, set it on my desk, and pretty much go about my day. But should I find an overcharge on my online banking statement, I find myself wrestling with my feelings about it throughout my day.

And because I have experienced the dynamic shifts of appreciation, I saw an opportunity to change my relationship with how events affect my days. I am choosing to grow my abundance by connecting with both kinds of events in a different way.

I am trying to catch every moment that feels good or awesome… sweet or heartfelt… fun or loving… interesting or stunning… beautiful or embracing… delicious or satisfying… peaceful or musical… comforting or humorous… companionable or meditative… thrilling or encouraging… insightful or satisfying… I am trying to notice these moments I want in my life so I can say to my self, “This is what my abundance feels like.”

And when I have something happen that feels disruptive, uncomfortable, unjust, challenging, sad, overwhelming, scary, worrisome, or diminishing, I am trying to catch the feelings before they define my day by saying to my self, “All I have to know is what I want.” In this mantra, I remind myself I don’t have to attach to what I no longer want in my days.

These simple statements have the power to both turn me around and pull me forward into the future I am imagining. They are my allies at this time in my spirit adventure.

Notes along the way… Jeanne

Life Mazes

For me, it has been confirmed; each life has an emotion maze. This inner world challenge has a different name for each of us, but we share the need to challenge a life-defining issue to reach the exit where our personal abundance is the landscape beyond.

I first saw this life maze when a spirit friend found her way out. I was experiencing the shift in her world view. It affected her posture, conversation and perceptions. She clearly lived in a new paradigm, not by willpower or determination, but because she was no longer bumping into the dead ends, corners, and turns of the significant issue that was her personal maze. In a conversation at Café Spirit, she was enthusiastic about exploring what it had taken to find her way out. Her journey encouraged and empowered my own exit.

Though she didn’t name it courage, I noticed it was an essential ingredient. It wasn’t that she dared to fight against the issue that kept repeating itself like an itchy, painful, even oozing rash. Rather, she reached a point where she had the courage to embrace abundance. She had risked living in sunshine without dark storms hugging the horizon. She chose to swing high at the playground rather than wishfully watching others. She had been so brave, she imagined thriving rather than surviving.

And then this spirit friend, told me about the moment when she chose to let go of the very thing she had struggled forever to manage, understand, and get right. This is when she realized her loving, good intentions were deeply embedded in trying to control what was beyond her influence. In a choice as stunning as single-handedly fighting a dragon, she stopped trying, trying, trying and turned to embrace all the little things that filled her spirit.

She now lives in a new world. Life simply looks different so she makes different choices and has different outcomes. Her bliss is evident and persistent. And since I have only recently found my way out of my own life maze, I am thrilled to notice that those who find their way out never go back. The emotional bumps and bruises heal very quickly in the landscape of each person’s particular abundance and then exploring days with ones’ spirit as a guide is so engaging, the maze fades.

Notes along the way… Jeanne

Endless Choices

Some years ago, I read about a man in rural Viet Nam who celebrated his 80^th birthday by going to the top of a three-story building because it was the tallest structure in his experience and he wanted to see how the world looked so far off the ground. He chose to change his perspective.

Flying over clouds… listening to a child’s gleeful, uninhibited giggle… the first smell of spring… These are inclined to shift my perspective. A nifty, new pair of shoes and sweet, soft worn shoes will too. Eating too much and feeling too full or being very hungry and not knowing what I want to eat and now the pressure feels tremendous because whatever I eat needs to be perfect because I’m so very hungry. In so many ways in every day, I am given the gift of a potential shift because my point of view has been affected by my experience.

Of course, I must first choose to be aware beyond my routines, responsibilities, and determined destinations. If my habits, surroundings, and relationships feel so familiar I don’t sincerely take note, I will not see, hear, or feel the evidence of new possibilities. Believing there is only one way to honor my commitments will contain my curiosity in a world of endless choices. Doggedly focusing on my future can create blinders and I will not notice the opportunities to see my life just a bit different.

There is no best or right answer. It’s about choice. I can walk the paths I’ve created or I can seek the roof of my own three-story building. And sitting at Café Spirit, I know changing my perspective asks that I pay attention, look around, and see what is happening around me… with spirit.

Notes along the way… Jeanne

Every Manifesting Journey

We’ve all known times when life asked more of us than we thought we had to give. Those moments when it was time to leap and the distance seemed too far. In circumstances thrust upon us as well as sweet dreams we want to embrace, there is a moment when we have to say to ourselves, “I am scared. And I can do this.”

With raindrops tapping and splashing outside my window, I am revisiting the inner coil of will, resolution, and strength that is my ally. Like the magic sword of heroines in tales of spirit, I too have power beyond the everyday kind. I can call on it anytime. I can stand at the beginning of my new path and ask it to walk beside me.

I come to this moment to bring that power out of my inner world and imagine its force infused into the small, pewter wolf a spirit buddy gave me. I will place it on my desk where I will see it throughout my day while I am typing, writing, phoning, making lists, and making things happen so my dream will become my future. When the necessary steps make me nervous about asking crucial questions, I will touch the wolf and be reminded of my capacity to dig deep to overcome dread. When I feel overwhelmed by what I don’t know and need to find out, I will reach for the wolf so I can remember its okay to be afraid and still take action.

As I come to sit in the serenity of Café Spirit, I realize every manifesting journey will have stones of resistance, mountains of new experiences, and rushing streams of overwhelm, but these are not reasons to avoid the path of my wildly optimistic desires. While I can recognize it will be an adventure with daunting moments, I can also remember the inner coil that has moved me forward in other times. What has gotten me through life’s hard times can also join me as I reach for joy.

Notes along the way… Jeanne

Feeling Jiggy

I’m feeling jiggy today. It’s hard to sit still. My smile reaches the sun.

I just realized the possibilities of friendship at Café Spirit. I may never know the color of their hair or the view out each their kitchen window, but we have a chance to share and know each others’ inner world. With words and sharing, we can become acquainted with the very feelings, beliefs, and musings that give shape to our outer world.

We can know each others’ heart songs.

And I have no doubt I will share moments outside the café. Oh, I won’t know names or faces; I’ll just find myself smiling at the person who looks up from the book they are considering at the bookstore. I’ll feel inclined to let someone go ahead of me when the line is long and their need is small. I’m convinced there well be a moment when I meet someone and it all feels simply right and good… and sometime later we’ll discover we both spend time at Café Spirit.

Something wonderful is happening here. Energy connections made through shared thoughts and feelings are as real as this laptop. They are beautiful with a different kind of potential… the opportunity to stay in touch through our inner wisdom and personal truth.

Notes along the way… Jeanne

Thank You, Friends

Thank you purple for coloring grapes, exciting my feet in a new pair of shoes, and holding rainbows in a gentle arc.

Thank you bumpy roads for slowing me down and helping me see what I was missing.

Thank you cold winter days for inviting me to snuggle into a book.

Thank you, thank you chocolate chip cookies for making me feel eight years old, sharing after school time with other Blue Birds.

Thank you skinned knees for being my badge of courage through so many physical feats.

Thank you aches and pains for reminding me to take care of my body and nurture it every day.

Thank you new friends for growing my life.

Thank you old friends for knowing my journey and continuing to love me.

Thank you young friends for reminding me there is joy in eating pretend hamburgers and one never knows if they can lift a sixty-foot tree unless they try.

Thank you money for giving me choices.

Thank you world for being so vast and variable there is never an end to the wonder.

Thank you Internet for giving me time at Café Spirit where I can stay connected to my inner wisdom and personal truth in busy days and old habits.

Notes along the way… Jeanne

Health Choices Coming Together

Choosing allies in health has been a bumpy road at times, but I’m feeling like I’ve reached the straight stretch where everything is coming together as though it’s as ordinary as intuition and ice cream cones. What was once daunting feels natural. What appeared impossible has become my possibilities. The only real choice I had to make was to steer away from fear-based medicine and find health-care allies who believed as passionately as I do that, ultimately, the power of wellness comes from within me and through my actions.

As quickly as I made this choice, as soon as I believed it possible, as swiftly as I got a clear image of being in a friendly, interactive, mutually empowered relationship with a health-care professional, I began finding such people. That they are scattered across the country and carving their unique niche is testimony to the force of manifesting. I have found these good people in the very willy-nilly way so common to spirit adventures.

I recently spent time with two such allies and they confirmed, once again, the power of words and expressed beliefs to give me the tools I need for my own physical well-being. It is stunning to have someone with their particular expertise believe absolutely in the magnificent ability of my body to move toward health. Just knowing someone else sees my possibilities helps me latch on with persistence and hope. And there is no medication more powerful for me than hearing these allies give voice to the health they find already present. To hear my tissue is pink and vibrant will catapult me forward. To have an aspect of my eating habits validated; encourages more of those life-enhancing choices.

In the end, I want to work with someone who sees me! as an ally in our shared journey with my well-being. I insist on it. It is just another way of living my days connected to spirit.

Notes along the way… Jeanne