I know it’s not officially winter yet, but the chill is in the air, the wind is blustery and so many people I know are coming down with colds. Winter slows us down. Gives us time to hibernate. Reflect. The colder nights remind us to take care of ourselves. To bundle up and to protect what we hold dear. It’s a time to integrate all that we’ve grown and harvested throughout the year.

I’ve been feeling slower and more tired and I tried to capture that in this piece. I used gray and black oil pastels. As I was blending the colors off the corners of the pages, I saw this cool shadow effect on the paper underneath. So, I tore up scrap paper to smudge a shadowy outline of a tree. That’s how I’ve been feeling the past few days - a little fuzzy around the edges.

[tags]National Blog Posting Month, NaBloPoMo, Art Every Day, winter[/tags]

Fiery oranges, yellows and dark reds popped out of the landscape as I walked my dog this morning. The turning leaves looked brilliant against the crisp, blue fall sky. I love how autumn makes me so aware of transition, of moving from the lush abundance and freedom of summer, to hunkering down, keeping warm and taking a more internal focus.

This drawing was done in colored pencil on the back of a grocery bag, which adds a nice rustic element.

How does the season change affect you? What do you notice as the leaves turn color? What transitions are taking place in your life?

[tags]National Blog Posting Month, NaBloPoMo, Art Every Day Month, autumn[/tags]

Today kicks off National Blog Posting Month (post everyday for all of November) and Leah’s Art Every Day Month challenge. For me it’s a jam-packed month already but I couldn’t resist the structure and support around inviting more creativity into my life.

One of my tenets going into this challenge is to expand my idea of what constitutes “art.” Even though I crave creativity, often times I forgo it because of excuses like I don’t have enough time, my idea isn’t fully formed, I don’t know how to execute my vision, it will turn out stupid so I won’t want to show anyone, blah, blah, blah. And so, I end up not creating anything and my inner muse stagnates.

So, this month is all about busting those limiting beliefs and trying something new. It’s about honoring the creative process and not worrying about the end product.

For my first endeavor I wanted something simple and quick. The crisp autumn air inspired me to use the changing leaves. And given that I just launched my new coaching name and brand, the theme of transition seemed appropriate. I gathered a few fallen maple leaves and stamped Japanese characters on them in silver ink. They read “truth,” “beauty,” “grace.” I love that the leaves are imperfect and delicate and yet they are still beautiful.

[tags]National Blog Posting Month, NaBloPoMo, Art Every Day Month Challenge[/tags]

Last Friday through Sunday Brighid and I co-led the third retreat of the 2007 Cheryl’s Dreaming Big leadership program in Indiana. Our retreat kicked-off with some intense storming (literally - lots of thunder, wind and rain; and figuratively - lots of group tension and unresolved issues). I must say it was pretty exhausting and challenging to hold the space for this natural, yet difficult, phase in team development.

One thing that helped me get through it was walking through the labyrinth at the retreat center. Before entering the path, you can hold an intention or inquiry. For me it was around how can I stay with the mess of the storming phase. With every twist and turn, I questioned, “How much longer? When will this end? Where is this going?!” And then I relaxed into it and trusted that I would find my way to the center. I leaned into this insight throughout the weekend. Labyrinths are a great meditative and focusing tool. There’s this really cool portable labyrinth that I imagine would have a similar effect.

The other take-away I had from the retreat was remembering that the program we created is a great laboratory for learning and practicing leadership, not only for the participants, but for myself as a co-leader as well. Brighid kept reminding me of the lessons from an insightful book called Leadership and Self-Deception. This powerful parable reminds us to relate to people as people with hopes, dreams, needs, wants instead of objects or obstacles that our in our way. By shifting my perspective to being “out of the box” I was able to rise above the muck of the storming and group dynamics and reconnect to who these wonderful people are and what they have to offer. The other thing I kept coming back to was the idea that from the crap of group storming comes the fertilizer which nourishes the ground for a beautiful garden to grow. It’s a natural cycle.

How are you with conflict and tension? What are some ways that you move through the storming in your life? How has going through the muck helped new opportunities to blossom for you?

[tags]labyrinth, leadership, leadership and self-deception[/tags]

One of my favorite things to do is read (and nap!) in my hammock, especially on a gorgeous day like today. It’s like a little mini-vacation! I savor the cool breeze rustling through the leaves and the sunshine peaking through the trees branches overhead. My dog Emmett likes to join me outside, too (he’s known to sunbathe).

When my schedule gets overloaded with too many to-do’s and travel, I need to consciously take a break. Other clues include when I get cranky and impatient and start to feel resentful about all the stuff I have to do (oh, woe is me!). It’s not a pretty place to be. So what usually snaps me out of it is some nice, simple “me” time like a cat nap in my hammock.

The other day, I gave myself another mini-vacation by finally going for a swim at my local gym. They have a lovely outdoor pool and deck with a stunning view of the Bay. What a refreshing way to rejuvenate!

I know that when I take care of myself, I reconnect with my own creativity and I am able to be more available for other people. And that’s going to be really important given that I will be leading the third retreat for Cheryl’s Dreaming Big this coming weekend.

Here are a couple of great resources for creating your own mini-vacation:

• Comfort Queen Jennifer Louden’s books especially Comfort Secrets for Busy Women and Women’s Comfort Book
• Oprah’s Breathing Space

What signs tell you when you need some breathing space? How do you recharge? What’s one, simple way you can you give yourself a mini-vacation this week?

[tags]breathing space, mini vacation, hammock, rest and relaxation[/tags]

This afternoon, I took a long walk with my dog Emmett to destress from the week. We hiked through the redwoods of Joaquin Miller Park which is just up the road from my house. Actually, I let Emmett walk me. (Brian does this sometimes when he’s curious to see where Emmett will go.) I thought that it would be a good exercise in slowing down.

Dogs live so in the moment. What a great lesson for me as I’m usually in the past or future. My dog loves to follow his nose. He experiences his surroundings by smelling every nook and cranny. Under leaves, in-between branches, through blades of grass.

At first I was frustrated at how he would stop at what seemed like every tree stump to poke his nose around. Then, I noticed that as I slowed down with him… I could hear bugs buzzing about. The cool, damp air brushed against my skin. Different shades of greenery and textures popped out of the trees. I was experiencing the beautiful forest around me. I relaxed into it.

Blog ideas about my walk insights bubbled up (always planning ahead!). I just noticed and let it pass. Instead, I focused on how curious Emmett was. How he seemed to instinctively enjoy going wherever the scent took him.

When I was ready to turn around, I’d get impatient when Emmett was just sniffing around for what looked like no apparent reason. Again, I just noticed and stopped walking or slowed down behind him.

On our way back, I bumped into someone I had just met last night at a gathering to explore the concept of accountability and support groups for projects. If I’d been intent on having my walk be my workout for the day (with Emmett merely tagging along), I might not have recognized this new person. I would’ve probably just zoomed right by.

I have Emmett to thank for a wonderfully refreshing walk in the woods and, more importantly, for reminding me to follow my nose and to relish in the simple pleasures of each present moment. It’s the journey, not the destination.

[tags]dogs, hiking, Joaquin Miller Park[/tags]

Friends. Food. Fun. What could be better on a gorgeous, warm and sunny San Francisco afternoon? The book club ladies (sans Francisca) gathered at Kristen’s house in the Sunset to revel in Elizabeth Gilbert’s fantastic memoir “Eat, Pray, Love.” While discussing the author’s personal pilgrimage through Italy, India and Indonesia to find her true self, we feasted on antipasti including caprese salad, grilled asparagus and scrumptious figs with blue cheese. We shared how we related to her journey as we devoured to-die-for orecchiette pasta with chicken sausage and red chili flakes smothered in a tangy cream sauce. We pondered how the she might be integrating all her learnings into her day-to-day life post-travels as we gobbled up chocolate, vanilla and hazelnut gelato dripping with gooey chocolate ganache. Obviously, we had no problem taking a cue from the Italy indulgence theme from part one of the book.

Since the book club ladies weren’t able to attend my Freedom Party a couple of weeks ago, they gave me a heartfelt present. It brought tears to my eyes (there’s always some laughing and crying at book club!). Each gal picked out a special stone carved with an inspirational word like “Dream” or “Courage.” The fifth rock simply read “Friends” symbolizing the enduring strength of our friendship. Whenever I’m reading in my hammock in the backyard, these precious pebbles will be there to remind me that these four wonderful women will always be there for support and love.

As we wrapped up the day and I got into my car, the clear view of the ocean beckoned. Instead of heading straight home, I spontaneously drove out to the beach - one of my favorite spots when I used to live in the city. Just like in the book, I felt pulled to have some time just for me. I cast off my flip flops and waded in the cool, salty surf. I just love how the sound of crashing waves is so meditative. Even in this calm, peaceful place I noticed, though, that my mind still wandered. And since instead of berating myself for mind chatter I’m practicing holding myself with compassion, I just went with it. Riding the wave. I recalled how about seven or eight years ago I performed a letting go ritual on this same stretch of sand. I had written down things that were frustrating about my job, my life, etc. and then tossed them into the sea.

In that moment of reflection, I really related to a quote from the book, “I think about the woman I have become lately, about the life that I am now living, and how much I always wanted to be this person and live this life, liberated from the farce of pretending to be anyone other than myself.” My heart swelled with gratitude. This book has opened my eyes even more to my own personal journey and to deepening my own spiritual path. And by following an urge to do something nice just for me on this sunny afternoon, I gave myself the gifts of enjoying the present moment and of honoring who I am now and who I am becoming.

[tags]book club, Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat Pray Love[/tags]