What if you woke up one morning and found you’d lost one of your five senses? Which sense would be most difficult to give up? Recently, I was involved in a discussion about this very subject. Some years ago, with a group of friends in California, we had the very same conversation. It’s interesting to ponder. So, what if…

I know I take my senses for granted. I have all of them and rarely do I–except for these discussions–consider losing any of them. I don’t second-guess that I will wake up to the sunlight peering through our bedroom window. I expect to taste my first cup of warm, green tea as I sit down in my morning meditation chair. With my sense of hearing, I hear the morning sounds of chirping birds. When I plug in my iPod, I know I’ll hear my favorite recording of singing bowls. I feel the pen in my hand as I journal and record my gratitude list each day. I smell the essential oils of my candle as it burns.

Throughout my day, I continue to experience life through my senses–hearing the sounds of my daughters and husband, smelling our dinner as it simmers on the stove, hugging a friend or family member, seeing the rich colors in my home and outdoors, and tasting the food we’ve prepared. The richness of my days continually nourishes me through my senses.

So, which one would be the hardest for me to let go? Most people say that it is the gift of sight they could not live without. In my two group discussions, this was what every other person said. To not be able to see the world in which they live would be the most tortuous. For me, however, I find that I’d have the hardest time giving up my sense of hearing. To not hear the vibrant and therapeutic sounds of music would be most devastating. To be unable to hear people’s speaking or singing voices, birds chirping, or my cat purring, would be unbearable.

Helen Keller, who became blind and deaf after a mysterious fever at nineteen months of age, mourned the loss of her hearing more than her sight. I tend to think that I’d react in the same way. Since I was born with the gift of sight and have experienced over a half-century of visual input, I believe I’d be able to recreate in my mind’s eye the images of beautiful scenes and the faces of significant people in my life. Sounds however would be harder to hold onto. I don’t believe I’d be able to recreate Beethoven’s 9th in my head or Mozart’s Requiem or Carmina Burana, some of my favorite pieces of music. I doubt I’d be able to hear Sarah Brightman’s range of notes and passion, or the sounds of my daughters’ voices. In time, I believe they’d all fade away. No, I don’t think I could easily endure the loss of my hearing.

So, how about you? What would be most difficult for you to give up? As you’re contemplating this question, I invite you to take some time to really appreciate your senses today. Be present and take in the sights, sensations, tastes, sounds, and feel of your day. Linger a little longer in each experience, and send out a thought of thanks to the many parts of you. And have a wonderfully bellisima day!

Each morning, I read from three different books for inspiration and daily guidance. One of the books is Joan Borysenko’s “Pocketful of Miracles.” In a recent message, she spoke about “random acts of kindness.” What a wonderful approach to daily living–offering kind acts to others–even strangers! Although I occasionally practice random acts of kindness–sometimes without even being conscious that I’m doing so–I started to wonder how my days might look if I really became conscious and intentional in offering kind acts to others throughout my day. What might it look like if my kind actions came from a “more aware place” as I went about my day-to-day life?

As I thought about specific intentional actions, here are some of the ideas I came up with:
*Pay for the next person in line when I stop to buy coffee.
*When I’m visiting in California, my home state, pay for the person behind me as I cross one of the Bay Area bridges.
*Send a card to someone “just because.”
*Leave a note for my children and husband so they’ll find it when they wake up in the morning or sit down at the kitchen table for breakfast.
*Do an unexpected chore for a family member.
*Smile at each person I encounter as I go about my day–especially strangers.
*Allow someone to go ahead of me when I’m waiting in line–especially if they have more to pay for than I!
*Allow someone to go ahead of me when I’m driving–especially when I’m feeling rushed.
*Leave a book on a bench or on a table in a coffee shop (one not associated with a bookstore) for someone to “find,” an idea I learned from bookcrossing.com.
*Pick up the phone and call someone I haven’t spoken to in awhile, especially an elderly family member who doesn’t get out much anymore.

As Joan Borysenko says, “The possibilities for random acts of kindness are limitless.” So today, as you and I go about our day, I invite you to join me and look for possibilities and opportunities.

Let’s let intuition and an open heart be our guides. I imagine we’ll all be smiling a lot more if we make this our daily approach to life!

Here is Part 3 of Chief Seattle’s message of 1854:

“So we will consider your offer to buy our land. If we decide to accept, I will make one condition – the white man must treat the beasts of this land as his brothers.

The end of living and the beginning of survival.”

Chief Seattle gave his famous speech in December 1854 in downtown Seattle, when he was in his late fifties or early sixties. The only known version of this speech came from Dr. David Smith, a settler and amateur writer who was present and took notes at the time, and who waited 30 years to transcribe his notes. Smith didn’t speak coastal Salish, the language of Chief Seattle, so no one knows whether someone present during the speech translated Chief Seattle’s words into Chinook, a Northwest Coast trade language, which Smith did speak a little. Smith’s transcription of “Chief Seattle’s” speech does sound more like Smith’s native 19th-century English-language. It’s possible Smith even made up part of the speech.

No matter how this speech came to be recorded, these words are still a beautiful plea to treat the earth with love and respect. May they touch your heart and speak to you in profound ways.

The decisions I made four years ago finally came down to tapping into my own intuition–listening to my own inner voice and my own body. Dr. Judith Orloff describes this process beautifully in the following video. Enjoy!

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” –Albert Einstein

I’ve learned that intuition doesn’t come riding in with horns blaring or on a chariot of fire. Intuition comes to us softly, quietly, almost imperceptibly–part of the reason so many of us don’t tap into it. Oftentimes in the past, I didn’t understand that gentle nudging as intuitive messages. I thought those little inklings, those gut feelings, those goosebumps and tingles, were nothing. Through being with people who have stretched and exercised those intuitive muscles for far longer than I and through my own experiences, I now know that those little “nothings” are really big “somethings.”

Connecting to my intuition allows me to connect to my authentic self. In order to hear and connect to it, there are actions and ways of “being” which allow me access to that deep insight. It’s up to me to open and lengthen my receptors and pay attention so that I can hear the soft, quiet voice of inner knowing. So how do I do that?

The best way for me to get started is through my morning ritual: journaling, listening to meditative music (such as singing bowls), reading inspirational messages, and meditating. Most days, I start my day this way. Other days though I can let family demands or perceived outside needs prevent me from connecting with that Divine intuition and inspiration. When that happens, I notice that my day is a bit more frazzled and scattered, less focused and grounded. Sometimes I flit from thing to thing without really knowing what I’m doing or why. At other times, I succumb to fear or anxiety, accomplishing little and being completely detached from my own creative self.

I’ve learned that it’s also important throughout the day to allow for moments when I can hear that inner voice. If I’m so busy running and scrambling to accomplish the next item on my list, it’s difficult to hear anything but the chatter of trying to get things done or the worry of not meeting my goals. When I’m only thinking about checking one more thing off my unending list of tasks to create finished products, there’s little time for checking in with that inner voice. In the process of chasing accomplishments, I lose my relationship with my authentic self.

So, in addition to a morning ritual, I need little reminders throughout the day to check in with myself and listen. Here are some of the ways that work for me:

*Take a shower or bath. Water flows. For me, connecting with the flow of water or being immersed in it allows me to connect with a deeper, calmer, more grounded “me” and the flow of a divinely connected self.
*Look at my vision board. The board I made in January serves as a reminder of the life I wish to create. It points to the authentic me, filled with images and words that speak to my spirit and are messages from my spirit.
*Carry a mini-vision board. By creating an index card of images and words, I can carry reminders of my authentic self and my connection to my intuitive, creative being.
*Revisit my intentions. In January, I also created a list of intentions for the life I wish to manifest this year. Reading my intentions allows me to once again tap into my deeper knowing and deepest desires. As I read them (aloud is best), I am inspired to be the architect of the dreams I wish to create and make manifest in my life.
*Just breathe. Whenever I pause and take some deep breaths, I am brought back to the present and to the divine expression that I am. I am reminded that I am and have everything I need. The flow of the life force is with me and courses through me–because of that, anything and everything is possible.

This morning I read from Sarah Ban Breathnach’s “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy.” In part, here was a lesson on intuition and authenticity:

“But each of us is an artist. An artist is merely someone with good listening skills who accesses the creative energy of the Universe to bring forth something on the material plane that wasn’t here before. It was a part of Spirit before we could see it as a book, a painting, a ballet, a film.

“Each time you experience the new, you become receptive to inspiration. Each time you try something different, you let the Universe know you are listening. Trust your instincts. Believe your yearnings are blessings. Respect your creative urges. If you are willing to step out in faith and take a leap in the dark, you will discover that your choices are as authentic as you are. What is more, you will discover that your life is all it was meant to be: a joyous sonnet of thanksgiving.”

Our intuition is the pathway to our authenticity, our most sacred gift to ourselves and to all others. What are you doing today to tap into your intuition and authentic self?

Over the course of the last couple months, I’ve noticed a lot of limiting beliefs showing up in my life. Messages of lack–whether money, time, personal/professional gifts and talents, and more–have been whispering in my ear as new opportunities and new successes occurred during the months of December and January. There have been additional messages of doubt–doubt in my abilities, doubt in my accomplishments, doubt in my self-assessment.

As I started noticing these underlying messages, I simultaneously was given an assignment in my women’s business support group that was all about looking at my beliefs. The exercise confirmed what I’d been noticing–that these long-held beliefs about what I can or can’t do are linked to my earliest memories. These are messages that entered my psyche in childhood–placed there through my earliest life experiences–part of a belief system I didn’t consciously choose. The messages that stood out the most had to do with my concepts of money (e.g., “Money doesn’t grow on trees,” “Money comes, money goes”) and my self-image (e.g., “Who do you think you are?” “You’re so full of yourself.”). They’re messages of inadequacy, puffed-up self-image, overall lack and poverty consciousness, and fear that “things” won’t happen or will run out.

What really impressed me through this introspective process is that although I’ve done so much interpersonal work in my life, this early-life programming still runs deep and strong, always there under the surface. This programming has created and continues to create a lot of limiting beliefs–thoughts and ideas that have the potential to hold me back.

The good news is that once again I’ve excavated them. I see them for what they are. Limiting beliefs that no longer serve me. If I in fact wish to live my life’s purpose, my passions, and serve others as well as our planet, it’s important for me to see these limiting beliefs as roadblocks to my creativity and vision and let go of them. A big task but one that will serve me well (and in turn others). Letting go of these limiting beliefs allows for new beliefs that move me forward. Thoughts such as, “Allow yourself to be and flow with the Divine.” “Allow your brilliance to shine and your greatness to come forth.” These are not egotistical, self-absorbed ideas when they are connected to the greatness that comes from being in the unending flow of Divinity.

As Marianne Williamson said, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to manifest the glory that is within us. And as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

What limiting beliefs are holding you back from your Divine purpose, your Divine potential? What are you doing to release those limiting beliefs and replace them with beliefs which allow you to manifest your dreams?

As I got dressed this morning, I pulled out a pair of socks to match my clothes. The message on the side of them says “just breathe.” What a perfect message for me today. I love how I just never know where the messages will come from or how they’ll be presented. Who would have thought that what I most needed to hear would come from my socks?

Since this weekend’s writer’s conference, I’ve been lit up. So many ideas, so many ways to move forward. I just want to do them ALL NOW! Of course, reality sets in to bring me back to earth–not to keep me from manifesting my dreams but to remind me to stay grounded and allow for flow and unfolding (haven’t I had this message before?). This morning one of my daughters woke up with the stomach flu–yes, the good old-fashioned variety that keeps you in the bathroom. Even though my girls are almost 16, when they get sick, they want me there. The worst of it is over and she’s now resting comfortably (allowing me to write this post). So there was message number one: stop and be present to what is happening right now. Next came the socks with their message number two: just breathe, being present to the here and now present moment.

OK, I think I’ve got it. Continue to let the ideas flow and create what comes out of that flow. BUT…here’s the hardest part for me…allow the rest to unfold, not trying to push ahead, move forward, or produce a “finished product” today. It’s not time yet. Trust that the time will come–and I do believe it will–when it’s “right timing.” Once again, easier said than done, especially for someone who likes to control outcomes and get results.

Thanks to my daughter and my socks, today I’ve been given another opportunity to do it differently and with more grace. JUST BREATHE!

Last Saturday night, I and my husband attended Colorado Symphony’s performance of orchestral pieces by Bach and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. The guest conductor and violinist were awe-inspiring–animatedly moving their bodies as they performed, using their bodies to deepen their delivery. They reminded me that when I do anything, it’s important to put all of me into it and feel what I’m doing in every part of my body. As I’ve contemplated their performances the deeper messages for me include, “Don’t hold back! Give in to the sensations and the experience! Don’t do IT half-way! Use all of me–mind, body and spirit! Do it and express it fully! No half measures! If I want a great experience, then immerse myself completely! Dive in! Leap!”

Neither the violinist nor the conductor were thinking about how they looked–what their facial expressions or bodily movements looked like. They were completely immersed in the music and in their experience of it. They weren’t thinking about the audience–they were in the NOW. They might have thought about the audience before the performance but not during it. They might have thought about the quality of their performance beforehand but not during.

As I write my children’s book series, I want to write in the same way: consider my audience before I begin, think about the message I want to convey as well as where I want to go with my series, and then let go. Write, being completely immersed in the story. Dive in and feel the scenes, see the images, hear the dialogue. Allow the story to unfold and come through me in the same way the music flowed through these musicians Saturday night. Had they begun to worry about how they were doing or who was listening, the flow would have stopped and the music would have been lifeless and stilted. In the same way, my stories cannot come to life or flow if I allow fear to enter. Once I put pen to paper and fingers to keyboard, I need to be just like a musician–allowing the composition to come through me, flowing through every part of me.

I was so moved Saturday night because the performance had heart. These musicians were passionate about what they were playing. Vivaldi and Bach were alive again through their interpretations and their delivery. In the same way, I must allow my characters to come alive through me–living where they live, seeing what they see, feeling what they feel, and thinking and speaking their words. It is through my characters that my books will come to life.

Every experience offers a lesson. Saturday night showed me that as the musicians allowed the music to pour from their hearts and bodies, I too must allow my books to flow from me!

“Life is like a piano–what you get out of it depends on how you play it.” –Author Unknown

Today, there is much happening energetically. Early this morning, we experienced a full lunar eclipse. Along with that, we are also enjoying both a full moon and the Winter Solstice–the longest night of the year. What a rare and amazing triad of events!

From NASA’s website, I found the following quote about this morning’s eclipse: “This lunar eclipse falls on the date of the northern winter solstice. How rare is that? Total lunar eclipses in northern winter are fairly common. There have been three of them in the past ten years alone. A lunar eclipse smack-dab on the date of the solstice, however, is unusual. Geoff Chester of the US Naval Observatory inspected a list of eclipses going back 2000 years. ‘Since Year 1, I can only find one previous instance of an eclipse matching the same calendar date as the solstice, and that is 1638 DEC 21,’ says Chester. ‘Fortunately we won’t have to wait 372 years for the next one…that will be on 2094 DEC 21.’”

Early this morning, I stayed awake so I could watch this rare event, which was visible in the Northern Hemisphere. It was so moving to observe the brightness of the night turn to darkness as the earth’s shadow passed in front of the full moon. The beautiful color of the moon–a kind of orangy-brown–was spectacular.

As I contemplated this morning’s eclipse, I thought about what’s happening in my family right now. My daughter Alix’s eating disorder has been eclipsing our holiday preparations along with some of the rituals we normally share at this time of year. Holiday baking is just not the same this year nor is reaching out to family and friends. Activities we’ve normally done together cause tremendous stress for her–and, in turn, all of us–as she tries to cope with Carl’s rigidity and anxiety. (Carl, you may remember, is the name she gave her disorder early on.) Just as the earth’s shadow blocked the sun’s light to the moon, the shadow of this disorder is blocking the joy, enthusiasm, and excitement we normally experience at this time of year.

Thankfully, I had a moment of clarity today as the message of this morning’s solstice lunar eclipse reached me. It represents hope. The earth’s shadow passed in front of the moon and then moved away. The darkness caused by the shadow lasted for awhile, but it was not forever. Nor could it completely extinguish the moon’s brilliance. For 72 minutes, the moon was an amber light. And then, the white glow of the full moon’s light was once again illuminating the early morning landscape.

In the same way, this disorder cannot extinguish Alix’s light nor will it forever cast a shadow over Alix and our family. In time, this shadow will pass, leaving the brilliance of Alix to shine on the landscape of our entire family. In time, we will once again share in festivities without feeling we are walking on eggshells or about to enter the quicksand of her despair. As I go forward in making this holiday season the best it can be, I will hold the image of this morning’s lunar eclipse in my mind’s eye. Like an orange Chinese lantern, I will visualize that orangy-reddish moon as a symbol of good wishes for Alix and our family.

My daughters are some of the best teachers I could ever ask for in my life. They show me their courage, honesty and innate wisdom. They also present me with plenty of opportunities to become the best human being, woman, and mother I can be. The issues we’re experiencing with Alix’s eating disorder continue to show me what I am being called to BE for her. It’s so simple yet so difficult to practice on a daily basis.

Here is what has really been sinking in for me over the past week: I am NOT being asked to solve this for her or to fix her. I am NOT being asked to take control of her life. And most of all, I am NOT being asked to get her to a certain outcome. The reality is I cannot do any of these things. Learning how to manage her eating disorder and learning to address the underlying issues are really up to Alix to face. She is the one who has to make those choices and discoveries in order to live a life free from the enslavement of this condition. As difficult as that is for me to embrace, this is Alix’s disorder. As her mother, I want nothing more than to fix all of this for her–to wave my magic wand, to hold her tight, to take away her pain and anxiety, and to free her from this disorder’s clutches. But that is just not possible. Every time I try to do any of these things, I just frustrate her and me. So what am I being called to do for her?

I had a big a-ha moment this past week. What I am being asked to do is hold space for her. It’s that simple. Holding space means giving her room to be where she is at any given moment, without judgment or criticism or anger or fear. Holding space means walking along with her without trying to carry her or divert her from what she must walk through. Holding space means being present to her–including her pain and anxiety–and holding all of her in love. Holding space means being–being present, being love, and being light. It means standing with her as she peers into the darkness, holding her hand if she asks for it, but also being willing to just be there without acknowledgment. Holding space means trusting–trusting that she has everything she needs to move through this, including the right support, tools and resources. Holding space means keeping the faith in Divine Love, especially when she feels hopeless. Holding space means understanding that none of this is about me or for me–it is all for her.

So, today I choose to hold space and be present, no matter how much it hurts to see her suffering and struggling. I choose to rock her and sing to her energetically in the same way I rocked her and sang to her as a baby. Today I choose also to hold her in my mind as the healthy, vibrant, vital and joyful person I know she is intended to be. I see her in all her power and glory, holding her in that space until she can see it for herself.