A Circle of Women

There's something so powerful about sitting in circle with women.  I'm blessed to be able to part of a facilitator team for a women's retreat.  Together we have had the opportunity to provide an introduction to circles to many women who hadn't ever experienced this feeling of community before.

So, what's the magic in those moments?  Is it all participants being equal?  Is it each having the time they need to speak what needs to be spoken?  Perhaps it's the special gift one gets from witnessing the stories of other women.  Each woman's words, each woman's story stands on it's own... not to be contradicted, or supplemented or retold by anyone else.  

Tomorrow it begins anew.  We gather again with a new group of women.  We'll all settle in, unplug from the workaday world, from kids, from all our devices.  I'm headed for a beautiful weekend and I hope that you are too.

What will you do for yourself this weekend?  Set your intention and post it here so we can support you.

See you next week.

T

No good reason...

I was shopping at Target today when I happened on this fabulous item.  For a moment, right there in the aisle, my inner child ("I want it!")and my grown up ("It's $20 bucks"..."What on earth would we do with it"... "Where would we wear it?" waged a little battle of wills.

Sadly the grown up won and I decided to unobtrusively (ha!) snap a quick selfie for posterity and posted it on Facebook with the status "I wish I could think of one good reason to buy this"...   
It took 35 friends to give me a virtual thump on the side of the head to remind me that "Because it makes my heart happy" is a perfectly good reason in and of itself.

I have smart friends.

I'll be heading back to Target.

T.

Mindful Moments

I'm working on mindful moments this week.  Maybe you'll join me.  When you're paying attention (and of course that IS the whole point after all) being mindful takes something ordinary, something often overlooked into something special.  Last night I was cranky as I trudged off to the spare room to sleep, my husband sleeping loudly and soundly, thanks to Ni-Quil in our bed.   As I slipped between the sheets I also slipped into a mindful moment.  My legs slid this way and that.  I stretched all my limbs like a starfish experiencing the luxury of having the bed all to myself.   Mmmmm.   Pay attention in your own life this week and see what you discover.  Post a comment.  I'd love to hear.

Oh! The lure of a new self help book

So, I held in my hands a little while ago a new self help book.  It was sent to me as part of some pre-work for an upcoming mini-conference.  As I read the back cover and the preface, I was suddenly aware of some distinct feelings washing over me.  Anticipation, hope, a feeling that maybe this time it will be different.    Maybe this time it will 'take'.

What is that?!  I almost felt like I was about to go on a second date with someone.  Doesn't that strike you as screwed up?  Isn't that totally coming at life from a perspective that says I'm damaged goods?    I don't know.  It was a really strong feeling and I was acutely aware of the fact that I own quite a number of these kinds of books.  All of which I remember feeling that same feeling and now they sit on a shelf... some of them read, most half read... a few I never did read.

To paraphrase a question from a favorite poem of mine... How might your life have been different?  What if you had a place to belong... unconditionally loved and supported by a gathering of women.

For me, I might not feel like I came from the mark down rack... like if I just took the right class, read the right self help book... I could figure it all out and be enough.

How might your life have been different?

T.