Monthly Archives: October 2011

Count Your Blessings

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It’s a big day for me! Today, October 19th, at 6 pm Eastern, I’m taking my radio show, Out of the Fog, to a much wider audience. It has been a very stressful few months getting ready for the show to launch… booking guests, getting publicity up and running, and minding all of the details that go into a new show. I don’t want to count the number of times I ran around like a crazy lady, shouting “I can’t do it! It’s too much! It’s impossible!” It’s easy to get caught up in all of these tasks and feel overwhelmed, no matter what you’re working on.

Now that the show’s debut is only a matter of minutes away, I realize that of course I was supported and guided the whole time … even when I was running around like a crazy lady! The Universe showered blessings upon me, even when I was too freaked out to notice them. I’m blessed with the support of Dr. Pat Baccili and her staff; a patient and courageous admin assistant who has been shouldering some of the details; with awesome colleagues and friends who are willing to spend time with me as guests on the show; and the best blessings of all… the listeners who have made this new world possible for me.

So don’t let the day-to-day drudgery and difficulties get you down. You’re being supported right now … no matter how out-of-control things feel. Take a breath. Start counting your blessings and you’ll find you have too many to count!

You can catch me live on Transformation Talk Radio every Wednesday at 3 pm Pacific / 6 pm Eastern! And today’s show is open lines … it’s all readings! So if you have a question, now’s your chance! Click here to listen live. The call-in number is 1-800-930-2819.

Cutting Down the Tree

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Photo by Marilyn Jane

In late August, a weird freak wind gust came racing down our street during a storm and tore limbs off some of the old trees that line the street I live on. Across the street from our house, the huge old tree in our neighbors front yard was cut in half, vertically, and massive branches came crashing down, blocking the street. When the city crews came and hauled everything away, they spray painted a big orange circle on what was left of that tree. Every time I looked out my window, that bright orange caught my eye, and our whole family knew the tree wouldn’t be there long.

It’s funny how, when you know something is about to be taken away, you pay much more attention to it. Our family watched the leaves change color, watched the squirrels (and the neighbor’s cat) run up and down the trunk … all the while knowing that this is the last fall we’d see those things.

This afternoon they finally came to cut down the tree. It took three men, making cuts in the trunk, checking each others work, and then finally … the tree came down into the street. It stretched from our neighbor’s house, across the road, and onto our front lawn. The crew cleared away the debris and drove away.

Now when I look out the window, there’s a new space where there wasn’t one just a few hours ago. The sky looks different … I haven’t seen it unobscured by branches since I’ve lived here.

The time we spent paying extra attention to that tree, sitting by its deathbed, in a sense, is a good metaphor for autumn itself. What half-dead habits, broken relationships, unhelpful patterns, are we holding onto because they’ve always been there? Give those things the courtesy, the respect of placing your attention on them. See them for what they are …

In this season of letting go of what no longer serves us, imagine how different your view could be if you removed the things that kept you from seeing farther, from having a clear path.

Markers in the Maze

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Photo by Art Institute of Portland

“We had the experience, but missed the meaning. And the approach to the meaning restores the experience in a different form.” — T.S. Eliot

Think of those odd, seemingly random moments when you walk away thinking, “What was THAT all about?” And then a few hours, days, or even weeks later, something happens that ties it all together for you.

These moments may seem meaningless at the time, but if you noticed them, there is probably something more there. They are small markers to help guide us on our path, the trick is paying attention to them.

Here in the Midwest it’s the season of corn mazes, and the one closest to us gives each participant a punch card. As they go through the maze, there are numbered markers with punchers in different shapes. Each marker in itself doesn’t mean much, but together they are the key to finding the way through the maze.

So get out your punch card. Make note of the random moments. Pay attention to them, and your maze will be a lot easier to navigate.