Validating EMF Sensitivity Findings: Better Late Than Never

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Four years after surgery for a brain bleed I began experiencing horrible migraines.  

Why now?  

Seemingly unrelated to the arterial rupture clamped with a titanium clip it was a puzzling, if miserable, period of my life.

The pain was not only intense it was unresponsive to any but narcotic strength medication.  Since I despised the way those medications made me feel it became a constant study in frustration as to how to relieve pain that drove me to my knees in tears.

While I searched for a non-narcotic solution I demanded the smallest dose of the other.

Cause and Effect: An Unwitting Introduction to EMF Sensitivity

  It was while discussing the periodic and debilitatingly painful episodes at a family gathering I got my first look – thanks to a savvy aunt – into what it meant to be EMF Sensitive.  

Atmospheric EMFs

My maternal grandmother was carefully questioning  me about the headaches in an effort to see if their was any pattern that would help us understand why they’d started out of the blue.  Sitting at the table was my Aunt Anne who said, “Your headaches are related to thunderstorms.”  

She figured out that approximately 48 hours after I got a migraine, a thunderstorm occurred. She also pointed out the pain resolved once the system moved out of the area.

We spent the next half hour trying to figure out what it was about the storms specifically that instigated the painful headaches and though no real conclusions were drawn my aunt was certain it was the lightning.

Electrical right?

Think Again

If that was the case then why did I feel so good while living in Florida in an area considered the lightning capital of the world?

I feel wonderful whenever I visit the state and it’s not just sunshine because I lived in sunny So Cal and I’ve lived in Phoenix yet did not have this same sense of physical well-being.

I did not get headaches while living in Florida.  

They started the spring after my family moved back to Michigan.

It wasn’t until 2011 – after years researching a phenomenon called EHS – what I called EMF Sensitivity – that I learned that atmospheric EMFs associated with storm systems are of the same ultra-low and very low EM frequencies that wreaked havoc with my health.

Which was why I was researching EMFs in the first place.

Understanding is Not a Cure

Knowing why I got horrible migraines 48 hours before a thunderstorm was all good and well but it didn’t offer any solution.

None of the remedies I had for my sensitivity to geologic and technologic EMFs worked for the atmospheric EMFs.  

Never Stop Learning

In subsequent years I gained incredible insight into EMF Sensitivity, including coming to understand the root cause and thus a cure.  I also discovered numerous remedies at all price points with no need for a doctor’s prescription.

I wanted remedies that were easily affordable and accessible to anyone.

I was thrilled to share my findings with the world through my release of Riding the Waves: Diagnosing, Treating, and Living with EMF Sensitivity.

As well as follow-up books on the subject.

While I’d made incredible progress and was living a relatively normal life, I was still struggling with migraines before thunderstorms.

Which were unfortunately all too common where I was living when I released Riding the Waves.

A Decade Later

It was while living in an area known for rain that I finally had a breakthrough.  

Rain Yes But…

Though we had our share of rain thunderstorms were a rarity where I was living.  This suggests it was something about atmospheric conditions tied to rain.  However…

I remembered living in Sunnyvale, California during a time when local rainfall broke records and not experiencing any migraines. Adding to the argument disputing the migraines being tied to rain was the fact I was getting the migraines during the summer too.

Pressure Drop

Research and a barometer purchase showed the migraines happened approximately 48 hours before a serious pressure drop. That they happened in the summer was due to the fact the pressure dropped as the temperature rose.  

I was able to determine the temperature had to rise sharply in a very short time for the pressure drop to induce a migraine.

Yeah, Okay, But…

I still had no way of treating the migraines and I refused to take narcotic medicine.

I’d had some luck with potassium supplements but it was not consistent.

As I document in Ignoring the Rules: An Intriguing Approach to Resolving Calcium Toxicity, I was able, through constant research, to determine the migraines were the result of the scar tissue – made up mostly of calcium – reacting to the atmospheric changes associated with pressure drops.

Like temperature, changes in pressure are a product of EMFs.

Through a lot of trial and error that drew on years of research I was able to discover a cure for the migraines.

Included in the book.

Two days ago as Idalia was making headlines I came upon an article that validated my experience; that it’s possible to sense EM frequencies associated with thunderstorms.

And, as I write in Riding the Waves, EMs associated with tropical storms and hurricanes.

It’s hard to put into words how it felt to see my observations backed up by other researchers; researchers who are going to conduct further study into how these EM frequencies affect behavior in a living organism.

Talk about validation!

It hasn’t been easy writing about a subject that continues to be controversial, to rile emotions, so when I come across this type of information it’s another brick falling off shoulders too often burdened by weighty matters.

Of course I also had to consider it meant I’m a shark.

Kidding, naturally.

To my delight, a day later another EMF article crossed my desk and while this one relates to a different part of my experience it’s every bit as validating.  Needless to say I’ll be sharing that information in the near future.

Stay tuned.

Writing Crystal Visions

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Hey y’all 

Typed with a Midwest accent

I haven’t dropped off the planet, just gathering my thoughts.

Lots of projects under consideration.

The biggest hurdle at this point is deciding how to do a site layout that reflects my vision. I’ve always been a visual person, one who sees things then works to recreate what I see in my mind’s eye.

So readers can immerse themselves in that vision.

Vision as Part of the Process.

When writing, my visual process makes it so I not only see characters, colors, settings in equisite detail, I can smell the smells.

Whether they come from shampoo a character uses, a by-product of what is going on in the scene – i.e., the aftermath of a battle – or from memory – i.e., a hospital or elementary school.

When I set fingers to keyboard I literally have images of characters, settings, smells in mind.  It’s why I so easily identify with my characters.

Which helps when writing from their point of view.  

I see them with crystal clarity.

As if they were standing in front of or beside me.

Speaking of Crystal Visions, the song of the same name – by The Big Pink – is pretty sweet.

On the Red Riding Hood Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.

I imagine other novelists have this ability.

As would song writers, painters, sculptors, photographers, and a myriad of other artists, including actors who create their character as they see – and feel – in body and soul.

What makes this phase of my career challenging is that despite the tremendous improvements in tools and layout options available through WordPress, I’m concerned about making the layout overly busy.  

I want to represent multiple projects in one place without making it cluttered.

As with many disciplines (i.e. writing software code**), there are numerous ways to accomplish what I want and plenty of tools for doing so, but it’s wanting to match what I envision with what is displayed that has me taking time.

Considerations

Some projects will remain under wraps.

I’ll be revealing them in the near future.

Some are topics I never walked away from.

They’re integrated into who I am, woven into my life in a way that means to abandon them is akin to pulling a thread and watching everything unravel til nothing’s left but a spaghetti mess.

That doesn’t mean I was obligated to share.

In spite of a passion for making the world a better place.

Going back to the way things were would only land me in the place that drove me to step away to being with.

The way I’d been doing things resulted in serious damage – to me.

It was as if – metaphorically – I suddenly found myself in a ballroom so crowded I couldn’t hear myself think.

Let alone breathe.

As I go forward with these projects I’m taking my strengths and vulnerabilities into consideration.

As I honor my passion for making the world a better place.

Among the myriad of topics attached to various projects are EMF Sensitivity and life through a Living the Psi Life lens.

Stay tuned.

**  A big part of why I refused to do coding on-the-fly as part of my technical consulting is the simple fact I would be setting the sales rep up for failure.  I’d either be trying to deal with a predecessor’s code or writing in a way that meant whoever came after me needed to understand where I was coming from – at that moment – in order to support the customer.

Never mind that whatever I did wouldn’t be supported if the customer ever called the help desk.  

Ah, but that is a story for another day.

It Used to Be Socks – Part I

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Trying to pick yourself up after you’ve been flattened by life is something I’m all too familiar with.  I’ve been doing it since I was 10 and a brain hemhorrage knocked me out of the game 2 weeks before US Olympic Gymnast Training Camp.

I came to after dying 3x blind, paralyzed, and recovering from an induced coma.

What I’m trying to come back from now is the most difficult health issue I’ve faced since those days.

What I do have is drawing from numerous times my life and plans were rerouted – for me – knowing I survived it – perhaps even emerged a stronger better person for it.

The Spirit Lives

I’ve come to see – fortunately -on endless walks over months the creative spirit within is still around, though it was and continues to be touch and go.

Merely thinking of projects can make me physically ill.

I think some part of me has been ‘splining what I was trying to do was akin to a baseball player getting back in the game before his injuries were healed.

Aka “Ain’t gonna happen.

Failed Negotiation

I tried all sorts of end runs around my higher self.

Crash and burn.

I gave up

And gave it to the Universe

Tuning the Dial

I was eventually strong enough to tap into old philosophies including my success with Silva and the Law of Attraction.

And got to a point where it was diminishing returns.

That’s okay – I’d put the energy out there.  I trusted the process.

So Where Do the Socks Come In?

I’m finally in a place where I’m strong enough to do a post under circumstances I wasn’t able to before.

Yay!

The Socks?

I could start with a cutesie story of how my kitty used to steal my socks when I was in second grade so I couldn’t go to school.

And leave her.

Years later she showed up at my sixth grade classroom.

Hopped up on the windowsill next to my desk.

Neither the teacher nor principal – both nuns – were amused.

We didn’t have a working car at the time so my dad had to ride up on  my 10-speed bike and put her in a suitcase to ride home with .

Bet that was fun.

The Cultural Divide of Socks

Anecdote aside, the sock thing started when I was 12 and my family had moved to New Orelans.

Small town in Jefferson Parish.

I had to wear the Catholic school uniform – I got that – but I put on socks I felt represented my creative spirit.

To give perspective, the other girls wore poodle length uniform skirts, bobby socks, and saddle shoes reminiscent of the 50s though this was some 30 years later.

Needless to say my yellow and brown striped socks didn’t win any popularity contests.

Nor did my Yankee accent.

It was actually the school bus driver who called me out first.

“What are ye wearin’ those fer?!”

She threatened not to let me on the bus.

Then decided to let the nuns have at me.

Needless to say, it went downhill from there.

But my creative spirit had morphed into some sort of rebellion over socks and the freedom to choose my own.

Sock Evolution.

By the time I was in high school I was working multiple jobs and maintaining grades good enough to get an academic scholarship.

And leading an organization that earned me Oakland County Outstanding Citizen of the Year.

Laundry was not a priority.

Neither was hair.

It’s amazing how many adults get tied up in knots when you don’t pay attention to such things.

Not school adults – ahem.

Showing up in mismatched socks was simply no big deal to me.

It was reflective of getting dressed at 6am after having gotten home from work after 11pm.  I was half asleep.

When I was called out for it I replied, “What does it matter if they match?  They’re both clean.”

Evolution II

I started to choose socks with fun patterns.

No dull solids for me!

And of course none of this was inspired by the continuous criticism of my choice of socks.

I mean come on – who takes the energy to stare at someone’s ankles?  I lived in jeans so it wasn’t like people could see goofy knee socks!

Evolution III

Alas the thrill of the sock hunt has been replaced by the joy of spending as much time barefoot as possible.  That doesn’t mean I don’t seek creative expression.

The latest version came from the realization I’m spending more time in t-shirts than sweaters.

So I may as well make it fun.

Given I needed to expand the wardrobe anyway since wearing the same 3-4 t-shirts over and over was going to have them wearing out I decided to do something fun that will help my writing efforts.

Honoring that creative spirit.

This will be evident in future posts.

Stay tuned

Self-Care and The Important Follow-On Question

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As with so many, the fallout from the pandemic spurred me into taking what action I could to ease suffering – at personal expense.

Serious mental, emotional, and eventually physical burn-out.

Hitting a wall I elected to do something that would have appalled my corporate self.

Gasp!  Self-Care

To put in perspective, my primary influences growing up came from the Greatest Generation.

World War II Vets and war brides.

You didn’t complain.

Grit and heart and self-sacrifice for the greater good won the day.

This is the philosophy that underpinned my decades as a woman in the male dominated field of tech.

Eons before the Me-Too movement.

The idea of self-care was akin to betrayal.

Selfish!

And so it went.

By the end of 2022 even I was coming to see if I didn’t do something my health was going to deteriorate to the point I couldn’t recover.

Okay, so Now What?

I didn’t make the decision for self-care so much as God made it for me.

My life literally ground to a halt and I wound up in the ER.

In the days that followed it occurred to me that in order to heal I would have to sacrifice something that was an indelible part of my life.

My writing career.

When I wound up in the ER a second time after a test result came back suspicious I knew that in spite of the fact I’d wanted to be a writer from the time I was three, trying to pull up energy reserves to continue might be dire indeed.

Nothing like waking to a call at 7am telling you to get to the hospital immediately because of a number on a blood draw.

A Warning.

The follow-up tests showed I was fine.

Thank God.

I raised the white flag and informed my family that for the foreseeable future I would no longer be writing.

Or doing anything that would take precious energy needed for my recovery.

Selfish.

But first I had to get past the philosophy that putting myself first was selfish.

Thank God for the more modern philosophy that points out – wisely – if you aren’t there for yourself you can’t be there for those you love let alone anyone else.

Repeat after me:  Self-care is NOT being selfish!

I spent months focused on recovery even as I tried to be there for those who needed me.

I’m grateful for family and friends who were there for me when they too were trying to pick up their lives from various – and not always Covid related – challenges.

Part of self-care included daily walks.

Starting at a little under 2 I was soon walking 6 miles a day 7 days a week.

For months the only thought I could identify was “What was the license number of that truck?”

Anything deeper got me into a world of hurt.

Extended members of the family were a bit disconcerted.

“What’s with -?”

Giving the most basic of answers I put my head down and foot to the pavement.

Walking cold or heat, rain, sleet, or shine.

It was months before I could muster up the energy to utter – even mentally – the all-important follow-on question.

What’s Next?

I knew I wasn’t going back to corporate.

Hell I wasn’t healthy enough to do much – outside walking – but sit my butt on a couch.  I couldn’t commit to an employer let alone a customer!

Is that a Ray of – SUN?

Or is it hope?

One day while walking I considered that I really did want to write again.

It’s all I’d ever dreamed of doing from the time I was 3.

I also knew I was in no condition to even try.

The mere thought caused serious mental pain.

It was out of my hands.

I turned it over to God.

I also acknowledged that I may never be able to go back to writing.

Though that rubbed against another philosophy I was raised with which was God never put a dream in your heart He didn’t give you the means to achieve.

It’s a weird place living in the twilight of a dream shredded beyond recognition.

You’re so tangled in the confusion and pain of the idea of never again doing something you loved – that had been living inside of you since you could first put crayon to construction paper – you can’t give voice to the fear

The horror.

Not even to those who love you and want you to not hurt.

I couldn’t voice the fear even as I was willing to give it up forever if that’s what it took to make me whole again.

A Way Forward.

It’s early in the process and I’m taking it in baby steps but I intend to resurrect my dream.

As God wills it as my dear cousin likes to say.

I intend to tap the dream to be a writer to follow my passion.

Making the world a better place.

Stay tuned.

Manifesting 101: So, You Want a Shortcut

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I haven’t fallen over a cliff, I’ve been focusing on that much needed self-care and while I have a blog post in draft, I do have a meaningful anecdote to share.

The Universe and a human were walking side by side, the human  deciding whether or not to trust the message they were getting about next steps.

This person has been dealing with a few challenges but did ask for guidance.

Omipotent and therefore able to pick up on the concern, the Universe says, “I’m leading you by the hand down the path and it isn’t a path of thorns.”

The human is considering the words thoughtfully when the Universe continues

“Of course, I can’t be held responsible if you decide to take a path you think is a shortcut only to find it’s a path lined with thorny shrubs.”

Reminds me of a time when Aaron and I were hiking in Sedona and I indicated what looked to be a shortcut.  Aaron subsequently spent close to a half hour carefully picking cactus needles from  my hair, shoulder blade, back, and waist.

Thank God for blue jeans!

Post in draft coming soon.

Be well!

Manifesting 101: Accept What Goes With It

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Note: Longer post.

Hoping everyone had a good weekend.  As I was walking this morning I recalled another aspect of manifesting worth sharing:

Accepting what goes with obtaining the goal.  

Incidentally, this is different than be careful what you wish for.

I find it fun to illustrate with examples.

After all, experience is a great way to get perspective.

When I was starting along my journey in corporate I became aware of the role technical consultant.

I was working in HR at the time, as a PSA.

I spoke with my manager – one of three I had at the time – and she agreed it would be a good fit as a career goal.  She proceeded to help me find a job in the department that would get me to the next step.

I was welcomed warmly by the technical consultants in the group who were more than happy to help me along the path to my goal.

Everyone knew it would take years of work to get from Point A to Point B and many were eager to guide me along the way.

One of the more attractive aspects of the role was the autonomy the position seemed to afford.

Self-directed and independent, I don’t thrive under micromanagement or bureaucracy.

As I got to the later stages of my non-traditional path …

Big time on-the-job training!

I came to see that there wasn’t as much autonomy as I perceived

Think TPS reports.

And there was a flip side to the autonomy.  

This is being a consultant?

Lonely time!

My job required a lot of travel and for the most part I was thrilled with the idea.  

I love traveling to different places and interacting with people from various walks of life.

What I wasn’t prepared for – nor comfortable with – was all the time I would be spending by myself.

I was self-conscious and felt a lot of eyes on me when I checked into hotels in sometimes rural areas, sat down by myself in a restaurant, or walked into a classroom room of my “peers.”

I was younger than most by 10-15 years.  I was single wheras most were married with kids.  I was uusally the lone female in the predominantly male industry.

A colleague who wanted to see me succeed gave me rather blunt words when I discussed the issue with him.

You’d better get used to it.

He explained that being a technical consultant meant spending hours on a plane and a lot of nights and weekends in hotels eating room service while watching ESPN.  

He suggested as an avid reader I just pull out a book and read while I eat.

Making it mine.

Over time I got used to the not-so-glamorous side of being a technical consultant.  More, outgoing and naturally curious, I engaged other travelers in conversation.

Most, also feeling lonely, were more than happy to talk about what they were doing.

Majority wanted to tell me about their families and how much they missed them.

Especially international travelers who, either because of kids’ school or the family budget couldn’t bring their families with them.

I always learned something new from these engaging conversations.

One of the more interesting ones was speaking with a Congressional Representative from the Navajo Nation who was sitting next to me on a flight to DC, his tray strewn with paperwork.  He was more than happy to take a break to explain his role and what he was presenting to Congress the next day.

This is the big gathering?

One of the more anticipated events in our company was an annual training where consultants from all over the world gathered near corporate HQ for a week of intense hands-on training.

And beaucoup networking.

The experienced consultants, not wanting to leave for one reason or another, proposed I go. However, my job classification meant No way! so a bit of negotiating was done.  I could go on the condition I attend specific courses or breakouts, write a report, and give a presentation upon my return.

But I was not allowed to rent a car and a number of stipend limitations were put on me.

It was a thrill and I was excited.  And challenged.

I was carded when I tried to order wine alongside a senior colleague from another state and when I gave the bartender my Michigan driver’s license, he proceeded to accuse me of having a fake ID.  I told him to go ahead and call the cops if he thought that – as my face flamed from embarassment – I’d drawn a lot of attention amongst the group of peers – all men. 

 One of the senior consultants – a soft spoken gentleman from Atlanta in his late 50s – managed to convince the bartender I had a legitimate license and he should sell the glass of wine to me.  

Oy!

I dutifully took notes while attending various sessions and emailed the report ahead of my return flight so the consultants could read it before my presentation the coming Monday.

They read it over the weekend.

One of the first things I said when I stood up was how incredulous I was that grown professionals could act the way some of the consultants had acted during training.

They argued – sometimes endlessly – over the smallest detail – and became quite passionate when learning that certain features promised by marketing weren’t going to make it into an upcoming release.

When I mentioned the frustration of watching a breakout session devolve into a rat hole my colleagues began to laugh and clap.  Confused, I said, “You think this is funny?” to which they replied, “No, this is what it is to be a consultant!”

I’d passed a test and was soon given more opportunities to further myself along the path toward the goal; a path littered with challenges as I learned the less-than-glamorous side of being a technical consultant.

Including learning after I completed all the requirements there was no headcount for me to get that promised promotion.

Perseverence.

I eventually succeeeded then surpassed the goals I’d set for myself.

I can look back on an incredible and successful years’ long career as a technical consultant.  

What stands out – a good reminder as I walk the path to current goals – is that there are unknowns one has to accept to go the distance and many of these unknowns are unanticipated hurdles.

They go along for the journey to success.

Be well!

Manifesting 101: Just When I Needed It

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I’m beginning to wonder if the universe can read my mind.

I was taught God knows what’s in our hearts.

This morning was rougher than usual.  As I was out enjoying the sunshine I considered what I might do to boost my spirits.  No sooner had the thought completed when an older gentleman walking in the opposite direction said, “They say this means we’ll live longer.  It better or I’m going to have something to say to them!”

Whoever they are – ha ha.

His comment made me laugh.

Domino Effect.

It reminded me of something one of my uncles might say about some topic or other and thinking about them and their sometimes grumpy old man manner made me smile the kind of smile that takes over your whole body.

It was just what I needed when I needed it.

I immediately thanked God for the laugh and the smile.

As I walked along thinking how the guy seemed to have appeared out of nowhere I was reminded of a similar situation.

One I blogged about years back.

We were living in San Diego and I was feeling down about the whole EMF Sensitivity challenge.

I hadn’t yet put the pieces of the solution together.

I set out on a walk to clear my head.  Suddenly an older gentleman relatively well-dressed appeared, seemingly out of nowhere.

He was well-dressed but he was also a vagabond.

He gave me a smile, opened his arms, and said, “There’s someone who needs a hug.”

Boy did I ever.

I let this older man envelop me in his gift – care and compassion freely given – and thanked him.

The hug was brief and respectful.

I went on my way thinking how amazing it was the man appeared like an angel just when I needed it.

As I continued on my walk this morning I focused on another incident where I got what I needed when I needed it – without asking.

Just Thinking.

The other night I was wondering about the health benefits of walking.

Those outside the well-known, such as cardiovascular.

I had questions about potential benefits, but other than wondering, I did nothing to get the answers.  The next afternoon I came across the following article.

It just popped on my screen after I logged out of email.

I never said one word about my question, nor had I been reading articles about walking. I’d only thought about the question.

The article contained the answer to the unasked question.

Jung’s Synchronicities.

I’ve decided this series of “coincidences” is part of the overall process of manifesting goals.  You put the [intention] energy out there and the universe finds a way.  

The trick is to recognize it for what it is.

And be sure to thank the sender!

Be well!

Manifesting 101: Sound

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Note: Longer Post

If music be the food of love, play on – Twelfth Night

You Have To Start Somewhere

Building Faith.

For many people, when starting on the path to manifesting goals, there is doubt.  

In the premise, in the process, in their ability to succeed.

A wonderful way to counter the doubt and increase chances for success is to build faith.  But how?

Would You Look At That?

To Notice is To Know.

Notice what’s in your life.  Specifically, how much of it is something you wanted and got?  Every one of those gains is a manifestation success.  The key is to acknowledge them regardless of size.

And be thankful!

The Tale of Two Lists

I have a list in the style of It Works that I reference.

Though I follow the methodology and philsophies of a number of Manifesting Gurus, I customize my approach to manifesting to what works for me.

I tapped into this philosophy and added wisdom from another book and created a separate list of received.

The idea is to write “I wanted x and I gratefully received it.”

As I moved accomplished goals big and small from my Want List to my Received List I couldn’t help noticing how long my Received List was becoming.

I have a wide variety of goals big and not so big.

Seeing that list grow ever longer reinforced my faith because it was proof the methods I was employing were working.

When I started this version of the manifesting process I was doing quite a bit of walking.

Good for body mind and spirit.

An avid walker for decades I typically listen to music while I walk.  Unfortunately, given the state of things at that point, I wasn’t able to.

Too much going on in the pia mater.  Music became an irritant.

I felt bad about not being able to listen to music because it’s been a part of my life for as long as I could remember.

I played in band and then orchestra.

The Universe is Listening

And playing my song.

As I was watching college basketball gearing up for March Madness I became aware certain commercials had songs that grabbed my attention – for the message they sent.

Everything’s Okay.

No matter how down I felt when those ads came on the song became the focus of my attention.

That was the point.

Thank you God.

Those tunes were the right words at the right time but more, in some cases imagery in the ad boosted the message.

Flowers blooming and other signs of spring with its new growth and celebration after a long winter.

Deciding focusing on the message of hope was the best course of action I created a playlist with those songs.  

The Happy List.

I’ll admit, it was a short list at the outset.

Transition Buddy to the Rescue.

One morning as I was starting out I got a text from my Transition Buddy in which he included a link to a song he was listening to at work.

He mentioned it was helping him get going on that particular morning.

When I heard the notes I was filled with warmth and a smile spread across my face.  I hadn’t heard the song in years but it brought back wonderful memories from a time when my family lived in Florida.

Thinking of warm sunshine while walking in the cold rain was a real boost to my morale.

I added the song to the playlist and gave a big thank you to my Transition Buddy for adding a bright spot to my day.

Over the weeks I added one or two additional songs to keep the theme of the Happy List.

I played the list over and over while walking.

The more I listened to the message the songs represented – hope that things would eventually get better – and considered the circumstances by which they came about – the more positive I felt which translated to more positive coming into my life.

Coincidences – what Jung calls synchronicities – began to multiply.

Music Matters.

And it does this…and this…

As I acknowledged the role music was playing in lifting me from a pretty low point, a funny thing happened.

I started to stumble on articles about the benefits of music.

My Transition Buddy continued and continues to share stories of music that add smiles and positive energy to my day.

We’re about the same age so we have a lot of music memories in common which makes it that much more enjoyable an exchange.

I continue to benefit from focusing on the musical synchronities and wanted to share the idea more broadly so others can potentially integrate the philosophy of observing wonders big and small into their manifesting practice.

In closing I’ll share links to the articles and a couple of the tunes on that Happy List.

Enjoy and be well!

Links:  To prevent cognitive decline.  To repair.  To make you smile if not laugh.

Songs:  Miracles by Jefferson Starship, All Right Now by Free, and Three Little Birds by Bob Marley & The Wailers are part of that original small set.

The list has grown but it isn’t too crowded which I believe would make for diminishing returns.

Manifesting 101: In the Meantime

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“The waiting is the hardest part” – Tom Petty

Note: Longer post.

I’ve written about the “in between” part of manifesting a goal and while it’s all good and well to understand it’s part of the process, it doesn’t help with the to-do part which can include a lot of nothing but wait.

This can be of particular challenge if like me you’re more than happy and willing to do what it takes.

At this point in my journey – and specific to a current goal – there really is nothing “to do” but wait and allow next steps to appear when they need to.

Trust that the universe is working behind the scenes to bring what I’m going for.

   Rather than go into detail about the specific goal I’m going to share a story of how I handled a time when  I was working toward a career goal but had a lot of hurry up and wait to do. 

And several roadblocks were put in my path by folks threatened by what I was trying to do.

There was a time when I wanted to be a technical consultant but was in a totally different job classification.  Knowing I needed to close the skills, education, and experience gap I asked a number of the more successful consultants where I needed to start.  

Though a handful were more than happy to help, a few reacted with hostility.

In the end it was agreed the best next step was for me to start with the basics.

Little did I know.

I was handed a bunch of manuals but given no access to the computer system I needed.  Determined, I asked a trusted colleague what he suggested.

Build It.

He told me of a storage closet filled with old computer parts and – yep – more manuals – and suggested I go foraging and use the manuals to build a computer.

He did help me pick out what I needed which basically amounted to an 8O86 that didn’t have enough anything (memory, CPU power) to run the software I needed to learn.

Trusting this colleague I set up the guts and wires of what would hopefully be a computer I could work with on my desk and went to work.

The Universe Steps In.

I’ll admit this next part is truly one of my favorite stories.

It was a Friday afternoon – about 4pm – and I was busy trying to get an old game program to work on the little 8O86 I’d succeeded in getting to accept an old OS.

Ironically, one I’d used at WMU in a basic computer course.

A gentleman came to stand on the opposite side of the fabric wall of my cube.

They’d begrudgingly given me my own cube but it was so close to the stairwell and away from everyone else I may as well have been IN the stairwell.

He asked a simple question. 

Where is Everybody?

I smiled and explained that on Fridays it was typical for people not working on a deadline to book out early.  

I had no idea who this guy was.

His follow-up question was to ask what I was up to.  I explained I was building a computer because I wanted to become a senior consultant.

Eventually.

Still hovering over the cube wall he pointed out the model I was working on was ancient and wouldn’t be of any real help.  I explained that while that was the case, my job classification meant I was not given a computer better suited.

I told him I was having fun trying to get the gaming software to work on the “ancient” beast that really should have been in a museum somewhere.

Note: Though I was given the equipment I was given zero time.

Any efforts to get closer to my career aspirations had to be on my own time – not work time. My manager was very explicit about that.

We chatted a bit longer – mostly me explaining what I planned to try next – and he went on his merry way.  

Do You Know Who That Was?!

One of the senior consultants – who’d been pretty helpful to my aspirations – showed up in my cube minutes later and hissed, “Do you know who you were talking to just now?”

Obviously not.

I shrugged and said, “Doesn’t matter.  He was a nice guy.”

Regional headquarters, we got visitors from out of town all the time.  

Turns out it was the CEO of the company.

I’ll admit, I was pretty shocked.  Then I wondered what I might have said that would land me in hot water.

Keep Doing What You’re Doing.

I went back to my project and tried to think of everything we’d talked about.  In the end what I remembered was his perplexed expression even as he wished me luck.

He told me he admired my tenacity and my passion for what I wanted to accomplish.

Uh-Oh.

Now you’ve done it.

The following Monday I was called into the District Manager’s office.  Apparently, our illustrious leader went to the Regional Manager’s office immediately after speaking to me and asked what gives?

Why was I being stonewalled.

“The man” on the 3rd floor went to “the man” on the 2nd floor and instructed him to give me what I needed.

I was told I’d impressed the CEO with my positive attitude in the face of adversity in the workplace.

After a lengthy and thorough discussion of my career goals I was given the green-light to take a non-traditional path to my dream of being a senior technical consultant.

Oooh, was my manager mad!  They thought I’d gone behind their back.  

The Universe’s Message? Stay the Course.

And keep the good attitude while you’re at it.

I was given a piece of equipment that didn’t support the current OS direction our company was taking.

They technically gave me a decent workstation to use but it would be obsolete in less than a year.

Joke’s on Someone Else.

The colleague I trusted was pretty irritated on my behalf.  An amazing software guru, he came up with a clever next step for me.  Turns out our software division wanted to test the new OS direction on older hardware because of the need to support legacy customers.  My colleague, who became a wonderful mentor in that moment, gave me the name of a guy in the software division and proposed I offer to help them with their testing in exchange for access to early releases of the software.

Who Are You?

And why are you talking to me?

The guy was a bit on the frosty side – especially when I told him what my current job classification was – and was about to hang up when I told him who advised I call.  He immediately warmed up and we hashed out a wonderful plan wherein I would test not only the new OS but apps to make sure we could support legacy customers for at least five years.

I agreed to be the point contact for all the app program managers.

A Wonderful Partnership.

A tech writer, I volunteered to proof their papers before giving them to the higher-ups.

Often one long sentence with zero punctuation faxed to me at the last minute before they were due.

This was in addition to the testing and necessitated working a lot of nights and weekends.

I loved every moment of what I was doing.

I felt respected for the first time in quite awhile.

The Universe Tests.

It came around that one of the less supportive colleague needed early access to the future OS for one of our biggest global customers.  When he called the division to get a copy they told him he had to talk to me.

Bet that hurt.

I can’t say I wasn’t just a wee bit hostile toward this colleague but I was no fool.  We struck a bargain and set up an ecosystem that served everyone.

As the manager of the project I got to learn while my colleagues got access that not only made customer sense it helped them keep their skills current.

I’ve long since lost contact with the colleague who played such a critical role in helping me achieve my dream.  I know this much.  When – years later – I was selected to be involved in a major global supply-chain initiative – in a role of authority as a liason to corporate resources – I knew I’d done my mentor proud.

Fulfilled all the goals he and I talked about and then some.

I hope this story inspires others along the liminal path.

Be well.

Note:  As to my current efforts.  I’ve seen evidence my energy is getting through the “between” to the universe.

That I’m using my liminal time wisely.

I had an opportunity that could theoretically get me closer to the goal show up out of the blue.  

Knowing it wasn’t the right opportunity nor the right time I passed on it. 

 The next day I came across an article with valuable information that will definitely help.

Message? Stay the path.

Manifesting 101: The Pitfalls of Compassion

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Note: Longer post.

The path to manifesting a goal is filled with challenges and those who’ve surmounted them are often willing to share the methods and strategies that worked for them.

There are a number of books going back to Think and Grow Rich if not earlier filled with support and advice.

One of the pitfalls I’ve yet to see talked about is something that has caught me up time and again. 

Too much of a good thing.

When compassion becomes an energy drain.

Hey, Me Too!

I’ve lost count of the number of people who, upon hearing I’m a writer, tell me they too want to be a writer.  More often than not, however, they have no intention of following through on the desire.

This includes people I’ve met in writing classes, at writing seminars, or who were in various writers’ groups I’ve been a part of.

I’ve found there are people who simply like to tell everyone they’re going to be a writer.

They tend to become feisty when I point out there’s a difference between wanting to be a writer – which they probably already are if they have a manuscript – and wanting to be a published writer where they’d have to polish that manuscript and go the distance.

A Theme Across Industries.

People are people.

When I was starting out in corporate as what one colleague referred to as a “junior astronaut” there were a couple of others who, like me, were entry-level but aspired to move up the ladder.  Compassionate by nature, I was more than happy to discuss strategy with them.  

At the end of the day, however, I was the only one who achieved what I set out to do.

Become a senior Technical Consultant.

It’s a lot of work.

Going to tech classes at night, working weekends, and putting in 80 hours a week was par for the course for years, as was living on a plane for weeks if not months to pay my dues.

I was touched when one colleague pulled me aside to tell me the stress and workload was too much for her. 

What was touching was that she worried I was disappointed in her for bowing out.  I quickly assured her nothing was farther from the truth.

Too Much of a Good Thing.

My compassion got me into trouble from time to time.  

One colleague used my strategy to go after my job.

Fortunately, it didn’t work but it was damn close.  Talk about stress!

Another casualty was the time and energy taken to talk with colleagues who were sometimes only curious about what I was doing.

Let’s just say that for the times and the company culture it was no longer an easily accepted path up the Technical Consultant ladder.

Looking back I see how draining and harmful giving time and energy to certain individuals turned out to be.

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

One of the more confusing challenges – one I’ve seen too often – are those who see your efforts as some sort of judgment or commentary on them.  These individuals, upon hearing of your plan or your success get defensive.

They are those who, rather than congratulating you on overcoming hurdles to achieve something state “I could have done that too if…” then proceed to tell you all the reasons their hurdles were obviously bigger than yours so they couldn’t do what they set out to accomplish.

I suspect this is a life lesson for me because over the years as I achieved more goals I ran into it more often.

I broke the pattern when I simply quit giving these folks my time and energy.

Don’t Leave Me!

Another pitfall on the path to goal achievement is a bit on the inisidious side.  

I’d go so far as to say it’s a hurdle on the path to achieving your goal.

In general, when you begin taking serious action toward achieving a goal, the universe will put situations and people on your path to help you.

And challenge you.

Sometimes the people who claim to be your best cheerleader turn into your biggest obstacles.  This is because while they say they want you to achieve your goals, it isn’t true. Often, as you get close to attaining the goal, they begin subtly sabotaging your efforts.

This is a close cousin to the person who says they want to do something but really has no intention to do what it takes.

The traps involved with this challenge are too numerous to go into.  Suffice it to say that putting time and energy in this direction can lead you off the path.

This is one of the trickier ones because the individual who has seemed so supportive suddenly changes their tune, usually just when you’re about to succeed.  The psychological whiplash can be very draining.

Though the challenges involved with achieving a goal can be numerous, one that baffled me big time was hostility turned my way once I achieved a goal and made to move on to the next.

I love to learn and improve – myself and my life as well as the life of others I can help along the way.

What these challenges have in common is that each of them took time and energy I could have put into achieving the goal and while I’m aware they are part of life’s challenges along the path – normal in other words – they aren’t part of the process so much as a specific theme that, if one isn’t careful, can keep you from succeeding.

For the simple reason you don’t see the forest for the trees of the path through the manifesting woods.

I hope by sharing these tidbits people become aware of where hurdles could be hiding in plain sight.  Though compassion is worthy, when it becomes an energy drain that moves you from your dreams it’s time to regroup.

And redirect that compassion to the one looking back at you in the mirror.

Be well!