The Voice Within

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Was listening to the Voice by the Moody Blues when life smacked me upside with a message.

Believe it or not I missed the blinking neon traversing the universe.  Thankfully a good friend took the universal message – handed it to me so I could run with it.

Hey football season is upon us.  Perfect metaphor for a time that brings joy.

I grew up listening to this on 8-track tape with over the ear headphones.  And somehow in all those years I missed the message.

Or perhaps the message waited for me – for this day.

I’m writing content for the 3rd podcast in my Navigating the Holistic Path series.  

A central theme is the role of instinct in holistic caring for family. 

 Tired out from today’s work I decided to listen to tunes.  For some reason The Voice by the Moody Blues kept coming to mind so I downloaded it to a playlist I call LAStyle.

Playlist reflects an amazing beautiful incredibly creative period of my life as a teen of divorced parents living part-time in So Cal.

It was only away from today’s podcast work I was able to catch snatches of the lyrics.  I’ll admit originally when I heard “…calling you back to face the music…”  I thought the universe was taking me to task.  Then I heard “Understand the voice within…”  And “… trust your feelings it’s easy now.  Understand the Voice Within.”

Intuition.  Instinct.

Message received.

I’m grateful to my friend who mentioned this song to me recently.  

Look for magic everyday and you will find it.

Be well.

We Need Mentors

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Enjoying a bit of sunshine and smiling because of a conversation that brought joy.  A woman was doing a service by picking up recyclables the county doesn’t pick up.

Ahem – clamshells.

She mentioned she used to work for the US post office which was a nice segue. I told her of people I know who used to work for the post office and a friend who currently does.

A friend who has been a mentor to me since I met him 36 years ago – in corporate.

After a wonderful back and forth she went on her way and I was left with my thoughts.  I couldn’t help thinking how throughout my life I’ve had the benefit of mentors.

People who shared and passed life wisdom to me.

I speak to this in my podcasts.

As I considered how fortunate I was to have not just one but multiple people in my corporate environment take the time and energy to mentor me I thought of the flip side to that.

What’s Axed is What’s Lost

I was in my early 20s when the Midwest went through yet another in the every ten years we go through a recession fun.  

Not.

The thing is I hadn’t been through it in a way that drove a stake into my empathetic heart before then.

I watched as in the name of cutting costs people with incredible knowledge and experience were the first to go while those of us who were just starting out were kept because we were cheap labor.

I later learned I was being underpaid by $18K.

I was not only devastated watching colleagues let go because they apparently earned too much I told management we were losing a precious resource.

We needed their experience! Their wisdom! You can’t put a price tag on that!

Experience Needed

I don’t think the powers that be got what they were going for.  After the senior consultants were let go a large number of customers dropped us as a trusted vendor/advisor.

They had a history with these consultants.  They trusted them.

When I showed up at an OEM site to address a critical issue the customer looked at me and said “Why you don’t look any older than my granddaughter.  What could you possibly know about this problem?”

In other words don’t worry my pretty little head about it?

I pasted a smile on my face and proceeded to assure the customer I could indeed fix a problem that had pulled the systems offline.

Costing millions of dollars an hour.

Inside I felt like jelly but I did get them up and running.

And chewed my mentor out all the way back to the office for putting me in a position I was in no way experienced enough to handle.  

His response?  “Did you or did you not fix their issue?”

Life Circles Round

I know that mentor – who is a beloved friend after all these years – will read this and remember that day.

And my panic even as he assured me he believed in me 100% and knew I could fix the issue and get them back online.

How did it turn out?

After they were up and running they took me to lunch to celebrate.

And raised glasses to the fact I indeed got them up and running so the car doors could once again roll off the line.

We need to tell our stories.

We need to mentor.

Be well

Metal in the Brain: EMF Life

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It’s been a busy afternoon in EMF land.  I’m about to release an app and Handbook focused on Esoteric EMFs.

  

  • Ghosts
  • Psi
  • Hauntings
  • Sacred Spaces
  • Sensitivity to other People

And how these frequencies interact with and are impacted by

  • Geologic
  • Atmospheric
  • Technologic

EM frequencies.

Filled with tools and strategies that eliminate the negative impact of Esoteric frequencies the app and Handbook will appeal to novice and expert, to skeptic and believer alike.

As I was decompressing with music my mind drifted to one of my favorite human beings in the world.  My high school physics teacher Mr. Robert Parys.  I will never forget the day he learned I had a metal clip in my brain.

Titanium it was put in to stop bleeding from a subdural hematoma the result of falling off a diving board and hitting my chin on it on the way into the pool when I was 10 years of age.

He was – in a word – horrified.

“There’s metal in your brain?!”

As a 16-year-old I wasn’t particularly appreciative of the attention this got me.

I was the only female in the class of about 20.  Everyone turned to me expressions startled and horrified. You know – like I had a disease? 

Can we say “Yay?”

Note:  I had girlfriends who took physics.  They just had classes during a different time period.

To make matters worse – for me – he asked me to stay after class.

You can imagine what it was like to hear male feet shuffling by as they left. The sideways glances.

Oh just yay.

I tried pointing out I needed to get to my next class but he told me he’d write a note.

Joy.

The discussion led to more questions – his – than could be managed so he invited me to stay after school so he could learn more.  I had a job so this wasn’t easy but he was persuasive it would be worth my while.

I liked Mr. Parys.  He had a good sense of humor and related to students in a way that let them know he really cared about them, their dreams, goals, their success in life.

He spent time doing what he could to help students achieve their dreams.

Though I spent time answering his questions about life in the wake of an NDE with a metal clip in my head he is the one who gave the gift. Sharing his insight and access to materials meant I was able to conduct scientific research that helped me feel okay at a time when I didn’t…

I was still limping heavily after being paralyzed and my hair was still growing out after being shaved for emergency brain surgery.  You could still see a pretty big scar on my skull. Not a fun thing for a self-conscious teenage girl.

The groundwork he helped lay has led to the release of this app and Handbook.

Work that will help the world the way he helped his students.

His legacy lives on.

Teachers are amazing people who are often under appreciated.

I’m ever so grateful this one crossed my path.

The world benefits because he was a part of it.

RIP Mr. Parys.

Manifesting 101: When Dreams Don’t Happen

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Listening to Bryan Ferry’s Boys and Girls smiling as a wonderful memory sweeps through.  

1994

Working in Santa Clara I would drive 92 to the coast after a long day.

Window down, ocean breeze the perfect antidote to work stress.

Seeing RVs and mobile homes on the beach gave me hope that I, too, could afford to live on the beach.

Midwest experience had me thinking you needed to own a mansion to get the view these people were enjoying.

Manifesting a Dream

As I took in details I imagined owning my own little piece of heaven by the Pacific Ocean even as I knew the commute would be no picnic..

92 is a windy path back to Silicon Valley.

As Fate Would Have It

Life had other plans for me.

That particular goal never manifested.

And yet….

Just listening to this album brings all the absolute joy and optimism of those evenings with the smell of the ocean breeze, the feel of cool wind washing my cares away.

The Lesson?

Even when life doesn’t hand you the dream you can still find and feel the joy of your dream.

Be well

Manifesting For Someone Else: Divine Timing

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Did a working lunch at a local place with a good vibe.  A guy who works came in for his shift as I was walking out.

Walking home.

I stopped to chat.  In particular I asked about his family.

His grandmother lives in the path of the tsunami as well as typhoon season.

After assuring me all was good we chatted about music.

We’re both big time metal fans.

At one point I worried I was taking too much of his time.

He was the one talking but still.  It was shift change and the place was relatively busy.

I eventually made my way home and as I was waiting on a light at a busy intersection I hit the button for crossing then glanced back to see a guy standing behind me.  As he was taller than me – aka longer stride – I decided when the light changed I would allow him to go before me.

When the light chnged I turned around smiled and said “You can go ahead.”

As It Happens…

When he used body language to verify I realized a startling detail.

Walking Stick

The man was blind.

I never noticed the stick – only that he was wearing a fashionable hat to keep his face from burning in the sunshine and that he was taller than me.

I assured him he was safe and slipped in behind him to make sure no impatient drivers tried to do something stupid.

Wait!  There’s More!

Gotta love Ginsu right?

We got close to a very busy parking lot.

Fast food restaurant drive-thru at lunch hour.

I stopped and waited – called out to him I was going to keep us safe.

He had his cane going back and forth across the sidewalk.

I made sure the drivers ready to zip out of the parking lot saw me.

And by extension him.

We eventually went our separate ways.  As I was walking the final leg home I thought about the timing of it all.  I’d been worried I was going to get a worker in trouble for talking to him during lunch hour but if I hadn’t fought my initial thought to politely excuse myself so as not to get him in trouble?

I was really interested in everything the cool restaurant worker was telling me.  I did NOT want to get him in trouble!

I would have missed being there for someone who benefitted from my protective presence.

Divine Timing.

Thanks Universe!

Manifestation?

I was there when that guy benefitted from it.  I manifested safety which may have been on his mind.

It is a very busy highway with people who regularly fly through and do “No Cop No Stop” behavior.

Trust your instincts.

Be Well.

Podcast Resource Update

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Sharing a quick update that I’ve added links referenced in the 2nd Podcast episode to the Podcast Resources page.  What makes this interesting in a synchronistic way is one of the stories I mention in this Podcast has to do with the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.  To understand why it’s particularly interesting I need to point out I wrote the script for the 2nd Podcast in early May.  I had no idea there was any sort of event regarding the Edmund Fitzgerald in the works.

If anything I’d think they’d do something in November.

Then I read the news this morning.

Turns out today is the day of the Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Swim.  Specifically, the 50th anniversary.

Wow.

I love synchronicities because it’s the universe telling us we’re on the right path.  To round this out I’ll share a story from the Podcast.

My maternal great-grandfather emigrated from Scotland to Detroit whereafter he owned a shipping company.  One of the ships in his fleet was the PS Tashmoo.  The bell from the Tashmoo is in the Maritime Sailors’ Museum in Detroit.

The bell that Gordon sings rang 29 times for each life on the Edmund Fitzgerald.

My Story

I used to have a very cool sweatshirt with a picture of the Tashmoo on it.  Years back Aaron and I were walking in Union Square in San Francisco when an older couple stopped us.  The man said “The Tashmoo?  How do you know about the Tashmoo?  You seem awfully young for that.”

I explained the ship was part of my maternal great-grandfather’s fleet to which he told me he and his wife who was standing beside him had their honeymoon on the Tashmoo.  He told me what a wonderful time it was and went on to share stories about her grandeur.

Have an awesome day. I hope life brings synchronicities that make you smile.

Be well.

2nd Podcast Available

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I’m pleased to announce the 2nd Navigating the Holistic Path podcast is available.  This episode highlights the influence of others on our decision to live the holistic path.  Includes holistic versus allopathic approaches to health and wellness and tools and strategies for living the holistic path.

Audio Only.

I made the decision to switch to an audio only format to provide a better experience. 

This episode is different from the Welcome episode stylistically even as I include lots of information on holistic health practices.  While I summarize at the end of the episode listeners will infer from the stories what tools and practices belong in the holistic bag of tricks.

I hope you enjoy learning about the influence of others – including family – on our decision to live the holistic path.

And the tools and strategies to help you integrate holistic health practices into your life.

Be well.

Look for the Bright Spots

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Getting ready to record the next podcast episode.  This one is different stylistically as it focuses more on the nurture side of things but the stories provide context and there’s plenty of information on how to integrate holistic health practices into everyday living.

Sharing the stories had me thinking of how throughout my life – a life filled with plenty of adversity – I always had some wonderful positive experience (or person) to offset or perhaps more apt – get me through that adversity.

To Give Context

I’m wearing a cool t-shirt with Tarpon Springs (FL) on the front.  While on my walk this morning I chatted with someone who thought she’d been there.

I walk 7 – 10 miles a day 7 days a week.

As we compared notes it became evident we were talking about the same cool place.  

Closing the Gap

The process of comparing notes had me describing the area in detail.  A big part of that was talking about the sponge docks where the boats in the harbor gather sponges from the sea floor, bring in shrimp, and a handful who do whaling.

It was when I described how they celebrate the Epiphany she knew we were talking about the same place.

It’s so cool.

As I was finishing my walk and just now sitting here I was thinking about why I knew so much about this place.  

That knowledge certainly didn’t come from going to school there for a handful of months.

A classmate I befriended invited me to her home.

A small sailboat she shared with her dad and older brother.

She walked me through the area and introduced me to a number of guys who made their living by the sea.

And who were fiercely protective of her and by extension – me.

I loved learning the whaling boat in the harbor that day had a kitty who loved to sail the seas.

What’s special about this? It’s one of many rays of sunshine that poked through clouds over my life.

My parents were on the verge of a divorce that plunged my mom brother and I into financial hardship as well as a host of other fun pieces to the separation puzzle.

It’s a reminder to look for the bright spots because they’re there even in the midst of chaos.

Be well.

It’s the Simple Things

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Hello readers and visitors!  Hoping you’re finding time to enjoy the day.

I’ve loved roses for as long as I can remember – tried growing them in Michigan once I owned my own house but for reasons – beyond long brutal winters – wasn’t successful.

That didn’t mean the desire didn’t live in my heart.

As luck would have it the house we bought in the East Bay (CA) had a couple of rose bushes.  Problem?  I didn’t know how to care for them.

Neighbor to the Rescue!!

I was fortunate to live next to a woman who was more than happy to share her knowledge of all things Mother Nature with me.

We used to enjoy chilled white wine overlooking our efforts in the summers while she – older – shared life’s wisdom with me.

Fast Forward

The simple pleasures.

I normally have tennis shoes on when I grab my garden hose and – after turning the spigot – pull it down the drive to water plants.  Today was different.

Meeting of the Happy Kind

As it happened I had a set time where I’d be talking on the phone with a longtime friend. Given I wasn’t wearing socks or shoes in my house I saw no point – given the beautiful weather we’re having – to don them when I stepped to my porch for a chin wag.

I can’t remember the last time I’ve been outside in bare feet.

After concluding the call I looked over – realized the flower and fauna I’ve been babying could use a dose of water.  Not bothering to put on shoes I stepped over to turn on the spigot.

Wow! Mother Nature!

Halfway across the driveway I stopped to consider how long it had been since I’d run across cement or put my bare feet in dirt

  Memory upon memory …

As a kid I spent my life running around in bare feet, uncaring how the hot cement of the sidewalks and driveway burned.

I remember the feel of grass on my feet – the feel of mud near the river at the local park.

The Sun Shines

About a half hour later a neighbor went by.  Smiling I told him of the joy of watering my flowers.  It was only ten minutes later I understood the look of confusion on his face.

Why would you water flowers with a garden hose when you have a sprinkler system?

Because to do otherwise would deprive me of the simple pleasures of life.

Visualization & Manfesting: Managing the Down Times

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Water drop or rain drop falling on water surface. Liquid ripple splash in sunlight with reflection, macro image. Abstract background, 3D illustration

Came across two articles related to manifesting.

A topic I frequently write about.

It got me thinking.

Especially the visualization one.

I’m due for a refresh on my visualizations.

Life changes around us so it’s good to reevaluate your goals to ensure things are moving in the right direction.

As I sat down to my lunchtime reading it occurred to me I could share how I handle the between time.

The time between when goals are first visualized to when they manifest.

This particular between time has another angle.  I’m still interested in the goals I’ve been visualizing but I’m not putting specific visualizations behind them because of the nuances life’s changes have introduced.  These changes mean it’s premature to put visuals – which are powerful tools for manifesting – into practice.

Too many variables are in play.

My lunchtime reading had me realizing I’d unconsciously come up with a solution.

Don’t Visualize.

Yeah, right.

My mind doesn’t race but it does tend to not shut off.

I’ll wake in the night with an idea for a book or a podcast, etc.

While this is cool on the surface it can lead to burnout.

Been there, done that, don’t want the sequel.

I unconsciously chose an activity that soothes my active mind.

Nope, not walking.

I reread my favorite books!

I love reading.

Some of the books are stories I’ve written.  Others, novels by my favorite authors.

It’s an enjoyable activity that keeps my mind engaged to the degree I don’t stress over the fact it’s in between and I need to wait out a few things.

Things outside my control.

I consider it letting the soil rest so it will be ready when I plant the next seeds.

A hobby can be a wonderful way to distract the mind from what is outside its control and while in this particular case it’s rereading stories it could be playing a sport, building Legos, doing jigsaw puzzles.

Ideally it should distract and relax.

Be well and Happy Manifesting!