Free

When I travel, even on business, I inevitably get this sense of freedom as soon as I arrive in an unfamiliar city. I am continually amazed at how I can just show up somewhere and easily find my way through the network of roads and people and intentions and easily navigate to my destination. I love the feeling of zipping through the world as if everything I want and need are anticipating my arrival.

Today, I had that feeling as I drove south on the 5 from Seattle to Portland. In traffic. Sounds like a strange place to have the sense of freedom, but I did! And as the speeds picked up and the sun started setting through the forest of trees that line the highway, it really set in. I felt free, free, free! I had no hotel reservation and no timeline and for two short hours, no one really knew where I was except me.

I do believe that the basis of life is freedom. I am so free that I can choose bondage. Or not. It's all in my thinking. In every moment, no matter what my circumstances, I am free to choose any thought I want to think. I am free to change course, choose newly. Just knowing that is liberating.

Now...we create with our thought and we are free to think anything -- what an extraordinary concept. The question really becomes, do I dare think beyond where I have thought before? Seriously, it is not always an easy task to get out of our comfortable boxes to think beyond what already is.

So time to turn in and dream a little. I'd love to hear ideas about what you would think about and create if you could really think anything...

Flutter By, Butterfly

My friend Mary died today after a two year battle with cancer. She was 40 years old. This photo was taken in March 1995, two months after her initial diagnosis and first surgery.

The last time I spoke with her was a little over a week ago. I asked her if she was scared, she said she really wasn't. She said that she had decided that everything had a reason and she was sticking to her story. We talked about connecting after she died and laughed that she would be a really tenacious butterfly, determined to land on my head.

I wanted to go into the backyard today and just sit and relax, to wait for a butterfly, but for some reason, I wasn't ready. I let myself stay busy instead. It's funny, I know that Mary is in such a better place now. She is free! I truly am happy for her! I guess I let myself feel sorry for me today. Not really an extraordinary way to be.

I must say, when I did connect with a few friends about Mary, we all shared the same relief that she was finally free. I think that people really do know that there is no need to fear death. That there really is no death, just a change of scenery.

Flutter by, sweet butterfly. I will miss you, Mary.

Namaste

I love yoga. I am so thrilled with my new class and love practicing 'live' once a week. I do admit, I push myself quite a bit harder in a room full of people than I do with my DVD. But practice in the evenings is also wonderful and I am so appreciative of my great DVDs that support my commitment.

People ask me quite often, "What is yoga?" "Is it stretching?" "Is it meditation?" "Is it spiritual?" For me, yoga is a way of life and the practice of yoga is a deliberate connection of my body with my breath. Yoga is a workout, but that's not all it is. Yoga keeps me flexible and strong, but that's not all it does. Yoga relaxes me and quiets my mind, but there is more.

What I love about yoga the most is that it helps me to hold more light. All exercise does, really, but yoga is special because of the conscious integration and control of the breath. Breath brings light and light is the essence of all that is. It is our light that makes us extraordinary.

It's really that simple and I think most people miss it. When I grow up, I want to be a yoga teacher so that I can lead eager people through the wonder of yoga to grow strong, flexible, confident and quiet...to help them shine more brightly.

I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences with yoga; especially if the practice is part of what makes you extraordinary.

It's as Easy to Create a Castle as it is to Create a Button

I've heard it said that it is as easy to create a castle as a button, meaning that whatever you want to create, your belief frames your experience and your result. Sounds like Donald Trump thinks the same way. In yesterday's blog by Guy Kawasaki, his answer to this question shows that really, attitude is everything:

"Question: Not many people make billions, lose billions, and then make billions all over again. How did you pull this off?"
"Answer: To me it was a blip, not a catastrophe. I knew I was destined to succeed, and I kept focused on that belief. I’m very tenacious...and I don’t give up."

Check it out.

Being Extraordinary

I just completed the communication class I wrote about a week or so ago and am so present to and excited about the discipline of being extraordinary.

By that, I mean that to truly make a difference on the magnitude of extraordinary, I have to be present, aware, open and willing to get out of my own way over and over again. It means that I need to be up at bat, swinging -- not hanging out in left field waiting to catch an easy pop fly.

I am committed to being extraordinary in my every, ordinary life. To create and maintain relationships that are alive and full of love. To think big, make commitments and keep them.

As part of that, I will be more intentional about my blogging -- focused back on the extraordinary.

It's just a stage...

One thing that I've learned as a mom is that really, everything comes and goes in stages. Knowing this helps me keep my sanity because I know that it won't last forever...sigh...it is just a stage.

I've been finding myself doing this recently with my two cherubs. Jack is just leaving his "Mommy, I want to have you!" stage and entering a new, "Weve me awone!" stage. (Mommy takes a deep breath here...). Jenna is testing the boundaries of her freedom. When she doesn't get it, there's s fight. Luckily I know (another deep breath), this is just a stage.

I find myself taking a lot of deep breaths lately. That's not so bad.

What About Me?

This is a pretty cool video that reflects the underlying theme in most people's lives. It's worth watching the whole way through, as it speaks to how to break out of the cycle of thinking that keeps us apart from others, making more room for love in our lives.

What You Want is Irrevelant!

It's not what you want... it's what you're committed to.

It was a lot of class hours, but I did love the course this weekend and was returned to the discipline of living an extraordinary life.

Onward!

What's Possible?

The new year has really thrown me for a loop. As I pondered what my goals might be for 2007, I found myself dissatisfied with each thing I came up with. "Is that really what I want," was a common question that kept coming up...and kept me thinking of what would be ideal.

I'm coming to the realization that maybe I've been afraid to think ideal because I love my life. I love my work situation, my family, my friends. If I wanted more, would that be greedy of me? And what the heck would I ask for?

So I've started to venture out and explore a bit... at least in my thoughts. I know that one thing that I'd love is more time. But time for what? More family time and more time to spend thinking and doing the things that I love. This led me to another idea...what if I combined my work and the things I love? Teamwork, manifestation, spirituality... That idea would have been radical 5 years ago but these things are mainstream now. Maybe it's worth exploring, at least in concept.

For now, I've committed to making time for the things I love and my dh is fully supportive. I am so appreciative of the love and support that he gives me and so thankful that we've been able to create a terrific experience together.

This weekend, I'm attending the Communication - Access to Power course at Landmark Education. It's been about 6 years (before my daughter was born) that I attended any courses there but they are powerful programs that I enjoyed so I'm getting re-engaged. I'm taking yoga again once a week (at a studio) and practicing via DVD the other nights. This is a huge shift for me!

More on what comes of it all later... at least being in the inquiry is fun!

Rock Castles

I love the desert.

We recently returned from a camping trip with the kids. It was our first to the desert since we were married -- my first, really, in probably 15 years.

I grew up going to the desert. The draw for the crowd then, as now, was motorcycle riding and playing with other recreational vehicles. But the draw for me is the desert. The expanse of quiet space, stretching from the earth up into the stars of the sky, touches me deeply. Even with the buzz of RV generators and motors whizzing by, I get that feeling of peace and belonging.

I love watching the campfire dance, the sun rise in the east. I love the stars. As a mom, I love watching the kids discover the desert for themselves. That's what Jack and I did. We discovered the wonder of building rock castles.

As an eager 2-year old, Jack wants to be just like his big sister and just like his daddy. He wants it all and he wants it now! After an episode of Jack being the epitome of a little brother, I decided to distract him into something new -- gathering rocks in his dump truck to build a rock castle.

What fun it was! We set out together to find the perfect rocks, piling them high into the yellow Tonka truck. We found our own rhythm, and were so connected to each other with hardly a sound. The world disappeared as Jack and I played, gathered and built the perfect rock castle. Filling and dumping, filling and dumping.

I should have taken a photo. It looked like a pile of rocks. But I know that each rock had a particular place and each rock was especially chosen to be in the castle. Not all rocks were selected.

As we left, I asked Jack to choose his favorite rock to bring home and now it sits in our family room, reminding me of the magic of the desert.

I'm looking forward to building more rock castles.

20 degrees (feels like 8)

I've decided that I kind of like crisp weather. Maybe the cool California winter this year has helped me get used to it. It has been cold, sunny and clear in Wisconsin the past couple of days. I think it must be the clear skies that make it more enjoyable.

I must say that I do enjoy having the opportunity to see different parts of the country and to meet different people. It has given me a whole new perspective on California. I used to think I could never live anywhere else. Now, I can see that there are lots of great places to live and that even places like Wisconsin have their own advantages. I'll be visiting Idaho and Montana this year as well, so those will be interesting trips.

Last year I said that the next time I came to Madison in the winter I would walk on the lake. Well, I don't think I'll get that opportunity during this trip and I don't even know if it's frozen over this year. Everyone is remarking on how warm it has been. 20 degrees, warm? Well, it's in the 40s during the day. Maybe I should have worn sandals! : )

Signing off... the time difference comes early in the morning...

Dead Presidents

I don't have anything personal against President Ford -- he's the first President that I was fully aware of since I had just turned six when he took office.

But a day of mourning? I truly mean no disrespect, but ... seriously! No trash pickup or mail or Wall Street? And right after the New Year's holiday? It seems to me that everyone just wanted an extra day off.

Not that there is anything wrong with that, either. I just wish I had a little advance notice. For me it was back to business as usual. I wanted the mail to go out. I wonder how many people who took the day off today are mourning and how many are just enjoying an extended holiday weekend? Maybe I'm just jealous.

Or maybe I'm just too used to a 24/7 world and we actually need more of this sort of thing. Maybe more people would wait their turn, write thank-you notes and smile when they pass by if we had more random holidays. If that is the case, I'm all for it.

Hap Hap Happy New Year!

Hap Hap Happy New Year! We celebrated on east coast time at the Langs so the kids could enjoy the heck out the new year. Now they're sleeping and the new year has begun.

So what's new in the new year? Tomorrow I get a few hours to create next 12 months...

Spiritual: A new course to explore
Career: Finding my place in the new organization
Physical: 1 yoga class a week live plus DVD 2x min
Relationships: More dates! Deepen friendships. Expand circle.
Travel and play: Lots of mini trips. Camping to see stars. Fun on the farm. Big Bear. Plus one "big" adventure.
Lifestyle: More journaling. Less blogging. A commitment to "mommy free choice" time at least once a quarter.

I've experimented with blogging over the last few months and while fun, I enjoy my personal inner space more than the public space of blogging. My commitment in 2007 is back home again where my mind and words can wander freely... We'll see what kind of time is left for blogger.

Happy 2007!