Nourish Your Life

I am glad that you have been enjoying “SuperFoods,” AND that you are wondering where my “journey” has been taking me.  Thank you!

As we finish up August, and adventure into the month of September, I wish to continue “Super Foods” with  BLOGS interspersed with  where I am going in “my journey to higher ground.”

This past month, or so, I have been inspired by the life of a caterpillar…It began with a quote : “There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it’s going to be a butterfly.”  ~Richard Buckminster Fuller

As I pondered this quote with my coach, Jo Christie, we became intrigued by what we might become if we “became ” caterpillars (in our journaling) to see where this would lead us…

Now, with this in mind, add to it, an amazing silent prayer retreat that I attended last week-end.  In the opening remarks of the priest (he was the only one permitted to speak), he suggested that we become caterpillars for the week-end and see how we emerge by the end of our retreat!  Wow!  Isn’t that just like God!

So, Friday evening, I became a caterpillar and curled up in my cocoon…by Sunday afternoon, when the retreat ended, I WAS NOT READY TO EMERGE!

Here I am, Wednesday morning, still safe in my cocoon and absolutely enjoying its safety and comfort   What’s next?  I don’t know…all I do know, is that God is at work within me and is providing me the safety and comfort that I need.

Amen!

My coach, Jo, and I just had a brief email discussion about “imagination.”  Last night I had emailed her:  Jimmy and I have been playing “let’s imagine.”  Oh to have the imagination of a five year old.  Her response was: you do if you allow!!!

Jo is absolutely right!  I just need to ALLOW myself to BE a five year old and imagine….  Wow!  Thanks Jo!

I am going to re-visit my “perfect days” and ALLOW myself to just BE.

This is exciting!!! 

Do YOUR “perfect days” reflect YOUR “imagination?”

How far can YOU s-t-r-e-t-c-h it?

While you are stretching, check out Jo’s newsletter, whch just happens to be on Imagination!

I have been trying to concoct what “my perfect day” would look like!  As hard as I have tried, my day would have to be many days long to fit in everything I want to do…Finally, I decided that they are MY days, so why not have different kinds of “perfect days?”  That opened up a whole new way of thinking about them.

What are the “kinds” of days do I want to have?  Spiritual, Family, Athletic, Educational,  Celebration.  Those are the ones that popped into my head.  These are NOT going to be PURE days.  The “athletic ” days can also include family, etc.  Just the focus will be on, perhaps, competing in an Ironman Triathlon AND living-to-tell-of-it.  Now, THAT would be a PERFECT day!

I have a notebook that is titled “My Perfect Life.”  I am going to start compiling all of my thoughts, dreams, prayers and my wildest imaginations into this notebook.  I am excited!

What does YOUR perfect day look like?

How about YOUR perfect DAYS!

I just read a great article by Daniel H. Pink, author of “Drive: The Suprising Truth About What Motivates Us.”  He tells us that “Scientists are discovering a far more powerful third drive. To tap into it, you need to develop three things: a sense of mastery, autonomy and purpose.”

He goes on to explain the three things you need to do:

1.Discover your resevoir of grit.

2. Figure out where you can be your own boss.

3. Find your sentence.

I am most intrigued by  “3. Find your sentence.”  This is what he says, “Seeking purpose is part of how we’re wired—by doing something that endures, we prove that we were here, that we mattered. Clare Boothe Luce once told John F. Kennedy, “A great man is one sentence. Abraham Lincoln’s was ‘He preserved the Union and freed the slaves.’ What’s yours?” If you can’t seem to access your purpose in life, I’ve found the best place to start is with Luce’s question.”

What is my “sentence?”  I will ponder this question and get back to you by the end of the year (yes, THIS year…:)

What is YOUR sentence?

Does it describe YOUR purpose in life?

My word for 2010 is definitely “Fresh.”  How do I know?  It just feels right to me; it makes my heart smile.

I am a “morning person.”  Up at 5:30 am whether I need to be or not.  While pondering the word “fresh” and the word “morning” I came across a quote by Sir Winston Churchill.  He expressed my heart words perfectly:  “Every morning is a fresh beginning; every morn is the world made new.”

That is what fresh looks like!  The newness of each morning; wondering what the day will bring…energy, vitality, life?

I looked up fresh in the dictionary.  Some of the words were: clean, pure, invigorating, original, with restored energy, healthy and glowing.

YES!  That is certainly “my word!”  As I continue My Journey To Higher Ground, that is what I wish for 2010 to look like!

What is YOUR word for 2010?

How do YOU know it is the right word?

After looking at my past year and noticing the qualities of my successes and shall-we-say “learning experiences,” I have found that my successes were almost always preceeded by a dream!  That being true, why not DREAM BIG!

Phil Humbert, coach extraordinaire, just happened to write his weekly newsletter on that precise topic!  Isn’t that just the way it is…

Because it is his newsletter, there is not a “link” to it; so I am offering it to you here:

Dream Bigger, Aim Higher, Go Farther

This is the time when millions of us set goals for the year ahead. If we do it “right” – the way the books tell us to – we review our numbers for 2009, evaluate our performance, and make adjustments for 2010. That’s the normal” way of doing it, the way governments, large corporations and most
individuals do it.

There’s nothing wrong with it, except that it doesn’t work. Often, “raising the bar” is not what we truly want. It’s not “enough.”

Too many of us set our goals by merely adding 10% to what we’ve done before. The major exception is our health and fitness, when we promise that we’ll finally take action and do something about it…this year for sure! Now, there’s nothing wrong with using the past as your starting point. Institutions do that all the time. But who wants to be an institution?

This is your LIFE we’re talking about! If a few adjustments are all you really want, go for it! If a minor tweak is all you need, then don’t make a fuss. Adjust your budget, set your goal, and be done with it.

But I’m challenging you to think bigger and aim higher.

As you look at 2010 and beyond, what do you really WANT for your life? What’s the REAL story? What’s your DREAM? What are you doing with your life? That’s the question I want you to consider in the days ahead.

In those areas where a small step is all you need, that’s fine. Buy a new car, lose the weight, make a little more and spend a bit less. These are the small adjustments that make life easier and I support them. As many of you know, I’m a huge fan of “baby steps.” Keep things simple and if that’s all you need, be proud of it!

Unfortunately, however, small adjustments can also be the things that keep us trapped. As we hit our goals and increase our income, these small victories become the “golden handcuffs” that trap us in our routine. They keep us “playing small” so that while we’re winning the battles, we end up frustrated or confused because our lives don’t have the meaning we hoped for.

This year, dream bigger. Ask the fundamental questions about who you are, what you want, and how you want to live. Where are you going? What’s the point? Think bigger, aim higher, go further. You may not get “there” in one year, perhaps not in a lifetime, but make sure you’re headed in the right direction. Make sure you’re on a path that is worth walking.

        Would support, guidance, and a whole bunch of
        cheerleaders make a difference for your success in
        2010? My December Freebie of the Month comes
        with 12 monthly coaching emails, and you can sign
        up for a year of monthly coaching calls for less than
        the price of lunch! The workbook and emails are
        FREE and the calls are a bargain! Check it out at:
          http://PhilipHumbert.com/Free

I encourage you to go to his website www.philliphumbert.com and check  all the cool stuff he offers. Meanwhile, I leave you with this quote (also from his website):

“Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.”
        –  Pamela Vaull Starr

Will  YOU dream big?

What are the STARS that are hidden in YOUR soul?

The weather has been perfect, here in Michigan. Indian Summer  is upon us.  Yesterday, it was 65 degrees and sunny, so  a group of us decided to go hiking on the Potawatomi Trail; a trail I had heard stories of-the most common story is that it is uphill the whole way…   

We started out after our “bootcamp” class at the gym-great way to get warmed up for the hike~I figured~and warmed up, we were!

The trail was only five miles long, and-yes, it was uphill the whole way!   The fallen leaves crunched under our feet; the wild life romped on all sides of us.  We could smell the warmth of burning leaves far off, and the crisp smell of a cider mill not too far off.  We chatted and laughed and told stories (the remember when…kind) “on and off.”  Between the “on and off,” we simply basked in the beauty of the day and the nature that surrounded us.

I am truly grateful for God’s gifts to us that day.  …And His gift to me as He led me up the “steps” of nature with gratitude.  I am Blest!  I am on Higher Ground.

What steps have YOU climbed these past few days? 

Are YOU on Higher Ground?

We had an incredibly beautiul prayer and healing service at our chuch last Sunday evening.  I have been pondering it all week.

Our earth needs healing and the people who dwell on it need healing; some people more than others, of course.

There are many formats for Healing Services, and many venues; the ones we see on televison, those in hospitals and homes; this one was a simple yet profound service in the setting of our santuary.

The service elements were: music, liturgy, prayer,  annointing with oil and the Blessing Prayer for Healing.

I wish to share this prayer with you now, and may it be my prayer for all of you.

A Blessing Prayer to be Healed

May you desire to be healed

May what is wounded in your life be restored to good health

May you be receptive to the ways in which healing needs to happen

May you take good care of yourself

May you extend compassion to all that hurts within your body, mind and Spirit

May you be patient with the time it takes to heal

May you be aware of the wonders of your body, mind and Spirit and their amazing capacity to heal

May the skills of all those who are caring for you be used to the best of their ability in returning you to good health

May you be open to receive from those who extend kindness, care and compassion to you

May you rest peacefully under the sheltering wings of Divine love, trusting in God’s gracious presence

May you find little moments of beauty and joy to sustain you May you keep hope in your heart

Amen

Have I climbed to Higher Ground as a reflection of this Service?  You bet I have…

Have YOU?

Tomorrow I leave for the U.S. Olympic Center to study sports nutrition with the Olympic athletes and their dietitians!  I am sooo excited-I can hardly wait!

As I am packing, I want to include my “steps.” 

For simplicity, I will only pack one outfit for each day.  (Usually I pack half my closet~ “just in case”)

For nature, definitely my hiking boots; after all, we will be at the foot of Pikes Peak.

For education, my sports nutrition books and a “mind like a sponge!”

For gratitude, my Gratitude Journal, of course.

What an adventure this shall be!  David Grayson says it well: “Adventure is not outside man; it is within.”

Are YOU ready for an adventure?

What would YOU pack to include YOUR “steps?” and Where would YOU go?

I am soooo excited!  Next Wednesday I am leaving for the U.S. Olympic Center in Colorado Springs!  I will studying sports nutrition with the Registered Dietitians who work with the Olympic athletes and the athletes themselves.  Wow!  What an education that will be…

I wonder how many steps  to Higher Ground I will climb after this adventure?  Not only will my adventure include education, but also nature (how could it not, at the foot Pikes Peak  the mountain), simplicity (I will be living in the dorms), and gratitude-for the beauty, the knowledge and and the entire experience at the Olympics Village!

How often do YOU have an adventure that includes ALL of YOUR stepping stones?

How can WE create more of them?