Do you ever get to the point where there are so many things you want to do, but simply not enough hours in the day, days in the week? Of course you do, especially if you’re running your own show.  I think this pace is truly a symptom of life in the 21st century.

Pausing, breathing and taking a moment is what I am now able to do; what I know I must do to stay on the right side of balance in my life. I run a virtual assistance practice, out of the fabulous school of AssistU, and one the favorite gems I gleaned from our visionary leader Anastacia, is a little piece of prose by Sheng Yen. It’s on my website and I have it pinned up in my office. It’s a little jewel that reminds me to pause, breathe and take a moment, because if I just allow myself to be in the gentle flow, I will stay on course.

Perhaps it will help you too.  Here it is.

Be soft in your practice.
Think of the method as a
fine silvery stream, not a
raging waterfall. Follow
the stream, have faith in its
course. It will go its own
way, meandering here,
trickling there. It will find
the grooves, the cracks,
the crevices. Just follow it.
Never let it out of your sight.
It will take you there.

Sheng-yen

P.S. I am participating in the Ultimate Blog Challenge this month – a blog a day if I can.

One of Michelle’s recommendations for today’s blog is a reflection of the week that’s behind us.  Awesome, because at the start of this challenge, I missed the vital part of info that said put your stuff on twitter AND our UBC fb page.

It took me until April 5 to find out (thank you Cindy), so I’m posting April 1, 2 3 and 4 here, just in case there’s anything you really needed to know and/or maybe comment on.

Here are the summaries… and thanks for letting me catch you up.

April 1 – a photographer girlfriend’s birthday and reminiscences on Yellowstone (if you look at nothing else, please check out her photo site, she’s awesome).

April 2 – feeling good about running my own biz – good fatigue v. bad.

April 3 – all the same but different, observations on siblings.

April 4 – a lesson on Madeira – where in the world is it?

Have a great weekend!

I’m pretty sure that there’s a lot of us babyboomers who have a troll hidden away somewhere – you know one of Thomas Dam’s Troll dolls.

Not the trolls Charlie Sheen’s been going on about lately… who are those trolls anyway?  Unless our Trolls got a little ugly inside while we all were growing up?  Perhaps when they started being made with clothes on, they changed – you know like Adam and Eve (well perhaps not quite). Certainly nothing used to be hidden on the outside, not even buried in all that hair way back when.  Hmmm.

So I’m showing you my trolls, wanna show me yours??

P.S. I am participating in the Ultimate Blog Challenge this month – a blog a day if I can.

It’s been Spring Break this week in the South Bay.  My son exercised his fledgling driving wings and drove down to Palm Springs – 2 cars, 9 friends.  They figured out one big hotel suite, put it on my plastic but paid me cash before leaving and drove off Monday morning.

Despite my concerns about getting busted for too many room occupants, I guess they handled things perfectly well.  He even called (well texted) me unprompted the next day and said ‘Hey mom. Second day is going great [smileyface]’.  To be honest, I felt this was an important adventure/venturing for him – I was excited (but didn’t let on).  It’s just that I so remember the stretching of my wings.

My independence was very important to me, and my awesome Mum did a really good job handling it.  I already know the scary stuff I put her through, and so far my son hasn’t even scratched the surface (and fingers crossed he won’t veer as hard off the path as I did).  The overwhelming lesson in parenting I got and get, is that some guidance is key – knowing the line between guiding and controlling is crucial.

And if perchance my son refers to me as ‘awesome’ when he’s past the half-century, then I guess I’ll have done alright too.

P.S. I am participating in the Ultimate Blog Challenge this month – a blog a day if I can.

At last night’s monthly meeting of the Torrance ADT (Animal Disaster Team), one of our group let us know she’s being deployed to Japan by Kindred Circle – an international animal disaster response team, along with JEARS – Japan Emergency Animal Response Services.  Ginny is an active volunteer and also a brain cancer survivor, so has a special perspective on life.  I would like to commend her here and wish her luck and success.

She could also do with a little extra help on the funds side, so if anyone reading this can spare a buck or two or five, it would be very greatly appreciated.  Please message me directly if you want to help Ginny help out in Japan.

I’d also like to share these heartfelt words, forwarded to me by my Buddhist friend (thank you Al):

Subject: Thich Nhat Hanh: Message to Friends in Japan

Dear friends in Japan,

As we contemplate the great number of people who have died in this
tragedy, we may feel very strongly that we ourselves, in some part or
manner, also have died.

The pain of one part of humankind is the pain of the whole of
humankind. And the human species and the planet Earth are one body.
What happens to one part of the body happens to the whole body.

An event such as this reminds us of the impermanent nature of our
lives. It helps us remember that what’s most important is to love each
other, to be there for each other, and to treasure each moment we
have that we are alive. This is the best that we can do for those who
have died: we can live in such a way that they continue, beautifully, in us.

Here in France and at our practice centers all over the world, our
brothers and sisters will continue to chant for you, sending you the
energy of peace, healing and protection. Our prayers are with you.

Thich Nhat Hanh

Thich Nhat Hanh is often referred to as the most beloved Buddhist teacher in the West.

Photo by Clare Barekat

Today I spent time with my best friend A.  It’s been a while but she has to find a new j-o-b, so we were going to work on her resume.  But first we ate, we sat outside in the sunshine and we relaxed.  We chatted comfortably about many things, as we always do.  It’s what I call real quality time.

Then we got to work.  As we did, we acknowledged the passage of time, the places we’d worked, some together, most not – years of working, all things we’ve done in our lives that are part of who we are now.  We are not old, but we are no longer young. We have earned the right to pat each other on the back and say, so far, so good…and it ain’t over yet.

Good on us that we are not afraid (if a little apprehensive) to be starting something new today.  Good on you, if you are like that too.

P.S. I am participating in the Ultimate Blog Challenge this month – a blog a day if I can.

Calling home yesterday to speak to David, my stepfather, on his 84th birthday, he told me he was turning in early as he and Brenda (it was also their first wedding anniversary – yup!) were heading out at 5:30 the following morning to travel to Madeira.

So do you know anything about Madeira? I thought it was a sherry-like drink and frankly that’s about it.

But what about Madeira, the Portuguese archipelago.  Wonderfully exotic and sounds fabulous (thank you Wikipedia!) – especially on New Year’s when apparently they have the largest fireworks show in the world.  I’m putting it on my list of things to do before I die right now. I only pray that I’ll be as active as David, when I get to 84.

As for Madeira the wine, click on this link and scroll down to the Early American History part and you’ll see its impact.

John Hancock painting courtesy of Wikipedia

And finally, we have those fine entertainers Flanders & Swann on Youtube performing the song (among many other wonderful and funny British ditties).

Now wasn’t that enlightening?!

Cheers m’dears,

P.S. I am participating in the Ultimate Blog Challenge this month – a blog a day if I can.

Every time I walk our dogs, I am struck by how different they appear.  They are from the same litter and they have plenty of similarities in fact, but on first glance they’re quite different. From my upper viewpoint, as we’re striding along, the biggest difference I see, besides their waistlines, is their gait.  Daisy looks almost as if she’s pushing water or dirt aside – a dogged (sorry!), heavy, head-down stride, while Bluebell is a light, head up, high-stepper, almost like equestrian dressage.

We think they are lab/pointer mixes.  We don’t actually know because they were abandoned at birth, four pups, fortunately found, fostered and then adopted.  Daisy got the lion’s share of lab, while Bluebell got mostly pointer.  Blue definitely has the gait.  I used to see a full-on pointer being walked as I drove home from my corporate gig, and the sight made me grin from ear to ear – such joie de vivre.

I like to think on how different and yet how similar siblings often are.  My neighbors have three great boys, one has dark hair, one has red and one is blond – I think that’s so cute and perfect. My two sisters and I are all slight variations on a theme.

I’m not sure which I love more, the similarities or the differences.  What about you?

P.S. I am participating in the Ultimate Blog Challenge this month – a blog a day if I can.

I love being and feeling productive.  I work pretty hard, too hard for some probably, but I enjoy it.  Those of you that know me, know that I’m a happy person – with happy feet, as one of my clients always says.

I get tired of course but on reflection it’s a different kind of tired than it used to be.  Used to be I’d work a long day then get home, hit the door running with dogs, supper, teenager, house stuff, client business (yes I was doing both then) and not stop til I was done. I’ve always had tons of energy, but before I started running my own business full-time, When I still had a corporate job, I found myself getting progressively more and more tired – mentally.  That’s the kind of fatigue that just plain brings you down, it’s the kind that runs hand in hand with stress and vice versa.  I did recognize the cause and try and turn that acknowledgement into some added incentive to get my you-know-what-together and make a change.

Are you able to do that? Do you know yourself enough to be honest with yourself and then take the bad and maybe use it in a positive way?  Not necessarily easy, but it doesn’t have to be difficult either.  It’s just you dealing with you, no-one else even has to know. Your accountability to you if you like.

Anyway, these days the fatigue feels more physical, even though it’s my mind that’s still doing most of the work. There are mental stressors still around of course (times being what they are and not ideal, right?!), but they’re quite different.  And the ironic thing is, when I start feeling that fade, 9 times out of 10 (well maybe 7!) I end up doing some physical exercise, generally walking my dogs.  And I always – 10 times out of 10 – feel better, feel refreshed, feel good, stay happy.

So it was a good week and I expect next week  will be too, how about you?

P.S. I am participating in the Ultimate Blog Challenge this month – a blog a day if I can.

April Fool’s Day yes, but the birthday of one of my best friends too – Happy Birthday Boca-girl Suzan!!

Suzan is a diver and underwater photographer and an author, among other things – take a peek at some of the things she’s seen and captured – http://www.niteflightphoto.com – go ahead and “like” something maybe.

She lets me use this incredible photo on my website.

Photo by Suzan Meldonian

After many years in California (where we met) Suzan and her son moved to the clear and warmer waters of Florida.  The following summer, when our boys were still shorter than us, we had a rendezvous in Bozeman, Montana and drove on to Yellowstone (you can see some of the photos on her site – look in the Wildlife section).

It was one of the best trips I’ve ever taken.  What an other-worldly place – fantastic, beautiful and rich with wildlife. Bison appeared in front of us out of clouds of steam, we held our noses at bubbling mud pools and eerie bacteria lakes, we trekked out to crystal clear geyser pools and waited patiently for an amazing outpouring from the depths of the earth; we played spot the animals for cash with the boys, spying osprey with fish grasped in talons, brown bear with three cubs, wolves, more bison, moose, elk…. and we laughed…a lot.  Wonderful, wonderful stuff.

P.S.  I am participating in the Ultimate Blog Challenge this month – a blog a day if I can.