Soul Coaching: Quest

As a final transition from the Soul Coaching circle, Denise invites us to go on a Quest to hear what the Universe has to share with our wide-open selves.

I feel like this entire month has been a Quest. I had my breakthrough on Day 18 and feel like I've been growing stronger in my vision every day since. Somehow it all came to here. This weekend I"ve been channeling it all into my Vision Cards for 2009. I hope you enjoy the preview of my year in the video.

Today I'm celebrating the spark of inspiration that led me to start The Next Chapter and move forward with Soul Coaching. I celebrate the magic that happens when people come together to share and to shine, and I invite more of that into my life and into yours.

Thank you, November. Thank you, merry band. Thank you, Denise. Thank you, Universe. And thank you to my spirit too for leading me every step of the way.

Soul Coaching Day 28: A Circle of Love

Today's final Soul Coaching focus is love. Today I celebrate the outpouring of love, support and encouragement of this community over the past month. My heart has been filled by the kind words, inspiring stories, shared tears, heartfelt hugs and powerful acknowledgements that have taken place in this circle.

I am filled with love for the circle that has been created, for each beautiful soul that shone along the way. I am filled with hope for what is possible for each of us and also for what is possible in the world. I am filled with gratitude for the generosity, for the acknowledgements and for the way the Universe has held us in her hands each and every day of November. Now I see why we made room. So that there would be space for this.

And now I have one wish, one wish that I hold for every one reading, every one on the Soul Coaching journey, everyone who just happened to arrive today. My wish comes from Denise's words in this last love-filled day of the journey:

"Allow your light to infuse the world."

Shine.

Soul Coaching Day 27: Creating a Fabulous Future

I always start these kind of explorations with intuition and trust. When I did the meditation with Denise this morning I was so surprised that in a year I saw my husband and I in a new home that we just loved. I also spent some time collaging and noticing what I saw. Here's my vision:

Creating 2009

This year my business has exponentially taken off and been a huge success. I'm reaching more people than I thought possible and am so excited by the work we're doing together. I feel passionately connected to my work and my purpose and am excited to wake up every day and get to it! My new website was launched early in the year, and I have been just ecstatic at the results. It combines beauty and function, and that's just one of my favourite things. Through the site, it's so easy for me to connect with others and share.

The Shy Kid Art Show was a phenomenal success. Who knew that it would get so much media attention? What I'm most thrilled about is that so many people shared their creations in a joyful, creative, supportive environment. Every day I'm still receiving letters and emails from people whose lives have been touched and changed by the experience. Now I'm working on a way of creatively pulling together all the amazing stories that people shared. Next year it's going to be even bigger!

With all of this, I'm thrilled that Justin and I have purchased another house. It was amazing how easy this was to make happen. The right opportunity showed up at the right time and we took it. It's so exciting that my income has grown to the point where making a move like that was so easy financially! And it's great we've been able to hold onto our first house as an investment. The nicest family has just moved in and I just know they are going to be so happy there and really great tenants!

We love our new home. It's beautiful and in a neighbourhood we feel just right in. I feel safe and happy and surrounded by beauty and ease. I can't wait to get started on the garden next year. In fact, I'm already planning. Now we're working on personalizing our home and I'm thrilled to say we have a team of people supporting us that we trust, like and can afford. What a treasure. It's thrilling to see everything take shape around us. This house is just so us!

It's been a busy year but I am healthier, feel more at ease and am more energetic than ever! I think a variety of things have contributed to that, including regular spa visits, joyfully participating in Nia, taking the time to experience great dinners, movies, plays, art, special events throughout the year. Taking time for my own creative endeavours has also been so fulfilling. I'm excited about my creative projects and will be announcing the dates for my next show in the new year. It's going to be a blast.

One of the best parts of this year is just how many joyful, prosperous surprises came up. Every day was an affirmation from the Universe that I am on the right path! It was amazing how often someone would approach me with an opportunity that was exciting, fun and profitable! I trusted my instincts and found myself saying yes to just the right ones and taking on just the right amount of work. I've learned so much. My purpose has deepened and my vision has expanded. I feel grounded in my abilities and trust that I can take on the new and exciting challenges that are ahead. I feel supported.

One of the great joys of this year is that I am really connected to people I love, some that I've known forever and some that are new in my life. I have friendships I value and that are getting deeper all the time. My family is healthy and happy and we see each other regularly, enjoying each other's company so much! Justin and I are so happy together. We love each other deeply and support each other fully in making our dreams come true. Right now we are having so much fun planning our European vacation for next year. Paris here we come! It was great to relax on the beach this year but next year it's all about art and architecture!

If 2010 is anywhere near as good as 2009, we're in for a good time.

I'm going to make vision cards for the different components of this vision to keep me connected and inspired. What's your vision for 2009?

Soul Coaching Day 26: A Home for the Soul

Today's Soul Coaching focus is about feeling at home and the Level 1 task is to bring nature into your home. That and today's meditation have really got me thinking. You see, I'm a city girl, through and through. I love coffee shops and public transit, meeting up for dinner and going to the movies. I love being surrounded by culture and multiculturalism. Art galleries are spiritual places to me. I love exploring new neighbourhoods, new restaurants and new ideas.

During today's meditation, as Denise described all these amazing places that you could imagine as your home, crystal palaces, open-aired temples, I simply saw myself in a fabulous detached house with a secluded garden and a studio space in a hip neighbourhood of Toronto. For real. That's where I want to be.

Don't get me wrong. I love nature. I love the beach and big trees and flowers and goodness knows I love river rocks. But I don't feel more at home walking in a forest or sitting on a dock looking out onto a lake. Nope. One of the qualities that Denise says makes a home is feeling safe. I feel safer in the city than in the woods or on the water or in the mountains. I love having the experience of those places (except for the on-the-water one) but then I want to come home.

One of the things I love about home is having a garden. In the spring I go outside every day and walk through every single inch of our little postage stamp backyard and watch things sprout. That fills me with joy. I love that we turned our little piece of ground from a nail-strewn mudpatch into a green space.

I guess today's exploration has made me think about what feels like home to me. Every time I move I realize that it has something to do with the way I place my things, how the same things are always on my nightstand wherever I live and that there's always certain things in my fridge. And of course it's my loved ones. It's creating memories in a space, each one adding another level of 'home' to our house. It's feeling like this is my space, my sanctuary, my little patch of the world, my home.

What makes you feel at home?

Soul Coaching Day 25: Awakening the Natural Forces within You

When I was a little girl, my mom let me go to sleep when I was tired and eat when I was hungry. I think that was at the heart of my learning to be in tune with my natural rhythms. Of course, when I was in public school I asked my mom for a bedtime because all the other kids had them. She asked me what time I wanted. I said, "8:00." She said, "Okay." I guess that was the beginning of me setting my own schedule.

A big part of the reason that I decided to work for myself was so that I could follow my own rhythms - in my day, my week, my year. Tuning into and following my own energies and the energy of the season makes me feel more alive.

Today, on this cold, wet, grey, grey, grey, November day, it was a joy to be cozy, inside, chatting with people over coffee and imagining our hopes and dreams for the upcoming year. That was the rhythm of my day.

Soul Coaching Day 24: Using the Physiology of Your Body

What do you think Jinx is feeling right now?

Our bodies send the world lots of signals about who we are and how we're feeling. That's what we're focusing on today for our Soul Coaching journey. Denise Linn talks about how we can impact our mood and our lives through our physiology and how we carry ourself. This was also something I learned in acting studies; in creating a particular posture, we stir certain feelings and body responses.

I took this exploration to the Nia class I taught tonight. Our focus was on self-expression. To end the class we walked around the room, taking on different emotions and sensations. As we walked, I had the class imagine their entire bodies from toe to tip of nose filling with a particular feeling. We started with physical sensations like feeling our bodies becoming heavier and heavier or filling up bit by bit with helium.

And then everyone picked a quality that they would like to embody, a feeling like happiness or ease or strength or determination. You could pick one now. And then imagine that sensation first filling your toes, your feet, your ankles, your legs, on up to your pelvis, abdomen, ribs and chest, all through your arms and hands and fingers, up through your neck and head. Imagine fully embodying that feeling. Notice what's different. Notice your physiology and your feeling. They are connected.

You can choose what energy you would like to fill yourself up with and what you choose can be felt, experienced and expressed through your body.

Isn't that a trip?

Soul Coaching Day 23: Body Detox

Today the focus of the Soul Coaching journey is detoxing our bodies. I've made a concerted effort to drink more water today, which my body is craving. I'm also living up to my commitment to my body of more sleep and rest. I even gave myself a little lie down in the middle of a busy afternoon.

And what I've really been thinking about is all the things that it would be healthy to let just slip through my system. Of course there are the physical things. But today I'm thinking about upsets that get the adrenalin coursing and how allowing the flow of energy through our systems helps bring the body back to ease. Tears need to be cried. Words need to be said. Tension needs to be released. Deep breaths need to be taken. In with spaciousness. Out with negativity. I'm ready for a bit of that today.

Soul Coaching Day 22: Connecting with your Body

We are moving into our last week of Soul Coaching and it is Earth Week. This is a time for connecting to our physical environment, including our bodies. The first level task today was to do an assessment of where our body is at and level 2 was to make a commitment to our body. As I was reading the assessment questions, I kept thinking about what I've learned from my body, so that's what I thought I'd share today.

Things I've Learned From and About My Body
(Thank you, body!)

• I am more available to life when my body's needs are taken care of.
• I feel safer and more at ease when I have attended to regular medical and dental care, even though the experience of the care itself may be uncomfortable or scary.
• I feel more confident when my body is loved and cared for.
• My body is a source of pleasure.
• My body connects me to people I love.
• My body is a source of wisdom and intuition.
• My body will not be ignored.
• My body is an important part of who I am in this life, in this world.
• My body loves to move.
• My body enjoys sweating.
• My body could use more downtime, less adrenalin.
• My body carries my life experience with her everywhere.
• My body likes to wiggle.
• My body expresses my emotions, often of her own accord.
• My body is finely tuned, being sensitive and having sensitivities.
• My body holds my tension.
• My entire system appreciates having vitamins and nutrient-rich food.
• My feet prefer being bare.
• Some parts of my body are stronger than others.
• My body loves clothes she can move in.
• My body lets me know when she needs a break
• My body prefers many small servings of food.
• My body would like more water.
• My body has an emotional relationship with stretching.
• My masseters have forgotten how to relax, but I'm learning how to remind them.
• My body loves being cared for, especially with trips to the spa, facials and massages.
• Life is better when I treat my body with love rather than with impatience, anger and frustration as I have done in the past. Luckily, my body forgives me.
• My body loves to be loved.

My commitment to my body this week is to get enough sleep and some extra rest. This past week has been an emotional one, and I can feel my body just wants to curl up a little extra and let it all sink in. I'm going to listen.

What have you learned from your body?
What would your body like this week?

This month I'm exploring Denise Linn's Soul Coaching with an inspirational group of bloggers at The Next Chapter: Soul Coaching.

Soul Coaching Day 21: Fanning the Flames of Your Creativity

My creative act for the last day of Fire Week was pulling together some family photos for my Dad's 70th birthday. I thought it might be fun to share them. Perhaps you'll recognize Shannon on my left and Suzie on my right in this wedding photo.

Here's Suzie, as cute as a button, in a photo shoot she and I did when she was just wee.

This is my little brother, Jason. What a cutie.

Suzie & Jason.

Shannon & Me

Me and my grandparents & aunts on my dad's side.

Me and my dad.

A few years later.

Shannon, Jason & me

Talking 'bout my generation

Soul Coaching Day 20: Your Spiritual Allies

What a beautiful level 1 task Soul Coaching gave us today - radiate love at everybody. I was out and about downtown all day so there were lots of opportunities to encounter people and spread love. I sent an extra-strength love beam to all of the people working in the service industry. Whenever I bought something or asked a question, I looked at the person helping and sent them love. I got lots of smiles in return. And I must say, rather a lot of surprised looks.

I think this one is a life practice.

Soul Coaching Day 19: Facing Your Death / Embracing Your Life

Today our Soul Coaching journey asks us to face our death. Level 1 was a ritual of fire, burning away a symbol of our body. I chose to approach this a little bit differently but it brought me to the same place. I drew a representation of my body and I wrote on it all the things that I would like to release.

Then I put it in a vessel. Suddenly I started to imagine being cremated or being welcomed into the earth. It was actually quite comforting to curl myself up in this piece of the earth.

And when I set myself on fire, I said, "May I release all that I no longer need so that I may become all that I am meant to become." And it occured to me that when we die, that's precisely what we do.

This month I'm exploring Denise Linn's Soul Coaching with an inspirational group of bloggers at The Next Chapter: Soul Coaching.

Soul Coaching Day 18: Being Present / Choosing Life - Breakthrough

This morning I wrote to Sunny, sharing with her the breakthrough that arrived this morning, the breakthrough that's been on its way for a while. What I wrote to her forms the basis of what I'm sharing with you now. I'm tender about it. It's new and vulnerable. Though really it is at least as old as I am.

I’m getting clear on my mission. It involves these beliefs:

• The arts belong to everybody
• The arts help us know ourselves and each other
• Falling in love with ourselves and each other is crucial to the survival and thrival of humanity and this planet

When watching the beautiful meditation I posted for our Soul Coaching journey, I was aware that as Virginia Fitton talks about the beauty of the world and our connectivity, there are no images of people. And I remembered when I asked the question, “How do you fall in love with the world?” how mostly it never had anything to do with people, though sometimes children were involved. This breaks my heart.

More than that, I believe our lack of love for ourselves as humans is a bigger crisis than the economic one, a bigger crisis than the environmental one. More people are killed by each other every day than by environmental disasters. People are dying from neglect and lack of compassion. I am not saying we don't make it hard to love one another. We surely do. So, how can we fall in love with one another? How do we fall in love with ourselves?

I think one of the answers is through art.

When I first studied Nia, I had no intention of teaching. I simply wanted to deepen my learning of the practice. One day, I volunteered to hand out flyers at a Nia demonstration. When the demo started, I walked amidst the women watching, and I could see the yearning. I literally saw women stop in their tracks, eyes glued to the stage. All these women wanted to dance. And in that moment I knew there had to be more teachers, and I could be one of them. So I started.

This week I listened to a teleclass led by Tamara Herl about expressive arts coaching. She does a lot of work with teams, often in the healthcare field. She relayed many stories of the work she had done using music, art, drama, stories and the impact it had on the group. And I really got it. There is a need out there. Not an “identified need that my business can serve” but a soul need.

Years ago I read a novel where a young and inexperienced heroine was about to throw herself into a dangerous situation. Her friend said to her, "Why you? Why not get someone else? Someone stronger, more experienced?" And she replied, "Because I am the one who sees the need."

And so, I may not be the strongest or the most experienced or the most talented (or I might be!), but I've got my share of each of those things and I see the need. I bring a toolkit full of love, creativity and courage, a heartfelt desire to make a difference and a belief that it can be done.

And just as a final affirmation that yes, yes, this is the road, another sign showed up. This morning, someone new connected to me on Twitter (Hi, Clevercelt). And just as I followed him back, he posted a link to something that surely will help us all fall in love with each other. Enjoy.

Soul Coaching Day 17: Facing the Shadow

On the way to the naturopath, I was thinking about my shadow and how she can hide, camouflaged, in my values. For example, one of my values is achievement. I love to make things happen, get things done, check things of my list, get a gold star, celebrate. Yum. And sometimes that can get twisted into overwork, overdrive and an overextended, competitive me. No doubt it's related to my big fear.

There are lots of ways that I'm learning to ease up and trust, but today I was just noticing, not trying to fix anything. And here's what happened.

So, my naturopath is on maternity leave and today is the first time I meet the person filling in for her. He's a Body Talk practitioner. I still have lots of scepticism about this practice but here are the first things he said to me after tuning into my body. Remember, he doesn't know me at all.

"Would you call yourself driven?"
"Would you say you're competitive?"

What? Was he having a personal conversation with my shadow? How did he know I was just thinking about that? Well, apparently that stuff is showing up in my tummy and in my jaw. So we had a little conversation about my masseters (my jaw muscles).

Practitioner: "It seems like your masseters have simply forgotten how to relax. It's like the rest of you can have fun and relax, but they can't."

Me: "What would masseters do for fun?"

Practitioner: [confused look] Well, I didn't really mean--

Me: No, I'm really curious. What do you think masseters would do for fun?

Practitioner: Chew?

Me: Yeah, that makes sense. Oh! What about singing?

Practitioner: Singing would definitely be fun for the masseters and good for your body in lots of different ways.

So, I'm giving myself singing for homework. Who knew that my shadow gets all worked up when she doesn't get to sing?

Soul Coaching Day 16: Taking Risks

No, it's not snowing in Toronto. Well, a little, but not this much. It's just somehow this picture suited where I ened up on the Soul Coaching journey today. I did have fun today (level 1) and I stretched outside my comfort zone (level 2). But the learning today came as a little sidestep on the risk theme.

In separate conversations recently, I've been asked whether I get negative feedback or pressure from friends or family in response to my non-traditional choices or my choosing to venture out and do my own thing. This is often a huge challenge to following your own path. As you step off the well-travelled road into the forest, many people try and bring you back, sometimes out of love and concern for your safety and sometimes with a vigour and vehemence that comes from somewhere else.

The funny thing is that my life feels really normal to me. I mean, it's my life. Sure, I dance barefoot weekly and can be heard saying things like, "What do you think the Universe wants you to hear?" and "What are your shoulders telling you?" But that just doesn't seem weird to me, lol. I just love what I do and truthfully I haven't had much of that judgment come my way. Until today.

Check this out. This is a comment left on my interview at Life Dev:

"A life coach, Nia barefoot workout instructor and life enthusiast? Perhaps you'd also like to interview me, I'm a yoghurt weaver, leprechaun and something else made up."

Ouch! When you put yourself out there, sometimes you will get pushed back. When I read this today, here's what I noticed.

1. I did not take this personally.
2. I believe in what I do. I know to my toes the value of what I do.
3. I bring myself with me wherever I go, including to this discussion.

Here's my response.

"Okay, I did make up the life enthusiast part but the other two are recognized, certified professions that make a real difference in people's lives. One of my favourite things about being creative is that more is possible than you might at first believe. I'd love to hear a leprechaun's job description!"

I figure these questions and this comment showed up for a reason. I'm trying to find words for what I believe it's about. Yes, I was challenged. I saw that as an opportunity to stand up for what I believe in. Not to get into a fight or to be defensive but rather to declare with all certainty, "Yes, it is amazing, isn't it? It's fantastical. It's so good that it's hard to believe. I believe in life coaching, life enthusiasts and Nia. I believe in myself and what I'm doing. And yes, I believe in leprechauns. I believe in you."

Soul coaching: Day 15 Confronting Fear / Developing Faith

On my list of fears, one of the biggest is that I won't get everything done that I want to do and experience everything that I want to experience during this lifetime and, connected to that, I won't fulfill my potential.

Once we've named our fear, Denise asks we think about how we could survive, even thrive, if this were to happen to you. Well, a bit of a challenge there because the only way I'll know if this actually happened is as I'm about to die. Still there are many gifts in thinking about it.

My first thought is that I hope reincarnation is the way of things. What I don't get done in this life, I can get done in the next, if I'm still inspired to do so. And if that's the case, wow, I can slow down because there is all the time in the world. That feels kind of wonderful.

And as I imagine myself in my last moments, thinking about not having "done it all," I know it doesn't matter. As long as I loved each day that I had, it's all right. And by that I don't mean that I enjoyed each day or appreciated each day. I mean that I got active with the verb love. I mean, I woke up in the morning and said, "Okay, Life, how am I going to love you up today?"

And that's precisely what I intend to do.

Soul Coaching Day 14: Releasing Victim Thinking & Choosing Your Life

I choose to express myself as an artist.

Soul Coaching Day 13: Attitude of Gratitude

Today I am grateful for:

• The healing power of art and the way it helps us understand ourselves, each other and that we are not alone.
• The film Twelve by Lester Alfonso

Tonight Shannon and I saw Twelve at the Reel Asian Film Festival and I still have tears in my eyes. This documentary follows Lester as he interviews 12 people who immigrated to Canada when they were 12 years old. He is looking for healing and wisdom, having had that experience himself at that tender age. He's looking for his tribe.

I had no I'd idea I'd be one of them. I didn't come from another country or speak another language. Only as I sat there watching the film and the tears started flowing did I think, "I was 12." I was 12 when we moved from Montreal to Toronto, and it broke me for a while. It was one of the turning points of my life. I'd never thought of the significance of the age or stage of my life until tonight. I am grateful for a new understanding.

When Lester introduced the film, I turned to Shannon and said, "He's such a beamer," which is how we describe someone who just radiates joy or light. It was so surprising when the film started and it became clear that it was rooted in his pain. And as he and the others shared their stories, I cried for each of our tender, beautiful 12-year-old selves and I was filled with a deep sense of connection. I am grateful for that.

And when Lester spoke after the screening about a project he has on the horizon about kindness, one that was inspired as a direct response to a video he'd happened upon of clips of movie torture set to music, more tears fell. I am so, so grateful that as artists we can celebrate and remind each other of what is beautiful and special about our humanness.

This is a picture of me at 12. It's vulnerable for me to share it. I've posted it before and talked about what it's meant for me to accept and love this version of me. I'm grateful to know that if this 12-year-old me and Lester's 12-year-old him would have met, we would have been nice to each other. I'm sure of it.

Soul Coaching Day 12: Being Still

"Now we are about to begin."
The Snow Queen. Hans Christian Anderson.

When I first started coaching, one of my goals was to create a schedule that allowed me to spend time on my creative work. Today I took a major step towards that goal. This was my first official Studio Day. I've promised my creative spirit that she gets Thursdays until the end of this year, and then we'll talk about what happens next. (I have a funny feeling Thursdays are locked in for a very long time)

I got up at 6:00 this morning so that I could take care of some business and promised my creative spirit that we'd be in the studio at 9:00. As 9:00 got closer, I felt resistance rising. At 9:02 my spirit got insistent. I could literally hear her saying, "You promised. Let's go."

And so I did. And I started working on a project that has been in my heart for years: The Snow Queen. I see this as a multi-disciplinary theatre piece and today I sat down and plotted out the first story (there are 7) - the characters, the flow, the space, the sounds. I looked at the words, the images, the themes. I read the text out loud while playing different kinds of music in the background to discover different tones. (This is really fun. I'd really recommend trying it, maybe with some of your favourite poetry) I played with the dialogue. Sometimes my studio time sounded like me saying a sentence over and over, faster, slower, repeating one word, shouting a few, starting again. It was a lot of fun, totally engaging and 100% pure love.

And so, although I wasn't "doing nothing" as Soul Coaching requested of us today, my creative spirit, for the first time in a long, long time, was still.

Isn't it amazing that the first line of the show is "Now, we are about to begin."

Today I appear on Life Dev as a part of a series of interviews with creatives. How awesome it coincides with my commitment to Studio Day! If you're interested in hearing a little bit more about my creative life and my advice to creatives, you can read the interview here.

Soul Coaching Day 11: Exploring Your Relationships

Well, today's exploration didn't go where I expected it to, which perhaps is the case with any true exploration. Usually when I start thinking about healing a relationship, automatically my thoughts turn to my dad. It's become a habit and I suspect one that I should release.

I started today's Water Week journey with cleaning and thought, I'll handwash another sweater. I went to the bedroom and pulled out the rather sizeable pile and my eye kept being drawn to this one sweater I'd tucked away at the back of the shelf. I didn't want to look at it. I looked at it.

I said to the powers-that-be, "Hey, I want to wash something that I'm actually going to wear."

I kept glancing at the sweater.

I thought, damn it, I should just get rid of that thing.

I told the powers-that-be, "Look, I don't want to deal with that now. That is not on the agenda."

And so, of course, I knew it was. I pulled that soft green sweater out of the back of the closet and took it to the sink for a wash.

This is the sweater I wore when our dear cat Bascha died. This is the sweater I held her tiny little body in while her spirit said goodbye. This sweater brought me comfort. I hope it brought her comfort too.

Bascha was more than a cat to me. She was a spirit guide. She was a tiny, scruffy, almost feral stray when I brought her home. She'd nip at you. She hated to be picked up. She was beautiful, and I loved her. Her grey fur had a glimmer of silver, and I called her my moon cat.

Over years of cuddles, she became a love muffin. She adored (fawned over, actually) my husband the minute he first walked in the door, so I knew he was for me. But what amazes me most is that this bitchy, high-strung stray became a cat that would lie in your arms and relax every single muscle in her body. I've never, ever seen such complete and utter relaxation. I think about it all the time, what she was trying to teach me about trust and letting go, and I can still feel her little self in my arms, purring, fully without tension and gazing at me with love.

We went through a lot with Bascha. I learned to give her injections and take blood from her ears. We endured her last year where she rejected the litterbox. We experience the fear of seeing her lying still on the ground and wondering if we would find her stiff or breathing.

And here's what I know about relationships with all my heart: love is worth the tears. Love takes courage and risk and patience and care and hurt and loss. And it is worth it.

Love is worth it.

PS I'm keeping the sweater

This month I'm exploring Denise Linn's Soul Coaching with an inspirational group of bloggers at The Next Chapter: Soul Coaching.

Soul Coaching Day 10: Energy Zappers & Juicers

For today's Soul Coaching tasks, I chose to do level 1 and level 2, noticing what zaps your energy and also what juices it. I didn't cast about and create a list of the zappers and juicers I know about me. I simply focused on today. Here's what I noticed.

Energy Zappers

• Sugar
• Clutter
• Undone paperwork & to dos
• Not having a home for things
• Work that is not a good fit
• Phoniness
• Jinx (my cat) when she is needy
• When my daily to-do list is too long
• Wrestling with computer tech stuff
• Being hungry
• Being thirsty
• Not having enough food in the house
• Dust
• Discouragement
• PMS
• Vitamin-deficient eating
• Shoulds

Energy Juicers!

• My husband
• My clients
• Waking up early and having the whole day ahead of me
• A delicious cup of coffee
• Having a hot shower
• Ideas
• Spa visits
• Clothes I feel good in
• Big, beautiful rings
• A great haircut
• Having a clean house
• Alone time
• Listening to music that suits my mood
• The noticeable difference an effort makes
• Beautiful lighting
• Researching & thinking about real estate
• Chatting with like-minded spirits
• Exploring possibilities

I also noticed that there are some things that start out as energy zappers (like organizing my finances) that become energy juicers (like my organized finances).

This month I'm exploring Denise Linn's Soul Coaching with an inspirational group of bloggers at The Next Chapter: Soul Coaching.