The Joy Factor

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Take Gap. Give Gap. On excellence, joy and celebration.

Posted by Rebecca Ewing on May 11, 2011 · Leave a Comment 

I was thinking today about my friend Mark Pekar and what a joy he was in my life for more than twenty years. This time last spring he was gravely ill and mere weeks away from hospice.  In mid-summer, I was blessed to speak to a large crowd at his memorial service.

I shared that he “loved being the center of attention, yet he loved watching others shine. He loved succeeding, and equally celebrated other’s successes. ‘A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.’* His was a generous spirit.”

Memory of Mark was keen today as I visited with other long-time friends:

Sylvia is so proud of her grandchildren that she beams.

Donna had a breakthrough in establishing and enforcing emotional boundaries.

Betsy earned an A in a class from a professor who does not give A’s. (Free tuition at state colleges and universities in Georgia is a bonus that comes with Medicare and Social Security! I only have ten years to go.)

Charlie is also a returning student (though not even old enough for an AARP card) and will graduate Sunday, to embark on a new career for which he is splendidly suited and prepared.

Peggy and Gibbs are in a new home that fits them perfectly and makes them smile.

And my friend Carol, having regained some of the vision lost in one eye, is doing nearly everything she wants to do with resourcefulness and élan. She’s piecing a new quilt, and loved one of the fabrics so much that she hugged it.

There used to be a road sign on Lakewood Freeway that read

Take Gap

Give Gap

Give and take. Take and give.  Everyone gets his or her turn to lead, or follow. Then it changes again.

Recent months have been exceedingly challenging, but the successes of  treasured friends or family can make my spirit soar.  Some days I share joy by lighting the candle. Other times, I find joy by having my candle lit.

Carpe diem

Rebecca

* Quote from Father James Keller

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The Higher the Plane, the Closer to God?

Posted by Wendy Watkins on August 10, 2010 · Leave a Comment 

In my past life, as a territory manager for Aveda , I would regularly hear hairdressers joke, the bigger the hair, the closer to God. It always made us chuckle.

I was on an airplane last week, flying to CA, my home away from home, I noticed something. Whenever I am on a plane or in a car for an extended length of time, my creativity soars! Have you ever noticed that? All I can say is woohoo!!!!

For the last 6 weeks, I have had a block in completing my book proposal. There are a couple of things in play here. One, my fear of success poked its little head into the picture and started playing with me, and I let it. Second, it is summertime and I usually want a bit more free time, which left me a bit unfocused. And third, I got a nasty sinus infection this summer that really made me slow down for a few weeks. This combination had me take my attention off of the proposal and put it on other things.

At first, I was very hard on myself about being blocked.  I know that I cannot struggle through a proposal on a book about Joy!  As I let myself experience the disappointment of being blocked and lowered the bar that I keep so high for myself, the energy shifted.  When I allow myself to feel what I need to feel, instead of trying to stuff it and hide it, I let myself off of the hook and trust that everything is happening the way it is supposed to. The proposal will arrive on the agents’ desk at the perfect time.

With all that said, I am thrilled to tell you that I worked on my proposal on that plane trip—joy and creativity were in the house! I do believe that the higher the plane, the closer to spirit. Spirit and I are tight—we work well together.

Now, back to trusting my feelings and my process.

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Sister Time

Posted by Wendy Watkins on July 13, 2010 · Leave a Comment 

Last week I was lucky enough to have a “sister day”.  Since my sister Lisa has kids, the opportunities to have sister time are few and far between.  It was a wonderful f day filled with lunch, gabbing and the main event-a manicure and a pedicure. As delightful as all of the things we did were, the best part of our time together, was just being together. I savor the relationships that I have where I can truly by myself.

Don’t get me wrong, I do express myself authentically all day, every day.  It is the “sister” relationships where I can have the most fun, letting my hair down to blow in the wind.  I am lucky enough to have other “sisters” in my life, women that love me as I am no matter what. 
Spending time with Lisa last week reminded me how important it is to carve out time in my schedule to be with my soul sisters. The time I get to spend with these women, whether it is on the phone or in person feeds my spirit.  This is a special type of self-care, the kind that keeps on giving for days on end.

 Here is what each of my lovely sisters reminds me of:
1. Go with the flow. The best way to survive a busy life is to stay in the moment-thank you, Lisa!
2. Live your dreams. As the Universe presents opportunities, grab them and go-you can always readjust later—thank you, Bernadette!
3. You can do it. When you put your mind to something and move forward a little bit each day, you achieve what may have seemed unachievable – thank you, Sandra.
4. It is never too late. Even if your dream takes 5, 10, 20 years to manifest, if it is important enough to you, it will happen in divine order – thank you, Aunt Nancy.
5. Have fun with everything you do. There are a couple of sisters that remind me that I can choose to have fun with everything in my life—out with serious, in with fun! Thank you, Trish and Runa!
This list could go on for pages.  I would love to hear what you learn from your “sisters”!  Share with us, so we can enjoy the gifts of friendship with you!

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