A Year in the Life of Grief

So it is one year to the day since my dad died. It’s been a hard year, in so many ways.

A year in the life of grief

Partly (duh?) the grief. The heartrending missing of someone who was (is) so important to me. Oh the number of moments this year, especially early on, when I wanted to reach out and talk to him about:

some detail of life (like my cat’s silly antics, or that the cherry blossoms were out already)
some big news story (the triple crown winner, the Queen’s prof who got a Nobel Prize, the results of the national election all come to mind)
something that we had shared before so many times (a phone call blow by blow conversation about the election)
his advice on something (where to go when in Scotland, how to deal with stroppy tradesmen, what to do with conflicting work priorities)

And each one of those moments, leading to an outpouring of tears. Let’s face it, standing at his gravestone, asking, but not getting answers the way I can understand them … just doesn’t cut it.Read More >>>

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3 Steps to Growing Your Heart’s Desire

In many ways this is the new year. Spring, a new start. Astrologically we are back at the beginning with Aries. One of the two days when the day and the night are equal. It is a special time, filled with magic, if we want to tap into it. What we plant now (literally and figuratively) will grow for the next 6 months. it will start as what seems like a small inconsequential thing, but will blossom, bloom, mature, ripen, and become what it was always supposed to be, it’s magnificent self. So I ask you again … what do you want to create, to intend, to draw into your life? Which of your heart’s desires do you want to grow?

02-3 Steps to Growing Your Heart's Desire

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Signýficant Year In Review

As promised, here are some highlights from my Year in Review, although, as suggested in my preamble to the questions, I’m answering what called me this time around.

04-Significant Year In Review Now I must let you know that this isn’t my whole year in review in it’s entirety – but rather a few key highlights. In order to receive the bigger piece, please sign up here and you’ll get it by email in a couple of days.

I invite you into my world, to hear my ups and downs, and to let the hearing of my tale inspire your own exploration.Read More >>>

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The Darkest Time of the Year

When I think about Yule, the first thing that comes to mind is “oh dear God it’s the shortest day of the year!” and I have a mini panic attack. But when I come back from that, I’m reminded that this is a high Pagan holiday, and in case you weren’t aware of it, I’m quite the witch. So here’s the thing I love about Yule …

03-The Darkest Time of the Year Read More >>>

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How to Clarify Your Dreams for 2016

If you read last week’s blog, what I’m about to say is going to make more sense (and if you haven’t, go back and read it, cuz I’d love for this to make sense for you).

02-How to Clarify Your Dreams for 2016

So you’ve read last week’s blog, you’ve gone within yourself to reflect, done all that work, and come up with this big list. These things you want to tackle and accomplish in 2016. These are things that you are excited about (and if something doesn’t leave you feeling that way, take it off the list right now! No “shoulds” allowed here. This is for you and your real heart). These items on your list need to be meaningful for you, give you a sense of passion and purpose, and fit into that sweet spot. And so if they do that, and the list is big (which is what I hope for you), you are going to be left with the question: Now what?Read More >>>

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A Time for Reflection

This is the month that it is the darkest time of the year (in the northern hemisphere, that is). It’s dark, cold, and our instinct is to go inside, cozy up by the fire, hibernate … and it’s the perfect time to go within yourself as well and be reflective.

01-A Time for Reflection Read More >>>

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CHOOSE Your Legacy

When we’re looking at choose, as it relates to legacy, I think there’s a lot of people that think legacy is just something that happens to you. When you look back at your life, you think “huh, what impact did I have? ” but like everything else, it’s something that you can get conscious about and make choices around. In other words, don’t let your legacy happen to you. CHOOSE your legacy!

03-Choose your legacy

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In Honour of Remembrance Day

“They gave their tomorrow’s for our today’s.” This is an epitaph inscription I saw in Inverness, Scotland in the summer of 1989, and it has stayed with me ever since because of it’s clarity and depth.

02-In Honour of Remembrance Day

When I think of Remembrance Day, I am (and always have been) moved to tears, which catches me off guard, because I’m not a strong supporter of war, and so it feels funny to connect so strongly with a day that is all about remembering the people that lost their lives at war. Read More >>>

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Is it time to STOP?

Obviously there are plenty of things that we could stand to do less of in a day. What I’m talking about today is stopping the busyness habit. You know what I mean, that compulsion to do more, do better and do it in a way that makes it look easy. In today’s world, we all have it (or so it would seem), and we all seem to just think it’s normal, just the way things are.

Here’s the thing … it’s not serving us. And it’s not like that is news. We all know it, deep down inside, that this is not working. But we keep doing it. Almost like our To Do list and keeping up to date on it, and being on top of our email is the new “keeping up with the Jones’ “. Comparing our inbox count and bemoaning how long our list is has become a point of bonding. And when that happens, our Hyper-Achieving saboteur has stolen the show, and made off with the real prize … our peace of mind.

And I get that we need to do what needs to be done. And if we don’t at least try to stay on top of the inbox that the ambush of emails can paralyse us … but we need to stop.

Maybe not forever, but at the very least … we need a break.

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Find Your Crew

I am a BIG believer in playing to your strengths: doing what you do well, sticking with your sweet spot. That alone makes the world better all around (better for us because we are having fun, better for others because if we’re happy and having fun, we’re better people to be around).

Along the same line, I believe we need to be surrounded by the right people. Our crew, our tribe, our soul family. Those people who get us. REALLY get us. Without trying, they find us funny, they see what is amazing about us, they get lit up around us, and we get energized being around them. I cannot overstate the power (and importance) of this. It is where fitting in (what we do with people that are not our crew) turns into belonging (what happens when we are with our tribe, the Ones Who Get Us). Things become effortless. And, not surprisingly, I am a big fan of effortless (goes along with Ease).