Milestones

Today was a milestone day; the day we welcome my third grandchild, Sidney Belle, into the world. You know what I mean by a landmark day-weddings, funerals, births, first kisses, last goodbyes, etc. In the midst of today, I can't help wondering how our lives will change from here on out. I don't think we ever fully realize just how much one of these momentous events will affect ever day that comes after it. But then if we could see how our lives would shift and morph, we would be called psychics or fortune tellers. How will this little girl change our lives and the lives of those around us? Will she be funny like Nate and make us laugh continually? Or will she be serious and thoughtful like Roo? There is no way to know. But it sure will be fun finding out!

has it helped

As I look back on 10 months of TV-free living, I wonder how it has shaped my life? For instance, when the flood happened would I have reacted differently if I had had the option of vegging out in front of the TV instead of going out to help with flood recovery? Might I have chosen to sit at home and wait for my old job to reopen instead of working my butt of to start a new business? I suppose there is no real way to know what choices I might have made differently. But I tend to think it has affected things for the good. I still haven't gotten on a workout program like I'd hoped. But I am building a successful practice and doing a lot more with my photography. And I'm getting out and doing things more with friends. I like that. I like the directions it has led me in so far.

What a day!

I am hoping today our family used up it's bad luck for the month. Two-year-old Nate came down with an ear infection. Seven-year-old Riley lost her diabetes kit with her meter and insulin. And my daughter-in-law is due to deliver her baby on Friday. She was understandably upset by this and several other things that left her a little ragged. We got everything taken care of: meds for the little one, new kit for the older one and everything else will get worked out. But we are certainly hoping for calmer waters and smoother sailing in the days to come so we can thoroughly enjoy the arrival of Miss Sidney Belle and savor the moments as they unfold!

new technology

Well I have a new little piece of technology that I hope will help me to write/blog more consistently. It is an Epic 4G phone. I would not call myself a techno-phobe, but I can be technically-challenged and often have to ask my son to figure out why the DVD player or some other piece of electronic equipment will not behave as I have come to expect. So this is a big step for me. I have been experimenting with different apps and features and was feeling pretty good about the ability this old dog was showing in learning a new trick or two...that is until the phone rang! And try as I might, no amount of stabbing at the touch screen seemed to work. Well, on the next call I did figure it out. But that was enough to keep me from getting a swelled head over my tech prowess. Now I'm just praying my smart phone is not too much smarter than me!

confession

It's been so long since I've blogged that I feel like I should be in a confessional..."Father forgive me. It's been 3 months since my last blog." I have no excuse except that life got in the way. I have been working hard to get my business up and running and it's definitely paying off. I feel good about what I'm doing and am making good progress. Still, I hate that it has kept me from my goal of writing every day.  But each new day is a chance to start again. So here I go again! See you tomorrow...I hope.

sacred dance

When I first went to school to become a therapist, massage seemed to me like a sacred dance. Sacred because a person invites you in to touch them in a deeply personal way, not only physically, but mentally, emotionally and yes even spiritually. And a dance because of the fluid movements strung together in a flow that feels to me like dancing-moving to the rhythm of the body's timing. Over the five years I worked at the spa, I lost my reverence for the work. It became just a job to me and one I often dreaded. But today, in my own office, in the special place I'd created to do my work, I remembered what it could be-what it should be.  I remembered the joy of asking the body what it needs and seeking permission to be a part of that healing process. I remembered what it feels like to care more about helping the person on my table than I care about the clock or the money.

Until that moment of remembering, I was still having doubts about not returning to my job at the spa. But in that one moment of clarity, I realized this is time to retrieve those pieces of my self I have sold off or have let slip away.  It is time to regain my sense of purpose in this work. I realized I don't ever want to trade in the sacred dance for a health insurance policy and a steady paycheck again. It's much more valuable than those things ever can or will be. And I am so thankful to have remembered before it was too late.

Reflection

August-the eighth month of the year. Can 2010 possibly be more than half gone!? Reflecting on the beginning of this blog and my purpose in giving up TV I find I'm a little disappointed in myself. One of the main purposes for pulling the plug was to give myself time and space to develop my writing. I have not done nearly as much of that as I would have liked. Of course, I did lose my job quite suddenly and have been working to start my own practice, so I do have some excuse there. But this was not to be a year of excuses! So I'm verbally kicking myself in the pants here, and committing to getting back on track with my goals. Still 5 months left in the year to move in the right direction!