February 1, 2008 Issue #47Welcome to the newsletter where playing more and stressing less is taken seriously. It's written with the intention to support you in living a life with more passion and play and less worry and work.
IN THIS ISSUE...
What We Allow In Scrabulous Cool People Care Winter Summer Vacation Writing & Stuff Careful what you consume Ways to Play Today: Swimwear Fashion Show An Inspirational Image Something to Ponder: Are all mistakes blessings in disguise?
"Everything in this life has a purpose. There are no mistakes, no coincidences. All events are blessings given to us to learn from." ~Elizabeth Kubler Ross
My Playground The article, the message, the thing to make you go hmmm...
~What We Allow In~
Two weeks ago, I came down with a nasty bug. This was no ordinary sniffling, coughing, sneezing just-take-an-over-the-counter-drug-and-get-over-it cold. This was a wild and wicked, body-snatching, health-sucking smack-down. My fast-paced routines and high-energy reserves came to a screeching halt at one of the most inopportune times. It's never a good time to get sick, but I caught this dastardly bastard two days before I was to facilitate a weekend retreat. Canceling the event wasn't an option so I did what probably most folks would have done which was to forge ahead and do my very best to not be sick. Despite my body feeling like it was being held hostage by germ-spreading hoodlums, the retreat went on as planned.
It was a fabulous weekend and I couldn't be more pleased with how it turned out. The women who attended were amazing and I certainly appreciated the compassion and care they showed me given my deteriorating state of health. The conversations and activities we shared with one another confirmed how courageous, vulnerable and beautiful we human beings can be when we're given a safe and nurturing place where we can just be ourselves. Having attended many workshops and retreats myself, being real with a group of people you've just met isn't always the easiest thing to do but it usually makes for a richer and rewarding experience for everyone involved.
Pretending to be well didn't make me well nor did it convince the women I was perfectly fine. So when my voice all but disappeared halfway through the retreat, I gave up trying to control the illness coursing through me and just allowed it in. How interesting it was to discover that's when the struggling ceased and the blessings began. Despite how badly I wanted to feel better, surrendering to being sick caused something to shift inside me. Here I was facilitating a nurturing retreat and I had been choosing not to nurture myself. Am I the only one who finds it fascinating (or is that dumbfounded) when what you say is the exact opposite of what you do? Sheesh. Being sick has given me an opportunity to consider other areas in life I've struggled with and tried to exert control over. It makes me wonder how certain outcomes might have been different had I been more allowing. Perhaps one of mine will resonate with you.
5 Areas of Life to Allow In Instead of Avoid
1) People who have vastly different opinions than yours.
2) Caring for your body by eating right and exercising.
3) Work-related issues (pay raises, workload, co-worker/employer relations, etc) that challenge you to speak up
4) Your feelings about what really stirs you up.
5) Self-love and forgiveness.
If we believe, as Elizabeth Kubler Ross states, there are no mistakes and everything in life has a purpose, you might think we could be more accepting of the unexpected crappy things that life throws our way. But that's not the case is it? We do our best to avoid what's painful and are usually in hot pursuit of what brings us pleasure. Makes perfect sense, but is it possible we might be more fulfilled and happy if we were more accepting of all that life offers up? Might our purpose in life (not what we do, but what we learn and experience) be more connected to the things we allow in rather than those we tend to push away? Hmmm...it's thoughts like those that has made being sick a blessing in disguise.
Personal Recommendations for books, music, websites and all resources fun!
Scrabulous For all you Scrabble fans out there this website is tops. It's free to sign up, connects you with other word wizards online and provides plenty of opportunities to increase your knowledge of the English language. Be forewarned though if you play solitaire and challenge the know-it-all robot. If you're a competitive gamer like me, you're likely to end up swearing at your computer after it crafts another five-word, fifty point play by using just two of its letters. Have a dictionary on hand (no cheating!) so you can look up all the new words you'll be introduced to via the robot. The next time you play the actual board game with real human beings, you'll be able to impress your friends with words like ka, xi, qi, za and oe.
Cool People Care I think you'll be impressed by this website and Sam's daily motivating ninety-nine word articles. He's only 27 years old and already he's diving deep into what he's passionate about and sharing what he cares about with others. His online creation promotes the concept of "Saving the world, five minutes at a time" and he does that by providing short, informative and unique ways how you can make a difference every day. It'll inspire you to choose random acts of kindness and goodness and be more aware of the little things you do that matter big.
What's Up at Playful Spirit?
My apologies for the late arrival of what was supposed to have been January's newsletter. The good news is there will be TWO issues of Lighten Up this month with the next one being delivered on February 18th from down under. I'm heading to the Southern Hemisphere next Tuesday for two weeks of summertime sunshine. Just thinking about getting a tan in the middle of winter increases my body temperature by a few degrees and puts a devilish grin on my face. This will be my fifth trip to New Zealand and my husband's country of origin is beginning to feel like my second home.
Even though this is our vacation, I'll be lugging my laptop throughout various airports so I can continue to write and stay connected while I’m away. I'll be blogging often about my time in the Land of the Long White Cloud so you can see why you'll want to add New Zealand to your list of places to visit if you haven't already been there. I'd love to hear from any readers who have spent time in Kiwi country and learn what you enjoyed most about your travels.
While I'm away from my regular surroundings and distractions, I'd like to write a chapter or two of my book and return to a creative endeavor I've ignored for awhile now. I'll be making some changes to my website as well as launching a new blog soon about ecstatic dance with my friend and business partner, Elia Seely. When change happens within, having my online creations be up-to-date reflections of who I am and what I do is a good thing. It's time to tweak what's out there.
Giggles & Guffaws An amusing story, joke, anecdote or picture to tickle your funnybone
You gotta admit that some of those group emails that circle around the internet are funny.
I am passing this on to you because it definitely worked for me and we all could use more calm in our lives.
By following the simple advice I heard on a Medical TV show, I have finally found inner peace.
A Doctor proclaimed the way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you have started.
So I looked around my house to see things I started and hadn't finished and, before leaving the house this morning...
I finished off a bottle of Merlot, a bottle of Shhhardonay, a bodle of Baileys, a butle of vocka, a pockage of Prunglies, tha remainder of a bot o Prozic and Valum scriptins, the res of the Chesescke an a box a chocolets.
Yu haf no idr who blody gud I fel. Peas sen dis orn to dem yu fee ar in ned ov inr pece.
Ways to Play Today
Why not...break out the bikini (or swim trunks)? We may be in the middle of winter here in the northern hemisphere and there's another season between now and summertime, but trying on what you might normally wear when it's warmer has the potential to either put you in a good mood or provide you an eye-opening reality check. After purchasing a two piece ensemble for my upcoming trip to New Zealand, I was somewhat taken aback by the reflection I saw in the mirror. I thought basic black would be ideal since it's known to be a slimming color. Yeah, right. When the amount of material is barely enough to cover your assets, the color doesn't make a damn bit of difference. I digress. The point of playing swimsuit dress-up is two-fold. You can see for yourself if your body is hot even though the weather is not and/or you'll be reminded that you have about five more months to get that body of yours in better shape.
Why not...post up a candid portrait of yourself that inspires you? A few months back, I had the unexpected good fortune to run into two happy-snapping photographers while I was dancing on the beach. To my surprise and delight, one of them made an offer I couldn't refuse. They'd take a few photos while my iPod and I did our thing and then he'd send me copies of the best shots which I could then use for my own purposes. There's something to be said for going candid...they turned out great! Of course every morning when you look in the mirror you get the straight-up truth staring right back at you, but the kind of image I'm encouraging you to post up in a significant place is the one that catches your eye. The one that makes you stop and say with pride, "Hey, that’s me!" and "Damn, I look good." It’s not a glamour shot. It’s an image that captures the essence of who you really are. An 8 x 10 should suffice, but more power to you if you decide to hang up a life-size door poster. Remember this isn't narcissism. This is self-love.
Something to Ponder Questions designed to stimulate your thinking AND encourage you to take action towards what you want.
Do you believe there's a purpose to everything? Why or why not? How would allowing in more of what you tend to avoid make a difference in your life?
Care to share what these questions stir up in you?
Send me an e-mail. I welcome your thoughts and will respond to all e-mails received.
If you want to find out more about the work I do as a facilitator, writer and movement artist check out Playful Spirit Productions. Make sure you come back and visit every so often as you never know what kind of resources and fun stuff I'll be playing around with and adding to the website.
Thanks for reading this issue of Lighten Up! If you enjoyed it, please pass it along to your friends, your family, your co-workers...You get the idea. I hope you can see the silver lining in the mistakes you've made in your life. Be kind and gentle with yourself and with others and most importantly, be real.
See you on February 18th! Lisa
~Playful Spirit Productions' mission is to inspire people to show up, be real and play big in life.~
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