Turning the corner

Here's a corner near where I live, a small flat space in the forest that links up to the road into the property.  It's so colorful and lush at this time of year.  It's a perfect illustration of the wealth of nature.

It's been a few weeks since I posted anything on this blog.  The huge fire to the north, the Soberanes Fire, went on for far longer than expected.  IN the end, it was the longest fire ever in Monterey county and the most expensive fire in the history of the United States.  It took its toll on everybody in big Sur.  Business basically went away for about two months or more.  It's been a scramble.  Fire preparations seemed to go on forever, until all that could be said was "well we are about as ready as we could be, if it comes here".  
I lived out of my suitcases for weeks, wondering when and if I would put my stuff in the car and make a break, hoping for the best.  

All of the hopes I had for the summer seemed like distant dreams as I had to turn away guests and face whatever would come.  All of my energy went into the mode of crisis management.  Every resource was used to its maximum, and it didn't feel like enough.

My heart cried, and I still feel the fatigue of adrenal and cortisol over-stimulation.  Slowly, my energy is returning to a level I can recognize.
It's going to be a while.  And I remember this, too...

I know that I have been lucky, since the fire changed direction and didn't come to this watershed.  I feel the blessing of that.  Every day that I wake up and see things more or less as they were, I am astonished.  Because nothing feels the same, and things can never be the same.  

Deep soul-searching and the need to face things as they are, rather than as we would like them to be, has been a part of this season for all of us.  I feel deeply the losses that friends of mine have endured, and cheer them on as they make the efforts to start over. 

Now it is the darkest time of the year, with the sun showing for shorter and shorter intervals each day.  I notice every detail of the quiet time, and I live in hopes for what can happen when the sun will turn.  

For me, the solstice is a time of fortitude, and of hope.  The celestial bodies have important things to say to us.  The forest feels quiet, in anticipation of new growth.  The stars have a special shine in the cold air.  A meteor appears, pink or green or orange, and quickly vanishes.  The moon hangs wisely above, saying "Wait and listen.  Good things are coming."

I am planning new projects and ways to share the beauty and wisdom of nature in the coming year. Inspiration is appearing from new places. Outside my door, the loquat tree is blooming fragrantly, and it is visited by hummingbirds even in the dark.  The quail are fat with fresh grass.

Hop over to the Writer's Launchpad and see more of what I am doing lately.


I wish you all the best during this season, and always. 

Growing Light from Within: What it Took

At the left is a drawing I made a few years ago of an oak tree on Nacimiento Road.  

I called this tree the Fortitude Oak, because it stretched out over the roadside pullout in such a way as to suggest vast power and inner knowing.  


It's good that I drew it when I did, for now it is only a memory when I drive past.  It was a casualty of the fire that came through the canyon, weakening it so that it broke in the winds over the winter.  Now, the drawing is the expression of what the tree meant to me.

This tree reminds me of times when standing firm was the only option.

As I learned what it was to be a mother and a pioneer, growing food, living with only the most basic necessities, a lot of my former ideas about life faded away, and I lived from one day to the next, with most days following a rhythm that went like this:  

Wake up, light a fire, look after the children.  Make food, get them dressed, find out what else they need.

Milk the goats, feed the chickens, gather the eggs.  Go out into the garden and plant, weed, water, or whatever else was needed.  Maybe cut firewood, maybe not.  Lunchtime.  Make food. Clean the house.  Do the laundry, start making dinner.  If there is time, do something creative like make clothing.

The family shows up, and instead of saying "Hi Mom!" they ask, "What's for dinner?"  Can't blame them for that, they were hungry. 
Have dinner, clear the table.  Talk about what needs to be done next, or answer to some concern of a family member. 
Wash up, get ready for bed.  Repeat.  

Time for creative activities was almost nonexistent at first.  Who I was, as a person, never came up!  It was enough to just keep things going.

Gradually I learned to find moments, bits and pieces of time, when I could make something, or write something.  Poems sometimes appeared in my mind, and I would scramble to write them down before they disappeared.  

Every once in a while I could write out a few pages of something that I felt I needed to express, even though nobody was reading it.  I kept my faith in my heart, and listened to the voices of nature telling me to keep going.

As this life continued, year after year, I got better at managing my time.  Things started to open up as the kids didn't need me quite so much.  They were getting more independent, and although I was still important to them, it was clear that life was going to keep on shifting.  Little by little, things were getting a bit easier.  It was slow going!

Just when I was saying "Does this go on forever?" I found that it was almost over.  Larger chunks of time were appearing, and the needs of my family changed.

I became able to start small businesses.  First it was selling eggs and small crafts; then selling cheese, and somewhat larger crafts, then honey was added to the list.  Bit by bit, I became more able to reclaim my identity as a person and not just a service provider.

I got into fashion expression, making lovely items that I was very proud to present to the world.  My idea of what I could do with my life grew.

It became possible to find new avenues of expression, and I got back into writing.  Eventually, I wrote my book "Prevail" and found a sense of mission, as I realized my experiences had value beyond my own life, and found ways to express that realization, that they could be useful to others in making their own lives better.

The journey for meaning and creative expression continues now, as I  am able to offer support for writers.  I am so grateful for the light that I guarded and kept within me, and for the way that it is growing now.  I cherish every bit of what I learned along the way, no matter how I learned it.

Do you want to find more time for your creative expression?

Learn how to build creativity into your day in a completely natural way, that supports the life you already have.

May your path always be lit!

Best wishes,

Betty

Your thoughts are the seeds of your life

The ferns at left are just emerging under the avocado tree. they are bracken ferns, which can get up to three feet tall, depending on how much rain falls in the year.

I have been told that they can be cured using wood ashes and made into snacks, marinated in oil.  I never did get around to trying that one.

I did learn a lot about the wild greens growing around the woods...with really cool names, like miner's lettuce, shooting stars, johnny jumpups.  all of these have edible greens high in vitamin C.  Many walks around the pthways also produced mushrooms for the rice, rose hips for he tea, and other wild medicines and teas that grow in abundance here.

As I learned more about the way Nature has of providing nutrients, I often marveled at how I seemed to be living the same life that people had lived here thousands of years ago, and yet, it was a modern age.  This, in a time when I had no phone and very little contact with the outside world!  

As I look at that time now, I see how the seeds of today were planted through noticing the beauties of nature, and the treasure of time in the quiet parts of the world.  Too much quiet, at times!  I felt at times like there was no other place in the world.  When a car came into the canyon, I could hear it from miles away, and know exactly where it was on the world.

I learned hard truths about life at a young age.  This has served me by making me resilient, and in knowing the power of the imagination to transform, to create new meanings out of raw experience, I have become far more than I ever could have imagined during those times. 

What seeds of your life do you want to grow?

"Sez You", she said

"Oh, You, who make easy what is difficult, make our way to be a garden, for it is to You that we go."...Rumi

My idea of living in nature had always been that there would be harmony and beauty all around me.  Here in the forest of Big Sur, where I landed with my infant son, his father, and a group of other people running from our pasts, this was the certainly visible.  Stunning beauty all around me, far from the influence of the outside world (or so it seemed), I was so happy to be out of the grind, and on to the dream.

As it turned out, the dream was still there, but it soon became obscured by the harsh realities of pioneer life:  a total lack of all modern conveniences may sound romantic until you have to live it.  

It rained every day for the first winter.  We had arrived on February 14th.  You could call it the death of romance, since the truth was that we spent all our time out in the rain cutting firewood to burn in the stove so that we could get our clothes dry again.  We were crammed in like sardines.  There was no privacy except out in the woods.  And more.  Doing the laundry by hand, performing backbreaking labor every day, we were out of touch with the rest of the world, which soon became more appealing, even though nobody wanted to go back where we had been.

Cabin fever became a menace that visited often.  I went out in the woods to yell and throw things until I was exhausted, out in the storms, and then went back inside to keep going, returning to my sleeping infant.  Somehow, I still believed in the dream.  I still knew that nature was a guiding force for me, and let's face it, I am one stubborn woman.  I found little projects to do that comforted me, with the small amount of materials I had.  Needle and thread, crochet hook...these became potent tools to maintain order and consciousness.  I began to understand the struggles of my fore-mothers in a new way.

People began to burn out.  When spring came, we all moved out to different tents, and barely spoke to one another unless we had to. 
I wrote letters to people that I remembered from earlier in life, and to my family.  We had no phone, so I only called people from pay phones when we were out on town runs.  I wrote little poems about the beauty that I still saw and felt in my soul.  Nobody saw them.  I tucked them away in books to protect myself from the anger and cynicism that my group was showing more and more often.  People argued constantly, with vicious insults hurled and relationships disintegrating.

Little books with pictures in them became my refuge.  I took my son on nature walks, and explained carefully to the baby what plant I was picking, and what it is used for.  He tells me that he still remembers those walks, now, as a father.  

Whenever a book came my way, I read it.  I cruised the local free boxes for cloth, books, decorations, to ease the stark reality of the poverty we were enduring.  My earlier life was a distant dream to me by then.  The struggle to survive had narrowed my world, and my options.  Now, I could draw and I could write, but who would ever really know what I was feeling?  The miracle is that today I am writing these words and you are reading them.

What was it that kept me going?  It can't be all stubbornness.  I had HELP!  Every day, nature and the unseen let me know that you can NEVER be truly alone.

I  always knew that I was held and protected by a Divine force, even in the worst times.  To this day, I am grateful for all of it, because I know that everything that I endured can be the way to help others.  I have never forgotten the beauty and the idealism that sustained me, the grace of being so naive that I was shielded from the big picture.  It's all useful.  That's what life is all about.  When you take something difficult, and make it useful, you transform its very nature, the difficulty fades away, and the gift remains.

Do you have something you want to transform?  Let's talk about it!

 

Smoke and Mirrors

Lately I've been talking about the early days here on the mountain.  Some things don't change.  The night sky continues to amaze.  The mountains stand quietly as they have for so many centuries.
But some things do change, and this week I will be talking about what's going on right this minute.

Here you see the view to the north from the meadow above my house.  The tall mountain is Cone Peak, the tallest in this section of the Santa Lucia Range.

As I write this, for just under two months there has been a fire to the north, sometimes covering the area in smoke, so that on some days even seeing across the canyon is difficult.  Most of the time the wind has tended to blow the smoke away to the north and east, so I haven't had it as bad as a lot of people.  The fire is still there, slowly moving in several directions at once. Every day I check the fire maps online.

This has been a time of fear, and of loss for many people.  I wait to see what the fire will do.  Every day it seems more possible that it will stay within the lines and grow smaller, not larger, which is my dear prayer.  Through this time, I have felt many transformational energies letting me know that things will never be the same, no matter how it turns out.

Business in Big Sur dried up, for seven weeks.  People became overwhelmingly depressed for weeks at a time.  I did the preparation for evacuation, in case I needed to run for it, and then after several weeks I got so tired of living out of a pile of suitcases that I put it all away, after having gotten rid of a sizeable pile of things that aren't worth taking (so why have them?).  I donated whatever I thought could be of value to others, and threw out a lot of stuff.  After a while I just got too tired to move stuff around any more.  And then came the fruit harvest...abundance in the midst of upheaval..my emotions were all over the map.

Forced to change my focus, I struggled with emotional drama and fear on a daily basis, until it simply became too boring to continue.  Inspiration appeared in flashes of insight at unexpected times.  New perspectives and creative ideas came out of nowhere.
I started to get a grip.

My coach kicked my butt, fierce woman that she is, and told me that I need to focus on my mission, no matter what else is going on.  This is an opportunity to learn new ways of doing things, to improve my skills and my strengths, to get really , really able to concentrate.  She challenged me to stick with building my business, and my life, into what I want it to be.

And so I am doing that.  I've written new programs, picked up new connections, forced myself to pick up the phone.  Some days I wonder what in the world it all could be about, and then I just say, keep going, that's what it's about.

A whole new picture of what my life is, what I can do and be, is beginning to emerge.  The next season will be different.
With smoke all around me, I looked in the mirror and  said, "Girl, you gotta do this.  Make it change, make it happen, lean into it."

I'll be on the road more often, and upping my game as a speaker.  This is exciting new energy that will allow me to reach out to a lot more people.

The pressure of the fire, and the close examination it has brought into my life, are forces that have had their say.  I'm listening, grateful for the blessings of safety and of support form the many people who have contacted me to offer help if needed.  I am deeply moved to feel so loved.  Thanks for being part of my life.

Here on the mountain, the next season I'll  be doing more focused styles of hosting, writing retreats and nature group activities.   Since I'll be out in the world more, I want the time here to be of the highest value it can, for myself and for others.  Do you have a project that you really want to get focused on?   Take some time out in nature and refresh your soul!  Get a recharge, or a fresh start.

If you are interested in designing a personal VIP retreat with me, please
Click here to schedule time to talk with me.

Life in the Hideout

                     

As I got into my teen years, things got more complicated.  
My family came apart, and I went to live with my grandparents for a few years.  It was a blessing that I had been praying for, and a chance to see what other ideas life could hold.

You can read more about this in my book, Prevail. 

For now, I want to talk about what that time was like.  It was a time of intense turmoil for me, and for the whole country, late in the 1960s.  There seemed to be nowhere to go that would be safe from the craziness we all were experiencing.  

I was an uprooted person, with no clear idea of who I wanted to be.  The chance to reinvent myself was not lost on me, so I created an identity that was something to hide behind, telling nobody what I was really thinking or feeling.  A photo of me from that time shows the deep distrust I felt for everything that moved.  

Yet I projected a sunny and even silly picture of myself, made the effort to get good grades, and gathered people around me who supported me in different ways. I got involved in "the scene", got in trouble, got on probation.  My options became more limited, as I struggled to keep up with all the things that I needed to do.   I kept up with my school work, went to church, went out to shows with the local band, breaking the ice on the dance floor to get people moving.

I took a lot of writing classes, and had reading and writing homework every night that was huge.  For one class alone I had to write at least five pages a day, read and critique magazines, study the ancient masters of rhetoric, and more, with additional books being assigned to be read and reviewed.  

That teacher, who was about to retire, shaped me in ways I didn't understand for decades.  She was both loving and ruthless.  She read and reviewed every word, and if you presented a false or indefensible premise, she would rip it apart in a phrase or two.  I loved and feared her as the towering intellect that she was.  To this day, I can feel her words in my heart.  I remember how she impressed upon us the power of words, and the responsibility that comes with knowing how to use them.  She gave us amazing tools, and warned us of the consequences to our souls if we abused them.  She was VERY serious about it!  I realize now that she was especially strict with me because she knew that I had a lot of conflict in my heart, and wanted to be sure I got it right.  There was no fooling her.  She had seen it all.

After high school, I was so fed up with "the system" that I dropped out of society, which was thought to be a good idea by some.  The idea appealed to me, to my sense of adventure, to my desire to escape.  I hit the road, traveling around to different places in different ways, finding out quickly that the life I had envisioned of a happy bohemian existence wasn't anywhere close to the reality of that.  

The hippie dream had ended just before I joined, and the craziness I fell into was far more intense than I was able to cope with at the age of 17.  I think back on it, and have to say that I was at least brave, to the point of being foolhardy in many cases.  Amazingly, I survived some truly insane situations.

One thing led to another, and I found myself in Big Sur, where I didn't expect to stay long.  Wrong again.  I have been here for 45 years as of this writing.  For a while, I didn't write. Things got too difficult, and it took everything I had to cope with the situations I found myself in.

Then I began to write again, on a different scale, and for far different reasons.

I'll tell you more about how that happened, how it felt, what I did about it, in another post...it's "another story".  Want to hear more about the forces I dealt with, and the insights I gained from them?

Read        Prevail: Seven Keys to Create a Personal Victory 

Far, Far Away

Yes, I was a bookworm.  As a child, I read constantly, and rode my bike for miles to get a fresh stack from the library every week.  It was easy for me to memorize things, so I was thrilled when I got a set of encyclopedias, the ones you got from the grocery store for buying things and filling up books of stamps.  

I began to memorize it right away.  The result of this surprised me.  People began to view me as being a problem.  I had too much energy, too many questions...I made up stories!

In fifth grade, I had read every book in the children's section, and had to be allowed to go upstairs where the main library was.  I was surely the odd one, there.  Not allowed to go into the certain section not considered suitable for my age group!  I didn't caer about that.  I wante dmore pictures of far away places, more facts about language.
Bigger and heavier, the books were far more absorbing, making me think.  I wanted that.

I was the one who you could yell right at and I wouldn't even look up, since I didn't hear you.  Lost in the world of books, I kept my secrets.  I didn't have to tell anyone what I was thinking or feeling.  In fact, I didn't even have to feel it myself.  I lived through stories, and then through facts.  I carried the huge dictionary I had been given to school, and spent my lunch hours studying to win the spelling bee.  It wasn't easy, since I had a rival who was as driven as I was.  We went head to head every week.
"Mississippi", "Antidisestablishmentarianism"...one false step and it was all over. 

It was comforting to dive into the sea of words, look up their origins, put them together, take them apart.  They came from other languages that went before, other ways of thinking, other civilizations...time to read some history!

I was the really odd bird who thought that diagramming sentences was fun.  Words, what a great world...far from where most of the people lived.

Words became my trusted refuge...It was part of the journey that took me through a truly tormented time, as I found that language gave me a refuge from the harsh events of my daily life.  I kept that love alive, even through wrapping it in silence.  In short, I earned to clam up!  

For me, it was a time when expressing myself could be dangerous.  My home life was filled with unpredictable violence and abuse, and there were very good reasons to keep silent.  Besides that, there were some bullies in the area, and I was one of their targets.  Sometimes just getting to and from school was enough!

I still kept learning everything I could about language.  It turned out I was good at learning foreign languages, too, so I got enrolled in the first pilot program for American students to learn Russian during the 1960s.  After we moved to a different state, I took some French, then later Spanish, and German.  As an adult, I learned to speak Indonesian.  Language is the portrait of the soul.  Each language is a unique expression of the culture and the people who formed it, who use it.

I have a collection of tiny dictionaries and phrase books that could take me to many countries, with a basic knowledge of how to speak.   I could indeed go far, far away (Not likely to get as far as Saturn, though) and still understand and make myself understood.

Yes, fascinating is the word.  I hid in it.  Now I am coming out to speak and write it.   It's time to get the message out. 

And I want to help you do that, too.  




 

"Why Did I Think This Was a Good Idea?"

Call me obsessed, but the picture to the left reminds me so much of what writing is like.

To start out, all the ideas are right there, ready to be expressed, and what I want to say seems very clear.  The simple truth is ready to just flow onto the page. elegance, perfection, satisfaction.

And some days, it is.  Everything just flows, and I am into the rhythm, and before I know it I have learned something new just by thinking about my topic.  Deeper insights come and say their piece.

Or, I have been looking up references, listening to music to get the juices going, and so on.  It's all a lovely picture, full of color, texture, and meaning.  Getting to the other side seems very simple and easy.

But sometimes, it's not like that at all.  There is pressure of some kind, some type of irritation is present and my inspiration is off on a quick vacation. It's like all of a sudden, realizing I am going to have to WALK to the other side of the canyon, not fly.

I call this "the aggravation moment".  It's at that point that the thought creeps in, "Why the H word did I think this was a good idea?"  

The creative process is full of this kind of stuff.  Just when everything seems completely impossible, I get a tap on the shoulder that tells me to keep going.  Or, again, it all seems to be lined up just right, and then something happens that changes the whole conversation.  The way I thought was good for organizing turns out to be not at all what was needed.  My ideas have already been expressed so many times, why would anyone want to hear what I have to say?  and so on.  

Then come the excuses.  Then the lack of enthusiasm becomes toxic.  Then guilt sets in.  UGH.  This is not a pretty picture.

Why am I bringing this up?  Because it's real.  Getting stuck and having a bad time with your own dream is part of what happens when you make the decision to express yourself.  If you think about it, this happens no matter what you are doing in any creative activity.

But you know what?  It's worth it!
Being an artist, writer, and creative person is worth doing whatever it takes.

My life is so much better because I took the chance.

When I just go ahead and write anyway, whether or not I like the way I feel, I am taking action on my dreams.  

And without taking action, the dreams remain only dreams, with no chance of becoming reality.  Here's the thing...I'm not willing to let my dreams fizzle away because I wasn't ready to go through some hard stuff.  Every bit of that hard stuff has value, has meaning.  

So, if you have a dream, a deep desire to do things that will enrich your world, if you want to express yourself to the fullest, go ahead and step into your dream.  Don't just look at it.  Breathe it in, become it.  Live it.
Take action!  
Click below for a complimentary session to talk with me.

 Creativity, life, love!  Let's talk about YOU and your process.

What It Was Really Like

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you have noticed that I like to take a cheery view of things and present ways that you can uplift your state of mind, your emotional well-being, take steps to enhance your creative life.

Maybe you have the impression that I am a goody two shoes, or a Pollyanna sort, who ignores the hard stuff in life.  Or, if you have known me for a long time, you surely know that is not the case.  You would know that I have a pretty salty attitude sometimes, and why that is so.

Either way, I'm going to change the tone of this blog and see what happens.

I've decided to open up about what it's really been like to live the creative life, from the inside, and in particular, about my journey to becoming a writing coach.  It's not all so much fun and games!

The decision to write has been a no-brainer for me.  I've always written things down, even when I lived in dire poverty, and tucked them away into notebooks in hopes that someday things would be different.  I made collages of images that made me happy, and opened up the books to inspire myself when the outside world wasn't giving me any space to express myself. I felt a sense of identity that I couldn't have in other ways, and it gave the hope that my vision cold be real.  I drew pictures, wrote poems, and wrote short essays about the things that I cared about.  For a long time, they just sat in the notebooks, biding their time.

Poverty is bad for the soul.  It makes people angry and cynical, and it stifles creativity as though it were a luxury.  In fact, creativity is the road out of poverty.  Taking small steps, one at a time, I began to build new roads into life, out of the isolation that I was experiencing.  I began to hope for prosperity and acknowledgement, for a better life.

Nurturing hope when everybody around you is talking doom, behaving in cynical ways, expressing anger,  is not easy to do.  And it's not a road to popularity, either.  So a lot went on in the deep silent spaces, where the eyes of the curious and the voices of the critical couldn't reach.  My interior life has been my strength.  Now I want to share it with you.  

What was it like to hide like that?  I felt bad about myself from just about every angle.  I bought into stories that didn't serve me, and that held me back from becoming my true self.  Let's be honest...it sucked.

And how did that change?  

What was it that pushed me out of my comfort zone, caused me to feel that I absolutely HAD to do something different?  It's not a story for one blog post.  It will take a while to talk about this transformation.  The reason I am doing it is that I feel it can add more value to your life than I can by making pretty images for you.  There's still a place for pretty images, and I will offer those, too.  My hope is that you will value them more by understanding what makes them so important to me, and relate more completely with what they mean for you.

In the coming weeks and months, I will open up about my story in ways that I haven't done before.  I hope this will be of value to you, my reader.  Thanks for your loyalty and support. It's not going to be easy to do this.  It will be worth it, if I can help you to become inspired to step out of whatever limitations you may be experiencing.

Schedule some time to talk with me about writing and what it can do for you.

Big View, Big Ideas

Here's a view of 
New Orleans from the 22nd floor, taken years ago when I was there visiting with my son before he started flight school.  It was a great time to visit!  



When we arrived, the whole city was mad with joy, as the Saints won over the Vikings in the game that would take them to the Superbowl.  

Everywhere, people were dancing in the streets.  The entire city was one big party that went on till dawn.
I'm not a football person, but that didn't matter.  It wasn't about football as much as it was about life, about overcoming tragedy, about being filled with joy.
The whole atmosphere was magical, and just thinking about it now puts me into wonderful frame of mind.  This kind of stuff stays with you!

Now time has moved along, and it's been a bit of time since people walked by on the street, and said, "Hey, don't worry about nothin', baby.  You in Big Easy, now."  Bless their hearts, they meant it, too.  Time can't change the feeling of love that was being shared in those moments.

And I still remember.  A feeling like that is worth cultivating and keeping in your heart.  The great moments that you have to reflect on in your life can sustain you through a lot of other stuff.  What really great times have you known?  When you think about them, what kind of feelings come up for you?  What do they mean for you?

How can you share those feelings with others, keep them alive, use them to nourish your dreams?  I want to help you do this.

Let's tap into your creative powers!

Have a really great day, and remember the good things.  





 

Simple as it Gets

With tiny houses becoming more and more popular, it seems fitting to have a look at the tiniest one I've seen so far.  This Lego house was made by my grandson Liam one day when we were playing together.  


Doesn't it make you think of how simple life once was?   Making a really cool house in just a few minutes, with just the basics...a dream come true.  Seeing the little house fills me with happiness as I think of the delights of simple fun.

Now that you are grown up enough to read this, you have a lot more layers of reality to deal with, and life doesn't seem quite as simple as it once did.  

Lots to do, to think about, many roles to play, the list goes on and on.  And still, after all the doing and getting has been done, what is it that makes life good?  It's the simple times of enjoyment when nothing much is going on. 

That's the time when your soul cuts loose and you have a feeling of quiet happiness, that nurtures you and your heart.  How to simplify your life, so that you have more of those times, may be something you'd really like to explore.  One step at a time, you can change the overwhelming feeling of having too many things filling up your life, into a feeling of knowing you can handle what comes up, make time for your creative projects, and just enjoy life more in every way.  

Getting organized in new ways that nourish your inner states and feed your creativity is a great process.  It frees up your energy and makes the texture of life more open.  You can have a flow of energy that feels good and supports you in being able to put more into the things that really matter to you.  Do you have a project in writing or the arts that you haven't been able to get going, or keep going?

Find out how to make more time in your life for doing the things you love. 

Believe in your dreams,  and know that life can still hold moments of simple delight.

Best wishes,

Betty

Grab the Handle and Make it Happen

Here you see how simple getting some help can be.

Stepping up to the challenges of life is a constant path to greater self-knowledge and self-worth.  It's all too easy to think you have to "go it alone" or "be the one" in order to make what you do and who you are be and feel worthy.  

But it's not true!  The real truth is that nobody ever did anything "all by their lonesome", except to BE that lonesome.  Anything that is worth doing in life is worth getting help to make it the best you can do.  

Creative work is a great example of this.  Without someone to appreciate the art, the expression, the message, there is no interaction, no message returning from the Universe.  The return of the message circulates the great ideas of humanity, and even the most humble expression has all of that in it, showing a face of the great circulation of energy that is Life itself.

Help and guidance always make life better.  The person who listens to you and tells you what they think of what you have said is the one who helps you to see the point of it all, who gives your message greater resonance, by asking you what you meant, by affirming, by disagreeing, perhaps.  

When I wrote my book, Prevail, the input that I got from others along the way was invaluable in keeping me on track, focused, and expanding the message. People who read my drafts really helped me to see deeper into the material and encouraged me to put more of myself into the book.  Without my editor, I would have missed the point of what I was writing!  The tough questions, and the encouraging tone he had, combined to add a dimension I could never have achieved on my own.

Your friends, your readers, your critics...each has a place in your work.  Want some feedback about your ideas, strategies to bring your work to light and help you move up to the next step in your life? 

Your inspiration is standing right next to you, tapping its foot, waiting for you to get started....I will help you get going, stay on track, refine your creative force.

Let's talk about your message and your creative expression.

The world needs for you to tell us your truth.  Who are you, what have you done, what have you learned?  What are you so interested in that you could talk about it all day?  What do you know that nobody else does?  Will you tell me about it?

I'd love to know.  

This is the time for the hidden voices of the creative to be heard, the work of our hands to be known.  Reach out and grab the handle!
What great pictures, great stories, are lurking within you, waiting to be seen, heard, felt?

Get some support to make your dreams a reality.

I am ready to support you.  Please get in touch, and let's make it happen.  

Many Blessings,

Betty


 

Standing Out from the Crowd

What is it that makes you different from anyone else?  Is it your way of walking, your eyes, your voice?  Are you really good at something that others find to be difficult?  

Most of us would find it hard to stand on one leg for any length of time.  Yet for the flamingo, that's just the way it is.  Bending and turning, nodding and swooping of necks, are so easy while in this position.

What seems hard to do at first may become easy with practice.
Your life and your way of being are not like others, in the details, the things that make you who you are.  The experiences you have are a source of insight and of strength for you as you create your life from day to day. You are an expert at doing what makes your life work. 

That expertise wants to grow, and to help you grow.   Your message is important. You know things that nobody else knows!  That knowing deserves to be expressed, so the world can learn the things you have learned. 

My work here on the land is an example of this.  As I watch the things I planted grow into maturity, and outgrow what I thought was possible, it has been a great lesson in persevering, and in letting go of my own ideas of what can happen.  Nature creates with astonishing vigor!  Somewhere along the way I became an expert at mountain living, by trial and error, by practice, by use of my imagination.  And the landscape now attracts many visitors who add to the depth of the experience in so many ways.  And the mountains continue to give me lessons in adaptation, in beauty, in listening.

What is your expertise?  Have you ever thought of writing about it?  Picking up a paint brush?  Playing some music?  Let's make it happen!  It may seem hard to start, or to begin again if you have a gap in time to bridge. What would it be like if it was easy?  You are a naturally creative being, with so many things to offer.
This is the time! Get the flow going!  Let's talk about what you want to express, and what that expression can accomplish.

Talk about writing and projects with Betty

Give yourself the support to help you keep being inspired, as you gain your momentum, open up your flow, and complete your message.

Stand out from the crowd!

All the best,

Betty

Your Choice to Recognize Yourself

Making the choice to recognize yourself is the best gift you can give to the world.  You have a unique set of gifts, strengths, and quirks.  Seeing how precious you truly are, how you can live your best life, you can rise above whatever challenges you may face, knowing you have what it takes. 

It is the very things that make you uncomfortable about yourself that can often be your greatest strengths.  The times you felt you had made mistakes offer opportunities for insights that couldn't happen if you "always did it right".  How would you ever learn if you always knew what to do?  Learning how to move on from the place where you feel you are not enough, you realize that you are more than enough.   

Every day, stop for a moment and notice how far you have come, and give yourself credit for overcoming the challenges along the way.  Each one of them helped to create the person you are now, and to refine the message you carry.  Your life and your experience have purpose and meaning beyond what you know.


Your message is important.  The experiences you have are a precious gift that you can give to the world when you open up and express your truth.  Write your story, make your painting, play your music.  You are a unique expression of the Spirit.  The world is hungry for the wisdom you have learned, things that nobody else knows.  When you open up and share that with the world, it gives your life greater vibrancy, and a sense of purpose stays with you.

It's not always easy to get started.  It took me years before I finally wrote the book that was begging me to be written.  I waited till it was just too painful to wait any longer.   I know the struggle of feeling you don't have the time, the space, the courage...

I will help you to find the time, the space, the courage. 

Contact me today!



It's all about using what you have today, who you are today, to create more of the future that YOU want. 

When you look in the mirror, smile.  And have a beautiful day.

Best wishes,

Betty

About me:

For over forty years, I have lived in the back country of Big Sur, gathering experience to share with you.

My service orientation drives my successful food distribution business, and is key in the high quality of my fashion items, known for their originality and quality.  

As part of my life’s vision, I have served on various boards and community organizations for many years, including the school board that established an independent school district in this area.  Currently, I serve on the Executive Committee of the Planning Process for the California Coastal Trail, Big Sur section.  In June of 2015 I joined the Big Sur Multi Agency Advisory Council as local representative.  As the founder of Monterey Area Writers, Photographers and Artists Meetup, I work to bring new opportunities to creative people in the area.

I am a member of the Professional Women's Network of Monterey, and a VIP member of the National Association of Professional Women. My business is honored by the Better Business Bureau, with a rating of A+.  I am listed in the registry of Continental Who's Who.

 

The Virtues of Weeds

The Virtues of Weeds

For most gardeners, and most people, weeds are a source of annoyance, messing up the pretty picture of the neat garden and appearing in the most inconvenient ways at the worst times.  They take up space that we want filled with something else, and they use up nutrients could have been used could have used by plants we would rather see.  The photo above shows the large assortment of plants which now grow in my yard, which was once a clay packed surface in which nothing grew.  As you can see, some of them are ones I want, and others are not.

Weeds are more than a nuisance, however.  Weeds show us important things about life.  They show us how the unexpected and unknown, even unwelcome, things that pop up, may be showing us the way forward.

They are an illustration of the power of nature to adapt to changing conditions, and to create new and unexpected situations.  They pop up in the most inhospitable places, using their talents to take hold and extract nutrients from soil that appears to be utterly useless.  They fill empty spaces with shapes that have their own rules of structure, not like those that we wish to impose on locations.  Weeds are the most efficient gatherers of nutrients, which is why they grow so fast.

More about how to change what you don't want into what you DO want 

Most people don’t know that weeds also extract from the soil exactly the things that, when metabolized by them, will increase the soil’s balance and also its fertility.  When I was starting out my gardens here in Big Sur, I was often short of fertilizer.  I discovered that by pulling up weeds and burying them upside down, in shallow trenches, which I then enriched with small amounts of nitrogen, I could create soil in a very quick and efficient way.  I would plant on top of the covered trench, using a small amount of soil, and by the time the plants reached the buried weeds, they were broken down into pre-soil, ready to be absorbed and digested by the roots.  Worms had arrived to help with the work of converting the nutrients.  Food grew quickly, and with far less effort than by using other methods.

Our way on Earth is like a garden.  When you look at the value of the weeds in your life, and find ways to uproot them and convert them into the things you want, you have tapped into an unlimited source of energy.  So, plant your garden, and when the weeds show up, look at them in a new way.   

They are here to show you what is needed, and to help you create it.  Their energy is arriving for you to make use of, to help you make the transformations that will bring you to the life you desire.

Contact me for a free consultation  about how to make the most of where you are today to create a better tomorrow.

I want to help you to use the value of your experience to create more enjoyment, inspiration and meaning in your life.

As a Seed Receives

As a Seed Receives

Have you ever noticed that the beginning of something can tell what the result will be?  When a seed comes forth from its pod or flower, it is an expression from the plant that produced it.  Everything to grow the mature plant is already programmed in the tiny newness of the seed.

What happens to the seed when it comes into contact with the earth?  It may land in a place that is able to provide conditions for it to grow well.  It may be rained upon just enough, have the right temperatures, the right conditions, to grow quickly and become strong and beautiful.

Or, it may not.  Perhaps the seed falls in a place where it just barely makes it.  Or maybe it grows, but does not flourish.  The potential is there for that to change.  Adversity contains the seeds of fulfillment.

        Flourishing is possible for you!

You have the ability to become more than you are today.

Our experiences as people are like those of seeds.  Like plants, we reflect the heritage we were born into, and the conditions that were around us as we grew shaped our perceptions.  Our shapes were created by our way of acting on those perceptions.  Those shapes further influence the possible outcomes of our next steps.

Plants also show us that amazing things can happen with the right kind of stimulus.  A plant that hasn’t done well can be given a boost, and surpass expectations.

As a seed, you landed where you did.  In order to reach today, you grew in a certain way that is an illustration of what you have received.  You responded to the stimulus to reflect your situation and your feelings about it.

I invite you to visualize yourself finding fresh energy that feeds you with new insights, new ways to take action in your life.

Contact me to talk about how you can use the shape of your life today to re-shape your future, to get the boost that can help you to surpass your expectations and those of others.  I offer a free twenty minute session to find ways that I can support you in finding more time, energy, and inspiration to give your life the meaning it deserves.   

Let's talk about it!

Transforming Your Experiences From Within

Modern science has clearly      shown that the inner states are what define perception.  It's a clear case of "what you see is what you get".  When you are in a creative mindset, everything seems possible and you see opportunity everywhere.  On the other hand, if you are in some kind of a funk, the reverse happens, and life begins to seem somehow impossible.  

The roller-coaster of perceptions can drain you of the ability to keep focused on what you truly want, and what is important to you.  To create a more rewarding day for yourself, it's essential to acknowledge your own role in making life happen, and to take time to nourish the parts of you that you recognize as your strengths.  It's also important to acknowledge the places where you don't feel as steady, and look for ways to find support so that your perceived weaknesses can be transformed into your greatest strengths.  So often the thing you think is a fault is actually a great asset that is waiting to be shown in the right way.  I'd like to help you unpack those things, and have a look at them in a way you have not seen before.  

Click here to get in touch with me for a free consultation, and find new resources that can help you to put together a new vision of yourself and your life.

Just as the caterpillar  changes into the butterfly, the cycles of life create a need to rethink life strategies, goals, and values.  What was important a few years ago may not be so today.  The things you wanted twenty years ago are not the same as the ones you want now.  

You may have things going on that are puzzling, or distressing, as you ponder how to move forward.  That's a good thing, because it shows you are feeling the call to a larger version of who you can be.  for an overview of the general principles and qualities that can make your inner transformation what YOU want it to be, to make YOUR life work better, check out my book,

"Prevail: Seven Keys to Create a Personal Victory".  

It's all about using what is going on right now to gain mastery of your inner life, and make your experiences more rewarding in every way.

Have a beautiful and warm feeling today, and take good care of yourself.

Betty

About me:

For over forty years, I have lived in the back country of Big Sur, gathering experience to share with you.

My service orientation drives my successful food distribution business, and is key in the high quality of my fashion items, known for their originality and quality.  

As part of my life’s vision, I have served on various boards and community organizations for many years, including the school board that established an independent school district in this area.  Currently, I serve on the Executive Committee of the Planning Process for the California Coastal Trail, Big Sur section.  In June of 2015 I joined the Big Sur Multi Agency Advisory Council as local representative.  As the founder of Monterey Area Writers, Photographers and Artists Meetup, I work to bring new opportunities to creative people in the area.

I am a member of the Professional Women's Network of Monterey, and a VIP member of the National Association of Professional Women. My business is honored by the Better Business Bureau, with a rating of A+.  I am listed in the registry of Continental Who's Who as a Pinnacle Professional. 

Lining Up With Your Natural Gifts

Nature's patterns are everywhere, showing us the beauty of order.  How well are you aligned with your natural gifts? Does your life reflect your use of your strengths and experience? Everything that happens is part of a larger whole, resonating throughout time and space in ways that reach far beyond the moment.  The way you connect one moment to the next has everything to do with what your experience will become.  When you realize that your consciousness is the key to all that you perceive, you begin to recognize the choices that the moment has to offer.  Within each moment is a small interval that contains the infinite possibilities of your life.  Making contact with your natural gifts and lining up with them makes things happen in a natural sequence of unfolding grace, expanding into Universal energy.  When you acknowledge your ability to create harmony in everything that you do, new harmonies can appear in the simplest moments of life.  That's where they live, and they have been waiting for you all along.  I talk more about this idea in my book,
 "Prevail: Seven Keys to Create a Personal Victory".

You already have the keys, but you may not recognize them yet.   The qualities within you are ready to line up with you, help you to express your natural gifts, and make your life more vibrant, harmonious, and fill you with a sense of wonder and purpose.  

The beauty of fractal patterns like the one in the illustration above contains a hidden wisdom that is profound.  When you change one thing in your life, it leads to more change in other areas, and soon your whole life is moving along toward a greater and more powerful expression of your higher truth.  Do you want to know more about this?  Contact me for a free consultation and I will give you some more examples of how nature can be your guide.
Put all the pieces in motion, and let order and dignity show you the potential you have to create a lasting legacy of good in life.

Peace and plenty in all your life,

Betty

About me:

For over forty years, I have lived in the back country of Big Sur, gathering experience to share with you.

My service orientation drives my successful food distribution business, and is key in the high quality of my fashion items, known for their originality and quality.  

As part of my life’s vision, I have served on various boards and community organizations for many years, including the school board that established an independent school district in this area.  Currently, I serve on the Executive Committee of the Planning Process for the California Coastal Trail, Big Sur section.  In June of 2015 I joined the Big Sur Multi Agency Advisory Council as local representative.  As the founder of Monterey Area Writers, Photographers and Artists Meetup, I work to bring new opportunities to creative people in the area.

I am a member of the Professional Women's Network of Monterey, and a VIP member of the National Association of Professional Women. My business is honored by the Better Business Bureau, with a rating of A+.  I am listed in the registry of Continental Who's Who as a Pinnacle Professional. 

Useful As Well As Ornamental

The gate is a symbol of possibility, of choice, and of drawing a distinction between places.  It is a beautiful addition to the landscape here, where it defines coming and going, and completes the staircase.  Form follows function, and the natural shades of the wood are pleasing to the eye, while creating the feeling that is desired. We have the option of creating definitions within our lives that follow these same principles.  Where the feelings are nourished, and beauty is honored, there is grace and we are able to relax, knowing that our humanity is valued.  Nature and human activity are in balance, well proportioned to create a sense of ease and balance to nourish creative thoughts and actions.
During my time in Big Sur, I have followed the guidance of nature in all things.  Living as I do in a wild environment, I am well aware that nature always has the last word, and make efforts to be in harmony with that, changing as needed to be more able to receive and pass along the messages of this magical place.
Now I am able to offer hospitality to those who would enjoy sharing part of that experience.  Click here to find information about visiting the most magical part of Big Sur.

The same principles of life are active no matter where people live.  Our lives follow the cycles of Nature and her deep wisdom is always ready to come forth, whenever we are ready.  If you have a deep sense of wanting to be in harmony with your surroundings, gaining deeper fulfillment and sense of purpose, please  
contact me 
to schedule a free consultation where I will share resources to move your life forward in the best possible way, creating the legacy you want with what you are doing right now, using what is right around you to create more of the future that YOU want.  It's my highest calling to give back for all the blessings life has given my by passing what I have learned along.

Have a lovely day,

Betty

About me:

For over forty years, I have lived in the back country of Big Sur, gathering experience to share with you.

My service orientation drives my successful food distribution business, and is key in the high quality of my fashion items, known for their originality and quality.  

As part of my life’s vision, I have served on various boards and community organizations for many years, including the school board that established an independent school district in this area.  Currently, I serve on the Executive Committee of the Planning Process for the California Coastal Trail, Big Sur section.  In June of 2015 I joined the Big Sur Multi Agency Advisory Council as local representative.  As the founder of Monterey Area Writers, Photographers and Artists Meetup, I work to bring new opportunities to creative people in the area.

I am a member of the Professional Women's Network of Monterey, and a VIP member of the National Association of Professional Women. My business is honored by the Better Business Bureau, with a rating of A+.  I am listed in the registry of Continental Who's Who.