8 Things

I read a few blogs that were committed to not using memes to get them through NaBloPoMo. I found I had so much to write about that I'm totally behind in some cool memes. So expect some meme-a-liciousness soon. And if you like memes, join the party! I found this Meme at I Have Rocks in My Head and thought the questions were cool so joined in. Ahem, I do realize the answer reveal some of my rather eclectic tastes.

8 Things

8 Things I'm Passionate About

1. The arts belong to everybody
2. Dancing
3. Beauty
4. Self-Development
5. My husband
6. Home
7. Equality
8. Non-Violence

8 Things I Want to Do Before I Die

1. Feel at home
2. Be a success in my field
3. Make a difference
4. Travel
5. Perform
6. Have a summer to just relax, the kind of summers I had as a kid
7. Put on my multidisciplinary performance piece
8. Savour my life

8 things I say often

1. So, what's on our agenda today?
2. Let's do it.
3. You can do it!
4. I'm busy.
5. Ooh, I love that!
6. I love you.
7. OMG, look at this!
8. Thank you.

8 books I’ve read recently

1. Kitchen Table Wisdom - Rachel Remen
2. Pushing Ice - Alistair Reynolds
3. Stretching Lessons - Sue Bender
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - JK Rowling
5. Ask & It is Given - Esther and Jerry Hicks
6. Growing a Business - Paul Hawken
7. The Places that Scare You - Pema Chodron
8. Never Eat Alone - Keith Ferrazzi

8 Songs I could listen to over and over

1. Tether - Indigo Girls (I could have made this entire list Indigo Girls songs)
2. Heal Over - KT Tunstall
3. Shadow of the Season - Screaming Trees
4. Verbal - Amon Tobin
5. Overture: Hero - Hero Soundtrack
6. Sundown - Gordon Lightfoot
7. Whisper to a Scream - Icicle Works
8. Proud - Heather Small

8 things that attract me to my best friends

1. Sensitivity
2. Lovingness
3. Engagedness
4. Passion
5. Authenticity
6. Goodness
7. Thinking (They have interesting thoughts and opinions to share)
8. Integrity

And I had so much fun thinking about the songs that I'd thought I'd add a little bonus one.

Creative Dreams

Melba tagged me to share my creative dreams. What a wonderful way to finish off NaBloPoMo, especially as the time was full of inspiration and new creative blogging friends. I am so glad that I participated this year.

I have been thinking about my creative dreams lately. I've got a million of them. Some have been close to my heart for years, some are new, and some have snuck up on me unawares. On Monday in my Expressive Arts therapy class our focus was theatre and it hit me like a storm how much I missed it. The depth of my reaction was completely unexpected and sent me reeling for a couple of days. Clearly that needs to be a part of my life.

At the heart of my creative dreams is my deeply held belief that the arts belong to everybody. All the arts. Everybody. Yep, that means I think everyone should have the experience of singing out loud and dancing with abandon and getting their hands mucky with clay and sharing their story in words and much, much more. All of it is a gift for each of us, a gift for us to experience ourselves and for us to share. That's why I love the creative blogging community. That's why I started Circe's Circle. That's why I do the work that I do.

And I also have to remember that because the arts belong to everybody, that means me too. I need time to express myself creatively. I'm coming to understand that my creativity lends itself to something akin to performance art - something that combines many disciplines and creates magic in a particular space, at a particular time. For my Expressive Arts studio project I'm going to be turning my Wishcasting blog into a performance piece. I'll share my wishes and the audience will have a chance to cast their own.

And the project that's been in my heart for 10 years is a multidisciplinary production of a beautiful classic tale. Sometimes I can be pretty hard on myself for not having realized this particular project. But for the first time it has occurred to me that perhaps it's taken this long for me to be ready for it. It involves theatre, storytelling, photography, music and who knows what else. Maybe puppets. I love puppets.

Ultimately my creative dream is living creatively by expressing myself through the arts and supporting others in doing the same, by approaching life itself as art and seeing what beauty I can create in the time I have.

Wishing life and love to your creative dreams,

Jamie

A Desk for Jamie!

The hunt for a desk for Jamie has finally had a positive result! I've been working at a desk with broken drawers for over 5 years. Imagine the Feng Shui on that! During all that time, despite active looking, I have only found 1 desk that provided both Jamie-friendly functionality and beauty. That one was very expensive, so I think it was probably good that it was also too big for my current space. A picture of it has slipped into my wish box for the future though :)

In the meantime, I had gotten to the point of just wanting something that works. And I loved my old desk despite the broken drawers. I've had it since I was 12, so obviously my mom totally rocked at picking something I could grow into. (Thanks, Mom!) It occurred to me that I could simply replace the drawers if I could get some the right height and ta-dah! Ikea came through.

The new drawers are the right size, include file drawers (which I desperately needed) and despite the fact that "beech" was not listed as an available colour on the website or the floor, it showed up in the self-serve department, so it even matches!

So I am a happy and organized little camper with my brand new desk. Yay! Let the energy flow begin!

Jamie Ridler Studios

presents

Circe’s Circle

Bringing Creativity to Life

Start 2008 with bringing a creative project to life!

For 12 Mondays starting January 21st certified life coach Jamie Ridler will be leading Circe’s Circle, a weekly tele-circle designed to support Creative Bloggers in moving creative dreams forward.

Circe’s Circle is ideal for:

• People yearning to bring a creative project or dream to life
• People wanting to make their creativity their priority
• People who want to connect with a community of independent, creative dreamers and believers
• You!

Benefits of participating in the Circe’s Circle include:

• Having a professional life coach guide you through the sometimes rough waters of bringing your dreams to life
• Weekly connection with your creative spirit and that of others
• Drawing on the wisdom and encouragement of the group
• Having a forum to discuss common blocks (such as time, money, space, confidence) and solutions
• Having a structure to keep you on track and moving forward towards your dreams
• Having a group to celebrate your progress with

The Details

Dates: Monday January 21st to Monday April 7
Time: 7:00-8:30 p.m. EST
Place: Connect from wherever you are to the teleconference
Cost: $300 for the series plus your long-distance charges
Size: This group is limited to 6 participants.

Contact

To sign up or to find out more, please contact Jamie at 416-696-9454 or jamie@openthedoor.ca.

Self-Portrait Challenge ~ What I Wear 4

I remember what I wear. I remember how special it was to wear this yellow dress that my mom made for both me and my doll. And I remember how grown-up I felt being able to hold my brother for the photoshoot.

My clothes are an intricate part of my memories. I remember...

• my favourite red shirt with the alphabet on it that my mom made for me
• that by grade 6 I loved clothes with drama - the red shirt with the ruffles down the front, the pink blouse with the voluminous sleeves (I still remember what the sleeves felt like against my arms)
• the brown full-circle skirt that my friend Carol sewed for me in junior high
• the cowboy hat I got for my 16th birthday from my friends
• wearing red to my formal while all the other girls wore white, yellow or baby blue
• the grey leg warmers I wore to shreds at dance class
• the beautiful white dress that was too formal to wear anywhere but I'd put it on now and again just to see what it looked like
• the first time a bought something I had seen in a magazine (white Esprit flats)
• receiving my Latvian ring
• my first pair of good-quality shoes
• the grey suit I wore for my grandmother's funeral
• discovering that you can wear Docs anywhere, with anything
• clubbing in long black evening dresses, a short gold one and every now and again army pants and a tank top
• the moment I tried on my wedding dress with a veil (That was a real "bride" moment for me. I cried)
• discovering Jamie casual
• manifesting my wishes with boots

I've really enjoyed taking a look at what I wear for SPC this month. It's been a journey of self-reflection and of owning that I really care what I wear. Thanks SPC!

For more self-portraits, go here.

The Success Principles ~ Principle 33

99% is a bitch; 100% is a breeze is Jack Canfield's thirty-third success principle. This is about making 100% commitment, a no-excuses policy. This releases you from the stress of debating every day with yourself or others whether you will or will not go to the gym, make a blog entry, spend time writing. When you break a commitment one time, it's easier to break it again. Canfield encourages us to make 100% commitment to those daily disciplines which will get us closer to our dreams.

Now, I understand the value of this principle. And Canfield makes a persuasive argument by talking about the consequences of even 1% lack of commitment - like what if your surgeon performed 99% of his surgeries with great care and let one slide? And 100% commitment definitely supports boundary-setting. For example, if your entire family knows, without question, that every day at 10:30 you write in your journal, they will get used to not bothering you at that time.

But my gut reaction to the principle is that I find it a bit too hard-ass. When Canfield speaks with praise about the man who wouldn't eat ice cream at a party his friends threw for him because he only eats ice cream on a full moon (his friends even created a full moon and invoked the moon goddess's permission), my reaction is that he's being rigid and ungracious.

I am all for sticking with your routines if they support you but I think there can also be something positive about going with the flow of life, trusting your inner rhythms, being open to change, possibility and unexpected ice cream.

What do you think?

Family Sunday

Today was a family treat. My sister Shannon and I went over to our Mom's to help her out with pictures. One of the treats of the day was getting to eat Mom's homemade soup. Isn't it true that no one makes food like your mom? I've just never tasted anything like this soup and it is delish. Mom sent us home with some so Justin and I had it for dinner too. Yum!

Other than eating, we worked on repairing some of the 800 of Mom's slides that have been recently damaged. Our mom has always been a photographer. And recently she discovered that the slides that had been in protector sheets were being damaged by the plastic they were contained it. (So if you're storing any that way, find a new system as soon as you can)

The damage to these photos felt like a family tragedy. These are pictures from all different stages of our lives. Shannon as a baby with her punk badass hair. Jason in his underoos. Suzie looking oh so hip as she rode the swan ride at Canada's Wonderland. Me making friends with the neighbourhood cats. So today Shannon and I were on a rescue mission, using cleanser recommended by the experts and with a delicate hand hoping for the preservation of these memories. It was a treat to go through them.

Shannon discovered it was possible to take a picture of the slides. Hers turned out much better than mine. But here's a hazy look at me with my friends Heather and Micheal in kindergarten. I'm the one with the grin in the middle.

Inspiration from Stephen Levine

"Artists must use their talent, their gift, to work on the material; Hyde calls this the "labour of gratitude" which gives thanks for the gift of inspiration." Stephen Levine, Poiesis.

In my heart I believe that this is true not only of artists, that we are all meant to use our gifts on the material, which is our life, and that is our way of thanking the universe for this precious life, for our unique self.

Interesting..

When people are bored, I often think of something one of my mom's friends said about boredom, "And you live in this world?" There is so much going on, so much to do, read, see, touch, explore, experience! Here are some very cool things that I've come across lately.

Free Rice

For do-gooding word nuts this is an awesome sight. A test in vocabulary rewards every right answer with a donation of rice. This one will improve your vocabularly too because some of the words are tough! Check it out at http://www.freerice.com/.

A Vision of Students Today





I came across this thought-provoking video at Shashi's blog. And I came across Shashi at Twitter, which I'm thoroughly enjoying participating in.

TED

And if you enjoy getting inspired by video online, you cannot do better than to experience the TED talks. I have spent entire evenings watching one talk after the next being inspired and challenged. Check out the TED talks here.

I hope that provides you with some cool things to check out this Friday!

Claiming the Pieces

This week's Wishcasting prompt inspired me to want to take a public stand about what I want to claim about myself, those parts of me that for a variety of reasons I have rejected in some capacity. This was really inspired (once again) by Rachel Remen's book Kitchen Table Wisdom, particularly, "Our listening creates sanctuary for the homeless parts within the other person. That which has been denied, unloved, devalued by themselves and by others. That which is hidden."

Here are 3 things about me that I do truly love and believe are strengths but have for a variety of reasons felt it was not okay to claim.

1. I love beauty.

This has been a challenge because a love of beauty can be seen as narcissism, shallowness and materialism. In fact, I recently worked with a coach who responded to my longing for beauty with the suggestion that perhaps I was being materialistic. Surprisingly, this became a huge part of my claiming process. A part of me was crushed, another part was offended, a part of me searched inside to see if it was true and then a part of me rose up, pushed back with vigour and put my stake in the ground. The realization I came to is that I love beauty whether it's a peony from my garden or a $7,000 chandelier. I love and appreciate beauty. The price tag is irrelevant.

I also read a great book called The Portable Coach by Thomas Leonard. In it he encourages us to get our needs met, and he identifies that things like beauty can be a need. I was incredulous. I might actually need beauty? Was that okay? Being given permission to need beauty still brings tears to my eyes. I realized how deeply my soul longs for beauty all the time. I use the word about a thousand times a day. So I finally decided to just get over it and accept it.

I love beauty. I need beauty in my life. I am going to bring my beauty into my life.

2. I love home.

As a self-professed lively downtown girl, a feminist and a former club girl, um, it hasn't felt particularly cool or hip or empowered to love home. Also, I'm generally so busy that I don't spend a great deal of time on my home. And we've been on quite a journey with our house, doubting our choice, not knowing how long we'll be here, and so I've felt unsure about how much to invest in this particular space. But the truth is all of that makes me feel disheartened. I love home.

I remember watching an episode of one of Colin & Justin's shows (I heart design shows) and Colin commented that an uncared for house is unloved and that has stuck with me. I want to live in a loved space. Because I have a busy life and a very busy brain, I especially want to come home to a sanctuary that I feel embraced in, that feels like us and that feels like home. And truthfully, I find some home stuff rather soothing to do. Doing the dishes is a short-term goal that makes me feel like I've accomplished something and I can see the impact immediately. I love having home-cooked meels and lunches for the next day. I love slipping into fresh sheets when I go to bed.

So, I admit it, own it, embrace it. I love home. I am going to invest more of my time, attention, money and love into creating home.

3. I love being a leader.

Anyone else's gremlin sound like this, "Who the hell do you think you are?" (That voice and leadership is also very tied to my identity as a creative performer, but I'll stick with these 3 for today) In fact, that voice is so strong that I spent a lot of my youth being that very nice girl in your class, you know, quiet, polite, unobtrustive. What it took me a while to understand is that you can be nice, polite and step up!

Stepping up and leading something is just in my DNA. At home I created games, performances, businesses when I was a kid. When I was older, I became involved in leadership activities at school. When I'm involved in something I generally have a strong response and get personally invested in what's at stake. If I don't, I generally don't see the need to participate.

Don't get me wrong. I don't always need to be the leader. (Ah, is that my gremlin worrying that you won't like me if I do?) But a lot of the accomplishments that I feel most proud of are moments of leadership. And the times I think of being most at home in what I'm doing, like directing, are leadership experiences. I like to to bring people together, to plan something, to organize it and hold it together, to inspire and encourage others, to contribute, to have a vision, to create something, to make something happen. I love it.

I love being a leader. And in 2008 I am going to invite more leadership opportunities into my life. You heard it here first!

What previously unaccepted parts of yourself do you wish to claim? You can share your wish here and also at Wishcasting.

Inspiration from Rachel Remen

I'm currently reading and being deeply inspired by Kitchen Table Wisdom - Stories that Heal by Rachel Remen. Here's a section that moved me deeply. I hope you find it as powerful as I do.

Rachel Remen describes a demonstration by Dr. Carl Rogers. Dr. Rogers introduced the demo this way:

"Before every session I take a moment to remember my humanity. There is no experience that this man has that I cannot share with him, no fear that I cannot understand, no suffering that I cannot care about, because I too am human. No matter how deep his wound, he does not need to be ashamed in front of me. I too am vulernable. And because of this, I am enough. Whatever his story, he no longer needs to be alone with it. This is what will allow his healing to begin."

Self-Portrait Challenge ~ What I Wear

was thinking about different pictures to share with you this week - maybe my sunglasses, my rings, my glasses (yes, I wear glasses). But I just kept coming back to this picture that I took this weekend. This is what I look like. This is what I wear.

The Success Principles ~ Principle #34

This week we're looking at Jack Canfield's success principle #34: Develop Four New Success Habits a Year. In this chapter Canfield talks about the power of habits and how they create our current results. To increase our level of success, chances are we're going to have to replace some of our current habits with more productive ones. It takes time to change habits in your life. Canfield suggests changing one habit a quarter, so 4 in a year.

Canfield recommends two steps in this process. First identify habits with a negative impact. Ask others to help you come up with a list of your limiting habits. Step Two is to replace a bad habit with a more productive one and create a system to support that change. For example, if you identify chronic lateness as a habit that holds you back and you decide you're going to be on time, how are you actually going to do that? Buy a watch? Leave earlier? Book things later in the day?

When I imagine what 4 habits I would like to change in the next year, I notice my resistance to the first step. It's easy for me to come up with a million habits I think would be good for me (eating less sugar, quiet time every day, regularly attending Nia class). But I see if you start with what gets in your way, the change targets an area where it can have great impact and you don't avoid the areas of greatest resistance. Okay. Here I go.

Step 1 Limiting Habits

1. Overbooking. Giving myself no recharge time.
2. Neglecting things that are actually important to me: my relationships, my home, my self.
3. Choosing unhealthy treats when I'm feeling discouraged, frustrated or bored.
4. Thinking about something forever before acting.

Wow, I suddenly realized what my life might look like if I could change even those 4 things. Let's imagine the flip habit.

Step 2 Limiting Habit Replacements

1. Leaving space in my calendar. Booking time for me. Focusing on one thing at a time.
2. Treating my relationships, home and my self with the care and attention we deserve.
3. Choosing healthful supportive acts to defeat discouragement, frustration and boredom.
4. Taking risks and trusting myself and the process.

That is way yummier. Way. Okay, I'm going to think about this one some more--

Oh, there's Habit 4! I'm also noticing that I want to take them all on, not work on one at a time (Habit 1). For now I'm going to print this list of 4 and put it in my daybook. As I set my weekly priorities, I'll look to my habit replacements. And I'm going to journal on what would support my new habit replacements.

I've got to admit this was challenging.

What habits would you like to transform?

Expressive Arts Surprises

This week my friend and colleague Jenn led a great call on the expressive arts and coaching. I'm so glad to have connected with Jenn because, well, one, she's a wonderful, creative, generous human being and two, because we're both deeply interested in developing this kind of work.

As some of you may know, coaching is very often done over the phone. So how can we incorporate creative work in that format? Jenn had us do a great exercise that involved moving and sounding and allowing ourselves to create on the page. What you see above is what came out of the exercise for me.

When I first created this, the lines were all of equal intensity, so the shape that you can more clearly see now was not visible. When I finished the scribble and looked at it, at first I saw nothing but chaos. Slowly as I looked at it, this figure emerged, a bit of a downtrodden figure. And then only later again did I see that this figure was protecting somthing, something that was beautiful to him.

This turned out to be really meaningful for me. The day had been incredibly chaotic and I was feeling a bit disheartened. Looking at this picture reminded me that a lot of the chaos in my life was just noise and busy-ness and that if I looked I could find where the meaning was and that maybe my own posture in the world right now was less downtrodden than it was protective.

It's amazing how such simple things can open up new ways of seeing yourself and the world.

Age

Ah, this week I'm pondering all the easy subjects: money, age, limiting beliefs. Actually, in a lot of ways I think age is a limiting belief. And that's why I don't tell people my age, and I don't ask people theirs. Ever. I just don't believe in it.

So imagine my surprise this week when it suddenly dawned on me that my age will show. I know, I know this isn't a revelation. We all get older. It's natural. And for the past few years I guess that's been bugging me. Maybe I won't tell my age but eventually my body will. And usually my body and I have a pretty good relationship, but that kind of made me feel betrayed.

I realize that in part it's because I have looked basically the same for a very long time. As a girl, I matured quickly. And as an adult I'm often perceived as younger than I am, mostly I think because I've got a lively spirit. But recently I look in the mirror and see that I'm changing. And to be a supergeek here it reminds me of that episode of Star Trek TNG when Deanna looks in the mirror and even though her reflection looks like her, she's terrified because she knows it's not.

There's something really weird about seeing a different me in the mirror. I've responded with panic, anger, denial, you know, all the things they say you go through. And then this week it hit me. It's going to happen. Fast or slow, sooner or later, I'm going to be older. In fact, the longer I'm blessed with life, the older I'm going to get. So it strikes me that railing against it is kind of foolish. The older I am, the more of life I've been lucky enough to experience. And hopefully that experience will help me learn how to do this aging thing gracefully.

Feeling Hopeful

Last night Justin and I met with a financial advisor, and I just feel like celebrating how far we've come. When we met, I was a grad student and Justin worked part-time at a video store. We didn't have much, but we were so, so, happy. We met when Shannon and I were clubbing. All of our lives were really at the club. Daytime was really just time to plan what you were going to wear. Those were the nights of getting in before cover and buying one beer for $2.00 and then dancing the night away.

When I left graduate school, I had a student loan that I thought would never get paid off. I couldn't imagine it would ever be possible to buy a house. For a time, I'd even messed up my credit rating. And the hardest step, and the most important, was finding the courage to get real with where I was at - to know exactly what my debt was, to request a copy of my credit report, to stop imagining the worst and to find out the facts.

We were eventually able to invest in a house, and this year I paid off my student loan (yay). And the reason I'm posting about this stuff is one, to celebrate and two, because I want other people to know it is possible. Things change. You can turn things around. Things you can't afford today can become a regular part of your life in the future. It takes honesty (with yourself and with your partner if you have one). It takes courage. And it takes hope, hope that things can change. It takes believing it's possible. It takes belief in yourself. You can change your life.

As we start considering our post-loan budget, new possibilities open. And as much as that loan cost me, it did give me something - I gained the confidence of knowing that I could rise above it. You can too. I believe.

It's a Sign

My husband thought this sign was brilliant. Did I mention his name is Justin?

;)

Expressive Arts: Mixing It Up

One of the coolest things about Expressive Arts Therapy is the use of many different art forms: music, sounding, visual art, dance, theatre. One of the key components is moving between art forms, which we did a lot of this week. In class we started off with making music together, just using our bodies for percussion and vocalization. From the experience we wrote down words or phrases that came to us. Then we choose a word or phrase that spoke to us and took it to the page. Mine is in the picture above.

We then took the step of working with others, combining 4 of our art pieces into one installation piece. This is always an interesting place to negotiate as you try and respect each other's work but also create something new. And it didn't end there. Once we came up with a piece we titled it. And then we moved onto another group's installation and turned our response to it into a theatre piece and shared it with the class. What an afternoon!

There are so many gifts to this experience. It expands your creative abilities as you start using media that perhaps you haven't used before. By responding to the same thing with many different approaches, it opens up the possibilities of what you might see and experience. And it's just plain fun.

How could you explore one of your creations in a new way? What if you turned a journal entry into a dance? What if you sang your painting? What if you wrote a poem to your photography? I'd love to see what you come up with.

Self-Portrait Challenge ~ What I Wear 2

This pic is from my recent wonderful trip to Cape Cod to participate in the Creative Bazaar. As I was planning my travel wardrobe, I picked up a few new pieces. I was so excited to find that I was able to come up with a weekend's worth of comfortable clothes that I felt great in.

You see, I tend to be a bit more formal than most people I know. When people talk with conviction about how they love the comfort of a T-shirt and jeans, I don't relate. (It reminds me of how Shannon says when people want to make a "safe" music choice they pick classical, and it actually gives her a headache.) In fact for many years, I didn't own a pair of jeans.

But I do want to be comfortable. And (as I said last week) for me that means comfortable walking on the beach and then stopping for a glass of wine and maybe bumping into a client. I love this outfit. This is what I would call "Jamie casual" hehe.

The Success Principles ~ Principle 33

Principle 33 of Jack Canfield's Success Principles is transcend your limiting beliefs. As I work through and consider these principles, it is clear that there is a theme that underlies many of them: your thoughts affect your life. In this chapter Canfield posits that you can overcome any limiting belief and provides a 4-step process to support you in doing so.

Step 1

First, identify a limiting belief that you want to change. This one I find a bit challenging at times because I think the real limiting beliefs are the ones that you don't see, the ones that are a blindspot on your radar. Hmm... perhaps that's a limiting belief in itself. I'll choose that one as one I want to change. So, the belief I want to change is that the beliefs that most limit me are the ones I am not conscious off, making them impossible to change.

Step 2

The next step is to determine how these beliefs limit you. So for me, thinking that I can't identify my strongest limiting beliefs disempowers me greatly. It leaves me stuck and helpless against an invisible and thus unpenetrable wall.

Step 3

Then you decide how you want to be, act or feel. I want to believe that I can transcend my limiting beliefs even if I don't know what they are. (It surprises me that I didn't write down that I want to belive that I know and/or can know them all, but that's not what came out of my fingertips)

Step 4

The process ends with creating "a turanround statement that affirms or gives you permission to be, act or feel this new way." I guess I came up with mine already: I can transcend my limiting beliefs without knowing what they are.

Now, I don't know whether this statement is "true." And I don't know if it's going to in fact help me transcend my limiting beliefs. But I can tell you that whereas my previous take on the subject made me feel both hopeless and powerless, when I think of the new statement I feel like it's possible. And I bet that counts for something.

Wish Box

For a while I've been thinking about making a wish box. I read a book that recommended that a fun and easy way to energize your hopes and desires to create a box and put in it all the things you wished for. This appealed to me a great deal because you can pop your wishes in box and then let it go. I really wanted to do it.

But then I got rather particular about the kind of box I wanted, the kind of size it should be, etc. I shopped. I looked. Actually I even had an accident at a store picking a possible box off a high shelf and having a heavy glass candle holder fall directly on my tooth! (I was okay though) Being particular definitely slowed the process down. In fact, I forgot about it entirely.

Then the other day I was reading Jenn's post about dream boxes and it sparked my memory. And amazingly I had a box from my wonderful new rubber boots. I got straight to work! I had the best time sitting on the floor, drinking several cups of tea, pulling pictures out of magazines with a well-loved movie playing in the background. Time just flew by. And I have to tell you looking at the collage on top just makes me beam. This is so, so, so me.

And here's the kicker. When I was going through mags I came across a picture of a pair of boots I just went crazy for. And today I found them and bought them! The wishes are coming true all ready!

What are you going to wish for?

Our House

Today I wanted to get some art supplies, so I just put on my jacket and headed out. And on the way, I realized how thankful I am to have an art shop within a 7 minute walk of our house. And that took me back to how I felt when we first moved out to the east end, how I longed for downtown living.* Now that we've been here a few years, I've come to love all sorts of things about our home and 'hood. So in the spirit of being with the present and noticing what's changed, I'd like to share what I'm grateful for.

What I love about our little patch of T.O.

• There's an art store within quick walking distance.
• There's a grocery store within quick walking distance.
• In the summer, there's a garden centre within quick walking distance.
• The subway is within quick walking distance (Clearly quick walking distance is meaningful to me)
• We have a park north of us we can walk to and in.
• We're a quick bus ride or a relatively long but enjoyable walk to the beach.
• A cool and yummy tapas restaurant has come into the 'hood.
• A cool coffee shop has opened up relatively close.
• When I go for a walk, I'm in a neighbourhood where I can look at houses.
• Value Village is a quick jaunt away.
• I know a community of Nia teachers in the 'hood.
• We're 2 subway stops from a restaurant we like to hang out at.
• We're 1 subway stop from a great breakfast place.
• We're a 15-minute ride to Yonge & Bloor (central spot in T.O.)
• We can go to the movies in the Beaches.
• I've come to know the Beaches neighbourhood better.
• We have a garden.
• We have a guest room.
• We have our own laundry.
• We've built some nice memories into our house.
• We're learning to become homeowners (slowly, very slowly).
• We can afford our house.

It's funny because recently I've actually been feeling a bit discouraged about our house and how much there is to learn and do. And then for this post I was looking at pictures from when we moved in, like the one I'm sharing here which is of the early days of my studio. And in the pictures I saw how far we had come, and that was a treat. I look forward to more progress and more love.

* Interestingly just after I'd written this post I came across Michelle's lovely invitation to share posts that were really important to us that received less attention, less comments, than we had hoped. Immediately I knew the post for me was the one about how deeply I missed downtown living. When I read it I see that my pain is really in between the lines. I'm glad that today I can also celebrate some things about where I am now.

Expressive Arts Therapy

Where do I even begin to talk about the Expressive Arts Therapy program that I've started? Participating in this program has been on my mind for a couple of years but this year I decided to take the leap. And once I did, I felt immediately at home. My hope is to combine interaction with the arts with coaching to create something my friend and colleague Jenn has dubbed Expressive Arts Coaching.

I'm learning so much about this discipline and also about myself. I've had the opportunity to explore plasticene, clay, storytelling and music. In our last class, we created music together with instruments ranging from drums to toy guitars. I played the maracas. We played solos, duets and as a group, and it was amazing. It wasn't about being a musician. It was about experiencing each other, our selves and the music. It was powerful and intimate, challenging and joyful.

One of my deepest held beliefs is that art is for everybody. If you've been reading this blog a while, you know I take a particular stand about that and dance. Nia has helped give me a way of creating a space for others to discover their joy in dance. And now I believe this program is going to open up so many possibilities and opportunities with other arts, and I can't wait. Because as grand as it may sound, I really believe that having and sharing our selves and our stories through art can change the world.

Strange fruit, my mom and me

Today I bought a grenadilla because I had never seen one before. Isn't it pretty? It caught my eye immediately and as I reached out to actually purchase it so we could try it at home I thought, "I'm just like my mom." When we were kids every now and again my mom would bring home some interesting fruit to try. I still remember the sharp and tart taste of star fruit. Yum! More recently she had us try stinky fruit (aka durian) - um, less of a favourite with me.

When we were kids, we'd pull out the encyclopedia (pre-Internet days) and look up the fruit and where it was from and learn even more. With the grenadilla I got on the net and didn't find too much. When I saw that it was also sometimes called passionfruit I got very, very excited.

On our honeymoon, Justin and I went to the Domenican Republic. I remember clearly the first time I saw a cut open passionfruit ripe for the eating. I thought it looked so horrible it must have gone bad. Eventually I got up the courage to eat it and LOVED it! I had passionfruit breakfast, lunch and dinner. They were smaller and from the outside didn't look like this beautiful grenadilla. But from the inside...

Doesn't that look cool? I was fascinated by the foozball inspired texture of the inside of the rind. And the inside, well, you can see what I mean about it taking courage to eat it.

Absolutely delicious. The grenadilla had a sweet, gentle flavour. I enjoyed every last bite.

The ABCs of Me

These meme post feels like a family thing for me. My sister Suzie tagged me. And this pic is one that my sister Shannon took of me when we were out at the pub celebrating. Feel free to play along! It's simple. Just share random facts about you that correspond with the alphabet. Getting to know you, Sesame Street style!

A... I have usually been an A student. Except for typing and my first year of physics.
B... Bascha, my beautiful, old girl of a cat.

C... Current Radiance (I'll write about that another day). Oh, and I really believe in celebrating.

D... Dance is in my spirit.

E... I have touched an elephant. I was surprised to find they are covered with coarse hair.

F... I'm more formal than most people that I know.

G... I got married on Groundhog Day (aka Imbolc).

H... Buying a house was one of the biggest goals I've attained so far.

I... I love life.

J... is or Jamie! And for Justin, my husband (we're J-squared). And my brother's Jason. Oh, and there's Jinx too.

K... One of my best friends in public school was named Karen Fowler. Are you out there Karen?

L... I feel incredibly lucky for all I've been blessed with.

M.. My dance teacher, Marjorie, was a profound influence on what I thought it meant to grow up as a woman.

N... Discovering Nia let my dancer out. Now, as a teacher, I help other people do the same.

O... I'm a little bit of an organization nut.

P... I walked away from my phD.

Q... I grew up in a small neighbourhood called Roxboro in Quebec.

R... Though I am a Ridler, I am not the Riddler. I'm saying that for those who teased me in public school.

S... My two sisters, Suzie and Shannon. Oh, and I want to mention I'm stubborn.

T... On occasion I still consider getting a tattoo.

U... I like to try and understand people, why we are who we are and do what we do.

V... When we were dating, my husband bought me a ring with a symbol on it that means volatile.

W...I have been ravamping my wardrobe for what feels like forever.

X...I'm studying X-pressive Arts Therapy. Okay, that's cheating a bit, eh?

Y...I always wonder why we do the things we do. (Yes, 2 cheats in a row)

Z...Going to the zoo is on my 101 Things in 1001 Days list.

Self-Portrait Challenge ~ What I Wear

I'm really excited about this month's SPC: what I wear. Hopefully it will inspire me to make progress on my apparently never-ending project of renovating my wardrobe. In the past few months I've finally been making some real progress. This is one of my "Jamie is ready for anything" outfits. (Hmm, isn't that funny. Yesterday I wrote about my common negative self-talk being "Jamie, you're not ready.") In this outfit I feel that I can meet with a client, run a workshop, go for coffee or out for drinks. I could also sit on the floor or sit cross-legged at my desk (though I might slip the boots off)

I never want my clothes to get in the way. As a very "in my body" person, I don't like anything restrictive and won't tolerate anything that causes pain. (Yes, the boots I'm wearing are incredibly comfortable) And I don't want what I'm wearing to stop me from saying an enthusiastic "yes!" to a spontaneous invitation or opportunity. I love clothes that can take me anywhere. Well, anywhere that I'd want to go.

Halloween Pictures

I was all set to update my blog today and realized that I have not yet shared pictures from Halloween! So I had better do that before I change my blog header.

So let's start with pictures of the house and things in the house that make me smile...


Check out the upper left windows..we put those window screens up and turned the lights on behind..very cool! I'm hoping to get more for next year and have them on all the upstairs windows.

Here are some of the Halloween things I made for around our house this year..the Star uses Making Memories and Bo Bunny papers.

This fun pennant uses Making Memories Halloween papers and glitters, Cricut Doodlecharms cartridge and some Sandylion stickers.


This is actually a little lamp. I cut a hole in the back of the house and added a craft light to it. Way fun!



I was able to go to the kids school this year. I was in charge of the craft for Parker's class and snapped some pictures of the Halloween parade. Here's Haley..

Obviously you know who we are..we took this before Haley and Parker headed out for the night with me..

It was really hard not having Connor dressed up and participating. I think he felt since his friends weren't..he shouldn't. As it turns out most of the kids I saw out were older than he is. So he's decided next year to dress up and go back out! I'm glad..I know that soon he will be done..but I wasn't ready for two out of three to go out!

Anyways..you're eyes are probably tired of all these pictures by now..so Happy Fall!!

Julia

The Success Principles ~ Principle 32

This week's Success Principle a la Jack Canfield is Transform Your Inner Critic into Your Inner Coach. This principle also marks the halfway point through this book! This chapter deals primarily with negative self-talk. Canfield explains how this negativity can have a physical impact on our bodies. We can literally harm ourselves by living in worry and imagining bad outcomes. So how do we get past our favourite negative voices? (You know, "Who do you think you are?" "You're not good enough." "Everyone will laugh at you." "Stop being such a dreamer" etc. Pick your personal favourite)

To help change our thinking, Canfield refers to the work of psychiatrist Daniel G. Amen who calls our automatic negative thoughts ANTS. He says there are 3 steps to stomping those ants:

1. Become aware of them.
2. Shake them off and stomp on them by challenging them.
3. Replace them with positive and affirming thoughts.

Let's try this with my current favourite limiting thought: "Jamie, you're not ready."

Step 1. I have to admit, when I was looking for a limiting thought and realized that this was the most prevalent in my mind right now, there was already a sense of freedom and relief. Now that I know it's just a repetitive negative voice, I really don't have to listen to it.

Step 2. Is it true that I'm not ready? Not really. I am well-trained and practiced in the work that I do. I love my work and get consistently great feedback from my clients. And sure, there's always more to learn and room to grow, and I'm committed to that, but there is a heck of a lot that I can do right now.

Step 3. Where I am is great. Sure, as I learn and grow, I'll be able to offer even more, and that's awesome. But right now there is a lot I can do, so I'm going to step up and do it!

What would that process look like for you?

101 Update ~ #14 Get a pair of rubber boots and go for a walk in the rain

#14 of my 101 Things in 1001 days is half complete. I have purchased my rubber boots. If you look really closely, you can see that they have a pink sole! (I wonder if I have a pink soul) Now, the walking in the rain part might wait until the spring. It's not that it won't rain. But cold November rain in Toronto is one of my least favourite types of weather. But maybe dressing warmly and playing in the rain could change my perspective. We'll see!

To check out my 101 List, go here.

To check out more about 101 Things in 1001 Days, go here.