Something for Contemplation…

As I prepare to leave for the Spacious in Spain women’s retreat my friend Stephanie and I have been nurturing for over a year, the pace of creating something out of nothing is on my mind. How we both held its proverbial hand as it wobbled along in the early stages, and then zoom!—off it went into the world as if sprung fully realized in an instant. Eight women will be joining us for this retreat, while five cancelled at different moments along the way, all for their very personal and good reasons.

Did our faith get shaky? More than a bit, especially when we were one short of the minimum number of women needed, and in two days that number shrank by three.

Mentally ‘letting go’ of the retreat, I realized how very, very much I wanted it to happen. More email, blog, and social media blasts found their way out of my fingertips, letters to girlfriends and talking it up with strangers. More focus, more showing up, more passion, remembering the first seed of the idea sprouting out of our mouths. A certain stubbornness. More. More. More. Then, just as spectacularly out of nowhere as the cancellations, one woman signed up, then another, and another…

This up and down and sideways, zig-zaggy, spirally pattern has a name, of course. Commitment. Eloquently described by Lena Stevens of The Power Path as “…removing the back door, the escape route and the words “if,” “maybe,” and “when” from your vocabulary. Commitment is moving into your future with no turning back and no escape hatch.”

It sounds a bit scary, I know. More than a bit impossible, too. And we’re off to Spain. Into the future… see you there.

Note: The next blog post may or may not happen mid-May. If not, I’ll see you in June. All the best, Nancy

 

 

 

Connection on the Streets of Madrid

“This is good advice for life in general. Look up from the screen. Who knows, in looking one another in the eyes again, we might begin to recover the habits of respect and civility that are now so sorely missed.”  —Michael Sacasas, from his blog The Frailest Thing, 9.16.10 My husband wrote me from Madrid…

Everything Counts

“There is no such thing as a tiny act.” —Tom Shadyac I finally watched the documentary “I Am” the other day, after hearing about it months ago from a friend. Written and directed by Tom Shadyac, the film came out in 2010. The film’s impact comes from its powerfully visceral and accessible message that we…

Deep Ease

“When you feel overwhelmed, you’re trying too hard.” —Thich Nhat Hanh Like pushing the proverbial stone up the mountain only to have it roll continuously back down, the many details, commitments, and unexpected circumstances that sometimes come my way can bury me in a freezing fog of overwhelm, even when the overwhelm is made up…

Mystery Meets Immensity

“Awaken to the mystery of being here and enter the quiet immensity of your own presence.”  —John O’Donohue On a visit to Mexico City this past weekend the fact of seven billion humans (and counting) struck me as I stared down a long boulevard, people strolling one way or the other, seemingly never-ending. Walking around in…

From Overload to Grace

Due to the present workload, the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off until further notice. — Sign in Hobo’s Café in North Palm Beach, FL On the day I saw this sign my sister, mother, and I were in the middle of the fourth day of packing up mom for…

Flexibility, with a Bit of Humor

“Blessed are the flexible for they shall not get bent out of shape.” —Betsy Shirley (foster mother to over 20 boys, including Buck Brannaman, quote heard on the documentary Buck) There is so much movement in my life, and with everyone I’ve talked to this week. It seems that time itself is speeding up. Our ability…

Blatant Signs

“Sustainability is rooted in looking to the inherent workings of nature as a model, with the idea that the natural systems of the world do work in balance to perpetuate life, and by working in harmony with those natural systems, we can sustain our own lives.”  —Debra Dadd-Redalia in “Sustaining the Earth.”  It is a…

Wisdom is What Works…

This juicy morsel comes from the incomparable Clarissa Pinkola Éstes, heard on a book-on-tape while driving to an appointment today. I had to stop on the side of the highway to write it down so it wouldn’t slip away. This lean definition of wisdom came to her in a dream, summing up in four words the…

“Flashes of red on a gray day…”

“Before you speak, ask yourself: Is it kind, is it necessary, is it true, does it improve the silence?” —Shirdi Sai Baba According to the Mirriam-Webster dictionary, the etymological root of ‘responsible’ is the Latin respondere, to respond. As a verb, ‘to respond’ means to reply or answer, and to react positively or favorably. Surprisingly, I found…