Wabi Sabi Pansy on a Monday

This is a wabi sabi Pansy.  I spotted the little gal or guy on my walk with Sally this morning.  Sometimes something unexpected shows up in the most unlikely of places and brightens your day.

Happy Monday to you,

   Denise

Ah-ah moment into my own procrastination

Have I told you I'm taking a course called Zero Procrastination?  I'm taking it to improve my skills in clutter clearing to help others, but you know how that goes...I'm learning a lot about my own procrastination.  Funny how life works out.  Anyway last night before dropping off to sleep I was reading from Natalie Goldberg's book called Writing down the bones.  It gave me a serious ah-ha moment into my own procrastination tendencies.

For those of you who are kindred spirits in procrastination this is for you...and me;-)

   "  Some days you don't want to run and you resist every step of the three miles, but you do it anyway.  You practice whether you want to or not.  You don't wait around for inspiration and a deep desire to run.  It'll never happen,  especially if you are out of shape and have been avoiding it.  But if you run regularly, you train your mind to cut through or ignore your resistance. ...
   "That's how writing is, too.  Once you're deep into it, you wonder what took you so long to finally settle down at the desk.  Through practice you actually do get better.  You learn to trust your deep self more and not give into your voice that wants to avoid writing."
               Page 11, Writing as a practice

Isn't that perfect for clutter and procrastination??? Now I can't wait to feel that moment of resistance and see if I can learn to turn and face this resistance and ask what and why am I feeling resistance.  And then with practice just do it!!!  Ha!  Love it!  

   Wishing you all ah-ha moments into your spirit and soul,
            Denise

How to get unstuck in your clutter

When I was in high school we took our cows up to a ranch in Wyoming for the summer.  The ranch perimeter had supposedly been walked to ensure there was a solid fence. The ranch hand who supposedly did this - did not. As it turned out, the fence only existed where we let our cows out.  The rest of the summer we looked for cows.

What in the world does this have to do with being stuck?  This morning as I was doing my morning yoga/exercises I pondered being stuck.  And I thought of that summer.  On one of our cow hunting trips my mom, dad and I got stuck. We were in our 1/2 ton brown Chevy pickup truck.  This truck did not have 4 wheel drive, front wheel drive or anything else that would have helped us get unstuck.

We got into a meadow of muddy soil and got insanely stuck.

 If you have ever driven a rear wheeled pick up truck you know the last thing you do when you get stuck is to gun it.  Trying to get out in full speed only gets you more stuck.  Instead you need to rock, back and forth - hopefully gaining momentum with each motion.  If you are stuck enough you might need help.  Two of us got out and pushed, one stayed on the gas- back and push- back and push- back and push- all together this time... back and push and with the a bit of good luck, timing and team work we popped out of the mud hole.  We were all caked in mud, tired but free!  

And there you have it!  Getting unstuck requires a gentle rocking motion, determination, teamwork and a gas.  Good tires don't hurt either.  Trying to get unstuck in one day or one giant push on the gas might just get you more stuck.  Gently start rocking to gain momentum.  

After getting unstuck- take a shower- you will need to rinse off all the mud! 

 Funny thing about that summer, it was one of my favorite summers of all time.  The mountain was beautiful, aspen trees, green meadows, fresh air.  Each time we found a cow or a small herd we all squealed with joy.  Spending the summer on a cow searching adventure was priceless.  Of course, I do realize my perspective as a teenager was different than my parents.  Perspective is 99% of the equation.

This memory of our summer spent looking for cows reminds me to enjoy the journey- where ever it might take you.

Wishing you all unexpected discoveries while looking for cows- or whatever you are searching for.
         Denise

A little less tension a little more flow

Yesterday my sister, 8 month old niece and I walked the Seattle Half marathon. Since we had a little baby in tow, we took our own sweet time.   Instead of racing we strolled, carrying baby through Seattle and all the runners and walkers.  With our thoughtful pace we got the worlds best view of the Seattle marathon- they ran right by us!!  At one point it did feel a little like we were in a stampede but besides that. it was amazing

  While meandering, there was plenty of time to wonder and contemplate.  We got to see the beginning and the finish of the top marathon runners and most of the 1/2 marathon walkers

   As you can imagine the variety of running and walking styles were off the charts.  I really started to notice the different postures and gates of the runners and walkers.  Did their style look easy or did it look like the following day was going to be very painful?  Were they fluid or tight?  Did they have healthy posture or did they somehow look twisted or bent over?

  Towards the end of our walk, the marathon winner flew by us.  He was fluid, strong and looked as if he was out for a weekend run and not at the end of a 26 mile race.  His ran with little effort!!  Not everyone's race looked so easy.

   As I walked, I was ever mindful of my own posture and tensions.  When it comes to tension and constriction- less is more.  The same as it is in our homes.  Think of clutter as tension.  Lots of clutter causes stress and tensions in our homes and bodies.  As we clear out the clutter in our lives, our ability of flow becomes more like the marathon winner and less like those who finished- with maybe great toughness, but lots of tension and whole lot of struggle.

When you struggle life is harder than it needs to be.  By letting go of tension, clutter and anything that causes you to tighten up, your life can start flowing.  Your walks, runs and days can start to flow with an effortless and inspiring ease.

May you be blessed with less tension and more flow.  And congrats to the Seattle Marathon winner- beautifully done!!
         Denise

Finding inspiration in a frying pan

  This past week I have been prepping for an upcoming presentation.  My topic is:
 Less is More- minimizing your chemical exposure.  I'll be speaking at the Piece County's Cancer Survivorship Conference on Sept 13th- over at the University of Puget Sound. 
   
                 If you would like to attend- please do- I loving having friends around!!

                                                  Here is the link with details

Go to Web site for Cancer Survivorship Conference

  My talk was inspired by a frying pan.  Several years ago, I was in AZ with my mom visiting my grandma and grandpa Biddle.  My mom and I were cooking away- which we always did on these trips.  I think we were making pancakes.  My grandma had a 14 inch stainless steel skillet- it looked brand new.  I asked my mom when did grandma get this new pan?  Her reply is what inspired my presentation... Oh this skillet?  It must be over 50 years old!!!

  50 years old!!! That pan looked so good, it could have been purchased that same week.  At the time, I still had some teflon coated frying pans.  I was probably on my 3rd or 4th set.  They were cheap, chemically laden and totally un-sustainable.   What a waste of money!!  

  When I think of less is more in Chemicals what I really think about is Simple.  Simple means of living that are sustainable, healthy, easy, money saving, time saving and effortless.  Maybe a stainless steel pan costs more than a cheep teflon pan but think about it..    How many pans would it take to replace that one single pan over the course of 50 years?? 

 We would save a mint.  We wouldn't be throwing anything into our land fills.  We wouldn't worry about what chemical had chipped off the coating and where was that chip now?  We wouldn't have to go shopping and researching to find new pans.  How simple is that?  

Life isn't always that simple but when it is grab it!   Our home should be a place where we can thrive.  Where we can make pancakes with our mom and not have to wonder what chemical fell into the batter.  Where our time and energy can be spent enjoying our family. Being grateful for conversations around the breakfast table where we are present enough to enjoy every bite.

As always wishing you a happy, healthy and radiant life,
            Denise

Pause and smell the laundry

Spring is in full bloom.  This afternoon as I took my daily walk, my dog Sally and I crested a hill and instead of smelling young lilac blooms, we got hit smack in the face with a cloud of laundry fragrance!  Ugh!

Natural smells tantalize our senses, refresh our spirits and ground us into the present moment.  Synthetic smells do not support our energies,  They are not fleeting but on the contrary they are chemically created to embed their odor into our clothes.  

 Have you ever lived by a train track?  A funny thing happens, at first the train and horn are loud and disruptive.  You are jolted awake each time it passes, you wonder how will you live with such a racket?  After a while, not only do you not notice the horns and rattle but the sounds blend into your daily rhythm.  If you had a good experience, living in the house with a train, later in life when you hear a train, it will probably take you back to your childhood bringing about warm and fuzzy memories.

Well, this is what happens with fragrance. We become desensitized and connected to the fragrance all at the same time.  Our sense of smell is directly connected to our memories and emotions.  We become deeply and seemingly unreasonably connected to our fragrances.  This is not a problem when your memories are of fresh lilacs in the spring or the smell of mountain air.  But what if your memories are connected to the smell of bleach, pine sol or fabric softener?  You may laugh, it is crazy to think you would be drawn to something chemically created.  But in fact, if there is a vivid memory and emotion connected with a fragrance, the three will become intermingled in your senses and history.

 OK, back to the point of my blog today.... If you buy laundry products with fragrance you are in for more than you bargained for.  The fragrances in detergents, in fabric softeners and dryer sheets are made to linger and embed into your clothes.  This lingering odor is even advertised "your clothes will still "smell" long after they have been washed.  (Smell is my word not the marketers)  The longer you use those products the more likely they will become dear friends with your senses.

    Outside should smell like outside.  Sea breeze, lilacs blooming, pine trees.  We get so used to being surrounded by a false connection to our sense of smell, we no longer distinguish between what has life and what was made in a lab.

   The next time you use a product.  Look a little deeper.  What does it smell like?  Where did that smell come from?  What created that smell?  It the chemistry in this fragrance nurturing or detrimental to your health and the health of the environment?

   Not all fragrances are evil and not all smells are healing.  Learn to listen to your senses and ask questions.

As always, wishing you a happy, healthy and healing home,
              Denise

Mind your head

  

    Mind your head.  What does "mind your head" mean?  It means to be present and thoughtful.

   Our lives are more connected now than ever before.  What I do, what I eat, where I go and how I live affects more than just me.

  If I'm distracted and mindlessly throw away a plastic bottle, maybe it finds its way into the waters of Puget sound.  It might wanders through the sea and end up in Scotland.  If I'm lucky, someone in Scotland will gather up my plastic bottle and have it recycled.  But wouldn't it have been better if I never threw it away?

   We are connected and we are all responsible for the environment in which we live, mainly our planet. It is home to us all.  

   As I look out my window, the sun is shining.  I can count maybe 12 trees from where I sit.  Can you imagine a world where the birds didn't sing in the spring, the grass didn't grow and the trees didn't leaf out?  Unimaginable!

   When we are sick we look close to home, what we eat and drink.  We search out our homes- looking to create homes healing and nurturing, free of stress and toxins.  We look to our environment- air, water, soil- is it safe?  But do we look close enough and do we look far enough?

  I wonder...

As always, wishing you great travels in your life,

      Denise