Last week, I missed my opportunity to check in with my creative cohorts at The Next Chapter in the The Happy Book adventure, because truth is, I was too busy being happy! Last Friday was the start of my first women’s retreat… and I (somewhat unexpectedly) held it together despite the many obstacles that seemed to be thrown at us like snowballs from every direction!
Ordinarily, I would have wigged out knowing that there was a major winter storm coming. Yes, ordinarily, my heart would have raced, my palms would have sweated, and I may have even cancelled the retreat. But the gift of the weekend was showing me that these days, I live far from that ordinary life. I have grown beyond being steered by angst and disappointment from moment to moment, and more into a soft and bendy sense of choosing and creating my response to what is. (Oh, how this delights me!)
Not everyone was able to make it there, but I am so grateful for the women who gifted me with their presence. One drove three hours to get there, knowing full well that getting out again two days later might be very near impossible which would mean missing some very important meetings the following week. Another drove in after the ground was already covered with 4 inches of snow and you basically had to trust that the space between the two lines of trees was the road.
The power went out shortly after we went to bed that first night, along with the plumbing… and didn’t come back on until during dinner the following evening. Absolutely no one flipped out… I tiptoed downstairs, got the fire in the woodstove going really strong and called the power company, with my headlamp lighting up the way. But all was quiet… to my surprise, everyone stayed snuggled up in their beds, as relaxed as can be.
Our creative capacities stretched WAY beyond the muse masks and dreamwheels and drawings we made… while the snow piled up outside surrounding us with a sparkly winter wonderland, pots of snow were melted on the stove to wash the dishes and flush the toilets, coffee grinds were soaked in a homemade filter, and whatever would normally show up as frustration presented itself as a beautiful opportunity for us to come together and make things work.
There was laughter, there were tears, and there was lots of snow… but the most beautiful thing about it was that we chose to create, rather than to react. It was more than making lemonade out of lemons, or molehills out of mountains… With great awareness, we took what we were given and chose magic over madness, and surrendered into the light and grace of each moment.
What a huge lesson for me! Me, the one who I always perceived as the control-nut, who would prefer to know what I’m up against so that I can fight like hell to make it go away… me, the one who in the past, always felt that gnawing temptation to cave in to my disappointment and give up in times of uncertainty.
A little bit of belief in oneself can go a long way.
photo by Michelle Pattison
When we left on Sunday, there were 8-9 inches of snow on the ground, providing a beautiful white canvas for snow-angels and tire tracks. Everyone was able to get out and make it home safely, although we were all sorely tempted to pretend we were trapped and simply had to stay longer. The road stretched out before us in a brand new way, offering the hovering sense of change, endless possibility, and trust in the mystery.
My happy this week comes from celebrating, and looking at my next retreat in April as a gentle expansion of this perfectly imperfect weekend. My happy comes from knowing that I’ve stretched beyond my limiting thoughts. My happy comes from my beautiful family and warm inviting home that missed me and awaited my return. And my happy comes from the moment-to-moment opportunity to create BIGGER, dream BIGGER, and live BIGGER.
If you’d like to see a short video of the highlights of this last weekend’s retreat, click HERE.
Here’s a little video of the wonderful retreat I held this last weekend…. creative women can overcome just about anything, and the commitment that my clients exhibited was truly inspiring. Not everyone that was supposed to come showed up due to the nine or so inches of snow we had… but I couldn’t have asked for a more adventurous, authentic group! We lost power and water for a while, but their bright spirits shone and gave the entire weekend a magnificent glow….
“Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
~Abraham Lincoln
Happy HAPPY DAY! It’s Friday, and with my creative cohorts over at The Next Chapter, it’s that time of the week to relish in what makes me happy, roll around in gratitude, flaunt my joy, and boast in my excitement. There’s no catch, no strings attached… just pure unadulterated happiness. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the willingness to be happy… we can let so much hold us back. I think for a long, long time, I was afraid to let myself feel authentic joy because I was always worried that it would somehow be wiped out, that living life deeply connected to my bliss would somehow mean that there was that much more to lose. Thank goodness I came to my senses and realized that’s bologna!
That doesn’t mean I walk around in a haze of wonder all of the time… everyone has challenging, and even horrific days… but I’ve realized that in allowing myself delight, I am able to be more present with and open to whatever life brings. Authentic happiness grows like a mighty oak tree, digging into the earth at the same time as reaching for the sky, grounding us, and offering us hope.
Are you willing to experience a down-to-your-bones and perhaps a little silly sense of GLADNESS today?
This is what my HAPPY looks like this week…
My SWEET sister friend, Mary Gordon, is coming to visit for the weekend, and we’re going to see Jeff Daniels (yes, the actor- singer-songwriter!) in concert!
Putting my health first, and discovering lots of support around the journey toward WHOLENESS.
The MAGICAL appearance of new babysitters…
Discovering the perfect YUMMY food for my retreat.
A few days of warmer temperatures that made me want to BREATHE a little deeper…
My PRECIOUS children, who sometimes like to pretend they’re the parents and take care of me.
My honey, whose love and encouragement ASTOUNDS me every single day.
My newly rearranged studio, and the new rug that WEAVES it all together.
The building EXCITEMENT for my retreat coming up next week!
A decaf soy chai and a hot stone massage this morning… AHHHH, I’m still a little out of it!
The beautiful CLARITY of knowing I’m right where I want and need to be.
I wanted to share with those of you not on my mailing list but visit my blog frequently that in honor of those who dance in the face adversity (inspired by the beautiful people of Haiti who will not allow their amazing spirit to shrink despite the tragedy they are facing), I am offering 2 very special spots in my upcoming retreat on a scholarship basis. One of these spots has been taken, but there’s still one left. Yeah, as crazy as that sounds, I’m giving 2 spots away in the retreat for free… only because I know that there are women out there who, for whatever reason, feel that they can’t come, even though their heart says yes, women whose stories will add richness and truth to our gathering. I look so forward to all of us embarking on a journey where we rise above the mud, the resistance, the obstacles, and SING, honoring the authentic spark within each of us. This, to me, is what it’s all about!
If you’re interested in this unique opportunity, please respond here or email me at Lisa@SacredCircleCreativeCoaching.com as soon as you can. The retreat begins a week from tomorrow! I invite you to share one or two sentences about what you feel holds you back from truly showing up in your life…. sharing a glimpse of the WILLINGESS you have to grow and expand into your glorious potential and authentic happiness!
When I was a kid, I refused to let my dad teach me how to tie my shoes. I also pissed off my piano teacher because I wanted to play the songs that I composed myself instead of spending our time on Mozart and Bach. Perhaps it’s the stubborn Taurus that I am, or maybe it’s because I’m a 9 on the Enneagram… whatever the case, I’ve always been determined to learn things myself without any help, and I can be ferociously independent to a fault when it comes to my career path, my dreams, and even my health.
For quite some time now, I’ve been struggling with what I self-diagnosed as plantar fasciitis in my left foot. I’ve been sleeping with an uncomfortable brace on my foot that stretches the tendons, and icing my foot every time I so much as walk down the street. I traded in my much loved hiking boots for swimming goggles and a cheap elliptical machine, and blamed it on my weight and years of ballet en pointe when I was younger. So when a chiropractor told me last week after looking at some xrays of my spine that my hips were severely twisted due to a fall twelve years ago, making my left leg almost two inches longer than my right and most likely being the culprit of my foot pain, I just about fainted.
After one adjustment, the pain was significantly better. It made me smile and want to hit the trails!
There was a catch though. Because of the severity of this twist in my hips, he recommended that I begin a regimen of multiple rehabilitative treatments that would span over the course of three months, after which the foot pain would most likely be erradicated and I’d be able to move my dream of hiking bits and pieces of the Appalacian Trail with my family closer to the top of my list. However, there were no absolute guarantees. I was sent home to stew on this treatment proposal and the hefty estimate of what it would cost me. To be honest, I felt emotional and somewhat defeated, simply because I was faced with an uncomfortable choice… it felt too much like a splurge, one that would mean sacrificing other things that my family and I wanted, and one that I wasn’t sure was really THAT important. And with this, came the skepticism… would it even work? And could I somehow fix this myself?
You see, I’m much better at giving than receiving. Most of us are, if you think about it. We often barricade the act of receiving for fear of being thought of as too needy, spoiled, selfish. Rather than asking for what we need, we often moan and groan and complain about how we can’t do this, or we can’t have that. We argue for our limitations, and tell ourselves we’re stuck. Perhaps we’re afraid that when we receive something, we’re taking something away from someone else- as a mom, I’m quite familiar with that one. Or we get overly stubborn and rely only on ourselves because we don’t feel worthy or deserving of another’s help, or we don’t feel as though we have the time to even ask.
While receiving guidance when it comes to our health really is an essential investment, how many of us put it at the bottom of the list of our priorities? How many months or years has it been since you’ve been to the dentist, unless there was a problem? How often do you give your body the pleasure of a massage or facial? And what about the other areas in your life? Your desires? Your silent and undisclosed dreams? Do you allow others to support your purpose, down to the nitty gritty, down the bones of who you are? Do you ask for the time to delve into possibilities, or for guidance into the unknown?
We can receive guidance and the gift of time and opportunity in a way that nourishes and empowers us, that gives us the momentum to step forward and invest in ourselves, financially, mentally, physically, and spiritually, without fear and without second-guessing our actions. It’s about making the choice. It’s about inviting in life with hands and arms open, finding mentors and teachers, even in the eyes of strangers.
The fact is, I can’t fix my own hips/feet. I need help. I’m still exploring the price I’d pay for asking more questions and exploring other options, for offering him a piece of artwork in trade, for getting a second opinion or for saying what the hell and jumping on board…. but what I have realized is that the world is my teacher and there is much to learn, and that I can ask for help without feeling like a failure. One thing I am certain of is that I’m choosing to ask for guidance …
AND that I am worth putting myself at the top of the list.
{Don’t miss out on the outrageous once-in-a-lifetime “Guinea Pig Special” for my upcoming retreat! Do you need to to relax, eat healthy food, and get clear and inspired in the company of like-hearted women? Check it out!}
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Categories: Creativity, The Happy Book, The Next Chapter, Uncategorized, gratitude, inside out, life purpose | 
Tags: action, authenticity, Creativity, gratitude, happiness, Jamie Riddler, Lisa Rough, retreat, The Happy Book, The Next Chapter, thought, trust | 
13 Comments »
When I was a kid, I refused to let my dad teach me how to tie my shoes. I also pissed off my piano teacher because I wanted to play the songs that I composed myself instead of spending our time on Mozart and Bach. Perhaps it’s the stubborn Taurus that I am, or maybe it’s because I’m a 9 on the Enneagram… whatever the case, I’ve always been determined to learn things myself without any help, and I can be ferociously independent to a fault when it comes to my career path, my dreams, and even my health.
