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Archive for the ‘Authenticity’ Category

Fall Down/Get Up Is One Move

A New Direction by Cazcastalla

I’m certain most of you have watched a small child taking their first steps.  They fall down often as they get their land legs underneath them.  Yet, they always get back up again ready for the next adventure in learning to walk upright and exploration of the world around them.

You did this in fact when you were a baby, but some of us have forgotten this as we fall into the deep holes of life and can’t seem to find our way out….or we avoid, with all of our will power, falling at all!

Fall down/get up could be perceived as one move to a baby.  It is a way in which they learn more about life and is fueled by intense curiosity.  Perhaps we have something to relearn here!

Living life in a “straight line” never takes us anywhere we have not already been before.  As Naomi Newman says in the comic dharma performance video below “nothing natural or interesting goes in a straight line and is the quickest way to a wrong place.  If you know where you are going then you have already been there.”

Have you ever purposely surrendered to the possibility of becoming lost?  I call “getting lost” a way of inspiring new possibilities for we travel to a place outside or inside of ourselves that we have never been to before. Then we have a choice.  Engage with curiosity and a sense of exploration….or panic because we are “lost” and dwell in all of the fears that can result as we give them life, capturing us in a way that leads us potentially back to a dead end of sameness.

Almost three years ago now I decided to quit a job and four years of residence in Oregon and move to Texas without having any friends there or source of income.  What made me do it?  Many things actually, but it certainly wasn’t from a place of attempting to live in a straight line, but instead more out of a sense of trusting this leap into the unknown and knowing that I would discover more of who I am and what I have to offer within that journey.

Did I fall at times?  Yes.  Did I get back up making it one move?  Yes, but sometimes with gaps in between as I waited for life and myself to unfold giving time for allowing possibilities to emerge. Did I learn a lot and am I still learning and growing?  Oh yes!

Listening to that inner guidance system, which takes us in many and varied directions, and trusting that it will lead to exactly where we need to go next is a life long lesson.  Be ready to become intensely curious, nurture a sense of exploration, travel in many and varied directions, fall down/get up, and wait for possibilities to unfold.  You were so wise when young…..and it is still there within you!

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photo(62)Gaye Abbott, RYT assists individuals to drop the layers that cover the natural innate blueprint we came in with and reveal, through a combination of evolutionary energy work, Jin Shin Jyutsu, Reiki and breath re-patterning, the larger purpose and co-creative expression that we are here for.

For those interested in receiving private sessions please contact Gaye at: JoyfulGaye@NaturalPassages.com.  Travel to your location in the U.S. or globally is available.  Please inquire.  Skype: gaye.abbott

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:
www.BreathingSpaces.net
www.NaturalWealthJournal.com

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The Dark Night of the Soul

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Taken by GreenMackenzie@BreathofGreenAir – Scotland

It may seem strange to have such an incredibly beautiful image to grace a post that has this title.  However I am finding that when one drops down (or is taken down) into the depth of darkness that at times must be surrendered to there is, on what seems like the other side, the lightness of being and beauty beckoning us back home again.

I know many people right at this particular time that are moving through what is called “a dark night of the soul”.  A place where old patterns and beliefs must be laid at the feet of who we have been – who we think that we are – perhaps leaving us without direction,  facing the fears that have kept us stuck, and not certain at all about what is emerging.

Some may define this place of intense feeling to be where the slate is wiped clean of any ways of past coping with life challenges.  A new way of seeing your life and the relationships within it may emerge and ask you to make choices that don’t seem to have a firm foundation underneath them, but instead demand a risk taking that leaves you rather dizzy and disoriented.  For women this is unsettling at best as aren’t we the caretakers of the world?!

600201_430092240364176_819329056_nAs I dwell in this place of darkness I feel the womb of the Earth holding me – a place where you can let it all out and not pretend anymore that you are OK; a place that won’t let you escape until you clearly see what has trapped you in endless patterns of repetition up to this exact moment; a place of deep feeling and embodiment that demands of you no less than recognizing your innate inner value and brilliance.

How many of you are being invited into this place of darkness and great healing?  You are not alone.  It is a necessary journey that so many of us are taking so that we may arise cleansed and available for the work that has been given to us since the first breath that we took.

For me the last two months have held great darkness and great light.  The two seem to be married in such a way that one never presents without the other to balance it.  This synergistic mating has taken me into walking out on a “secure” job that was not in alignment with the “me” that was asking to create in the world; losing a very dear friend abruptly and feeling abandoned and wanting to “fix” the situation; beginning a new relationship with a man that had chosen a path that was not mine; and losing the income that I had depended on to support me.

In the fertile wake of each of these challenges came finding that my value rested inside of me and realizing that no person or anything else could define that; acknowledging that my friend was having a “dark night of the soul” herself and needed her healing time in the Earth womb without me, with old patterns of abandonment and wanting to fix everything having to be examined and brought into the light; coming to a deep understanding and recognition of what I want, need and deserve in relationship with a man and saying yes to that and letting go of the “unavailable” pattern that had perpetuated for so long with a deep look at my own unavailability and why; and finally acquiring support and doing the work necessary to have a completely different relationship with money.

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A Light From The Darkness by teh-artish

Deeply feeling into these places of dark and light evolve us from victim to awareness; from terror and panic to faith, trust and expectation;  from numbness and stagnation into embodiment and a glimpse of recognition into who we are in our fullest expression.  Like everything in life this constantly changes – the darkness and light interchanging with each other under the direction of something much larger than we are…..love.

Are you also taking such a journey?  You are not alone….

 Books Worth Reading Now:

The Global Heart Awakens: Humanity’s Rite of Passage from the Love of Power to the Power of Love by Anodea Judith, Ph.D.

The Currency of Connection: How to Create an Exquisitely Kick-Ass Relationship with Money by Nogie King

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Relationships and Money

I have never done this before, but because I feel it is vitally important that women are empowered in all aspects of their being I am posting here on WildlyFreeWoman the same blog post that I just published on Natural Wealth Journal.

It is women in partnership with conscious men that are at the heart of the evolutionary global shift we are currently in the midst of.  Let’s clear the way for our clarity of purpose and whole hearted expression to shine forth!

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two-hearts-of-money2Nogie King in The Currency of Connection states beautifully:

“I believe that we sit at the edge of an evolutionary impulse that can move human kind into a radical and collective realignment with wholeness, purpose and grace.  Life has always been an extraordinary  process for creative potential.  What is different now is our growing ability to perceive and then actualize engagement that is our natural birthright.”

With curiosity I invite you to enter the world of money as a vibrant, loving relationship just waiting to connect us to not only our own potential, but also to the creative genius of just about everything on this planet of ours.  If you are like me, you most probably have had, or are still having, a rocky relationship with money. Not your idea of the ideal loving, respectful, and trusting relationship that we all yearn for I bet!

What has helped me tremendously over the past few weeks after quitting a job that I allowed to rob me of creative juice and flow, is to remember that money in and of itself first came into being with the purpose of fostering and celebrating human relationships.  It has now become something else for many people – something that adds stress  to daily life – perhaps unnecessary stress at that.

Looking at money through the lens of relationship can be a fascinating journey and can provide insights that just may surprise you!  Relationship with yourself, with others, with our planet, and with money itself most probably deeply embedded in scarcity and lack in some form or another.

I am reminded of the days growing up that we used to play Monopoly.  Loved handling all that play money and buying the primemonopoly-money properties while hoping that one of the other players would land on my high density housing prime space and have to hand over more money for rent!

We needed to be in relationship in that game.  Face to face, throwing the dice to see what would happen next in our relationship with each other and our money.  Out of necessity it would often go on for hours as money  changed hands back and forth.

Life lessons were tucked in there as well like landing in jail and hoping for a “Get Out of Jail Free” card to release you back into the game and back into relationship with the other players.

Well have you ever thought that we put ourselves in jail and restrict the easy flow of money and vibrant alive relationship in our lives because of deeply engrained patterns that were put down early in our tender lives for what we thought was survival?

Here is a part of my story to make this more personal and to highlight the fact that how we use money is an opportunity for our own spiritual awakening and an expression of our fundamental interconnectedness.

counterfeit-money-funnyI was either in a state of worry and fear around where the next dollar was coming from, or when I did man-chasing-money2have money it rather slipped away from me. I was always trying to find ways to get more back into my bank account.  This went on for many years even through times when I had plenty of money to support myself and my growing children.

At the same time I was creating relationships with men in much the same way.  Two marriages, another long term partner, and quite a number of other relationships later I finally found myself taking a look at both my relationship with money and with men.  Bet you won’t be surprised that there were some underlying beliefs that were interwoven in both relationships.

When my mother died suddenly at the early age of 39 when I was only 14 years old I of course felt abandoned by someone that I really needed at that time in my life.  The connection had been broken and I took it on as something that I must have done.  My underlying belief at this time was that I must not be worthy which was unconsciously supported by my father who went into a deep depression leaving me to take on the responsibility of my younger brother and the household.  In a way he had abandoned me by not honoring that I had needs too.

What did I do?  I created a belief system and pattern that lasted until just recently.  Work hard (read struggle here) to take care of others to make certain you are appreciated and loved, i.e worthy; push down your own needs, desires and passion (stay hidden); create relationships with people and money where “rescue” is needed (so that I could prove I was loved); and not only attract unavailable men, but leave relationships first before they can leave you.

Can you draw a parallel between these patterns and my relationship with money?  Essentially not feeling worthy in my own essential self (money slipping through my hands and creating “rescue” scenarios), taking on others desires and passions as my own (struggling to bring money in through others businesses/visions that were not in alignment with my whole hearted creative expression ), and setting up the abandonment before I can be abandoned (I am not worthy).

I think you get the picture here.  We are in a very powerful time on our planet right now where each one of us has the opportunity to repattern into “wholeness, purpose and grace” in a way that honors our own highest potential as well as that of every other life form on this planet.  If we don’t do this our species has the potential to disappear!

connection20This time is about creatively connecting and collaborating within the deep interconnection that sustains all of us – every single life form on this planet.  It is called Unity – the yoga of life.  In order to open to this way of being each one of us must take the inner journey of clearing anything in the way of truly being ourselves in the world.

Since money is a large part of our life, and always will be present in some way, why not create a trusting, flowing, sufficient, honest and loving relationship with it.  It really does want to love you back and is the currency of connection!!

SOME SUGGESTED BOOKS:

The Currency of Connection: How to Create An Exquisitely Kick Ass Relationship With Money by Nogie King

soul-of-money-paperbackThe Trance of Scarcity: Hey! Stop Holding Your Breath and Start Living Your Life! by Victoria Castle

The Soul of Money: Reclaiming The Wealth of Our Inner Resources by Lynn Twist

The Prosperous Heart, by Julia Cameron

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You Are More Beautiful Than You Think

How does the title of this blog post make you feel?  What are the feelings that arise when you consider your own beauty?

As women we are so often self critical about many things in our appearance.  If it isn’t the media or our culture that is demanding we look a certain way in order to be loved, get the job, get the man, or even get the attention….it is our own inability to accept the features and bodies that we have been given.

Beauty is considered in so many different ways by people all over the world.  But isn’t real beauty that which shines through the features? The features that are a pathway to all of the experiences that have made up this one precious life!  The soul of who we are!380354_10150709043892185_280837062184_8265230_1562739305_n

It is the deepest parts of our being that shine forth if we but allow the open and whole expression of who we really are.  Accepting the natural beauty that resides within and reflects on the outside – even the wrinkles, lines and flaws – encourages us as women to express fully without holding back anything!

Can we really be open to how others see us and realize that we are much more beautiful than we think?  Watch this short video and reflect.  Perhaps it will lead you to come out of hiding…

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The Return of Wild Wisdom

mother-earth

Domesticated.  Is that a word that describes you or the life you are leading?  Are you “settling” for less than your heart desires?  Taking a look at the rote ways in which we live the moments of our lives  can be painful to that wild creature that lives, breathes and moves inside of us.  You know the one!

“We are here to fall in love with a lot more than just our mate… trees, stones, rivers, animals, birds, planets, galaxies, poems, music….”
~ Rev Matthew Fox

The creature inside that yearns to paint on the walls way outside the lines, dance outside at midnight (maybe in the nude!) to celebrate the universe inside and out, dig in the earth and come away with bits of dirt and leaves all over our clothes, speak out loudly and with conviction when a tree is cut down that doesn’t need to be cut except for some other humans profit,  go out of our way not to “follow the rules” and instead find a path and a way that creates more life for ourself and others, and…..you speak more here!

Our planet and all life on it, as well as our individual aliveness, depends not only on engaging that Wild Wisdom, but embodying it with fearless grace and passion.  What is it that you desire?  Desire is not bad…it is a passionate means to access the gifts that we have to bring and the full life we have to live this time around.  It is the fuel which feeds the Wild Wisdom that is within all of us.

I invite you to listen to my dear friend Lea Bayles speak to Wild Wisdom that sought her out to remind us to commit to and honor this clarissa-defiant-woman-quotableintelligence whose time has come to return once again into our global consciousness and actions…NOW.

This piece is eloquent, intelligent, grounded, irreverent, deliciously sensual, and a call to all women and men to not ever dare again to shut away Wild Wisdom in a closet somewhere whimpering low sounds of mournful abandonment.

We were born with Wild Wisdom.  It is all around us in nature and the interconnection of life that never ceases to evolve opportunity and change.  It lives and breathes innately within us.  Are we ready to listen??

“Within you, and in nature, is the potent, instinctual, untamable
and nourishing force of Wild Wisdom.
You need it. I need it.
Our world needs us to bring forth our Wild Wisdom.”  Lea Bayles

Wild Wisdom

….and some Wild Wisdom words from Allan Watts..

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OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:

www.BreathingSpaces.net
www.NaturalWealthJournal.com

WEBSITE:

www.ResonanceWithLife.com

Give Us This Day Our Daily Breath Preview, Reviews and purchase links can be found here:
http://resonancewithlife.com/daily-breath-book/

A Lesson On Aging

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This beautiful woman named Rose has a lesson to teach all of us who find that we are slightly, or greatly, discouraged by the aging process.  Although Rose is no longer with us her story is below and I think will give you some inspiration as to the preciousness of each moment of this incredible life we have been given.

As I come to the turning of 65 this coming July I keep thinking (and feeling!) that I am so much younger.  What it seems to be to me is the timelessness of our indomitable spirit which is ageless and craves living full tilt, though the body at times fails to cooperate much to our dismay!  There is always another opportunity to live our passions!!  For Rose it was going to college and getting her degree…for me it is returning to doing energy bodywork, teaching, and starting a new book just for women!

These days I find all around me examples of “older women” stepping right into their passions and staunchly refusing to crumple 394078_422487367817367_1125191106_nunder the youth crazed culture.  They are real, aware, wise, healthy, courageous, creative, beautiful….and very, very sexy!  I will include myself in there,  as well as many women that I know!

As Rose so wisely said, “REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.”  What will you fill the “optional” with??  …in this one wild and precious life?!  Oh, so many things to choose from! Yummm!!

Roses Story:

An 87 Year Old College Student Named Rose
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t already know.
I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned round to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.

She said, “Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I’m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?”
I laughed and enthusiastically responded, “Of course you may!” and she gave me a giant squeeze.
“Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?” I asked.
She jokingly replied, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids…”
“No seriously,” I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
“I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!” she told me.

After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake. We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months, we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this “time machine”
as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.

534833_395426110514228_703915838_nAt the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I’ll never forget what she taught us. She was
introduced and stepped up to the podium.  As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, “I’m sorry I’m so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I’ll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell
you what I know.”

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, “We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop
playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day.  You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die.  We have so many people walking around who are dead and don’t even know it!

There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up.  If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old.  If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight.  Anybody can grow older. That doesn’t take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change.  Have no regrets.  The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those
with regrets.”

She concluded her speech by courageously singing “The Rose.”  She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out inbernice-bates-91-year-old-yogi our daily lives.  At the year’s end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died  peacefully in her sleep.  Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it’s  never too late to be all you can possibly be .When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, they’ll really enjoy it!”

TIP:  Watch the wonderful film: My Afternoons With Margueritte (Available on Netflix)

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WEBSITE:  www.ResonanceWithLife.com

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:

www.BreathingSpaces.net
www.NaturalWealthJournal.com

Breath-Book-coverW2(3)Give Us This Day Our Daily Breath Preview, Reviews and purchase links can be found here:
http://resonancewithlife.com/daily-breath-book/

From A Place of Value

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Here we are at the turning of another year once again.  If we are not mindful of the importance of living this next year within the precious moments given to us, then we may feel as many do today.  A sense that “time” is moving too fast and that our own life is winding down much too quickly for all that we would like to experience and create.

Do we look back at what we did not accomplish?  Berate ourselves for not losing that 10 pounds, not asking for a raise, or even not loving enough?  Or, do we applaud the moments that had meaning and purpose during the year.

Each New Year’s Eve for me is spent in the ritual of silence with all electronic devices turned off and candles lit.  Reflection over this past year and what I am grateful for is a large part of this year end meditation. In fact I have started what Dewitt Jones and Lynette Sheppard call the “Ta Da” list.  This is a list, a remembrance if you will, of accomplishments, travels, completed goals, insights, new knowledge and self realizations from the year that is just passing.

From this place comes the cracking open to allow a focus for the New Year to seep into consciousness….one word that represents the place from which inner and outer actions will be taken that will expand awareness and support every action and goal.  From this focus will come intentions for the New Year.

Many women, myself included, have taken a stand for empowerment for women.  This past year I have found that I have often felt empowered, but the deep place from which this feeling is birthed from is not always present.  The statement in the picture above is filled with the promise and inspiration of stepping forward into our dreams and making them happen in 2013 and beyond.  Yet, for me there is somewhere else that these actions, and yes even the dreams, must be birthed from.

This was very evident as I wrote a proposal last evening for a salary in the job that I am presently doing.  Although having done the research on what others were making in my area for this particular position and writing up a job description, I found myself thinking of what this start up business may be able to afford….instead of aligning with my inherent value and worth in all that I am doing and the impact that my very presence has on this growing business.

Thankfully a dear friend assisted me to “see the light” and stay in line with the original salary number I had come up with.  I have to admit that I felt the uncomfortableness of staying present to who I am and the value I have to bring as I am so used to putting the emphasis on “other” than myself.

This place of self value rests within the deep purpose of our life here this time around.  It is in every word, action, relationship, job we undertake, environment that we surround our self with, food we put in our mouth, our deepest self care.  As women I believe we are still learning about this, for our lives are often taken up with the deep self care of others and their needs.  Can we give to ourselves that which we give to others?

480820_397075940357324_1246155590_nIt is not selfish to have a deep sense of value about ourselves.  It is instead the only place from which to live  life.  I am not talking here about what we have done to bring value, but more of the intrinsic beauty and sacredness of our very being.  The openness, curiosity, honesty, beauty, creativity, integrity and loving presence from which we live our lives.  And yes, even the fears, the mistakes, the challenges, the darkness and the pain which weave through each life.  Even there….. finding value within and resting there.

Take this new fresh year and begin it with Ta Da…here I am world! …..and live this wild, sacred and passionate life from the value that is your innate being…

P.S.  It is not too late to make your “Ta Da” list whenever you read this post!

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WEBSITEwww.ResonanceWithLife.com

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:

www.BreathingSpaces.net
www.NaturalWealthJournal.com

Breath-Book-coverW2(3)Give Us This Day Our Daily Breath Preview, Reviews and purchase links can be found here:
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Friendship Is Seizing The Moment Together!

This picture has now been placed up there on my list of favorites right along with the monks on the roller coaster!  Just having arrived back from a multifaceted trip to the San Francisco Bay area to see two of my 3 sons and celebrate the aliveness and beauty of my two grandchildren I am taken once again with the possibilities that are nested in each moment.

There are many moments that stand out for me on this trip and one of them reflects the C.S. Lewis quote above, as well as the nuns in total abandon saying YES to what they most certainly individually thought of, but may have been afraid to take action on alone.  Have you ever had a moment when you have a thought to do something “out of the box’, look at someone and just know that they are thinking the same thing? What could have been a pretty BIG leap for you alone just turned into an adventure shared by another.

The fact is that you also get double the pleasure, fun, and joy in seizing the moment together…… creating a bond that may be momentary….or may last a lifetime.

Before immersing myself in family during this trip, the ocean called me loud and strong!  Thus the day after I arrived was a day for breathing in salt air, walking at the waters edge, laying in the warm sand, simply being present to the sounds of the waves, and delighting in the spectacular day.  I can still feel the smile on my face as I walked down the so familiar beach at Salmon Creek feeling the exhilarating cold water on my legs. Visual memories flooded in.  There were so many times a Sunday group of women I had gathered together, called Babes In Wetsuits, would ride the top of waves screaming with joy while careening into shore.

Now you must understand that I was born and raised in San Diego and the beach to me was home.  The salt water my bathtub.  Keeping this in mind you will understand this little tale I will now tell you.  While reluctantly walking back along the shore to my car parked high up on the cliff side parking lot I lingered just a little longer in the surf as my feet sunk into the wet sand. Just before me was a woman that caught my attention because of the huge smile she had on her face.  This grown woman…it turns out Teresa from Salt Lake City, Utah…was gazing at the water running over her feet and the waves coming into shore with complete and utter joy.

I knew this feeling and was drawn to talk to her for a bit.  Starting the conversation with, “isn’t this all so beautiful?”, I learned very quickly that she was entranced by this watery and sunlit world.  Teresa spoke easily of her love for the ocean and the mountains and wished that she could have both, upon which I said that there are indeed places in the world where there are both in the same location.

Our love for this moment bonded us – complete strangers – into a connection that was wrought of falling totally into the moment together.  I told her of my Babes in Wetsuits group and she laughed.  In fact I said, ‘if I had my bathing suit on I would most likely go right into this water and dive in even though I would freeze my butt off!”  She looked over at me with a brilliant smile on her face and said – “I probably would too!”

We mutually agreed that life is way too short to hold back from stepping through the open door when opportunities are presented.  Although our legs were wet what both of us really wanted to do was dive right in.   In a way we did by communicating that with each other.  With a touch on a shoulder we went our separate ways enriched by the connection made in the salt water of the Pacific ocean.

If Teresa from Salt Lake City, Utah ever reads this post – please know that there is a playmate ready to dive right in.  You are not alone!

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WEBSITE www.ResonanceWithLife.com

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:

www.BreathingSpaces.net
www.NaturalWealthJournal.com

Give Us This Day Our Daily Breath Preview, Reviews and purchase links can be found here:
http://resonancewithlife.com/daily-breath-book/

This One Wild And Precious Life – What To Do With It?

“Nature gives her secrets. There is no need to grab, there is no need to kill, there is no need to break the lock. Love nature, and nature gives you her secret. Love is the key.” ~ OSHO

BREATHING as an early morning playmate to help you step into the day!

We always have a part in whatever is happening in our lives.  What an empowering principle to follow…

There is not one moment that is less or more important than another.  They ALL contribute to the fullness of who we are…

Where do you want to live from???

My deep gratitude to all those that distribute pictures and words of wisdom such as these.  So many came my way today that I couldn’t decide on just one to put up for a post.  Do reflect and act from the teachings of each moment.  Be surprised!

“Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it……” Dalai Lama XIV

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WEBSITEwww.ResonanceWithLife.com

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:

www.BreathingSpaces.net
www.NaturalWealthJournal.com

Give Us This Day Our Daily Breath Preview,Purchase Links, and Reviews can be found here:
http://resonancewithlife.com/daily-breath-book/

Celebrating Natural Beauty

This last Friday I was privileged to watch “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”.   There are many reasons why I found this film delightful, but one of them was that these older actors and actresses were not changed to look younger than their years.  Instead there were lines on faces and bodies that showed age and a life lived.  Each person was a character study in where life had taken them up until the moment that they all found themselves together at the Magnolia Hotel….and by the end of the movie each person had come full circle into acceptance of who they were whether it was by death or by taking a good hard in the face look at life and what they wanted now.

The video below shows Cheryl -Ann Webster and what she is doing to open women and men’s minds to the acceptance of themselves just as they are.  Her Beautiful Women project focuses on what is natural and beautiful in this world versus a socially created image which is unattainable for most people.  She has found that 80% of women, when asked, would change several things about their bodies and appearance if they could and 50% of men.  Are you one of those 80%.  I know that I have been. Cheryl-Ann reminds us that body image is NOT black and white.

Aging, if done gracefully, brings us the wisdom to accept the changes that are inevitable.  It is almost a relief not to feel compelled to mold ourselves into a socially acceptable rendition of what society feels we should look and be like.  The characters in the Marigold Hotel movie are simply being themselves and at times struggling with the fact that they have aged.  Yet in the end, there is a celebration of the natural beauty and wisdom that has been seasoned over the years, and a deeper self acceptance and knowing.

When is it time to accept our bodies and our own natural beauty?  How about now….

WEBSITEwww.ResonanceWithLife.com

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:

www.BreathingSpaces.net
www.NaturalWealthJournal.com

Give Us This Day Our Daily Breath Preview and Reviews can be found here:
http://resonancewithlife.com/daily-breath-book/