Prospect Hill Farm Bed and Breakfast

I recently had the good fortune to spend the night at the Prospect Hill Farm Bed and Breakfast in local Alburtis, PA.  What a treat that was!

I won this great night by being the high-bidder of our local PBS auction and was planning to use it as a treat to myself and my generous friend Carol who is always doing nice things for me.  Unfortunately we couldn't synchronize our calendars to make it happen.  Then I thought I would give the voucher to my Dad but he didn't have time to use it either.

So 4 days before the voucher expired, I headed out by myself for a lovely stay at Prospect Hill Farm...

The Innkeeper, Jane Arndt, met me at the door.  After showing me to my beautifully appointed room (The Posey Patch) Jane offered me a glass of red wine and a delightful crabmeat spread on wheat crackers - yummy!  We sat together in the cozy living room swapping stories and enjoying the lovely June evening.  Her husband, Aurel, arrived home and I repaired to my room to take a long hot soak in my private bath.  This is always such a treat for me since I only have a shower in my apartment.

After my bath, I sat in the living room with their dogs and read until sleep beckoned.  The bed was so comfortable, the windows were open and a lovely breeze drifted in all night long.  It was during a really rainy period here and I was lulled to sleep by the sound of the rain falling outside and the leaves rustling in the breeze.  Listening to the rain is one of my favorite things to do.

Feeling totally rested in the morning, I was treated to one of the finest breakfasts I've ever had: fresh squeezed orange juice, fresh fruit compote with a lovely vanilla sauce, a luscious vegetable omelet, wheat toast, fresh blueberry muffins and a pot of freshly brewed coffee.  Delightful!  Jane sat with me while I feasted and we shared more stories.  It was such a refreshing experience and I do plan to return very soon! 

Question:  What can you do today to treat yourself?  You may not be able to spend the night at a bed and breakfast - it could be something as simple as buying yourself some flowers, or taking a hot bath, or going to bed early to read a good book.  Treating ourselves well is a great habit to build.

If you are ever in the Lehigh Valley and would like a great bed and breakfast experience, I highly recommend the Prospect Hill Farm Bed and Breakfast!

My Cat's In The Dog House...

Cue music...."bad boy, bad boy, whatcha gonna do...whatcha gonna do when they come for you...bad boy, bad boy..."

Yeah, it was a scene from Cops for sure.  I just purchased an MP3 player on Sunday - I wanted an easily transportable means of carrying music with me while out on my long daily walks.  It's the cutest thing - it holds 500 songs and I can upload right from my cd player or the radio.  So imagine my dismay a few hours after opening the box and playing with uploading music that I hear a chewing sound coming from my desk, right next to me.  (Here I thought he was napping - but ohhh noooo!)

Yeah, there's Ernie, eating the ear bud headphones.  He chewed right through to the wire in two places - he probably would have chewed all the way through had I not stopped him.  Aaargh!  Cuff that guy and put him in the slammer!  He did spend timeout in the bathroom for a couple of hours and has been very remorseful ever since.   Got some electrical tape today in the hopes of salvaging the headphones - if not, it's another trip to Staples to find a replacement.  And even though there seems to be remorse (as well as a cat can experience remorse) I still don't trust him, so the headphones and anything wire-like now lives in a drawer where he can't be tempted....

"...bad boy, bad boy, whatcha gonna do...whatcha gonna do when they come for you...bad boy, bad boy..."  Fade out....

Follow a Path instead of a Goal...

My friend Eric said something very profound to me today - he said "...for someone as organic as you are...who follows her path as it unfolds...setting future goals can [be] a little difficult."  You said it Eric - you get me like no one else!

When I look back on my life, I've always followed a path, even when I had a goal or two in mind.  My goal to be a nationally certified massage therapist took me down the most distorted and convoluted path and the process lasted 12 very interesting years! 

Through that time I enjoyed lots of other passions while holding down a demanding and frustrating j-o-b.  I knew that sometime, somewhere in the future I would attain my goal - I just didn't have a set timeline in which to do it and there wasn't a pressing urgent need to attain it either.  I certainly wasn't driven - I simply allowed it to unfold.

All my life people have been trying to push me into a niche.  Catholic schools tried to squeeze me into the Catholicism niche - I struggled with that from birth until I finally left the church when I was 18.  My parents tried to push me into niches of their choice until they finally gave up and spent (and continue to spend) their time enabling my sisters who still don't know how to live like real grown-up adults.
Teachers tried their darnedest to get me into a niche, which I rebelled against much to their dismay - the whole thought of doing one thing all my life scared the heck out of me.  My ex tried to niche me into being a simple stay-at-home woman doing the cleaning and cooking and ironing his shirts (you know, the stand-by-your-man type) and after 14 years of struggle, thinking there was something wrong with me, I finally ditched that scene.  Even now some of my coaches and well-meaning colleagues urge me to find a niche.  They just don't get me.  Eric does, though, and I thank him for that.

So, while out on my walk today, I gave this a lot of thought and I realized I do have a niche!  Are you ready?  My niche is right where I am!  I AM MY NICHE! What a concept! Wherever I go, there I am, in my niche and happy as a clam (oops, pardon the poetry, but it does feel like poetry in motion!). 

Whether it's doing bodywork, writing articles, watching the birds in my backyard, coaching clients, hanging out with friends, traveling with my dad, building websites, meditating, doing administrative work for clients, kick boxing, watching my favorite movies, I'm in my element - right here, right now.  Whew!  Glad I have that all figured out.   Now everyone can drop the niche thing, ok? [grin]

My niche is the moment.  After all, the moment is all we have, isn't it?

Environmental Links...

Many thanks to my friend Diane for typing all of these in a file so I can share them with you!  These are from former Vice-President Al Gore's book "An Inconvenient Truth".  I highly recommend the read and if you can see the film, all the better...

These are lots of resources that can help you make a difference in the environment.

I can't guarantee that all the links are still working - do check them out and make changes in your environment now!

Download environlinks.pdf

Get a Theme Song...

I'll admit it - I'm a TV and movie-head - I just love both the small and the big screens!

One of my favorite TV Shows from 1997 to 2002 was Ally McBeal - created by David E. Kelley.  Ally's boss, John Cage (played by Peter MacNicol) encourages Ally to see his therapist, Dr. Tracy Clark, played delightfully by Tracey Ullman.  One of Dr. Clark's "things" is having her patients decide upon a theme song. 

John theme song is "You're the First, the Last, My Everything" by the late, great Barry White.  The purpose of the theme song is to build confidence and it usually included a cute dance routine.  Whenever John had a date coming up or a tough case to face, he would stand in front of a mirror and play the song in his head - the visuals were wonderful!

Ally (Calista Flockhart) struggled with defining her theme song - but I have to admit, John was right on with his.  Barry White's song is definitely a great one (and my new dance music station I mentioned recently plays it regularly - yay!)

So what would your theme song be?  Pick one that you love - one that instills inspiration and confidence - one that makes you get up off the couch and dance and sing - one that makes you feel good and groovy...

Oops, speaking of Barry White, they're playing my song now!  Gotta go and get my mojo moving....

Fresh Mozzarella Salad

One of my favorite summer meals is a fresh mozzarella salad.   It's tangy and delish!

Here's how I make mine - you will need:

1. About 3-4 ounces of organic baby mixed greens.  I have a preference for baby arugula and red and green leaf lettuces.
2. About 4 ounces of fresh mozzarella (this is the kind you get in a ball in water) - sliced and then cut into bite-sized pieces.
3. 1 medium organic tomato - cut into bite-sized pieces.
4. A heaping handful of fresh organic basil - break the leaves onto the salad - it releases the flavor better than cutting them.

Arrange all of the above on a platter.  Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar to taste - I use close to a 1 to 1 ratio - I really love the taste of balsamic vinegar!

Add a liberal sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper and a very scant pinch of salt (take a pinch and then put at least half of it back in the salt dish - sprinkle the rest on the salad)

Enjoy!!!!

Wash Your Hands, Boost Your Self-Esteem

I just read an article in the September 2006 Body and Soul Magazine that says for really clean hands, soap up for as long as it takes to hum "Happy Birthday".    How cool is that?  I prefer singing it, actually - and I sing it to myself every time I wash up - even though obviously every day is not my birthday.  Who cares!

What a booster that is - always puts a smile on my face.  Try it!  You'll find that you have really clean hands and it just may put a smile on your face, which can be very contagious as you make your way out and about (see Putting Your Best Face Forward).  And with winter pretty much around the corner (ok, at this point it's pretty far down the block, but it's good to prepare) you'll be setting a habit in place that will help you stay healthier when colds and the flu start making their rounds.

Happy Birthday to me...Happy Birthday to me...!

Get Up and Dance!

I've been cleaning out closets all day today and when I started I knew I needed some additional motivation so I turned on a local dance music station.  Wow - does that really rev me up!  In between going through boxes and getting bags of donations ready for the Good Shepherd Thrift Store I simply had to let loose and dance around the living room.  What fun!

Dancing is such good medicine - it can perk you up, relieve stress, get you going, change your mood from a sour one to a happy one, it burns calories and it's FUN, FUN FUN!  When the Sister Sledge 1979 hit tune "We Are Family" was played, I had to laugh as I danced remembering the scene from "The Bird Cage" with Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman and Diane Wiest - what a great movie!  I encourage everyone to take some time every day to dance (and sing!)  And don't worry about how you look or sound...

As a popular Irish proverb goes:
Sing as if no one is listening,
Dance as if no one is watching...

Let loose - dance and sing and have FUN!

Losing a Relative...

I learned on August 5th that my uncle Len passed away in 2004. I don’t know – for some reason I felt this morbid urge to search the obits on the internet. My mother and I have been estranged for some years now and I figured I probably would never know she’s gone unless I read it in the paper. So I searched for her name and found nothing. Then I decided to search for my uncles, her brothers. And Len’s name came up. He was in his mid-seventies and did have a heart condition, so it came as no surprise, yet it hit me like a brick.

He lived in Arizona since 1976 and he and my mom became estranged after their dad, my grandfather, passed away a in the mid-eighties.

I feel sad that I didn’t know my uncle better and that I didn’t keep in touch with him. He pretty much walked out of our lives after he and my mom stopped talking. He was always my favorite uncle – very happy marching to the beat of his own drum – quite a free spirit – in fact, in his obituary, they listed his nickname as "Outlaw". That’s Len.   I’m sorry we weren’t closer. I'll have to see what I can do to locate my 4 cousins. One was listed in Colorado, two in Arizona and one in California. I thought how cool it would have been to hook up with my cousin in San Diego when I was out there last summer.  So much for lost opportunities you don't know about until they are over.

Introducing My "Boys"...

I would like to introduce you to my "boys" – Bert and Ernie. They are my little loves. They were 11 years old in June 2006 and they certainly light up my life.

Bert is the one with the white nose and Ernie has the tan nose. And yes, they are truly brothers. They came from a litter of 4 – their sisters are calicos and live in southern New Jersey.

They love hunting down bugs and mice. With all the humidity and rain this summer, we have a wealth of thousand-legger bugs (centipedes) that come into the apartment from the basement. Ernie is the best bugger and Bert is the best mouser – he’s had 8 mouse captures to date.   I have no idea how many centipedes Ernie has "de-legged" - I just know there have been a lot!  I do try to do the right thing with the bugs and mice - if I can capture them away from the cats before they are harmed, I put them outside at the end of the property.  Most times, though, the damage has been done and they've gone on to mouse or centipede heaven.

Bert and Ernie also love getting bodywork and I often find them sprawled out on my massage table waiting for me to work on them.  Bert prefers Shiastsu and Ernie just loves Reiki.

They are my "meditation bells" – reminding me throughout the day to take a break, do some deep breathing, and chill for a moment. They love me even when I'm having a bad hair day and they never tell my secrets.

You’ll be hearing more about my boys in future posts….

Autumn is coming...

At some point in the month of August, there comes a day where I get the sense that autumn is just around the corner.  Yesterday was that day.  I know the days have been getting shorter since the summer equinox - and yesterday it really showed up big time for me.  The sky was bluer than blue.  The shadows were noticably longer.  The air had a different crispness to it.  The humidity from the recent heatwave had vanished and was replaced by a cool northern breeze.   It just felt different.  Even the birds were behaving differently...they emptied the feeders 4 times!  The chipmunks were racing from the area under the feeders to their little nests all day long, cheeks bulging with goodies, much to the delight of my kitty Bert who was watching them intently from the kitchen door.

It felt strangely exciting and yet very sad experiencing that little subtle change in the weather.  I do enjoy autumn, although summer is still my favorite month, even with the heat and humidity.  I vow to spend as much time as possible outdoors, savoring every delicious bit of summer and autumn until it's ripped away from me by the winter chill.  In fact, I'm heading out now to watch the full moon rise...

Where are the Conscious Singles?

On the last evening of a class I was teaching at the local community college, one of my Relationship Success Training students lamented "there are only 6 of us who have taken this course! How are we going to find another conscious person out there who knows what we know?"

I totally understood what he was saying – it's something many of my single clients have lamented over the years.

Let me tell you – there ARE single men and women out there who do know who they are and what they want in a relationship. They are conscious and they are being the choosers in their dating experiences.

I met one recently. He is a childhood friend and we had dinner together a short while ago. I wondered beforehand what our conversation would be like. As teenagers, neither of us were very conscious about relationships. That was over 30 years ago. Would he be different? I was certainly ready to use this opportunity to "test my requirements" in a fun way. But was he?

To my surprise, he was! Here is a man who never received relationship coaching. He didn't take any relationship success training – he was conscious from his past experiences. He knew exactly what he was looking for in a relationship – he had his values prioritized and he knew what experiences he needed to have in a relationship in order for it to work. Our conversation that evening was fun, funny, deep, engrossing and easy.

We both discovered in a few short hours that neither of us fulfilled the other's requirements and that was okay. We will continue to be friends and keep each other in mind should we meet someone who might fulfill those requirements for the other.

So to my student from several years ago, yes, there are conscious singles out there. And I think the more you do the work, the more attractive you will be to those singles. It's the Law of Attraction in perfect action. When you are conscious, you will not attract an unconscious single. When you are conscious, you will ooze that vibrant "I know what I want" confidence and only another conscious person in alignment with that energy will appear. It will absolutely happen. I realized this after my friend and I shared a meal. He would not have been attracted to ask me out had I not issued that energy. And I would not have been attracted to say yes had he not been issuing that energy either.

When you are conscious and aware, The Law of Attraction will not allow you to be in the space of an unconscious person. It's that simple.

To take a simple Relationship Readiness Assessment, click here!

Putting your best face forward....

I love people-watching and I have been interested lately in faces and their expressions and emotions. I've noticed that a lot of people appear to be frowning most of the time – they look so unhappy and serious! So I decided to make it a point to be aware of MY face and what facial expression I presented to the world on a daily basis.  It was quite a rude awakening!

I consider myself to be a happy person and when I am out and about I think I have on a pleasant face, but upon catching myself in a mirror or a reflection in the glass of a store front, I actually see a scowl or a solemn expression!  Hmmmm.... So with that new awareness, I am making it a point to smile more – not just when there's something really tangible to smile about, but all the time.

A friend once observed about someone we know that this person always had a smile on her face – no matter what – she walked around all day, every day with a smile.

She was so supremely happy in her life that it showed in her facial expression – she literally glowed and her smile was always there.  It's as if she simply can't help herself!  That's the way I want to present my face to the world. How about you?

I encourage you to take a moment to be aware of your facial expression. Do you gravitate towards frowning more than smiling?  Do you walk around all day with a serious expression on your face?  Does your face "growl"?  Do you smile only on certain occasions or only with certain people?  Or does your face beam with the happiness you feel inside?  If you're not beaming on the inside, it can be a real challenge to beam on the outside.  However, if you start beaming on the outside, the inside will be more prone to follow. Kind of like faking it 'til you make it. So take a moment to look at your facial expression.  It says a lot about you. I think if we all start smiling more and frowning less, we'll all start, well, smiling more!

What is YOUR Inconvenient Truth?

After reading former vice-president Al Gore’s new book "An Inconvenient Truth" and then seeing the film (more on that later), I began to wonder:  Did I have any inconvenient truths in my life? I have a feeling we all do.

What is yours?

An inconvenient truth is something you absolutely KNOW you have to take care of but doing so will require a change in your life or your lifestyle – that’s the inconvenient part of it. The truth is you will not have a complete life unless you follow through.

To prime your pump, here is one of mine…

Even though I love where I live, I really don’t like it.  It’s noisy (I live right on a freight train line), it’s dirty (lots of traffic and again, the constant train traffic), my apartment is cramped and small and I don’t have a bathtub (yes, I love to have a soak now and then). And even though I don’t like it, I make it a point to love it every day in order to maintain my sanity and happiness.

The truth is, I really want to move. The inconvenience around it includes:

• the financial cost
• the energy needed to pack and deal with the move
• leaving familiar place and faces
• saying goodbye to good friends
• putting my cats through the stress and anxiety of moving
• actually finding the right place to move to

These are the things that stop me – the inconvenient aspects of moving. So what, I ask myself, will it take for me to deal with this inconvenience and deal with the truth that I want to live somewhere other than here.

Well, it takes coming up with a plan that can walk me through each step and each fear and each inconvenience until they no longer become inconvenient but rather easy.

That’s something I think about and work on every day and I get closer all the time to serving this truth in my life.

So what is YOUR inconvenient truth?  What is the dream you have been carrying around that has a few inconveniences attached to it?  What will it take for you to follow through and, in spite of the inconveniences, fulfill the truth that absolutely needs to be fulfilled?  You know in your heart that it must be done – your life and your happiness depend on it.

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