I want to be the best ME that I can possibly be!

Leading Raspberry Jam Visions Women's Way - An Inside Track for Women Leaders by Terrill Welch

I recently had the privilege to savor the delicious book of Gaia's own Terrill Welch.  Here are my thoughts:

The genre of this book as stated on the back cover is "business/career."  I see it as having a much wider brushstroke.  From my perspective, this is a book on women's leadership in life.  This is a brave book that is written by a woman whose goal is to "create social change which will transform power imbalances."  It is written with wisdom and compassion from the trenches; the voice of first-hand experience.

I have a tremendous appreciation for the written word.  One of the first things that struck me about "Leading Raspberry Jam Visions Women's Way - An Inside Track for Women Leaders" is that it is written from an action -- rather than descriptive -- perspective.  Enticing verbs that jump off the page include collaboration, appreciation, rigorous practice, accountability, give and take, living purposefully, work on creating, take the lead, and lean into the winds of resistance.

With clarity at the helm, this book helps women leaders to navigate with tangible and measurable action steps.  Terrill Welch does not merely set goals.  Rather, she provides a concrete formula to follow.  The central principle of the book -- dare to be audacious enough to state what you really want, and then find the support to help you broaden the idea and make it a reality.  I came away understanding that successful women's leadership is a process, not a product.  The author's straight-forward language and encouragement -- with an emphasis on divergent thinking -- are far and away worthwhile!

To purchase this book, simply click on this LINK.  If you would like to receive a signed copy, please email Terrill directly at tawelch@shaw.ca.

Listen with your heart,

- Laurie

Our son shared with Len and I that he hopes to attend a work retreat at the Wat Kow Tahm (Mountain Cave Monastery) International Meditation Center in Thailand in February 2010.

My retreat center would be magical.  Like a Clear Quartz crystal it would be versatile; having the unique ability to provide what is necessary by individual needs:

Broken body?  Welcome
Broken mind?  Welcome
Broken emotions?  Welcome
Broken spirit?  Welcome

Where would it be? Wherever it needs to be.

Note: to me, magic is the art of bringing about wanted change.

Do like to write?
I live to write, and write to live.

Have you ever blogged?
Every day of my life.

What's one of your favorite types of writing to read?
Anything except scary.

Do you like big words or simply learning new words?
I enjoy simplicity - new words, or not.

Do you keep a personal journal, just for you?
Mother said, "Never write anything that you wouldn't mind published in the New York Times."

Hello, my name is Paden ... Paden Plume that is.  I am the editor of the monthly newsletter at HolEssence.  I've been told that I bear a striking resemblance to Laurie Buchanan. Let me assure you, however, that while she sleeps soundly in her bed, it is I who burns the midnight oil.  I am the one who wears the thinking cap. With quill in hand I ponder various interesting ways to inform my clients of up-and-coming events; share information about the properties of crystals; and answer questions that I have received in person or via email.

Paden Plume

PostScript
The Scottish name Paden means royal and plume means pen. Dare I say we have now established that it is I who am the Royal Pen.

Post PostScript
Len here.  I've often thought how close pen and pain sound; if you get my drift...

Our kitchen is the hub of our home.  Not only does Len enjoy cooking, he's very good at it.  Most of our major discussions take place in the kitchen.  It's a great place to have a cuppa tea and watch the birds eating at the feeders through the kitchen window.  When we have friends over, we all end up in the kitchen.

This past Saturday we attended an art show at he home of one of our friends to view the work of Contemporary Artist Russell D'Alessio.  We had the opportunity to speak with him and his wife for quite some time. During the conversation he shared ...

"... The best works of art come out of this push and pull swing of emotion.  Love and hate, fear and desire.  The tragic to the sublime are the tensions that somewhere in-between we find the intrigue we call art.  Art comes from somewhere outside our conscious intention.  Too much deliberation can be toxic, leaving it void of spirit and lacking emotion." 

Staying connected -- for me the thing that matters most is my relationship and interaction with Divine Love.

With a snap of my fingers I would change the balance of unconditional love in the world.  The ratio would be 100% unconditional love to 0% other.

Tree song.  To my ears there is no music more soothing or calming than to lie on the ground beneath a tree and quietly listen to the music that it makes with the wind in its leaves.

Will we never learn?!  This morning I am seething at the headlines that we are going to bomb the Moon in search of water.  One of them used the term "collision course."  It is my perspective that humankind is about to poop in our Post Toasties!

Do you drink bottled or filtered water?
Reverse osmosis

Have you ever used solar power?
Yes

Do you ever worry about polar bears?
I am concerned about the changes in their environment.

Have you ever seen or been impacted by extreme weather?
Yes - wildfires in Southern California; a tornado in Oklahoma; where we live now we have experienced 50-degrees below zero with the wind-chill factor; and years ago when Mt. St. Helen's erupted in Washington State it increased our local temperature tremendously.

Do you like to recycle, save water or energy, compost, turn off the lights, etc.?
Yes to all of the above.

I don't spend my life - I invest it.  And I would keep investing it right here in Crystal Lake, Illinois because I'm making a positive difference.

The lens through which we view life.  Sacred is unique by individual -- it is different for each person.  The sanctity of something is determined by our perspective. I look at a tree and see something sacred.  The next person looks at a tree and sees a tree.  Some people watch a sacred football game on television.  I would rather poke myself in the eye with a sharp stick! 

The human experience is a classroom.  The tuition for this education costs more than an arm and a leg -- it costs a life.

I have underestimated my son, Eoghan.  He is beyond amazing and I am ever-so-grateful to be in his sphere of influence.

The speed at which time passes.  Interestingly, Carolyn Myss opened her presentation (Defy Gravity) last evening with that very topic.  She said, "Time has been removed from the equation."  You'll have to read her new book to find out what I mean ...

Incidentally, at Gregg Braden and Howard Martin workshops that I have attended, they too have addressed the change in the speed at which time passes.   

Many scientists and atmospheric physicists say that climate change is a natural phenomenon that happens to varying degrees all the time and that global warming cycles just like the one we're experiencing now have happened many times in the past.  On the other hand, many of their fellow scientists and atmospheric physicists say that it is not natural and that we - as a global community - are heading for disaster.

Regardless, it is good to consider how to conserve earth's resources and use them wisely.

How many of us when selling a home have exerted an all-out-effort to clean up, make repairs, and in general, do everything -- now -- that we should have been doing all along.  We find ourselves in a curative/fix-it mode rather than a preventive/maintenance mode.  When finished, we look around and see how great everything looks and feels now that we're leaving ...

Any sustainable development planning must adopt a holistic perspective that looks not only at current conditions and short-term goals, but also incorporates anticipated future impacts of climate change -- impacts that effect resource management, agricultural production, food security, water availability, sustainable urbanization, bio-diversity and disaster management.

I often consider how our current action -- and inaction -- affects the global community.  Not only the human race, but the other lives we share this planet with; animal and plant alike.  Seven generation sustainability is an ecological concept that admonishes the current generation of humans to work for the benefit of the seventh generation into the future.  Imagine if humankind recognized Nature as a critical partner.  The positive global change would be staggering.

This belief was lived by the people of the Six Nations, also known by the French term, Iroquois Confederacy.  The Six Nations is comprised of the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondaga, Cayugas, Senecas and the Tuscaroras. 

"In every deliberation we must consider the impact on the seventh generation ... even if it requires having skin as thick as the bark of a pine." 
     -  Great Law of the Iroquois 

Written in response to Blog Action Day 2009 on Climate Change.

Do you make room in your life for expression? 
As an anchor writer for Sibyl Magazine and a regular contributor to other publications, I definitely make room in my life for expression.

Do you spend much time nurturing your creativity? 
Yes.  I'm currently taking myself through The Artist's Way - A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron.  At the end of this month I will be at the University of Wisconsin-Madison attending the "Write to the End" writer's conference.  

Do you like to act globally, locally, or both?
Both

Does a smile from a stranger make your day better?
Absolutely.  And they get it right back - boomerang style!

What is your favorite way to cheer someone up?
See photograph - make them laugh!

What's one thing we can do for the environment?
Recognize Nature as a critical partner.

In one to four words, what's something you'd like to see improve in our society?
Environmental stewardship.

By intent, we personally generate much less trash -- probably less than half of what we used to.  In five more years I hope we'll halve that yet again.

I am no stranger to compromise.  Believing it is important to be flexible as opposed to rigid; our relationship is on an as-needed basis.

There are certain things I would never compromise (i.e., my marriage); there are other areas where compromise works for everyone's benefit (i.e., the restaurant we're having dinner at).

Trees are my gentle reminder that having deep roots allows me to bend in a storm -- to be flexible -- while still reaching for the sky. 

I have never personally found someone, but there are times in my private practice when I am witness to people who find themselves.  Like being present at a birth, it is a privilege and an honor.

Do you act your age?  I suppose that depends on how 52 is supposed to act.  Oh dear, maybe I missed a memo...

How old do you feel?  That number is on a sliding scale.  It changes depending on the amount and type of yard work I've been doing.

Do you see that old black Volvo out there in the middle of the snow?  That old girl's got a lot of miles on her and she still shifts gears smoothly over whatever terrain presents itself -- rain, sleet or snow.  Similarly, I shift gears constantly throughout the day as different "terrain" presents itself. 

Me -- get bored?!  It hasn't happened yet in this lifetime.

What recommendation would you have for someone who said they were?  Put on a costume!

I would like to see balance.  There doesn't seem to be an even distribution of weight when it comes to smiling, laughing, giving, and acts of kindness.  I would like to see these types of things equal, or outweigh their counterparts.

Do you believe in miracles?
Absolutely!

Name one place that you have been that has felt magical, brought you peace or comforted you?
Loch Ness

Name one thing you treasure?
Peace of mind

In one to five words, name one place, person, event or thing that has felt magical to you or cheered your heart.
The Highlands of Scotland

In less than 10 words, if you had one wish to go to somewhere or be with someone, from any time where would it be or who would you visit?
A small croft in the Highlands of Scotland

It is my belief that the greatest power is Divine love.

I had a wonderful time at the writer's conference at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  And even though it was specifically meant for fiction writers, there were a lot of takeaways for me -- the only non-fiction writer in attendance.  I took four classes with Laurel Yourke, author of "Take Your Characters to Dinner:"

- Arc the journeys of your characters - especially your protagonist.
- Use symbolism to whisper your theme
- Plot your plot with hooks
- The last one was an in-depth discussion on Ian McEwan's book, "On Chesil Beach."  I was confident it was going to be used as an example of how not to write.  I was wrong, and apparently the only person who did not care for the book.

Note: This photograph is of the capitol building which at night is under-lit in lavender.  The roof is up-lit in white, showing off the green patina of weathered copper.