Turtle steps
The way to get anything done is a step at a time. One little step. Martha Beck calls them turtle steps. I don't know about you, but I've been known to act like a rabbit. Sprint like heck, and then get so pooped out that I abandon everything and nap for a week. When I act like a turtle and take small steps on a regular basis, I get a lot more accomplished and it's amazing to look back and see what I completed! It's just like hiking the Appalachian Trail - it's five million steps and over 2000 miles-- but you can't think that way - you have to just keep walking a little every day.
Turtles keep coming to find me to remind me to take turtle steps. And the most recent ones I've seen have also been submerged in muddy water - I wonder what that means? Don't be afraid to get a little dirty? Don't be afraid of murkiness? Go to the spa?
About a week ago I was on a wordless walk with a dear friend and I took her to my favorite tree. This was the tree where I saw my turtle about two months prior, but I really didn't expect to see her, as she had been sitting on the forest floor a good 30 feet from the tree last time. Well, apparently my favorite tree might also be hers as well! We arrived at the base of the tree, and there she was, completely submerged in a mossy puddle made by the tree roots. We sat for quite a while and she finally moved, sticking her neck out.
I felt very honored to see this wild turtle again - I know they have small home ranges, but it was still mighty special.
Today I worked diligently, but with free time built in too (I've learned that my mind will go into complete and utter rebellion and give up on any system if there isn't some fun built into every day - like a quick dip in the neighborhood pool) and this evening, who did we see in our garden but our own turtle who lives in the yard? We rarely see her and there she was, drinking the air conditioning condensation water in our tiny horsetail-planted wetland.
I count these sightings as auspicious messages from the universe. All is well. And I'm enjoying life, one step at a time, and savoring as I go.
Too early, too late, too soon, not soon enough
Someone emails you a question, and you read it and know the answer. You could email them back right away and tell them. Or your mind might get in the way. "You're not even supposed to be checking email right now!" "They'll think you're not busy, just hanging out on your computer if you respond right away!" "It's 9 p.m. on a Friday night - what will people think if you respond to an email now? They'll think you don't have a fun social life!" Oh, Mind, you are so very funny.
Or let's switch to blogging. You have an idea, some cool photos, a basic plan of what to write. But then your mind pipes in. "It's too early to write - let's do some other stuff." Or, "It's too late - we'll do it tomorrow when we're fresh." Or "That post would make more sense on a Friday and it's only Thursday." Or "Those photos are from an event last week - who wants to read about that now! Too late!"
Your somewhat nutty but well-meaning mind has you putting things off, waiting because it's too soon, and then abandoning because - Oh! Now it's too late.
Guess what? None of it is true. And it really gets in the way of getting valuable stuff done.
So want a real life example? (I only know this stuff because my mind has its nutty moments!) Way back in April, an extraordinary fellow blogger named Jackie featured me in a beautiful Shine post on her site. And I never really told anyone about it! Why? Because of my mind. First it seemed too soon. Then I was busy, then I was out of town, then I was out of town again, then it seemed too late.
If this ever happens to you, tell your mind to shhhhh... and do the thing. It's not too soon. To write your memoirs. To dust under the bed, even if you did it last week. To call your mom. To try that business idea. Or if you don't do it and your mind says it's too late, again tell your mind hush. It's not too late. To send the thank you note. To organize your finances. To plan that vacation you've been dreaming of. To start taking care of your body.
So, without further ado, here's the link to a Q&A session with Jackie - I loved her questions and loved doing this interview! Perhaps reading this link is exactly what you need today, and that's why I'm posting it, two months later in June. That's what I'm believing tonight. Thanks again, Jackie for the insightful questions!
The power of story, and an intervention by angels...
Within the first couple hours of our road trip to Colorado earlier this month, we lost a wallet. Not fun, right? Here's what happened. We stopped at a convenience store just over an hour away from home to grab some soda and juice. My sweetheart started to give me his wallet to pay, and I said, no - it's ok - I have mine.
We kept driving. To Alexandria, Louisiana. Now about four and a half hours from home. And we got to the hotel, and my sweetheart said, "Honey, what did you do with my wallet?" Oh. No. My stomach dropped. Had he handed me his wallet while he went to the bathroom? What did I do with it? Did I leave it on the counter? We searched high and low. In every possible nook and cranny in the car. We didn't find it. It was 10 p.m.
Ok, so I asked myself, what's perfect about this? (Very hard in a situation like this, believe me.) I always start with, "We're ok." Then, "There wasn't that much money in it.", Then, "Only one credit card to cancel." We got on the phone and took care of that.
Then there was the matter of the driver's license. And here the angels intervened. 1. We were still in Louisiana. 2. We had internet and a laptop to easily search for Motor Vehicle offices. 3. The office in Alexandria was literally less than a five-minute drive from our hotel! Can't you hear the angelic choirs singing??
We went there the next day, first thing. And there wasn't much of a wait. (Go, angels!) And they renewed my sweetheart's license so he won't have to wait in line in a couple of months in New Orleans. And then it was done and we were on our way.
"Ok", you say. "I get it. Angels intervened. But what about the power of story? Why is that in the title?" Well, a couple of reasons. We could have used a lot of energy telling a really different story about this. About how awful it was. About how we couldn't believe that no one had turned in the wallet (we did call the convenience store - amazing that we were able to remember which one and find its number online!) About all the money we'd lost. About the hassle of changing online accounts to new credit card numbers. About how stupid I was for leaving the wallet on the counter, or wherever I'd left it. We could have seen it as a "bad omen" for our whole trip.
But we didn't. We had a fantastic trip. We didn't even think about it much except that my sweetie had to ask me for my credit card when we'd stop for gas.
And then we came home. And you will never guess what was on my sweetheart's desk. Did you guess? You're right! His wallet. Because he'd never brought it in the first place. He'd only offered to pay. He had never actually handed me his wallet! We'd completely fabricated that part of the story!
And here's where the angels actually intervened. What if we had realized we didn't have the wallet at the convenience store- one hour away from home? We would have probably driven back to get it, which would have taken more than twice as long as what we ended up doing. And it would have been a very un-fun two hours. In traffic.
I make up stories all the time - I create motives, fabricate background information, and selectively remember facts. And I just finished a book, a rather dark book, but an incredible story that illustrates this so well. It's called The Sense of An Ending, by Julian Barnes. It's a short, engaging novel that so clearly illustrates the power of story to affect real lives. You'll think you know what's happening right up until the end - I won't spoil it.
So, what stories are you telling yourself these days about the circumstances around you? Do you have a good example of how you turned around what seemed like crummy circumstances into a better story? Are you noticing the intervention of angels/the universe/luck, or whatever you want to call it, in your life? I'd love to hear! Email me at carla@livingwildandprecious.com or share your story in the comments below.
The story of the tree with a heart in it
I love drawing. I especially love drawing with super-creamy water-soluble oil pastels. They're messy and imprecise and I feel like a kid when I use them. I don't draw as much as I'd like to. But that could change anytime, and maybe putting it out here will help it change. I especially like drawing just for the sake of drawing. Sometimes I get an idea in my head of something I'd like to draw and then copy from an image online, like this woodland path:
And sometimes I access my inner sixth grader and just make quick scribbly drawings like this garden of hearts:
So, months ago when I was trying to imagine an image that I could put on a business card that embodied wild and precious, I thought of the tree with the heart in it, and then remembered I'd already drawn one, about a year before. And in my quick way of doing something without messing around with it much, I just used a photo of a scanned copy of the tree and tossed it onto a lime green business card that looks like this:
I've drawn other trees with hearts in them, all over a year ago. The hearts are always a little lopsided, and I kind of like that. Maybe I'll turn them into notecards one day soon - they make me smile; maybe they'd make someone else smile too!
There's the original one,
one with a seasons theme,
and one with the Buddha (the Bodhi tree?) I love this one.
Maybe I'll go make some more in the next day or so. I've been away from those oil pastels for too long!
Is there some creative outlet that you love, but that you don't do as much as you'd like? Do you keep yourself from doing it because you're not "good enough" or not an expert? Do you fail to allow yourself the pure joy of creativity just for the sake of doing it?
Well, today, and tomorrow and the next day, go dance, write, draw, sing, or act. Take pictures. Make something with clay or paper or metal. It doesn't have to be useful. It doesn't have to serve any other purpose but being fun to create. More of this coming soon!
Everything's a miracle
My friend Debbie taught me this. She said that when she gets stressed or harried, she says to herself, "Everything's a miracle." Then she looks around to find evidence and always does. If she's in a car, well, that's a miracle right there that two tons of steel moves around so easily -- and that she's sitting in climate-controlled comfort, perhaps with lovely music coming through the radio. In the supermarket, she's surrounded by an incredible bounty of food. Often, she's near her family members who she loves dearly. I've been trying it lately. I've noticed beautiful bubbles forming in puddles while I strolled in the rain. I've stared at clouds and birds and trees and happy children. My cat is definitely a miracle! As is this computer and the incredible technology that lets me send my thoughts all the way around the world.
And here's one of the best miracles of late which will make sense if you read the previous post, "Arguing with Mother Nature". The magnolias are still blooming!! My mom got to see dozens of trees still in pink perfection. Oh, me of little faith . . .
Give it a try. How many miracles can you find within ten feet of you right now?