We Are on Time

There is no better time. Now is all we ever have. Now. And now. And now...I needed to get my bathing suit on and get outside on the first day of August to soak up some summer sunshine...right NOW. Here on Vancouver Island, the summer weather this year has been strangely elusive. What?! It's August?? Agh!! Where is the hot sunshiny sky? It's here today. NOW. It wasn't here a couple of weeks ago. It may be gone next week. I'm not even in summer mental mode and it's more than half over!? So today I start enjoying summer and spending less computer time and less marketing and promotional time. I just had a huge realization that I'm actually tired of being a trailblazer and a born leader. This week it has felt like such a heavy burden. Did I order this?? I believe so.

Good advice. Only chocolate can achieve this. Haha!

I went to a Red Tent women's circle last night. During a guided visualization, I realized that my callings throughout my life have all been things/careers/roles that required me to be on the cutting edge or be doing/sharing something new and different. The status quo has never been for me. "This can be done better." "There must be a new way." The little voice is always guiding me. Most of the time it has been an unconscious pull. But today. Today, I'm fully aware. And I need a serious time-out from this cosmic job. Just for a little bit. So I can step back and question everything fully. Especially this: "I feel like none of it matters. The good, the bad and the ugly. It's all the same. Why is this so? And now where do I go from here?"

Ironically, I find philosophy boring and loopy. Too much thinking instead of being here, in the only moment we ever have. As Eckhart Tolle says "the only place we can ever experience the past or the future is in our minds." As many of us know, this can lead to anxiety and depression. No fun.

As I write this blog on my iPhone, I'm simultaneously texting with a sweet friend who is across the continent. I had to copy and paste part of the conversation because it's exactly what I needed to share out loud. It was like this:

She said something to the effect that she's ready to burst out of her metaphorical "cocoon"...

Me: "Haha!!! Yeah. I have no cocoon. I think I need one. We should swap!"

She then stated how simple it is to make a cocoon. 

Me: "I'm trying. I'm living on a secluded acreage on an island! It's the technology that's disturbing my would-be cocoon. Mostly the use of Facebook to market and advertise our events. I must quit. It's an energy vampire in disguise as a cute blue and white screen with my friends' faces."(And a bunch of those "friends" are people I don't even know!)

Bam! Poof! Seems simple enough. I don't want to read about the US election candidates and the tsunami of BS that is pushing it forward at a DISTURBING level of intensity. I don't want to see what people had for breakfast. I don't want to see people DESPERATELY crying for help through their computers/ smartphones/ tablets/ google glasses (etc.). We, as a species of humans are losing something that will be very difficult to regain if we collectively let this continue much longer: Connection. REAL loving connection. Support. Friendship. Deep conversations. Sharing what we are passionate about and what makes us all tick. Physical connection too!

In the last week alone, these are a few of the things people have said to me that really stuck in my mind (mostly via an electronic device of some sort):

"I'm so lonely. I feel like I have no real friends anymore. Where is everyone?"

"I just need a hug."

"I know that I'm here to help people. Why does it feel SO HARD?!"

"I'm so completely overwhelmed. I'm retired! I don't even have a job. Why should I be feeling so overwhelmed?!"

"I just don't feel appreciated or needed by anyone anymore."

"Remember when people used to call each other on the phone to make a plan to get together? That was so much easier."

"Remember when people had time and energy and the desire to connect with their loved ones and friends...for no particular or special reason, other than that fact that they loved spending time with one another?"... Oh wait, that one was mine.

I can easily echo most of the other comments, too. I have felt very similar things in the last year. We all feel and think similar things. We are all human. With 7+ billion of us here, having an original thought or emotion is unlikely. We are all more alike than many of us realize or care to acknowledge. The irony is that so many people think that they are the only ones feeling lonely, disconnected, overwhelmed or maxed out. If we would all discuss these human challenges more openly- in person. Heart-to-heart. With those who mean the most to us. Humans would possibly feel much better overall. Too many of us are pretending to be superheroes instead of being human. We feel. We need. We are one. 

I had an incredible and synchronistic meeting with one of my all-time favorite musicians in late June. Tanner and I treated ourselves to a one-day pass at an island music festival which was perched on top of a naked, logged mountain overlooking the ocean. It was a unique place for sure. We trekked our there to witness the musical magic of Nahko and Medicine for the People. They are an amazingly gifted crew of musical channels who are spreading messages of love and acceptance. Everything that I also feel that the world needs now, so I am deeply grateful for their gift.

As the sun was setting, I put on all of my warm layers of clothing and went to purchase a hot beverage. The performance we were awaiting was coming soon. To my surprise, the whole band was seated at a strangely oversized log picnic table enjoying supper together. I took my hot drink and retrieved some friends. We engaged in a half hour conversation with Nahko and some other bandmates. He looked at me and said "tell me a story." So I told him the story of how a friend copied me a CD of his music two years ago, and how on that fateful day, our car stereo, which had been out of order for many months, magically turned on to play me that incredibly powerful music. His eyes were wide and he laughed in astonishment. My friend then shared with Nahko how much his music means to him and how it has inspired him and changed his direction in life. Then he said "but you probably hear that all the time."  Nahko's response to that was looking us both in the eye and saying "Yes, but thank you for sharing that because if I didn't hear it from people, I probably wouldn't keep going."  We all need to feel love and support face-to-face and heart-to-heart. No exceptions. 100% of humans need love. 

I then asked if it was corny to get our photo taken together and thanked him for being humble enough to take the time to chat with a couple of fans on Vancouver Island. It wasn't corny at all. It was full of love and appreciation. From all parties.

Nahko and a pretty happy me. 

So, then a group of us pulled off a fun surprise birthday potluck for Tanner last week. Some really special people made the effort to come and celebrate life together. One friend brought two didgeridoos that he made himself, straight off the plane from Australia. He gifted one to Tanner. Very special indeed. 

We took a trip down the road from our summertime housesit to a clay deposit in the Cowichan River and had a sunny clay mask treatment. I have been really trying to focus on extra self care. I just remade am updated "things that I love" checklist. The last one that I made in April was full. I put my first checkmarks on the new one today. Gotta keep doing what I love. It's what keeps me loving life.

Tanner in his clay suit. 

So I just took a time out from writing to eat some watermelon and to look up "cougar/puma/mountain lion" in our spirit animal book. Last night I dreamt that Tanner was behind the wheel of a jeep and I was in the passenger seat. It was dusk and he turned left into a pitch black earthen tunnel. It was big enough to drive through and I could only see a few feet ahead of us with the dim headlights. I said "slow down!" He said "We're fine. I've got this." He drove faster and faster and I was panicking. I then looked to the right at the walls of the dirt tunnel zooming by, and noticed huge cat paw tracks all along the walls and even above us on the ceiling of the tunnel. I remember thinking "how the hell did the cat run along the walls and ceiling of the tunnel?" I then thought, "I guess it's possible. I've just never seen that with my own eyes. That doesn't mean it didn't happen." We finally got to the dim, dusky light at the end of the tunnel and there was a cougar, the maker of the big paw tracks, which darted away quickly to the left. Then I saw a brief glimpse of a Sasquatch strolling away to the right. I said "was that a Sasquatch?!" Whoa! Recap: Traveling a dark tunnel into the unknown. Cat tracks. Big ones. A majestic cougar in the light at the end of the tunnel. An elusive Sasquatch out for a stroll. Powerful dreamtime!

Cougar spirit animal says this:

So maybe I am a leader. I can't hide from it, even in my dreams. I am being nudged (or raced) forward into the dark unknown that lies ahead. The message I am getting from the universe is: 

 Stay calm. Buckle up. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Follow the tracks laid out before me and most of all, TRUST. 

"We are on time." - Nahko

PS. I AM GOING TO RECONFIGURE MY LIFE TO ELIMINATE FACEBOOK AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE AND STILL DO WHAT I LOVE. Stay tuned for details on how that works out. :D

 

Swept Up in a Rainbow LOVE Tornado

It's seems that the less we travel, the less time I take to write about life in between. It's been two months now since I took a timeout to write down all of the incredible things that we have been experiencing. 

It has been a chilly and wet 6 weeks since we retuned to Vancouver Island. The frequent rainbows and majestic eagles floating overhead make it all ok. Fine, it's more than ok. This island is a magical place! We are so grateful to call it our home base.

It's a beautiful sunny day today as I sit on the back deck typing. It's still fairly chilly. The spring flowers are all coming up with optimism. I can hear a happy tree frog chirping in the swaying cedars nearby. 

We were asked by our friend to housesit for her for 3 weeks in January. Then several other housesitting opportunities aligned themselves in front of us. So here we are now on a little organic farm. There is a fun flock of laying hens to care for and a couple of crazy cats too. It's a beautiful place to hunker down and do some writing and resting. The crackling woodstove is my good friend. 

We have noticed a big shift in the consciousness of the general public in 2016. We found it tricky at times to fill up our Cacao Ceremonies in 2015. It was also challenging to  secure a venue, often feeling like we were trying too hard to convince anyone that this was something good and useful for the people and the planet. When the calendar flipped (literally on New Year's Eve) something also flipped in the consciousness of humans.

Probably not ALL humans, but a good number of us. We are now getting such huge responses to these gatherings that we often have a waiting list. People are suggesting venues and offering us their spaces weekly. 2016 is numerologically a 9 year, which is a year of completion. It seems that many many people are ready to face their worst fears, forgive past grievances, and just start to love themselves and one another. That's what cacao promotes. Love. Inner Peace. And joy!

If you don't know about our Cacao blog it's www.cacaoconnection.blogspot.com or our Facebook page is Cacao Connection. 

Speaking of joy, I was invited to participate in a photo shoot on the weekend. It was 5 hours of fun and laughter, wild makeup and big hair. We modeled some of my Open Arise Creations headbands. I also played with some cacao and got some fun shots with a drink and some of the beans. So far this is the first image that the amazing Kim Yanick has shared with me, but I know there is more beautiful stuff coming. Check out Kim's work at www.kimyanick.com or follow her on Facebook at Kim Yanik Portraits to see her magical work unfold. 

These headbands are so powerful and so many people are scooping them up. I have been taking them to local fairs and events and it's been a ton of fun. This is what I love to do!

Photo by Gord Griffiths

Tanner entered into the British Columbia Open for pool, which is a passion of his. A lot of our acquaintances aren't aware that he's a pool player because he doesn't speak about it much. Earlier this week, he won 4th place in his division of nearly 100 players. He enjoyed a 5-day getaway with the guys and I also enjoyed some "me" time.

We sure are grateful to have each other though. We cherish each day of adventure together. Life is beautiful.

Welcome to Loveland

Lucy the Coon Hound.

The sun finally just broke through the clouds after a chilly morning in the wild, green foothills near Salt Lake City, Utah. We were invited by some new friends to join them and all of their dogs at their rustic getaway cabin for the weekend. It's finally allowed me to take some time to catch up on my writing. Another beautiful place on our earth! More beautiful people to connect with!

Our final days in Mexico were really special. The great people we encountered made it difficult to cross the border and trek back into the "real world" of the USA. The kindness and generosity of the Mexican culture is something we can all take a lesson from. They give and give almost to a fault. We felt like we were treated as family everywhere we went.  On our last night south of the border, in Los Mochis, we Couchsurfed with a wonderful man with whom we shared our final Mexican sunset and a bounty of beautiful conversation. We were sad to part ways, as this has been a common theme for us for many years in many places. It's hard to sever the ties that we create with each special spirit that we cross paths with...though those invisible ties seem to remain forever intertwined within our soul memories.

We crossed into the USA in Nogales, Arizona. We hoped that our huge cacao stash wouldn't cause any issues as we passed on through. We were thoroughly searched and had to surrender our mangos and a half-rotten cacao pod. The guards questioned our boxes of cacao. They informed us that it's necessary to have all food items labeled with contents and point of origin. They then proceeded to shout "CA-CAO! CACAO!" As they made finger guns and pretended to shoot each other. Hilarious. And so very American. We always keep a decorated glass Mason jar with us, for the last couple of years at least. Of course, we brought it on this trip. It contains our positive intentions, affirmations and loving requests to the universe. It really works. As a border officer dug through the trunk of the car, he asked what the jar was. We simply said "it's our good vibes jar." He laughed and said "Cool. That makes sense." I said "I put some good vibes into that jar that would help us get through this border crossing smoothly. Let's see if it works...." Just then, his partner came back from consulting with her supervisor and gave us a packet of papers. She smiled and said we were just getting a warning. Next time, we should follow the rules.

We headed for Tucson, Arizona arriving at nightfall and found a quaint and very affordable motel room. The man behind the desk was not so friendly. Somehow it came up that we just crossed back into the USA after 5 months in Mexico and Central America. I was feeling like I just stepped out of a spaceship onto another planet being back in America. I said "I am glad we found this sweet motel. I feel..." And he interjected with "a lot safer?"  I paused and looked at him with a bewildered stare. I shook my head no. I felt like a fish out of water. On a unicycle.

So this is culture shock.

For the record: Mexico and Guatemala are both beautiful, welcoming countries full of regular people just like you and I. For many decades, North American media has portrayed these places, and much of our planet, as dangerous, violent and "out to get you".  It's simply not true! There was never, ever a single moment in the last 5 months that we felt we were in a hint of danger. The scariest thing is the USA border crossings! The worst thing that happened during our trip was that some of our favorite bumper stickers got peeled off of our car in Guatemala. (So we are replacing them slowly.) 

A bumper sticker from our 2013 USA trip 

We got used to all of the Mexican police and military check stops after passing dozens of them. We often got waved through with a smile. When we did get stopped, we felt like they just wanted to chat for fun. It was fun. We realized quickly that these people are just like us. Only it's their job to look intimidating and ask a lot of questions. It is definitely true that there is some corruption, crime and poverty in every place on the globe. The USA and Canada are no different. The biggest difference that I noticed in the Mexican and Guatemalan people is that they have an inner determination and self-sufficient attitude that many (certainly not all) Americans and Canadians just don't have. They aren't waiting around to be taken care of. Especially in the state of Chiapas, Mexico. I whole-heartedly support the stance that the indigenous (and other) people of that place continue to take. Independence. Freedom. Equality. Respect. Peace. Love. That's all any of us desire. Let's make it happen. Our future can be in our own hands. Grab it by the reins!