HAKUNA MATATA - NO WORRIES!

Watching the movie The Lion King, I'm reminded: Hakuna Matata, a Swahili phrase literally translated meaning "There are no worries!" 

Since I left AZ at the end of October, I have been in survival mode, major transition. I haven't been doing any writing or movement to move ETL forward. I never knew what each day would bring and it's been a major opportunity to continue practicing trusting, letting go and receiving. (Read more about this in either of my books, GPS for Living or Everybody Wants to go to Heaven).

My journey has taken me from AZ for a month of house sitting in Northern California. The day that job was complete, I did a job for two weeks of helping an artist pack and getting ready to move. When that was over, I drove and spent several days in Oakland with one of my daughters and then headed down to Orange County on the Winter Solstice. We stopped in Malibu and hiked The Solstice Canyon where we sat in a cave, Jim Morrison of The Doors, used to write his songs in. (Amazing day) Arriving in the great OC, I spent a couple of nights there and I then left for a house sitting job back in AZ, where I am now and will continue to be until Jan. 5.

Still working on trusting that my needs are being provided for, I began applying for jobs all along the way. I'm not sure where the doors will open after Jan. 5, but I'm going to make Hakuna Matata my motto for the new year!! No Worries!! 

Self Care 101

At the beginning of my journey into self-discovery, or Becoming Real, as I refer to it in each of my two books, GPS for Living and Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven, Just Not NOW!, I got the brainy idea to tithe myself the amount of years that I have been on this earth to begin healing from the inside out. I gave myself permission to take off 5 years (as I was 50) from having to get a real job!. (That was 12 years ago!) Now, once again, as I find myself off balance with my projects and consciously trying to become skilled at finding balance in my life, I decided, once again, to tithe myself 2.4 hrs each day, for self-care. Time for ME. (Well, actually I rounded UP to 2.5 hrs :) Two and a half hours a day just for me, what in the heck will I do for 2 and a half hours for myself! Let's see, shower, hair and make-up, that's a total of 5 minutes....now what else? Read, meditate, exercise, play my native american flute....hmmmmm. For pete's sake Pati, you're at the beach....can't you find something to do for you?

As I walked along the beach, this scene in the sand caught my attention. I noticed that there were 5 different prints, all who shared this same space on this earth in a relatively short period of time. Had I not stopped, taken a walk and was conscious in my efforts, I would not have seen what I considered to be an incredible sight.

Now, I can think of a lot of things to do for myself, will I take the time? Can I do it....I'll try... and then I'm sure, I'll have to start over A....G...A...I...N...but eventually, the trying will become habit. That's the theory anyway!

Road Trip - Self Care 101 - An Intensive

Heading out on this road trip to Huntington Beach, CA, I named it: Self-Care 101 - An Intensive. I've attended many intensives over the past 10 years and this seemed perfect. What do I talk about? Exactly what I need in my life! Self-Care. Looking back at the blog I posted around my birthday, over 5 months ago, I have to laugh. I'm STILL working on finding balance in my life. I get obsessed with my eating as well as with my projects. It continues to be all or nothing with me. Eating: I can do The Master Cleanse with no problem, why...because you can only have lemons, cayenne pepper and maple syrup! It's easy...it's nothing! Now I'm trying to do a more gentler cleanse where there are choices to be made....I'm having a lot of trouble. Since I've been here, I've restarted...3 times! So much is about my mind set. In my previous life, when I hardly ever traveled, Road Trip meant FUN! Eat whatever you want! One day I realized that I was on the road more than I was at home, I had to be able to learn how to take care of myself in a new way. Whenever I come back to a familiar place, I always remember the fun places to eat! I have to go there again! This trip the challenge I gave myself, do not go to any familiar places. Do not eat anything from fond memories. Now the question for today is, take a walk with the dog at the beach, go to Bikram Yoga (that's another story) or work on my GPS for Living Playbook. (A companion for the GPS for Living Book) All I can say is that I'm consciously aware and I'm working on balance! Have a FUNtabulous Day!

GPS FOR LIVING..A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR SURVIVING CHANGE, ROLLING ALONG!

The goal is to have GPS for Living published by the first of August, in time for my first ‘official’ speaking engagement in September. Finally, yesterday, I got it all together and it’s off to my very talented layout girl. WOO HOO!

When I think back to when I decided that I wanted to publish a book and began with EVERYBODY WANTS TO GO TO HEAVEN, JUST NOT NOW! and now I’m completing the project of my second book, it seems a bit unreal.

Who would have thought that I would have been able to write and publish a book....and now two!

I’ve learned a lot, not only about the writing process but the lifestyle a writer leads. One who is in a creating mode leads a pretty reclusive life, which can be a breeding ground for loneliness.

A constant monitoring, of not only the project, but one’s emotions is necessary. Struggling to maintain some kind of balance in life is imperative and actually the journey.

While the project is off my desk for a small bit, it opens up the space to work on the marketing tools that need to be developed in order to sell the book. And the talks for the fall have to be developed, and, and, and.....

But for now, I’ll stop, breathe and enjoy the fact, that with the support and talents of many others, this project is now complete!

I want to thank all of you for you love, support, understanding and help during this very long process. I LOVE YOU!!!
Tomorrow I’m going to tell you how to get your creative project off the ground! Put on your thinking caps. What have you always wanted to do?

(PS. The picture is the cover of the book.)