FOLLOWING THE FLOW OF ENERGY

Hitting the road again....heading to Oakland, CA and then Grass Valley, CA.

Everywhere that I travel, people are always very supporting of me and the journey that I have chosen to be on for this part of my life....with all of its up's and down's. Thank you!

It's a long drive from AZ to Oakland...about 15 hours. However after getting a late start (a picnic in Madera Canyon, not to have been missed:) I decided to test the waters of travel. If there was a possibility for me to spend the night in Huntington Beach, I'd head directly west to San Diego. Otherwise, I'd head north to Bakersfield. 

Yes, to HB and so I drove across I-8 to San Diego. Following the guidance of my GPS, (which I don't always do) I found myself headed to Ramona and Santee (suburbs) which would then connect with I-805. It was unfamiliar territory for me, it was dark, and so it was unusual for me to follow the advice of my GPS. 

Ramona was a place we used to visit a lot as we were kids. I had an uncle who lived there. We thought it was on another planet...it was so remote. My ex-husbands sister used to live in Santee. As I was driving up over the hill to get I-805, I began feeling what I refer to as panty-twisting. An extreme energy surge filled my body. What's this about?  I began to ground myself, stay in my body and started deep, slow, conscious breathing. I remained asked the question to my guidance, "Is there anything that I need to know? 

I knew that I had been led by Spirit, in this area for whatever reason. I knew it to be an energetic healing of some sort. I also know that on this journey that I have chosen, I am on a need to know basis! I knew that I didn't need to spend time trying to figure it out. All that was required of me was the willingness to follow the flow of energy, consciously bringing love and light with me wherever I go. 

I'm thankful that I do have the courage to continue into the unknown and discover what God/The Universe has out there for me to uncover!  When you pay attention in your life...where is Spirit leading you? Where are you taking your love and light? I'm in great company!!!!

PS. Now I'm in Grass Valley, CA.

FUN IN THE SUN

It was a sun shinny Tuesday morning with 10 people on the pier and 20 in the water, waiting to catch that perfect wave! 

I found myself setting at the edge of the pier, eating Starbucks oatmeal with a pod of dolphins swimming below, seagulls flying above and Big Band music in the background from the Ruby's, the restaurant at the end of the pier. Who gets to do this? 

Yes...I've been working hard, but I am also trying to keep balance in my life, so I'm doing one thing each day...different...that isn't working:)

My friend and I rode bikes down the beach trail to Sunset Beach...7 miles each way! (That sounds like work!) But smelling the fresh salted ocean air, the breeze, lovely conversation and people watching....it was pretty painless! Now this is exercise I can get my head around!

It's not all been a bed of roses however. My bed...an old metal framed futon....well each day I add something to try and make it more comfortable. (Today....last resort.....I used some plywood scraps I found while cleaning the garage yesterday. I'll let you know how tonight is! So far it has the metal futon frame, plywood, camping sleeping pads, a feather bed pillow for the entire bed, sleeping bag, futon mattress, mattress pad and sheet!

While I am still consciously breathing through my panty twists...(whatever I can dream up to fret about) I am also keenly aware of the fact that these lovely days at the beach for me are limited and I don't want to miss any of it! Happy....nearly spring! 

WHY NOT?

Why not....why not get up and join the sunrise at the ocean?
Why not...go to the amazing new hotel...The Strand and enjoy the luxurious yet simplistic beauty of just being there?
Why not play in the water or go kayaking?


This trip, like all  others have a theme...this one...Why Not?

I arrived in Huntington Beach, CA on Saturday. I started to work early Sunday morning helping my friend remodel her one bedroom apartment, by ripping up the carpet, tacking strips and linoleum, hauling it all away and dealing with mold!....OMG! Why not? (You're nearly 60!)

We later went to Fred's Mexican Restaurant on the beach to watch the football game and enjoy a margarita. Why not? (There's more work to do!)

Next day: the ocean was calling and I went for an early morning walk on the beach, remembering you all to her and she waved back!  Why not? (There's work to do!) Later, we ripped up the carpet in her son's room (after moving all the furniture) and relaid new...OMG!

I took the time today to visit my sister. The days right now are beautiful...70 degrees...the sun warm, the  crisp ocean smell in the mornings and the smell of campfires in the evening...the already sun kissed, deliciously sweet strawberries that can purchased at the road side stands from the few farmers who still have small fields in town.

Pati, why not enjoy the journey of everyday living? After all....it's all you have. Life doesn't begin....someday....when.....you retire, (LOL) when the kids leave home or the dog dies.....this is it...this is your life....today...in this moment.....My mission this trip to try everything that presents itself to me without making excuses as to why I can't, shouldn't, won't......and just say Thank you....WHY NOT?

PS...to my conservative friend....why not date the girl with pink hair and tattoos?

Self Care 101 - Fourth of July at Huntington Beach

As an outside visitor, the 4th of July seems to be one of the biggest events of the year here at Huntington Beach. 

For the past week, I watched as houses, bikes and golf carts started decorating in preparation for the festivities, beginning with a parade down Main Street. 

About 6:30AM, I went for a walk to the pier. I was amazed that there was no parking on the streets anywhere and at the beach, all of the fire pits were taken. On the pier, there were chairs lined up along one side (something new, I understand), for fireworks spectators. Heading down Main St, in front of all of the store fronts, people had used chalk to reserve areas for their families and friends in the parking slots.  Further down, in the residential area, others had used caution tape and stakes to define their areas and there wasn't an empty space anywhere. 

I decided to go to yoga this am and it was fun watching all the decorated bikes heading down to the parade. Parents, children, wagons, anything to make the long walk easier. Everything and everyone was decorated, including the dogs! On my way back from yoga, everyone was leaving the parade. People, People everywhere! 

Being a visitor in town, what I knew is that  I did NOT want to be where all of the people were going to be! My daughter had flown in for the day to be with her friend and so I went A...W...A...Y...from downtown and had breakfast and watched a movie with them. 

By early evening, everyone around town had spent the day partying and it became a bit dangerous just riding your bike. I felt a little sad, missing all of the activities, but I found out that doing what I do best on the holidays is still good for me....sleep! No phone calls, texts or emails to answer, as everyone is having fun with their families and friends. Hey wait! I didn't miss ALL of the activities, I have a 3rd floor sun deck which gave me a 360 degree view of ALL of the fireworks! Happy 4th! 

I hope you had a wonderful holiday however you celebrated! 

Self Care 101 - Saying YES

In the Movie, Yes Man, Jim Carey's character had gotten stuck in his ways, saying No to all opportunities that came his way. After being challenged by a friend to attend a YES seminar, he made a covenant with himself to say Yes to all opportunities that presented themselves to him. (This is only good for a period of time. If we're used to saying No to everything, I found that to learn balance, I had to do the opposite for awhile and begin saying Yes to everything. Eventually, I could then check in with myself and ask the question, "Is this a Yes or a No?") Today the lesson in self care was with a younger friend whom I had met nearly 10 years ago when my hair dresser turned my hair brown! Heart attack for me! I came to the beach and was introduced to her and she gave me my blonde back! Whewww, that was close!~ Don't be messing with a blonde's.....blonde!!!!

On my visit this trip she explained to me that she had begun to start saying Yes to opportunities that presented themselves to her. She and I did a couple of really fun things because she said Yes to some new adventures and I said Yes to taking time away from my work.

We went kayaking in the bay, rode bikes along the beach to watch her husband surf, and then to breakfast downtown Huntington Beach. Saying Yes is so much for fun than staying stuck in BORING! Hey, I'm even doing some work too!:)

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!

Change is the only Constant

What happened to Pati? As I look back and as has been brought to my attention on several occasions, my last entry was on my birthday! Hmmmmm... To anyone who happens to read these blogs....thank you....and I'm sorry.... As I opened up to write this afternoon, I remembered that I actually had started to write earlier and everything on this blogging site was different! It had changed! What the hell? Dang it! It's what I talk about, but don't let it happen to me, especially in the electronic world. Just as I had gotten used to the other site it no longer familiar. While I know, it has been changed for the better, it is still difficult for me to navigate around.

I just spoke with 2 different clients about this very topic during the past week. What others had done to them. My response was something like this, "Try not to think of it as What they did to you, but what they did for you!" (They gave you an amazing opportunity for growth!) I had been stuck in what they did to me with the change of this blogging site. (Actually, what it did for me is make me not want to write. The amazing opportunity, I needed time off to focus on other projects.) Now, I also see that what they did for me....they got me out of my comfort zone and now in having to learn to navigate a new program, I'm making new discoveries...Just as in life. So, welcome back. I will be blogging about my Self-Care Intensive while staying here in Huntington Beach for a couple of weeks. I've been here since Friday and hadn't written about it because I slip back more than moving forward, but then I realized, that is what Becoming Real is all about....

LIFE’S A BEACH

I had the good fortune of having a wonderful friend who lives at Huntington Beach CA. Each year when she takes a vacation, It’s been my pleasure to housesit....I grew up at the beach and so I love this opportunity.

Usually, I have a critter or two to care for, but this year, there was quite the group. A lovely dog, 2 long haired guinea pigs,(one died while I was there and of course, I tried to use the wand on him:) to revive him! A little gecko who dined on crickets, 2 little turtles, who can climb out of their tub on the leaves of the plants, a beta fish who eats one worm at a time and has to be hand fed, a tank with a couple of fish, a frog and a big fish who wants to eat every time he sees you!

The alarm on her car would go off randomly and the little buttons on the key were all worn out and so there was no way to turn it off. I had lovely visits from my daughters, son in law and met some great people. One daughter had a pretty bad encounter with a wave (which we wanded!) To say the least the 10 days were filled with excitement.

Lying on the beach with one of my daughters, thinking about the projects, our finances etc, we take a moment to look at each other, realizing the blessings that we have. While our life styles are not ‘regular’ we’re staying at a beautiful home with a top deck, high above the other homes, we’re playing at the beach in the middle of the day and we’re flying in a helicopter with some of my daughter’s friends who work for the sheriff’s department....and we’re complaining about....what? We don’t have a ‘job?’ We’ve never missed a meal nor not had a place to lie our heads at night.

Living a kind of 'vision quest’ life style....never knowing what’s next....comes with it’s panty twists and life lessons of learning to let go, trust and receive. And now and then I long for security and a pay check....but it quickly passes! Actually that’s not true, it doesn’t pass quickly, but it does pass. HAVE A LOVELY HOLIDAY....TRY TO DO SOMETHING FUN!

IN A FUNK AS MY NEXT PROJECT COMES TO A CLOSE

Since I’ve been at the beach I’ve had some lovely company. My daughter, her husband and their family and friends have stopped by. I’ve enjoyed the distraction from my projects.

Now that everyone is gone, I find myself, in a funk and I can’t exactly place my finger on what it is...I’m at the beach for heaven’s sake! Walks, swimming and lying in the sand...or better yet, taking advantage of my private deck on top of the house that I’m sitting for.

Ah, once again, I’m alone with myself.....and the completion on my next projects. I’m to read the final edit on GPS for Living....I hate that! I don’t want to read it one more time....already I would change many things! My first talk is due in just about 2 weeks, what is my resistance to working on that? I just wrote to the Amega Global company and told them I wanted to be a spokesperson for their product...the amazing energy wand and help them develop a self-care program.....I went to the internet and saw that they are working on a self-care project with the author of Chicken Soup for the Soul!

I drag myself back to the moment and call my sister. She’s free and comes for a visit. I use the wand on her knee that just had surgery several weeks ago...she said the bend is 90% better than when she arrived. I did a little mini facial, she said she could see the lines above her mouth were not as deep and her skin was brighter, more freckles:)

Knowing that nothing I create is ever good enough, I’m grateful for the fact that I know, The Show Must Go On....no matter what I would do differently or change or fix.....let it go, it’s what it is and I complete my work with love and blessings that they will be a benefit to others....now, off for a walk to the beach before I tackle my next project. Happy End of Summer!!!

DAY 3 - LAKE HAVASU to SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

My intention for this leg of my trip was to meet with Sr. Edith about speaking at the LA Regional Congress this year. We’ve been in communication since Bishop Quinn had contacted her on my behalf to speak at the LA Congress. (A Catholic Religious Education Conference with 40,000 attendees).

Well, first things first! My first stop was a hair appointment in Newport Beach! As I was driving to Newport Beach, I once again felt like I had been energetically stuck in AZ and glad that I had the courage to leave. Driving in the back way, through San Bernardino, I thought, ‘Southern California feels good, feels familiar.’ I grew up here. Now it only felt good because I made it all the way to the beach without hitting any traffic! A miracle in itself!

I arrived early and had to put my feet in the Pacific Ocean. Remembering my time in Hawaii, I walked to the edge of the ocean and reintroduced myself, asking for protection, as is the custom in the Hawaiian Spiritual Tradition. I walked along the beach and then to the end of the pier, embraced by the sun. The wind, (Spirit) began to make its presence known as I made my way back to the car.

I met a friend in Huntington Beach, my old stomping grounds for a birthday dinner and received a lovely pedicure, a birthday present from one of my daughters. I then drove to Buena Park to pick up the key for my 2 nights stay in Orange County. (to be continued)

DOLPHIN ENERGY FOR MOVING FORWARD IN LIFE

I just arrived at the next destination on my itinerary, Huntington Beach, CA. The first 2 days had been overcast and as I was settling in, I made a conscious decision not to go to the beach. Finally today, the sun was out and about noon I started out the door. I got as far as the house next door but turned around and came back, deciding to go this evening, for no particular reason. Evening came and I headed for the pier, along with a mob of other people as it was the downtown open market. I walked to the end of the pier and looked out into the sunset and there they were...the fins gliding through the water! The dolphin! They had come to see me! (Evidently a rather rare occurrence) Certainly they came to see everyone, but for me, they had a special meaning. I had been initiated in Hawaii by the dolphin. When I returned home, I got a credit card in the mail for Evolve to Live with a dolphin on it. Then finally, my last trip to Chicago, I acquired my first tattoo...a dolphin. The dolphin for me have been a sign of spiritual support in my life that I'm happy to receive!