Dreamlining - An Enlightening Exercise

Note: There will be no pumpkin bios in this post. I promise.

"What would you do if there were no way you could fail? If you were 10 times smarter than the rest of the world?"
- Timothy Ferriss, The 4-Hour Workweek

A combination of dreaming and goal-setting, Timothy Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek, suggests dreamlining to shed light on what we want to accomplish in life - more specifically, what we want to accomplish in the next 6-12 months. "Dreamlining will be fun, and it will be hard. The harder it is, the more you need it", he writes. It's dreaming big with a timeline.

I took the bait and gave it a shot. Following his lead with the opening question in mind, I completed the following statements listing up to five items each:

• In 6 months I dream of having ...
• In 6 months I dream of being ...
• In 6 months I dream of doing ...

Then I repeated the exercise using 12 months instead of 6.

The first of six dreamlining steps listed in the book, I found this seemingly simple exercise enlightening. For some reason I had trouble finding items I wanted to have, but no trouble listing all the things I wanted to do. And some things came up I didn't even know I wanted!

Although I like the idea of holistic dreamlining, this tool is very practical and could probably be narrowed down in scope and used in any specific facet of life: day job, creative dreams, marriage, family, health, etc. I might experiment and see what happens.

Why don't you give it a shot too?

Ernesto ...

Ernesto

Meet Ernesto, the Cuban philosopher pumpkin (molded by Sartre) that fled Castro's regime to Canada so he could think freely (apparently on our kitchen table).

Sometimes, when it rains on a weekend, D. and I have waaayyyyyy too much time on our hands.

ps - I voted to call the pumpkin Wilbur but D. informed me that Wilbur was a pig. I stand corrected.

Grateful Saturday

Today I am grateful for:

• the book I started reading yesterday that's due back at the library in two days: The 4-Hour Workweek
• having made the switch from cotton to flannel bed sheets, mmmm, soft
• meeting a financial goal I'd been working on for a year and a half
• the comfort of Lipton's Chicken Noodle Soup from a box - salt, MSG & all!
• Cassie & D.
• feeling a bit better this morning after almost six weeks of feeling under the weather in one way or another
• the weekend - being off for two days with no plans

'Til the next time ...

Scenes From a Window Bench

Still nursing a cold I haven't been inspired to write much of anything these days, but I did take a few minutes to play with my camera while enjoying a breather in one of my favourite spots: my dining room window bench. Here are a few favourites ...

angled view

reflections

Cassie's dish

focused frame, blurry Cassie

focused Cassie, blurry frame

... with maybe a few more to come in a later post.

Superhero Photo Challenge: Counter This

My first ever response to a Shutter Sisters challenge goes to Superhero, who challenges us to find ordinary magic on our kitchen counter. Here are a few things I found:

Grateful Friday

evening sun in Gananoque town park

A few things for which I am grateful on this sunny Friday:

• the vibrant colours of fall
• having the day off with no plans
• an email from a dear friend sending me strength and love to accompany yesterday's comforts
• a few hours spent working on my creative space in the sunroom
• Squam (yes - still Squam! :)
• an early morning walk and breakfast outing with D.

'Til the next time ...

The Power of Comforts

I've been feeling pretty shitty these past few weeks. A few excursions and creative highs excepted, I've felt sick, without energy and down in the dumps. Bleh.

I've been dancing around the feelings and negative emotions for a while trying hard not to complain, trying to suck it up and push myself, but in the meantime still complaining about it daily without really acknowledging or accepting any of it.

Does that make sense?

Last night I finally admitted to myself that maybe I wasn't doing so well. A quick emotional checkpoint exercise at a presentation on Emotional Intelligence this afternoon confirmed my suspicion. OK. Now I can deal.

So today I skipped my Nia class (gasp!) and instead spent time napping and playing with Cassie when I got home. Next, I cooked a big pot of Mom's macaroni & hamburg dish - sweet, sweet comfort food. And now, I type sitting in my favourite coffee shop with the sound of friends gabbing, cappuccino machines gurgling and funky music playing in the background.

I still feel physically tired and am dealing with a cold that's dragging on; that just means I need to take it easy. I still feel a bit fragile emotionally, but I also feel I've gained traction by taking small actions and seeking comfort. Sometimes that's all it takes to get the ball rolling.

Cocooning

I have many wonderful things to recount, special moments to re-savour and fun projects to start. There's apple sauce to be made, fall photos to be uploaded and words to piece together - but not tonight. Tonight I feel like cocooning. I feel like curling up with a stack of newly purchased magazines and a bowl of popcorn laden with melted butter.

So that's exactly what I'll do.

But before I go, I will leave you with a list of things for which I am grateful on this beautiful Thanksgiving weekend:

• sunshine, warmth and blue skies on a mid-October day
• a few days spent exploring the area with D - discovering new trails, stopping at our favourite cheese factory, playing with our cameras
• a stack of new magazines to savour
• the fresh, organic veggies we have delivered to our door every Friday
• my home
• the breathtaking oranges, yellows and reds that grace the landscape at this time of year
• my experience at Squam workshops - the women, the laughs, the connections, the support, the learning, the cabin, the sharing, the art, the space, the food, the giggles, the colour, the love, and so much more ...
• an amazing circle of friends and family
• Cassie and D

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Love Steph
xox

Cassie Love

Just 'cause ...

note: this one's with Auntie (?) Sheba, D.'s Mom's munchkindog

Fall Comforts

This chickie's been nursing a cold since last week. I think it's progressing, but I thought I'd take some time to mention a few of the fall comforts that help me feel better these days:

• a simmering pot of homemade lentil-veggie soup
• mint tea
• vintage magazines, pretty paper and paints
• short, slow evening walks around the block with D. and Cassie to get a fix of crisp October air
• new blogs and discoveries - see some under (Re)Discovering on your right
• creative ideas and inspiration
• naps
• a favourite book reminding me to live simply
• the warm fuzzy feeling of cocooning on a cool fall night, knowing that there's a full night's sleep ahead of me before tomorrow's workday

I'm off to curl up with my book. See you soon.

A Creative Mantra: Go to the Table and Trust

a work in progress - or not

I haven't been painting as much as I would have liked to. I won't list excuses; I just didn't.

But I did go to my creative space a few times and when I did, I got lost in time. I collaged, I painted, I played with colour; I made a mess. I spread my supplies out on the table and kept telling myself "Pretend you're back at Squam. Pretend you're in Misty's class...pretend you're in Misty's class...pretend you're in Misty's class. Just play."

A self-admitted perfectionist, it's hard for me to allow myself to get things wrong before I can get them right. But I have to try anyway.

I want to live an artful life that includes making art. Specifically, I want to explore the world of mixed media paint and collage - the world to which I was introduced at Squam that had me smitten. I can read blogs about it, I can write about it or I can buy funky paints, but if I want to someday be a visual artist I need to open up those paints and get messy - I need to go to the table. Then I need to trust that things will unfold as they should.

So I present to you my new creative mantra: go to the table and trust.

Whether your table is a sketchpad on which you draw, a blank page on which you write or neighbourhood streets waiting to be captured in photos, I invite you to join me. Simply go to the table and trust.

Grateful Friday - A Day Late

Oops! I guess I had other stuff on my mind yesterday and completely forgot about Grateful Friday. Here are a few things for which I am grateful this week:

• the yummy, healthy food in our fridge and the bag of Miss Vickie's chips on top of it
• a surprise movie find from the library called Everything Is Illuminated
• an evening of sharing with Lala, full of dreams, tears and laughter
• inspiring blogs, books and magazines
• nearing the achievement of a personal financial goal
• finally finding the right frames to start our salon wall in the dining room
• signing a lease extension for another six months
• unexpected bursts of creative inspiration and ideas
• Sis and Bro-in-Law living a mere five minute drive from our place
• a cleaner house than last week
• sipping my morning cup of coffee in the sunroom

'Til the next time ...

On Joy and Healing ...

It seems the opening of the heart to joy may also re-open the heart to healing.

Last night I had dinner with a dear friend; as I shared about unexpected emotions re-surfacing from old wounds, she gently pointed out that the opening of the heart that occurred at Squam may have left me raw.

It makes sense.

The stirrings of the soul experienced at Squam re-awakened a part of me I'd left dormant. After a few intense years of personal growth and healing from a separation that dismantled my world as I knew it, I wanted a break; a year - or maybe even two - of coasting if you wish.

Squam shook up the complacency that consequently took hold and re-awakened a connection to my Center that I cannot ignore. It re-acquainted me to a place of joy, knowing and Love and in doing so, touched a place of truth and honesty that is bringing forward a deeper layer of healing I did not expect.

So be it; this too shall pass.

I am no longer the same person I was three years ago. I have a loving partner, a supportive circle of friends and family, and a sense of self. I have awareness and tools to help me recognize and navigate the downward spirals. And best of all, I have a newly found place of joy, knowing and Love to turn to. I don't think a girl could ask for much more.