it’s always better…

 

 

Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art… It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival.

~ C S Lewis ~

 

 

No matter what you are doing,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

no matter where you are…

 

 

 

 

it’s always better

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

to do it with a friend.

 

I know I’ve been away from this space a lot lately.  For a while, I was hibernating, dreaming and incubating some ideas.  That was getting old, the being alone thing, so I’ve been spending time with friends, deliberately.  On line, in person, on the phone.  It’s wonderful. It’s what makes life worthwhile, really.  Isn’t it?

There is only this…

Dear you

you, the one reading these words

you, with your ancient, wanting heart

you, wondering if you’ll ever

get it right

I invite you to pause

for a moment

and listen to the space

between

these words

to the space where softness

rests

and hunger

fades

to the space that so

gently

asks you to

stop

the thoughts

that doubt your worth

to stop the voices that compare

and leave you feeling

less

There is no less

there are no shadows or shoulds, no pretty or good

no bad or broken, no right or wrong in

Love

There is only this breath

and that which breathes it

there is only You

and your giggling, fully blossomed

Self

ready

ready right now

to shine

its newborn

ancient

just right

Light

~ Julia Fehrenbacher ~

Today, I want to share one of my favorite new places in the Wireless World. Julia, who blogs at Painted Path , is an artist and writer who seems to embody the life I have only recently envisioned for myself. Her poetry is stunning, her artwork – beyond gorgeous, her site is just a wonderful place to spend time. What I love most, though, is that she so clearly is just being Julia.

Thanks very much, Julia, for allowing me to share your work, and for all you do. Namaste.

Standing together…

When you are safe at home, you wish you were having an adventure: when you’re having an adventure, you wish you were safe at home.

~ Thornton Wilder ~

My Wireless World friends often inspire me, and today is, apparently, a big day for that sort of thing. Corinne wrote about Joplin, Missouri yesterday, and Lindsey put both her own words and Kelly Corrigan’s out there today in a way that spoke to my heart, too. And I want to chime in, join them, see if I can’t help bring these ideas back to you. This may ramble a little, but I’ll get to the point eventually…

I spent last weekend with 60 or 70 incredible people – all of us in one phase or another of coach training with Martha Beck. I haven’t really talked about my coaching here, largely because I still have a little trouble with that word. It conjures up, for me, my old track coach, Dean C., with a big ol’ beaten up clipboard, a really awful puke green cap and that obnoxious whistle. And nothing could be further from the truth! Coaching, for me, is just walking the path with someone, helping them to clear their windows and excavate their essential selves, encouraging them to find a way to feel welcome in the world. No clipboard, no whistles, no laps until dark.

I feel at home with this tribe in a way that is pretty rare for me. Until a couple years ago, I could count on one hand – or a hand and a half – the number of folks who I felt I could be myself with, no holds barred. Once I really started to walk in my own shoes and stepped onto my true path in this world, though, I have been gifted with some pretty incredible company. Many of those magical beings, however, are in the Wireless World, proving that we are all connected in ways beyond our day to day interactions. This was different – we were all there, together, and the energy was beyond words. Miss Martha is, of course, a huge and wondrous force of nature, but this was one big room full of light, of hope, of people living their lives for good. It felt like coming home and for someone who does not have a family of origin to draw from, that is the biggest, best, most phenomenal gift.

So, coming from that delightful scenario, I read about the devastation in Joplin, Missouri. And about a long anticipated reunion with the fleet that floats Lindsey’s boat. I put that all together, thought about how it might feel to be homeless, to feel completely untethered, to feel lost – and this is what I came up with.

In the spirit of the Help For Joplin Auction, I am going to donate a package of three coaching sessions ( a total of 3.5 hours, to be used in any configuration) with me, via phone, Skype or in person. If you would like to enter my first ever contest, please either comment below or send me an email at christa@carryitforward.com , with a brief statement of the reason you would like to be coached and the amount you are willing to donate for my services. All proceeds will go to the Salvation Army, tied into the #Help4Joplin auction. The winner will be determined by some combination of amount donated, intent and a random drawing, if necessary.

There. It always helps to do something! I hope you will visit the auction, bid on my offering here, or send out love to those caught up in an adventure they never signed up for. Let’s stand with them in any way we can.

Welcome to my home…

Home is not where you live, but where they understand you.

~ Christian Morgenstern ~

Welcome to my new home in the Wireless World!  When I originally started Carry It Forward, it was an experiment. I wasn’t sure I could write, had about 12,000 photographs sitting on my computer and thought I should do something with them, and didn’t have a clue about blogging in general.  Well, I seem to have taken to it pretty nicely and with the help of Chris, Webmaster Extraordinaire, finally took the time to build a site that more closely resembles what I had in mind originally.  It should be more efficient (give us a week or two) in terms of commenting, so I hope that will allow for more conversation.  The posts will reach you by email once a day, if you choose that option.  And you can share posts much more easily (which is a huge help to me and the biggest compliment!).  Plus, there’s lots of room for growth!  I have several ideas for new features I hope to debut over the next several months.

Mostly, though, it just feels right to me. It feels like home.  I hope you’ll take a look around the whole site and that you’ll agree, once you do.   I’ve added a gallery, which is still a little bit under construction, but it’s perfectly safe to enter!  The always popular Sunday Strolls have a section all to themselves, but will still appear on the blog.  And I have added a toolbox. It is a bit of a jumble, as most toolboxes are, but there are all sorts of resources there.  A great place to spend some time, sifting for gems that appeal to you. Just see what speaks to you on any given day… and feel free to contact me with any questions.

This is probably a good time to answer a few questions that come up from time to time. I’m often asked where I get the photographs.  The answer is simple – I take them all with one of three cameras: my iPhone 4, my Canon G11 (small and really great for travel, and there is, of course,  now a G12), and my Nikon D80.  I used a Canon 20d for years and years, so some of the photos were shot using that, and I still pull it out from time to time.  Great camera, just not as tech friendly as some of the new ones.

I don’t process my photos much – what you see is what I saw, for the most part, which means I do crop images to highlight things.  Apparently there is a name for this sort of thing – Contemplative Photography. There are even books on it.  It’s just what I have done since I was a kid.  Shooting images is a practice for me, a way to be right here – right now, a way to ground myself.  It has saved me, more than once.

On a related front, the artwork is, too, all mine. The paintings are done in oil and the drawings are marker, ink and watercolor in various and sundry combinations. I hope to get back to it soon, and will add to the gallery as I produce more work.

There is another question I am asked fairly regularly. Sometimes I ask myself this one, too. “Why do you post every day?”. Quickly followed by “How do you post every day?  Sometimes followed by “Are you crazy?”.   Writing these entries has become an integral part of my day, much like journal writing was for years.  Early on, a few people told me that they read my blog first thing every morning – something I have done myself with favorite blogs. And this, of course, encouraged me to sit down and do it. Every day. Now it has taken on a life of its own and I feel funny if I even consider taking a day off. It’s interesting. I play with the idea of taking time off, or maybe just resting on Sundays. Even God did that. We’ll see. For now, it works for me and I hope it works for all of you!

So that’s the tour of my tiny, tiny corner of the world. Come by any time. You are always welcome here.