Because it’s Friday AGAIN. And because traditions are important. In which I cover the good stuff and the hard stuff in my week, trying for the non-preachy, non-annoying side of self-reflection.
And you get to join in if you feel like it.
My gentleman friend has warned me — probably correctly — that sooner or later people may get sick and tired of me bitching about carpal tunnel and the whole healing process thing.
And because he’s probably right, this week I’m going to do my best to find something else to complain about. 🙂
The hard stuff
Adjusting to new hours.
Because of the thing that I’m not talking about this week, I’m working fewer hours. Which is a good thing.
After all, I did nothing but complain last year about how I wanted more time. And hey, now I have it.
So I’m trying to talk this out with my body, attempting to reassure it that I don’t need pain to be the mechanism that allows me to take time off.
In the meantime though, I get frustrated with how little I get done. With how quickly things change. With how much more focused I need to be. Or think I need to be.
Stupid learning experiences! Yeah, yeah. Don’t even say it.
Deadlines.
Working on way too many projects. And definitely feeling the pressure.
Again, the thing that we’re not talking about this week (I’m really good at this, aren’t I?) is making everything tighten up. Which is, ironically, kind of the problem to begin with.
So I’ve been spending a lot of time in meditation. Doing relaxation exercises. Some emergency calming techniques. And practicing patience. Practicing trust.
It’s been interesting. And hard.
But hey, lots of wackiness in the meditation which means that you’ll have some entertaining reading coming up soon.
It snowed again
It’s practically March here in beautiful Portland. This is getting ridiculous!
The good stuff
Getting slightly better on the voice-to-text software.
Okay, so I’m still not having much luck when it comes to web browsing with this thing. And writing code drives me crazy.
But the talking thing? Genius. Pure genius.
I talked all my posts this week. Also my emails to Marissa (the only person who gets email from me). And was able to give long and detailed answers to people’s questions at the Kitchen Table — all through a microphone.
It hardly ever makes mistakes. Well I guess I should say that I hardly ever make mistakes. Because it’s actually always right.
But sometimes it seriously cracks me up. Like whenever I want to spit three times to avert the evil eye? Instead of writing tfu tfu tfu, it will always choose “tofu tofu tofu”. Which is way funnier, clearly.
So though I still kind of hate it, we’re having some hilarious “getting to know you” moments together. It already knows biggified, stuckification and oy vey. Still working on “asshat” though.
My clients rock.
The people I’m working with now are so smart and so capable and so much fun. We’re biggifying the heck out of things, dissolving stucknesses like nobody’s business.
You know, it took so long to figure out who my Right People were. There were so many despairing moments where I thought we might never find each other.
I wish someone had told me how much better it gets. Because we’re — as my friend Jane’s mom would say — cooking with gas.
You are going to be seeing big things from these people. Trust me on this.
Bananagrams!
So we were hanging out with Jolie this week and then she pulled a creepy banana shaped sack out of her purse and insisted we play with her.
You already know that we (me, my brother, my gentleman friend and Selma) are hard-core Boggle addicts. So it’s not like it’s that hard to get us to play a game that involves words.
I have to say… it was ridiculously fun. Right now I’m making do going on long Twitter pun runs with Jeff Moriarty. But I may have to get back to the Bananagrams soon.
Ez lives here! Yes, I know. This is not news.
But we have such a good time together.
Like the other day we walked to Powell’s. and went on an Expotition. Just like Winnie the Pooh.*
* Nice job, voice-to-text robot, recognizing the Winnie the Pooh reference.
And we keep coming up with names for the fake rock bands to open for our fake rock band, Euphonious Maximus: Charlatans at Large.
Like the Pneumatic Mushrooms. Four-way Pratfall. And a hundred more that I’ve already forgotten.
Also he makes a mean tzatziki.**
** No, not “tsetse key”, voice to text robot that is not even a robot. Clearly we need to feed you more yoghurt+garlic+cucumber sauce.
And … the award for the most bizarre thing to show up in my mailbox this week goes to …
It’s Hiro! And not really bizarre at all. Just beautiful.
She sent me a string of stunning Russian jade prayer beads. I love them. They’re hanging up in my office right now.
Which is appropriate, given that I’m taking Jen’s inspired organizing class where a huge part of what she talks about is how the work we do is sacred. About how wonderful it could be if we treated our workspace with the love and respect that it probably deserves.
So the timing on this gift? Phenomenal. Sending love to Hiro. And love to Jen. And love to my office.
That’s it for me …
And yes yes yes, of course you can join in my Friday ritual right here in the comments bit if you feel like it.
Yeah? Anything hard and/or good happen in your week?
And, as always, have a glorrrrrrrrrrrrious weekend. And a happy week to come.
p.s. If you haven’t signed up for the class that Naomi and I are teaching about not being impressed by the fact that there’s a recession … well, I don’t actually know how to end this sentence other than to say that you really should.
We’ll be giving you a ton of “hey, here are the smart steps you should be taking to actually make some money despite the fact that things are kind of crappy” ideas. If you implement even part of one of them, you’ll have earned your $19 back.
In (as they say) spades.
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I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again…
I really, really get the thing that we’re not talking about this week. And how frustrating it is. And how it can feel like it’s ruining everything, and suddenly you’re doing so much less and you “should” be doing more and there’s all this self inflicted pressure and…
Yeah I just reallllly get this.
God I hope it goes away for you soon.
Also thinking I may need to have that conversation with my body where I don’t need to get the plague to slow down.
Sarah Marie Lacys last blog post..Happy Hour Fridays: I’ve got the plague
I’m totally psyched for the Havi and Naomi thing next week. I’ve spent the last couple weeks (or so) trying to think out of the box (much due to your inspiration) and am loving it an awful lot. I fully expect (not to stress anyone out with expectations here) this telephone-call-seminar thing will be even more of the wonderful out-of-the-box stuff I’ve come to expect from both you and Naomi.
I just wish Naomi had her mailing address posted on her website so I could send her a birthday card.
Anyway, some of my most wonderful moments this week have come from the comments people have been leaving on my blog. I never knew there were so many people who would get it. Like you say, my right people. And they’re starting to appear in my life. How cool is that?
Terry Heaths last blog post..Three Ways to Make Your Inner Critic Neurotic
I just watched the video on the bananagram website. And as a fellow Boggle addict, I am hooked without even playing it.
*adds Bananagrams to birthday wish list*
Also, I always get a kick out of the Pun Runs you do with @jmoriarity and your brother. Someday, I might just join in.
The hard:
– I was sick for several days. I think it was the flu, even though I had a flu shot. I’m still very weak and tired.
– Got verbally beat up on a forum when I least expected it, when I was actually trying to do something really good and helpful. Felt like I’d been gut-punched. This is a THING for me.
The good:
– I sold a painting right off my blog. (Thanks Havi, I hope you like it!)
– I finished another little painting, and the ideas keep flowing.
– Started a fun side project that involves painting on eco-friendly reusable grocery shopping bags. I’ll be able to show off my art while shopping!
Barbara J Carters last blog post..New Painting: “Dots 2″
Hi, really excited about the recession thing you and Naomi are doing, and I’m not even freaking out about the recession. But hey it’s worth $19 (and yes, probably more) to get to know you both and hear what you have to say because I’m so in agreement with you both on this. Psych!
I’ve had a week chock-full of freak outs just a hair’s breadth away(ask Jen Louden, she knows why). I could easily have freaked to the point of total paralysis except that a) I wouldn’t get paid by a client and therefore, don’t eat and b) I wouldn’t get to move toward my dream. Well if the immediate prospect of gaining or losing money and success aren’t decent motivators I don’t know what is.
What worked to stop the freak-out machine is every time my mind went into overdrive running its movies of future potential scenarios (ranging from the ultimate living-my-dream fantasy to total crash-and-burn) I somehow remembered to remind myself not to listen, or watch. A little voice popped up from somewhere that said, “it’s just your head, and you can ask it to shut up”.
There’s also nothing like the urgency of deadlines to make you jump in, cage the swinging monkey-mind, and just do the frickin’ work. That, and my flourescent pink post it note with the word “BREATHE” written in big navy blue letters stuck to my laptop. Now if I could just stop from feeling like I have to puke (stress stomach) every few minutes when I’m not totally immersed in work I’d be fine!
Have a great weekend . . .
Bad week.
Stuck. Stuck. Stuck.
One ray of sunlight this afternoon, when I gave myself permission to have not achieved huge success after only two months of effort and sharing my brain between several major projects. But oh, it’s all hard at the moment, and my body refuses to stop getting colds.
But it’ll get better soon, it always does.
Emma Newmans last blog post..Havi, hope and an unexpected hero
Havi, the carpal tunnel and crazy work pressures may still be with you, but can you hear how your humor is lightening and lifting things for you?
You’re starting to have fun again. Yay, you!
Lisa Firkes last blog post..Tag! I’m it.
Hi Havi.
I’m really glad you are getting used to your new schedule and voice to text gigmajiggy.
I have more of a question due to the trust issues that have been coming up in my own life recently. What is your trust work like or do you have tips for someone like me that you haven’t included more recently? I have attempted the talking to walls step, which is very helpful, but those walls are a little too durable at present. I just thought there might be additional ideas that have worked for you, surrounding trust.
I’m also really jazzed for the Havi and Naomi gig next week! Yay!
Thanks!
I, too, am looking forward to Wednesday’s call, although I might have to skip out a little early to get to the class I’m teaching on time.
The hard:
– This frickin’ weather. Still. And my continual whining about it. But I’m really, really over it.
– I’m fighting off some kind of bug, and it’s slowing me down and making me sleep more than usual. Oh wait — that might actually be a good thing.
The good:
– I was contacted by a local business publication wanting to do a piece on Cleveland Handmade, of which I am a coleader. I did the interview on Tuesday and they sent a photographer over today to take some photos. Fun!
– Tomorrow’s Beading 101 class and Wednesday’s etching class are fully booked. No extra $$ for me, but it’s good to know people want to take my classes.
– Dedicating Friday after-yoga time to getting little to-dos done and working on little stuff around the house is making a huge dent in my seemingly neverending to-do list.
Lori Paximadiss last blog post..Friday Roundup
I’ve done that talking to my body thing before, convinced I could take over the task of modifying my workload without the pain but, alas, said body was sceptical. And, you know, I had a condition that only kicked in when I was trying to do too much so, what the heck, might as well stick with the status quo.
Hilarys last blog post..Circumventing the economic crisis
The hard:
It’s getting pretty hard to stay with my “I hate optimism and the LOA” posts over at my blog with Havi and Naomi offering things like…
“the class that Naomi and I are teaching about not being impressed by the fact that there’s a recession” for only $19!
The good:
Of course I signed up. Then I felt excitement (and a little hope?)
Hi, Havi – Greetings!
Part of me is feeling really nervous because I realize what I’m going to say here may go over like a ton of bricks! It’s about “that thing you’re not talking about this week” 😉 and how you might experiment with tweaking your process in relation to it.
So that sounds really presumptuous! (Oh god, am I being a total fool here?) Especially since I love your posts, and I am especially in love with the ones where you let us glimpse part of your personal process!
Also, people giving advice about some challenge we have can get realllly tiresome. (Is this really tiresome already? Apologies if it is…)
In any case, enough beating around the bush: I think this excerpt from a newsletter I got from Ann Weiser Cornell (www.focusingresources.com) might be useful in tweaking your process with this whole carpal tunnel thing:
“Perhaps the hardest thing about Focusing with a block is to stay in listening mode, and simply hear, with empathy, what the blocking part is feeling.
“There is such a temptation to drop out of Self-in-Presence and start “persuading” the blocking part that it is wrong in what it believes. The problem with giving in to this temptation is that it does not work. The blocking part is not in place because of “reason,” and giving it good reasons will not change it — in our experience.
“What does bring change is to stay… in contact with the part “in the way,” sensing what it feels like, how it feels from its point of view, what it’s worried about or what it’s protecting from. And then staying with that, letting it know you hear and sense how it feels [especially important], and inviting it to show or tell more.”
I do get that this is basically what you already do for the most part. Again, just a tiny tweak that may (or may not!) be helpful…
Done. Whew!
(PS: Looking forward to your class next week!)
Hi sweet one –
If you’re up for hearing a little bit about my experience with things like that thing you don’t want to talk about…please soak this comment up. If not, leave it until you’re ready…or ditch it completely.
Just wanted to tell you that the thing you don’t want to talk about – doesn’t necessarily exist.
Yes, it hurts like hell, but it’s often more of an EMOTIONAL and MIND problem than a physical problem in that part of your body that you don’t want to talk about.
The mind often comes up with pain like that in places to DISTRACT us from the emotional pain that the subconscious thinks would be too painful to deal with.
So it shows up as “that thing you don’t want to talk about”, or back pain, or knee pain, or neck pain, or a number of other symptoms that society has gotten used to hearing about.
My suggestion? Stop THINKING that it’s that thing you don’t want to talk about. Especially the name of it.
Instead, every time you feel the pain in that part of your body, tell yourself that you’re physically okay. There’s nothing wrong inside that part of your body.
It’s just an indication that there is emotional pain that your subconscious is afraid of dealing with. But you can thank your mind for trying to protect you from the emotional pain by trying to distract you with physical pain…
But thank you very much…you can handle it and this physical pain needs to leave immediately.
I talk to my pain like this (mine tends to show up in my back or thigh) and I’ve actually felt it LEAVE just by acknowledging that it’s emotional stuff going on for me and that structurally, my body is totally fine.
If this sounds intriguing to you – check out books by Dr. John Sarno. His stuff has changed my life. Seriously.
Loving you ~
P.S. And think about this: Did you ever hear about people complaining about that thing you don’t want talk about when people used typewriters? They were even HARDER to type on and society wasn’t up in arms about that thing you don’t want to talk about. Why? Because it didn’t exist. Now that it “exists” the mind uses it as a place to hide our emotional pain. That’s why it can be so helpful to remind ourselves of the mind/body connection.
Monas last blog post..monagrayson: Yikes! Your kids are talking back AGAIN? You’ll wanna watch this: http://is.gd/leVy