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.
I’ve been sick all week, so I pretty much missed out on oh, everything as I wasn’t doing much and certainly wasn’t being especially mindful about the rest.
Mostly I was drinking tea and feeling sorry for myself, to be honest.
Let’s see …
The hard stuff
Being sick! Poor me!
Aside from not being able to work, it screws up everything else as well.
My staff and I were having technical issues up the wazoo with The Next Big Thing. And I wasn’t really able to keep up.
Anyway, 99% of what I do involves me thinking. And I can’t really do it when my head is filled with what feels like a mixture of clouds, cotton batting, dry leaves and goo.
The things I normally do that get me back in the swing of things (Shiva Nata, non-sucky yoga, meditating, writing) were also not working.
Well, let’s just say that I couldn’t stop blowing my nose long enough to do them, and probably wouldn’t have felt like it even if I could.
In fact, nothing was working.
As you know if you work with my products, I’m a big believer in what I call “multi-directional work” — using a variety of techniques simultaneously for better effects.
So if, for example, you have a cold, you could do like this:
On the physical level: drink fluids, take naps, give your face steam-baths.
On the energy level: breathing exercises, acupressure, reiki
On the emotional level: talking through emotional issues and themes that might be behind the illness.
On the mental level: same, only with journaling and much more systematically. Dance of Shiva FTW.
On the awareness/spiritual level: meditation, prayer, etc.
The idea is, one level might not be working for you, but as long as you combine you can get through it. I’ve never had this not work.
But this time it didn’t work. Which makes me think, okay, maybe this is just a week off and that’s that. So I’ve been enjoying the week off.
It might have been more fun if I’d had energy to do anything other than blow my nose and make pitiful groaning noises, but what the hell. A week off is a week off.
Snow.
It has been snowing all week in Portland. Which is not what I signed up for.
Please don’t tell me you like snow or that it’s pretty or whatever. I do not care. I hate snow and you can’t make me like it.
Snow reminds me of the incredibly long, incredibly depressing winter I spent in Madison, Wisconsin — an otherwise lovely place — and how all of my skin reacted to the cold by peeling off. Like sunburn only under one’s clothes.
It reminds me of my childhood in Michigan. Going to school in the dark. Coming home in the dark. Cold and scared. Horrible.
It reminds me of being dirt poor in Berlin, with the coal heaters spitting out black smoke and not doing nearly enough to heat the one lonely apartment in an otherwise abandoned building.
Did I add that I was screaming-in-pain ill from an ear infection so disastrous and blood-and-gunk-gushingly gross that the doctor (an ear-nose-and-throat specialist) said she had never seen anything like it?
Don’t talk to me about snow.
Trapped.
As you might have guessed by this point, not crazy about snow. Also the streets were icy. Also I was sick.
So I haven’t left the house since Saturday. Even canceled my acupuncture for today so really, who knows if or when I will ever leave.
This might also be a contributing factor in my new identity as CrankyPants McGrumbleMuffin.
The good stuff
If one must be snowed in, at least it’s in Hoppy House!
Seriously?
If we were still at the old place and I hadn’t left in a week … I’d be clawing the walls right now and throwing the world’s biggest temper tantrum from within my strait jacket.
Luckily, Hoppy House is the perfect place to be trapped. I’ve barely even noticed.
As long as I can snuggle up by the fireplace, eating walnuts and feeling sorry for myself, how bad is it? Not that bad.
You guys rock.
On Friday I had the idea of throwing together a fun, interesting course based on our Blogging Therapy series.
Planned it Saturday. Wrote the post Sunday. Posted Monday. And by early Tuesday afternoon the class was already full.
I remember back when I used to write a regular noozletter. And how much work it was to announce something in a way that people would actually notice it.
And then all the time I’d spend writing promo emails to fill a class. And then all the agonizing over whether it was too much or too little. Ick.
This, if anything, is why this blogging thing is so genius. I didn’t have to sell this class. I didn’t have to promote it.
Wrote about it once. Referenced it once. Linked to it on Twitter once. Done.
One of the things I’m going to be teaching in my Next Big Thing is every single thing I know about what I think of as “hard-to-get marketing”.
In other words, how to demonstrate that what you do is appealing without saying that it’s appealing or going after people and trying to convince them that it’s appealing.
But really, the reason it all works is that you guys are bright, creative fun people and I like you. It just makes the whole thing easier.
So heartfelt thanks to the ten lovely people who grabbed their seats before the doors closed. And to everyone else who expressed interest. And to everyone who generously spread the word and shared their excitement. I adore you all madly.
Speaking of how cool you are …
Remember on Sunday when Kelly put up her personal ad here? Uh, stop sending her stuff!
But wow. It was amazing. She got over sixty responses — each one “thoughtful and delightful” — from the people who read this blog.
Yay. Thank you. I’ll talk more about this later, but for now, just know that you’re awesome.
I love teaching!
This weekend I got to be the “guest expert” person at Jennifer Hofmann‘s Inspired Home Office spa day thing.
And I taught a very silly Shiva Nata class (even though it got mostly snowed out). We were goofy and giddy and giggling, and had the New York Times photographer snapping shots right and left, but we all got some serious head-clearing done.
Fun fun fun.
Is this not the sweetest thing ever?
From one of my readers:
“I love reading your writing. It’s like having your heart put on a cushion and given a cup of tea.”
Oh, what a lovely thing to say. I mean, if one doesn’t take it literally. That would just be disturbing.
I love it.
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.
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Sweet. If I’m not too slow, I’m going to be first.
ONE: I have also come to loathe snow, winter, and cold. The claustrophobia you describe is right on. And the funny thing is, there’s even a blog entry in my archive… and I think in my book… about how I LIKE the snow and winter. That changed when I had kids. I don’t know why, but it did. Now it feels like the walls are closing in and that I’m trapped in a box from early November through late March. It makes everything in my life frightening and worthy of worry. I freak out over nothing.
So my wife and I have “declared to the universe” that we’re moving to Charlotte, N.C. before the next winter. We have no idea how this will happen, but we’re determined that it will.
TWO: You’re quite worldly, aren’t you? I figured you were from Israel, but now we’re hearing about Berlin. What’s the detail? Könst du Deutch, un woraus stammst du? Oder sag ich jetzt, was keines versteht?
Johnny Truants last blog post..Unfortunately, pants
I know many of your fellow igloo dwellers up there, so good luck staying warm. Have you looked to see if there is a Selma sized snow plow attachment available? Perhaps she could head out to clear a path for you.
It may be a tiny, narrow path, but a few dozen passes with some serious ducktermination and I bet she could have you free in no time.
Havi,
no snow here in Berlin, but the days are grey (yesterday we had a 1 minute sunny spell that made me miss sun more than ever), and terribly short. Going to the office in darkness and returning from work in darkness – yuck! Yet,there are some rumours that sun will come back on monday.
Wishing you all the best with your cold!
Ulla Hennigs last blog post..Simply the Best
Sounds like you are taking the right approach to the cold and the snow. I love the snow and have determined that having the right tools makes all the difference. I am excited about the new snow shovel I bought this week. How sad is that. But I guess that is the good in this week.
Oh, an in addition to the snow shovel (and using it), I’ve been writing content for the new website. blog posts, etc. An exciting move. And my gentleman friend came back from 3 weeks in Europe.
And Johnny, the key to enjoying snow with kids is putting them in snowsuits (and you) and going outside and playing in it. Sleds. Skis. Snowpeople. Snow angels. You also need scarves, hats and mitts. Plural. Pretend you are 6 again.
JoVEs last blog post..Update on goings on around here
JoVE – I agree in principle, but this is a visceral, beneath-the-skin feeling. I think I’d go ahead and call it a season affective disorder. It can’t be played away. It feels like the sky is falling and that all of my “challenges” are much worse than I know I’d perceive them on a long, sunny day.
The thing is, in Ohio, you don’t just get cold and snow. You get haze. You literally get cloudy, gray skies from October until April. It’s like the sun isn’t even up there. That can be a real bummer.
Johnny Truants last blog post..Unfortunately, pants
3 1/2 weeks ago I moved back from South Carolina, where the high today is 73 F, to our favourite city on the Huron where we are in the middle of getting 10″ of snow in 12 hours and it is 26 F. And the sky has been sheet gray since I got back. And I’m starting to forget what the sun looks like. And they’re laying off 97000 people per day. I’m thinking Albuquerque…. sun… I need sun. And I like desert plants.
Hi Sweetie,
So sorry that you’re soooooo sick! And I know what a drag it can be when all the cool, conscious, hippie things that you know to do to make something better JUST DON’T WORK! I experienced that big time when I went through menopause. I’m hoping that I learned some things about surrender and being with the unknown and accepting what is and blah, blah, blah, but mostly it just sucked and I’m glad it’s over.
Snow? I grew up in Pittsburgh, PA and moved to California for many reasons but one of those reasons? No Snow. Unless I want it ( which is hardly ever) and then I can go to it and I don’t ever have to worry about it making unannounced and unwelcome visits to me.
So happy that you have Hoppy House to keep you sane and , well……Hoppy!!
So when does the tantalizing and titillation stop about this fabulous NEXT NEW THING and we finally get the scoop? Huh? Huh? Just for the record I’m ready to get the details and sign the fuck up already!!!! Just sayin’!
Love you biggest bunches and sending lots of healing energy to your fluffy, stuffy head and your drippy, blowy nose.
Chris
chris zydels last blog post..PAIN FREE CREATIVITY: YOU DON’T REALLY NEED TO SUFFER FOR YOUR ART
Havi, I share both your aversion to snow and your delight in being home-bound when the world outside is frozen silver. 🙂 Despite 38 years in the Pacific Northwest, I’m still a Bombay girl at heart. Which means, the blur of cold, grey skies, rain, sleet and snow that is our part of the world from November to March confounds me.
When my kids were little, they loved snow. They’d stay outside scooting down the hillside on little plastic sleds and building snow forts and shrieking with laughter every time one of their snow tunnels collapsed, burying them until they could dig their way out.
I’d stay indoors and make hot soup and pile warm towels by the front door so they could dry off when they got in the house. And my heart would lift and smile each time I heard their screams of delight.
Now, each snow day for me is a curl-up-by-the-fire in pyjamas day, or sit-by-the-glow-of-the-computer-screen- and-write day, which is how I make my peace with winter. And because I live in a house whose every window looks out over ocean and sky and tall, elegant firs and majestic eagles and yesterday, six trumpeter swans winging across the sky, I’m happy to be snowbound. For a while.
Hope you feel SO much better soon, and can breathe and think and all that other lovely stuff you do. Be well, dear Havi.
Love to you on this snowy morning,
Hiro
Hiro Bogas last blog post..Happy Thanksgiving, Baby
Shitty week. Shitty. Shitty. Shitty. (Sorry to Havi’s mom for the cursing.)
Should have been a glorious week … major project completed TWO WEEKS ahead of schedule. Job interview (for something I actually wanted). Excitement about blog revival.
Everything upended and gone to shit.
One bright spot … a yoga hippie and her duck. You have been my lifeline to sanity this week. You’re good even when you’re feeling the way my week has been.
Thank you dearest Havi.
christys last blog post..The Home of Independent Thought . . . or . . . On Not Taking Things at Face Value
The good: reading and loving and referring to and commenting on (and did I mention LOVING) new and/or favorite blogs, found and shared via this fun, addictive grapevine called Twitter.
The not-as-good: not wanting to do much else! The exchanges I’m feeling are palpable, and being a hedonist, I can’t risk getting further addicted.
But @Havi’s been a bright spot in the good of this week, so I’ll use her teachings to address the not-so-good and, like she’s taking a body-ordered break from running errands in the snow, so too will I try to take a focus-ordered break from the online mainlining I’ve been enjoying. Thanks for being a swell teacher (especially in your previous post.)
Last Buttinski: Christy — just keep the hell writing, write right through the shitty-shit; your Twitching Grey Matter is one of my “good this week” treats!
I agree with Ms GirlPie.
@Christy – Keep writing! Sorry your week’s been so miserable.
@Chris – Thanks for my first happy laugh of the day.
@Brandon – Somehow I forgot that you moved back to A2 at the worst time of year to do so!!! Ugh. Sorry.
But think how pretty it will be in March. Or April. Well, May.
@Hiro, Johnny and Jeff – thanks for cheering me up!
@JoVE – have fun out there with your mittens and your gentleman friend and all that white stuff!
@Ulla – Oh, Berlin! If it weren’t for November through February, I would move back in a second. It’s my favorite city.
Hope you get another sunny spell to help you through the grey. And in the meantime … drink a glass of Carokaffee for me. 🙂
@Johnny … I’m a woman of mystery, dontcha know? You can’t be the only cloaked hero/villain on the internet.
It’s a good thing you’re not in Madison this winter – we got a foot of snow overnight and we’re looking at another 6 inches this weekend. Well, I’m looking at it. From inside. By the fire. Under a quilt. With a book.
Melodee Pattersons last blog post..7 Things You Probably Don’t Know About Me
Okay, I give in. You guys have real reasons to hate winter. Haze. No sun. Wet. Yuck. Go ahead. I hate that, too. Although it is cloudy today, I know that it will be sunny. -10C sunny and snow on the ground is my favourite kind of winter day. I wear sunglasses in winter here. It is extra bright when all the surfaces are covered in snow. I lived in England for almost 15 years and after a while that grey wet winter thing really got to me. I MISSED Ottawa winters.
JoVEs last blog post..Update on goings on around here
Sucky stuff: Um. I had a surgery on Monday. Yeah. Not cool, not fun. But it went well, which is good. (The thing is that I’d been feeling for quite some time like, “What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with me?” And it turned out that there *was* something wrong with me. And now, it’s all better. Well, it’s not *all* better but the surgery went well and things are looking good.)
Sucky/non-sucky part: This means I had about three days to recover and then um…..travel. (It wasn’t too terribly bad, but I was beyond exhausted when I got to my destination.)
Also sucky: It’s amazing how much you can miss by being ‘out of touch’ for a couple of days.
Non-sucky: This means I’m now ‘recovering’…..at my parent’s house! (Nothing like mom and dad doting on you to make you feel all warm and happy and taken care of! ha)
Definitely non-sucky!!: As I saw that a winter storm was coming through, I headed for my parent’s house for the holidays. And…um….my parents live in Florida. It’s fabulously warm here and I’ll be here long enough that a trip or two to the beach to visit the love of my life — the ocean — will be in store. (YAY!) Oh!! And my brother! I get to hang out with my brother! (I adore my brother!)
Also non-sucky: I have had all these ideas of things to write and a series to write and all sorts of stuff! (I’ll be working on that soon!)
I’m catching up on posts I’ve missed this week. And am SO happy that if you’re stuck somewhere, it’s in the Hoppy House! Hope you feel better soon! (And yeah! The people around this place are fabulous!)
All the best!
deb
The Good: on week-long ski vacation in the mountains where I’m breaking up bouts of super-fun-exciting work on new blog and website by shoop-shooping through the 30 inches of snow we’ve gotten just since we’ve been here this week. God, I love Colorado. (I see that I’m in the minority here, but for those of you snow-haters, you need one month, one month in central Florida in the summer. Sweating through your entire suit on the way to work, 85 degree lows at night, third-degree burns from the seat belt. You’d be wishing for frost in no time.) 🙂
Not So Good: overwhelmed. All the new, fun things are leaving me a bit breathless. Struggling to get some balance back, but afraid to slow down and miss out on something.
Also, so sorry to hear you’ve been sick, Havi. Hope you’re on the mend enough to enjoy the weekend.
Another Good: Catching up on posts and seeing all the familiar faces. It’s so amazing to me that my world has opened up to some truly kick-ass people.
I hate the snow and I hate being sick, so Havi, I feel for you.
I live in a city in the northeast where they don’t know how to deal with what little snow actually falls here. There’s always an absurd run on milk and bread at the supermarkets, and it’s always a sloppy mess. And if that weren’t enough, people put that salty stuff on their sidewalks, and where am I supposed to walk my dog?! And people love dogs in this neighborhood, this is dog central! I have to map out our walks around it, and then wash her little feets off every time.
Funny, though, when I was in Iceland, the snow was no big deal. Not that there wasn’t a lot of it, but in the sense that it wasn’t a big deal to ME. Probably because I expected the snow, and because it doesn’t phase Icelanders — they made it seem normal. Plus, there, it looked like snow on the moon, and who doesn’t like that?
Feel better!
Hola snowy peoples!
Well… that’s a nice bit of perspective for Southern Hemispherian me who’s been complaining about having to wear a jumper during summer 🙂
My suggestion… is… light many candles. It might just make you feel warmer and brighter and closer to the sun 🙂
Goddess Leonie I Creative Goddesss last blog post..Following the wild little calling
Poor Havi. I SO empathise as I also have the evil-cold-nothing-works-to-get-over-it-bug at the moment. Here (UK) it is grey, grey, grey and not at all Christmassy and I’d give anything for cold bright blue skies and snow. Hey ho. Each to their own I guess. Your writing cheered me up lots and always does – thank you! Stay warm, give in to it and rest, and drink lots of hot water and lemon juice!
Hi Havi
Hope you’re on the mend by now. How are you doing today – it’s Sunday!
The good: Right at this moment, looking out my kitchen window as I write you at these huge beautiful icicles and listening to my windchime as my cat sleeps in the basket by me.
I’ve been grooving on the snow this year which is new for me. I take the dogs out for a midnight stroll and it does great things for me – I sleep really well after having some quiet time with them. Being as the kids are home and they are major sports fans, peace and quiet is especially appreciated as is nonverbal communication with my animals – they get it!!
Other good stuff: The kids are home and getting along really well and appreciating each other. Our family is going through a really welcome shift – with 3 of us it was always 2 against one. I pointed it out and they had noticed it too. Since we’re all adults now, just the awareness shifted it and we actually enjoy each other all at the same time. . . that’s miraculous!!
Other good stuff: Went to dinner with my oldest who I was concerned had a drinking problem. After a year, I’ve realized he’s just 23 and acting much better than I did at that age. He’s fine and we can enjoy a drink together . . . there’s something about knowing he’s okay as well as the joy of sharing a pitcher of margaritas or a glass of wine that makes me sooo sooo relieved and happy.
Other good: Found a great website called http://www.recipzaar.com which has excellent recipes – made corned beef and cabbage last night that came out great; other recipes are on the horizon while the kids are home as they eat everything in site. I tend to eat more simply when they aren’t here. I’ve found a renewed interest in cooking that I’m just loving!!
The Not So Good: Chop wood carry water can be a challenge here – I clean up and there’s another mess waiting. Just being mindful of the thoughts in my head and making a conscious choice to just do what I want to with it without being a martyr, neat freak, or resentful. Things are just too enjoyable to let that crap get in the way.
Thanks for listening everyone. . . and Havi, button up when you go out dear. . . . maybe your body is asking for rest as you give so much to so many. You’re a major source of insight and nurturance for me I know and I am so appreciative. I want that same thing for you dear – hope you’re okay by now. Don’t forget to ask for help.
xoxox
Char