Where I cover the good and the hard in my week, visiting the non-preachy side of ritual and self-reflection.
And you get to join in if you feel like it.
I am currently away at the VICARAGE, and I am both on silent retreat and also taking silent retreat!
So this will be a very brief chicken, and, as always, a space for you to play if you like.
What worked?
Trusting. Playing. Experimenting.
I borrowed from Rally (Rally!) the idea that Everything That Happens At Rally is Part Of Rally, Even When It Feels Like It’s Taking You Away From Rally.
In other words, even when not-relaxing things happen as I am away on silent retreat, they are somehow part of the bigger experience and they are potentially useful/important.
Deciding in advance this is the filter for an experience has an astonishing effect on how I feel.
Next time I might…
Take more time for entry.
As always: preparing for the voyage makes everything better.
The hard.
- Being off, because: time off. Even when it is what I wanted.
- Doubting myself.
- Missing. (Things, people, occasions, moments, colors, smells…)
- Longing.
- Seeing truth.
- Knowing that this time is going to end sooner than I think.
The good.
- Horizon.
- Water.
- Body.
- Time.
- Space.
- Peacefulness.
- Glowing.
- Seeing truth.
- Presence.
- The compass.
- Being the pirate queen, on the water.
- Freedom and spaciousness. Pleasure and grace
Superpowers!
A superpower I had this week…
The superpower of knowing that there is a time and a place for everything, and following my instinct about when and where.
And a superpower I want next week.
Remembering why this is important.
Playing live at the meme beach house — the Fake Band of the Week!
Background. Ez and I make up bands. Stu (retired Bolshevik-fearing voice-to-text software) once invented hanging out at the Meme Beach House“. It’s just one guy.
This week’s band is from Richard and they play loud, happy swing tunes. Give it up for my new favorite act:
Slam O’Clock
Though, of course, it’s really just one guy.
Hallo Hallo! I am saying Hallo Hallo. Announcement time.
Picture me wearing that crazy hat…
I recommend the thing that I used most this week: the monster coloring book and manual.
That’s it for me …
Join my Friday ritual in the comments if you feel like it. Or call silent retreat!
We let people have their own experience. We’re supportive and welcoming. And we don’t give advice (unless people specifically ask for it).
Wishing you a glorrrrrrrrrrrrious day, a restful weekend and a happy week to come.
Shabbat shalom.
p.s. It’s fine if it’s not Friday anymore. There’s complete chicken amnesty — join in whenever (or not) and it’s no big deal.
Follow
This has certainly been a week.
Hard:
Weird sleep things for me and MrB both.
Missing people.
Furnace and toilet both not working right and the repairmen don’t seem to understand that there is even a problem!
The secret iguana in my laptop that eats documents and email about things it doesn’t want me to do.
Feeling cold even when/where it’s not cold.
Good:
Community college class I teach has begun. And three students enrolled after the first session, based on what they heard about the class!
MrB’s foot pronounced healed once again. And he’s been walking more.
The Boomerang Boy had a crisis and it did not become mine.
A very Fluent-Self-ified conversation with MrB.
Helping a new friend with a profound need.
Interesting insights.
Deciding to voyage with the Floop next year.
Learning a bodywork technique that will help with one of MrB’s problems.
Reading aloud.
Serendipitous encounters with resources for projects.
So much Good! Yay!
Waving hi to Havi and the Chickeneers.
Cheers, Chickeneers!
The Hard
– not getting to go to Hawaii for work (I was looking forward to it but the trip is now more expensive than the budget for the trip – sad panda me)
– having to collaborate on a project with People Who Wait Until The Last Minute
– husband who is under the weather
The Good
– tea and crafts with good friends
– saying no to additional committee service even when I was being pressured
– being very grounded throughout the week
Hello loves and Good Morning February!!
what worked this week:
-Exiting the Day with tea
-playing with time
-Keping My Word
next time:
-more conscious ntry
-more sleep
-more Movement time
the Hard:
-i went to the Landmark Forum last weekend (which was good) but there was a bunch of hard there too:
-13 hours in a room with strangers in a chair = My vision of hell
-being challenged by forum and triggered
-nt enough sleep, no Movement AT ALL last week
-Creating a Possibility of Keeping My word, finding PuppyTime is not Congrunet with that possibility (or isit? still Investigating)
the Good:
-good things coming from the Forum, including
-lots of good times and giggling with husnand. things are very good with us right now
-being far more effective at work this week
-feeling really liberated fro so much crap in my past
-all inds of great possibilities coming in
-the Book of Time and the Three!! Oh how I love my Havi tools!! joy and play and fun and possibility!
-looking forward to the YEAR, setting sail this month!! whee!!
anyone have any feedback, good or bad, abuout Landmark Education, I would love to har it. still processing it all.
Happy Friday, Shabbat Shalom and a Joyous Imbolc to all!
The hard:
– Dental stuff. Not just for me, but for the guy. And huge history of stuff. And then emergencies while we’re there, and then the pain afterwards.
– Still detangling from a group that does stuff I very much believe in, but I don’t have the capacity to be involved anymore. And the detangling is slower and longer than I want it to be taking.
– It is tax time.
The good:
– More congruence. More alignment.
– Progress on projects. Stalled things unstalling.
– Even getting the dental stuff done is progress.
– New systems for keeping on top of stuff.
Next time I might try:
– Even more rest. (yes, I realize I’m saying this every week. And it’s true. More rest.)
– More ease. More comfort.
The hard this week
–Weird body stuff: neck tension, body aches, insomnia. All the blergh.
–The Minister is not yet recovered from her immersion, so our homelife is kind of screwed up, routine-wise.
–The house is kind of a wreck. No, worse than that.
–Alternately feeling energized and completely wrecked.
–Running out of energy pretty quickly.
The good this week
–I had a bunch of really great coaching calls.
–I had a great mastermind call.
–I didn’t get sick even though I kept feeling like I was about to get sick.
–We ate vegetables!
–I moved some projects forward at work.
–I’m slowly being able to integrate useful planning into my life — the kind that works for me, instead of the kind that makes me feel guilty.
–We put a deposit down on the movers and bought the boxes for our move this summer.
What worked? Conducting. I like it. A lot.
Next time I might… do it more!
Hard: Interacting with some procrastination patterns — hard to be patient with myself, hard not to get tangled up in my fears about what others might think.
Good: Singing, writing, playing. (WHAM BOOM!)
Superpowers! This week: The Power of Pause. Next week: The Power of Play!
Happy Friday and Happy February!
What worked?
-Conducting. waaay more effective than i thought it could be.
-The 27s conference!
-Widdershins Wednesday
-Finally painting my nails
-Listening to my body
-Not assuming that ppl are mad at me
What might I try next time?
-Take Airborne the minute I start coughing
-Do some work in the soft to help make conscious am and pm routines
-Always charge my phone!
-Experiment more with Silent Retreat
The Hard:
-Work was pretty overwhelming at times
-All my usual pain, plus sore forarms from work injuries
-I have a wicked cough/sore throat, and possibly fever. I was not in any condition to be at work today, but I wss.
-My car suddenly died Weds nite, whixh led to a minor freakout. Then it died again Thurs morning. I had to call into work, call a towtruck, wait in the cold car, and get a ride to work. Then I found out the problem was the alternator. Fortunately they fixed it that day, but half my paycheck is now theirs.
-Too. Much. Work. I’m tired.
The Good:
-I was very calm and accepting of the car situation on Thurs. This was directly correlated, in my opinion, with all the conducting I did the day before.
-I had enough money to fix my car!
-Got some very good + important info on my biggest/ildest iguana
-I changed the page on the Stompopolis calendar, and I love it even more than January 🙂
-Incredible moments of love and sweetness with a few of my students
-Finished reading a book I’ve wanted to read for a long time
-My man has a functuonal car again! And he’s coming to my Superbowl party (go Niners!)
-Silent retreat!
*runs away*
Reading people’s goods and hards and sending good thoughts for both.
The Hard:
Blisters on the soles of my feet due to 3 miles of walking in the city in heeled boots. See also: sore calves and shins.
Wanting to go out and none of my friends are free.
Cold hands.
Too much sugar. Desperately craving it and then feeling gross. Advices welcome here – what does this mean?
The Good:
2 amazing meetings with Advocates yesterday, people with maps to get me further down the road. And they pointed me down the path towards the keepers of the keys and gold coins. So much help and encouragement.
Another returned email from a Diplomat who also has maps, and possibly keys. And gold coins. Rendezvous being scheduled.
Bills paid. Puppies outside the door have full bellies and are napping.
Two friends who really want to go to Bolivia have gotten their tickets and are on the train! So much gladness for people to get what they want and want what they get! Also, tiny Bolivians, squee!
No traveling this weekend.
What worked?
* Asking for more time.
* Recognizing that x and y would hoover up more time than I can spare.
* Making a Ways This Could Work list for something I was feeling unhappy about.
Next time I might… acknowledge the gut feelings sooner. And get scientific with the monsters on all the times I have been brave.
Hard:
* big bout of meh
* not feeling warm enough — both literally and figurative
* unusual leaking and cracking
* acknowledging that I can’t spend time on z if I want As
* shopping for glasses and clothes online no longer working out
Good:
* HVAC fix was quick and not as expensive as I’d feared
* schedules allowing for slippage. And naps.
* honoring limits
* thrilled to find out that a friend received a major award
* there is now a lamp next to the sofa
* seeing deer on today’s hike. More trails newly mulched with what used to be Christmas trees.
Shabbat shalom and warm wishes!
What worked:
Baby steps. Little bit at a time… Being happy for every little bit that’s done, and kept up.
What didn’t:
Spending out of sentiment. Then ending up broke. No good.
Next time I might:
Do sentiment differently. It’s not about money.
The hard:
Saying goodbye, but not… and regret.
Seeing what still needs to be done.
Patience.
The good:
Saying hello to February, and looking back on the synchronicity of January.
Stone skipping!
Journaling.
Happy dogs.
Superpowers!
Acceptance. <3
Learning ease.
Sugar advices for seagirl: From my 'what worked' and my sugary past… baby steps. Crave it, eat a little, feel crappy. Try fruit next time. Buy super dark chocolate bars, but only eat one square verrrry slowly, so you savor the sugar, but don't actually eat so much. Fruit and leetle bits of dark chocolate almost always work for me now. 🙂
Hey there Chickeneers!
Glad to see you all.
Reading through your posts and sending waves of “hello hello”
What worked?
One-foot-in-front-of-the-other….
That sounds a bit… trudgey… and I suppose it was, but it worked to keep me moving through.
Next time I might…
Ease up a bit sooner.
Know that… Yes… this is the direction we are headed.
Encourage the one foot two foot red foot blue foot.
But also – go sit under that imaginary tree in the imaginary SUNSHINE and take a quiet moment to rest and recover and let this new material sink in to yourSelf.
The hard:
– the trudgery drudgery nature of work this week.
– the cold the relentless cooooooollllld.
– the sore ache in my hands from the cold.
– the fear that I may have taken a left turn at Albuquerque.
The good:
+ moving forward… moving forward… moving forward even so.
+ the presence of The Women I Can Say Anything To.
+ food. cooking simple tasty food. eating simple tasty food.
+ picking up the guitar again.
+ knowing deep down – deep knowing – that all will be well. All will be well.
Superpowers!
A superpower I had this week…
Oh I don’t know…. oof…. um….maybe….
Standing and walking through the sludge? Strength in that. Strong heart in that.
Yes.
That.
And a superpower I want next week.
Clarity of vision.
Must have.
Please.
Thanks my fellow chickens (and HAVI).
For being here and allowing space for little lurker fish like me.
go easy ~p
The hard
Something I’m silent retreating on.
Someething else I’m silent retreating on.
Ha, basically everything that’s hard is either super personal or I don’t feel I can currently explain it. So let’s just say, this week has been really, really hard.
Oh, and I know also have a very scratchy, painful throat.
The Good
It’s getting lighter.
Read two more Mary Russell novels.
Getting to dress up 1920s style for White Mink, and the evening itself.
Maybe all the things that have [annoyed me and] kept me from chickening until now are exactly the right things and this is exactly the right time. Maybe.
What worked:
– Staying open to the idea that the way it’s happening might be the way it’s supposed to happen, and that staying aware of it might be helpful in some small way.
– Re-entering.
– Clarity! Clarity. Clarity.
– Choosing the easiest most compassionate thing, and letting that be enough.
– Noticing resentment and avoiding the things that cause it.
– Sleeping in. (Monsters are flabbergasted, but getting up at noon every day really worked this week.)
– Taking time (hehe) to listen to the time recording. Slowly. With no pushing to finish.
What I might try next time:
– Taking time to write -before- it becomes so urgent that I’m ready to kill anyone/thing that gets between me and my keyboard.
– Conscious entry beforehand. Way beforehand. Several days in advance. For everything.
The Hard:
– The hard-won two hours for a date that I didn’t enter properly until an hour into it. Better than if I hadn’t entered at all, but hopes were dashed, etc.
– Spending all my time working on a bunch of gunk in a relationship. Yay for clearing gunk and all, but that was exhausting.
– Still in recovery from the last few weeks. Everything involving people is hard again and it’s reminding me of various thens when it was hard to be around people for years. I don’t want to be a hermit for years again.
– I JUST want FOUR HOURS to work in a GIVEN WEEK! Is it TOO MUCH to ASK?!?! (-dramatic hand gesture-)
– I have stuff about leaving the baby with people and stuff about not leaving the baby with people and the person living with us who’s supposed to be watching her is busy and there is just a lot of stuff (mine still) in this situation.
– Beauty is one of those qualities that, while lovely, can hand you all your stuff on a platter in about two seconds flat.
– Breastfeeding nearly constantly means nearly constant time on Twitter means eventual overload of Everyone’s Stuff on the Internet.
The Good:
– Is there anything more fun than flirting over text message? SO FUN.
– Last summer I met someone who I thought would be the perfect partner for [secret project], but I wasn’t ready to work on [secret project] yet and I didn’t even get his contact info or anything and I was sad that I’d never see him again. And then on Thursday morning I did a bunch of work on [secret project] and Thursday afternoon I ran into him in a super magical place that has important connections to [secret project]! And I still wasn’t ready to talk to him about being my partner, but now I feel much better about the whole thing.
– Took my daughter to my favorite park and introduced her to the trees and the roses and the bricks and all the things I love the most. And she looked and listened and smiled at it all. Because she is the best.
– Composed various babytalk songs, including “Babiest babe in the world,” and “Honey bunny buns.” I’m singing them all the time in my loudest voice and cracking myself up.
– Everything is better in the purple house. Even the purple house being a mess is okay in the purple house. And we’ve finally done enough energy rearranging that the magic is starting to get sparkly.
– Downton Abbey! I wasn’t going to succumb but I did and it is so good. Now to find season two.
– Even if all the trying to be conscious didn’t result in the immediate effects I wanted, it really played out well over the course of 48 hours and everything is much better. Of course. Like always.
HARD!
+still pushing off completing [Project Gpacs]
+just, too many projects, even though Monsters insist that actually I’ve got it backwards and there really aren’t ENOUGH projects
+the horrible horrible horrible horrible nightmare
+being afraid to [face the nightmare]
+[getting hit by] the [Storm]
+crashlanding on Op: Costume Party
+seemingly endless Flippering
+turning my head the other way about [why I’m not dealing with the MBP thing]
+still still STILL trying to get my Magic Bus Pass to work
+the ACHINGLY inconvenient crush #184885483818405
GOOD!
+lots of good journaling!
+energy clearing with Leela!
+making myself a Gwishery to play in
+bibliophiliac rampage! READ ALL THE BOOKS!!!
+the quest for new music!
+piano Practice
+dipping my toe into the […] pool
+clear to try [Op: DarkWingDuck]
+practicing Letting Things Go
+remembering to Set Things Up
+starting REHEARSALS!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeEEEeeEEE!!
+coconut haystacks
+invented a recipe for vegan moqueca!
+discovered Zentangles!
things that worked…
+baking!
+the IDEA/INTENTION of a meditation practice
+magic rainbow spreadsheet
+the Qualities playground!
+Zentangles!
+thousandwordsing
+new contacts!
next time i might…
+STOP if something that “should” be working for me isn’t
+Enter more
+approach the Costume Party differently
+experiment with [meditation] differently
+Wrap Up [Project Gpacs]…with wrapping paper
some super powers that I’ve been using…
+Lime Juice Power
+Nap[kin] Power
+Super Night Vision
+Super Let’s See What Happens Power, which partners well with
+Super Let It Be Power
some superpowers i invoke…
+Super Restful Sleep Power, which partners with
+Super Pillow Power
+Super Secret Agent Power
Happy Chicken, all—and happy Vicarage, Havi!
Since I’m leaving for the Great Escape on Thursday (Thursday!), I’m treating the time between the previous Chicken and Zero Launch as one big expando-week. Lots of both hard and good, but mainly it was THE WEEK OF WHAM BOOM! So I’ll just focus on that:
Operation Gubmint: WHAM BOOM!
Operation Hickory Dickory Dock: WHAM BOOM!
Operation Annie Get Your Gun: WHAM BOOM!
Operation Little Green Men: WHAM BOOM!
Operation Twinkie: WHAM BOOM!
Operation Medici: WHAM BOOM TIMES FIVE!!!!
Still chippin’ away at Operation Giddy Up, Operation Poker Face, Operation Seed Puff and Operation Duck Alignment, but celebration is imminent. And then I’ll be able to Launch with a serious trail of smokin’ Wham-Boom-ness behind me.
I’d like to invoke the superpowers of Seeing it Through, Staying Power and Enoughness to help me through to the end.
Happy week to all!