Personal ads! They’re … personal! Very.
So my itty bitty personal ads made me realize that it’s time to make a regular practice of trying to feel okay asking for stuff.
Even when the asking thing feels weird and conflicted.
Ever since I posted the first one asking my perfect house to find me, which united me with Hoppy House, I have been a fan of the madness that is personal ads.
And now it’s my weekly ritual. Yay, ritual!
Let’s do this thing.
Thing 1: Perfect-for-me spot to lead a retreat.
Dear perfect-for-me spot to lead a retreat,
Selma and I will be teaching several retreats this year, and we are still looking for the perfect place for one of them. Maybe two of them.
We love you and we want to find you. Yes, it’s a little forward of me to declare undying love before we’ve even met, but I know you are waiting for me too.
You:
You are fun. You are calm. You are restful. You are beautiful. You have that certain magically charged something. We go zing together.
You are (ideally) on the west coast. I’d be happiest if you were somewhere between San Francisco and the Oregon coast.
But yeah, I’d be willing to go as far south as San Luis Obispo or as far north as Vancouver.
The important parts:
You have room for twenty people to stay comfortably. Mostly single rooms, with some doubles in case people want to share. But no more than two beds to a room.
Each bedroom needs to have its own bathroom.
You are not “rustic”. (No bunk beds, no log cabins, no antlers and/or potpourri hanging from walls).
Being with you is all about comfort. This is not a low-end production. We want to feel safe, supported and loved while we’re doing our wacky working-on-our-stuff stuff.
But on the other hand, you’re also not excessively super-fancy resort-ey (we’re not so into enormous flat-screen televisions or in-room massage or whatever).
The other bits:
I would love it if you had a labyrinth. Then I can do my wacky labyrinth exercise before we actually walk the labyrinth.
And, because of where you’re located, I already know that the food you provide is local, sustainable, simple and delicious, made with love, with plenty of options for vegetarians and omnivores alike.
We’re going to be doing yoga and Dance of Shiva, in addition to mad biggification and destuckifying. So we’ll need a comfortable place to do movement stuff.
A whiteboard! Is a good thing.
You like rubber ducks, right? Or at least the one who is my assistant. Because she’ll be co-teaching. 🙂
You have a functioning, usable website that I can send people to.
Oh, and it’s really important to me that someone who works for you actually responds when my (non-duck) assistant writes you emails asking questions. We’ve already had to disqualify a dozen places because they just don’t write or call back.
So yeah, I’m feeling a bit frustrated, which is why I’m so ready to meet you and click with you. Yup. Whiirrrrrrrr click.
My commitment.
I will love you madly.
I will treat you right.
We will leave you the way we found you.
We will clear the energy and fill it with sparkly wonder.
I will talk you up on my blog and with my duck-loving pirate cult. Having me be a part of your thing will biggify you.
And I promise to fill this retreat on my own with my own people. Not a problem.
That’s why I’m not interested in applying to be part of an events calendar.
Mmmm. And I don’t want to have to send a proposal. This is my proposal. It’s a love letter.
That’s it. I love you. I want to meet you. I want to nuzzle your ear. Metaphorically.
Love,
Havi (and Selma)
p.s. If you had a hot tub? Or are near some mineral springs or something? I would not complain.
Thing 2: A power-hitting outfielder for the Giants.
Here’s what I want:
My gentleman friend is a fairly fanatical San Francisco Giants fan, and I’ve kind of caught that tragic, tragic disease by osmosis.
Though, weirdly, I was somehow immune from it while I was still living in San Francisco.
Anyway, the pain of having dazzlingly strong pitching and … uh, not much else is just. too. much.
Ways this could work:
Honestly? I have no idea. Of all the ridiculous asks, this is up there.
Maybe the Giants front office could pull their heads out of the normal place their heads reside and start reading the McCovey Chronicles. Or Moneyball. Come on!
And since that’s not going to happen, maybe a miracle.
Maybe Matt Holliday will suddenly fall into our laps. I don’t know.
Or maybe I’ll just stop caring so much and the pain will go away. That could work too.
My commitment.
I will cheer.
I will try to stop rolling my eyes every time I hear any Giants-related news.
I will occasionally say something nice about Barry Zito.
I will allow my gentleman friend to totally co-opt my Very Personal Ads with his addictively obsessive passion.
Progress report on past Very Personal Ads.
Just to update you on what’s happened since … last time.
I asked for clarity with my Kitchen Table program changes for this coming year.
And got it in spades, thanks to help from Hiro and lots of invisible support. Yay.
My other ask was about cranking out blog posts to use during all the mad traveling I’m doing.
No progress on that one yet. I haven’t really had time to think about it since I was, uhhhh, traveling.
But I’ll sit with it some more. I may have to end up rewording the ask (or just rethinking how I want to ask for it).
What about you guys?
Comments. Since I’m already asking …
I am adding to my practice of asking for stuff by being more specific about what I would like to receive in the comments. And that way, if you feel like leaving one (you totally don’t have to), you get to be part of this experiment too. 🙂
Here’s what I want (just leave them in the comments):
- Your own personal ads, small or large. Things you’ve asked for. Or are asking for. Or would like to ask for. Or updates on last time!
What I would rather not have:
- Reality theories.
- Shoulds. As in, “You should be doing it like this” or “That’s not the right way to ask for things — instead it should be like x, y and z”
- To be judged or psychoanalyzed.
My commitment.
I am committing to getting better at asking for things even when asking feels weird. I commit to giving time and thought to the things that people say, and to interact with their ideas and with my own stuff as compassionately and honestly as is possible.
Thanks for doing this with me!
Follow
Havi, may your perfect retreat places find you in perfect timing!
My VPA today:
That my son and his wife find the perfect place to live, and find it easily and effortlessly. A place with at least one bedroom, a living room, kitchen, and laundry facilities, that they can readily afford. That’s comfortable, bright, beautiful, and where they can live happily with their cats. That’s walking distance to where he works. With a great landlord.
My commitment:
To hold the space for them to find this, and to help them in whatever way I can.
Love, Hiro
.-= Hiro Boga´s last post … Of Dragons and Queens . . . =-.
I did a whole blog post on this 🙂 but here’s the short version.
What I’m looking for:
Writing projects about any of the myriad of topics I’m interested in (food politics, nutrition, health and wellness, physical fitness, mixed martial arts, Brazilian jiu jitsu, gardening, wilderness awareness and survival, edible and medicinal plants, permaculture, neuroscience, education, philosophy, travel, interviews, reviews, etc.
The projects could be big or little as long as there is a steady stream of them, they pay well, and I’m working for/with people who are passionate, creative, idealistic, driven and good at communicating.
How This Could Happen:
I could get copywriting jobs I’ve applied for. I could work with web designers coming up with creative content for the sites they design. Someone could happen upon my web page or articles or this very site and decide I’m a good match for their existing business or project. I could find postings on freelancing sites, find steady work through Writer’s Market publications I query, find work through retweets or referrals or word of mouth, or find something magical in an unexpected way I am unable to fathom.
My commitment:
If hired, I will write kick-ass articles on any topic given. I will be reliable, low maintenance and a pleasure to work with. I will be a great communicator, address a ny concerns immediately, and make a referral if I feel I can’t do a fantastic job on a given assignment. I will meet or exceed deadlines and expecations. I will be fair and honest. I will use all of the skills I’ve acquired and resources available to me to be meticulous and thorough. I will take fact-checking seriously. I will put a creative and unique flair to all of my work. I will write from my heart so that my work really shines. I will continue with occasional volunteer writing for non-profit organizations or for good causes.
Ooh…I’m loving the description of your ideal retreat location, Havi. I hope it finds you quickly and easily!
My VPA this week:
That I find the ground under my newly self-employed feet with ease and curiosity and wonder. And that my Right People and I can connect with each other easily.
Ways this could happen:
No idea. Perhaps an inner knowing could make itself, uhh, known to me. Or my Muse could bop me over the head (gently!) with ideas and answers.
My commitment:
– To spend as much time as I can handle sitting with this transition, and doing Dance of Shiva and meditating.
– When I can’t handle it, to give myself permission to not-do those things.
– To give legitimacy to whatever I’m feeling about this huge change.
– To consider *thoughtfully* the ideas and inklings that come to me.
.-= Victoria Brouhard´s last post … Joining the Ranks =-.
Well, no answer to last week’s music identification ask. Still a few feelers out there that might turn something up. I did ask lots of people, so practice I guess.
This week… well, it hit me this morning. I want one of the two people who has certain photographs of me to email me copies of them. Because I looked good in that borrowed outfit with the awesome boots.
How this could happen: Not really sure as I’ve asked on and off over the span of years now. One hasn’t replied to any of my emails and the other says I should ask the former because her CDs with the photos are in storage.
Maybe this time she’ll have unpacked her old boxes from SF and have the files conveniently at hand on her computer. Or he will have them handy on his computer and will actually respond to my email.
Maybe I’ll find a better way to ask.
My commitment: to try again. Also to stop beating myself up for deleting the sent emails that had the photos as attachments back when yahoo had far less storage and gmail did not yet exist. I didn’t have enough space online nor a computer of my own at the time.
I’ll also (try to) stop beating myself up for not remembering to get those photos when I copied some others I wanted before leaving SF.
.-= claire´s last post … Gettin’ My Groove On… (vol. xii) =-.
What I Want
To chill out about my upcoming volunteer orientation. No sudden attacks of “I can’t do this”, no desires to hide under the bed rather than go out there and meet new people and do new things.
How This Could Happen
I have no idea. Maybe things click over in my brain. Maybe I remember to apply some of Havi’s techniques.
My Commitment
To go to orientation whether or not I’m chill about it. To do this thing.
I made one of my friends read your Thing 2, and he mostly agrees (he feels they need a good first baseman more). You poor aggrieved Giants fans, you!
Update on Previous: Got a ton of work done last week and only a brief time spent stuck in overwhelm, so that I’m feeling like I finally have mental tools to deal when it’s too much. Stocked up on a few good things each time I bought groceries, and now my house feels pleasantly full of goodness, though I do still need to lay in a few more supplies, it feels doable now.
This Week’s VPA: Less overwhelm, more doing. I have a whole lot on my plate right now, and I need to keep remembering to use my tools and not let myself go spinning off into anxious Piglet, and instead make Rabbit lists and check things off and just take it one item and one day at a time.
How This Might Happen: I could make a plan for the week and have things go smoothly. All wrenches could be caught and kept out of the works. I can find and use my external tools like Havi and Fabeku’s great recordings when I’m feeling too crazy. I can embrace my inner Piglet and soothe him where he is instead of trying to force him to be someone he’s not. Something could surprise me (in a good way) and loosen things up a little.
My commitment: To pause before I’ve wasted the whole day running in circles and figure out how to get out of the pattern. To not beat myself up if I can’t do everything as fast as I want to. To pause and breathe and drink tea. To make lists and then actually use them.
.-= Amy Crook´s last post … Gifts – It’s the Thought =-.
I agree with everyone else about the perfect retreat space and how it will all work out. 🙂
I am not sure that I VPA’d the need to fix the bobbin tension with my sewing machine (here anyway I know I did in my head), and this week I was able to get out the big clump of lint that was keeping me from getting “righty tighty”. Sewing is a pleasure again.
This week my VPA’s are more about “stuff” than “events” or “things”.
First ask: to have the right words when I speak with my friend who lost her husband on Friday. Our whole group is just in shock about it all and we are all finding our way in the dark. It doesn’t seem fair that she have to deal with her own illness and now this.
How this can happen: the words can come to me in a dream, or from journalling, or from a conversation with another friend. Or the way some of my answers come, through movie therapy. Other ways I have not thought of.
My commitment: to bring love to the table and be willing to listen if that is what is needed or to talk if that is what is needed. To let go of expectations that I can fix anything for her. To allow her her own feelings and her own response.
Second ask: to eliminate this hot button that I have about another woman who used to work with Marty. Every time I see her I go back to that horrible time three years ago when I lost my job and then Marty lost his job, and I feel angry and helpless and judged. And I find myself replaying that Quentin Tarantino movie that lives in my head. And then I feel bad about feeling so angry. Especially since overall, money notwithstanding, we are both emotionally so much better off than we were at that time in our lives. I would like to feel nothing when I see her/run into her in town. Just that “oh, yeah, you look familiar” that comes with time.
How this could happen: Shiva Nata and ask for the answer? Journalling. Sitting with the feeling and letting it be and then letting it go. Avoiding areas where I’d run into her (not a practical thing, uptown is where all the good bookstores and coffee shops are).
My commitment: to not let the ugly feelings ruin my whole day when they happen. To not blame myself for still feeling them. To be willing to let go and move on. To give my inner terrier another bone and tell her I am safe and she does not need to defend me any more.
.-= Andi´s last post … Taking the Leap =-.
So *two* weeks ago, I asked for peace of mind about moving, which I did super-excellently with until the last 12 hours, which was way better than I’d previously been doing. I’ll take it.
I also asked to write every day. Then I hit a giant, unexpected wall on my big writing project. It was somewhere I didn’t think there was one! In fact, it was somewhere I had very carefully checked to make sure there was NOT one. Yikes! So, writing every day, not so much.
Which leads to what I want: continued creative momentum.
I want to be able to channel my creativity and passion into projects I can move forward on, and feel chill about the sidelined project simmmering along on the back burner until the right answer for it arises.
How this could happen:
I could continue to be kind to myself about my resentment and crossness at the sidelining of that one project.
I could do creative tasks that aren’t actually making art if that’s what feels most comfortable.
I could make a demo of one of my products and take it everywhere, and then people would tell me about how awesome it was, which would make me feel even awesomer about it.
I could examine the materials available for the projects and inspiration could strike.
Or something else!
My commitment:
I will remember that I’m allowed to be feeling however I am feeling during this process.
I will focus on creating and let my wacky, magic, divine part take care of making it awesome.
You could try these three boutique hotels in marin county about 5 miles north of the golden gate bridge.
http://www.marinhotels.com/ beautiful and relaxing surroundings.
good luck. Ursula
My ask this week: to fly to Sydney without any anxiety..
.-= Ursula´s last post … How to make Chili Powder =-.
Your retreat sounds like the kind of place I would want to live all the time. *contented sigh*
I am also a huge believer in asking, and in writing down what you ask for. A letter like yours, Havi, is written from such a lovely place of “knowing” that it’s absolutely going to show up, perfectly.
Here’s my brief personal ad for the day:
I am in the early stages of planning a mass Twitter-based opera charity contribution movement. I’ve decided to name it “OperaAid”. While it sounds complicated, I know that really it’s as simple as inspiring my fellow singers to devote a tiny part of their time to coming together to help others.
You: Are an experienced and like-minded social media expert with event co-ordination experience and a passion for contribution. You love getting excited about changing the world and thinking crazily big thoughts, with a vision far beyond what most believe is possible. If you have a love for opera then of course you are perfect, but this is not really necessary, I have enough of that for both of us. 🙂
Things that are important: You are inspired by my idea enough to help me maintain the momentum, despite me being occasionally grumpy and sometimes hormonal due to being 32 weeks pregnant. As I am already up to my eyes with my two girls and a newborn blog to nurture and cuddle every day, god knows I’ll be even busier come 28th December, which is when baby is due, Christmas will have been and gone and New Year will resolution-tastic. Meaning I’ll probably try to sneakily add more exciting things to my already ambitious list of things to do.
But that’s ok, because you’ll stick by me and we’ll make something amazing happen together around Twestival Global 2010.
I can’t wait for you and I to meet. In the meantime, I will get on with planning my mission. See you soon. 🙂
.-= Natalie Christie´s last post … A Perfect Falcon For Your Shoulder =-.
Havi dear, if you would ever consider coming east Light on the Hill in upstate NY would be perfect for you. http://www.lightonthehill.org/ I’ve checked the place out for leading my own retreats. Gorgeous architecture, light, sweeping views, single rooms that are elegant in their simplicity. Labrinth. Responsive owners. Encroyable gorges and waterfalls nearby. I’ll stop kvelling because I know you don’t want to travel. But if ever…
My VPA: Swift and complete healing from this flu that has been oh so kindly gentle, because I must leave for my mediation retreat in 2 weeks and have so much to get ready before then. (Laundry alone is reaching mountainous levels of scary.)
My commitment: To keep taking loving care of myself, keep trusting I’ll be able to go, and climb back into bed even tho I don’t want to.
.-= Mahala Mazerov´s last post … Thoughts On Giving & Receiving =-.
Okay so this is perfect synchronicity.
The most wonderful Pam Slim just posted a blog promoting TEDx workshops. I about fell out of my chair when she said she had an amazing friend that was sponsoring TEDxSLO … I mean, TED, right here in San Luis Obispo!
This amazing friend also just happens to own a company that specializes in facilitating the “perfect escape” to the Central Coast – for both business and personal retreats/workshops: Top Shelf Escapes.
I just happened to send her an email of introduction yesterday. Now I’m going to send her an email and suggest that … she absolutely must get in touch with you. Much to offer here in the “magical” realm.
Love your words of wisdom always.
Susan
In process of revising previous (non-public) VPA. Seems some signals were crossed along the way… Do you know the horror short story, The Monkey’s Paw? There are different versions, all of them about a poor guy who gets exactly what he asked for and not at all what he wanted with his three wishes. Mine was not at all dire like the story, but did call it to mind. Now trying to extricate myself from what I (sort of) asked for.
Good, interesting light-shedding process. I wonder if anyone has had a similar experience with VPAs?
.-= Sandra´s last post … How about a skull on your head =-.
Dear Long, One-of-a-kind, Purple Coat,
I had been searching for you for so long. You are somehow the embodiment of the Magician in the Tarot, a symbol of alchemy,and your style fuses male and female energy in an ingenious way. You are made by a brilliant designer who improved on my own inner vision of you. All of the wise ones around me tell me I must have you as my very own somehow. You are a symbol of how I want to show up in the world. The magician. Please wait for me.
How you could be mine:
I get an onslaught of business next week– specifically 5 new clients and sell many potions.
I sell my gorgeous wedding dress for the price of you~ elegantly allowing in this new energy while releasing something special so that it can be adored again, as it should be.
The designer understands the coat should be mine and drastically reduces the price because he gets it.
Some mixture of these things, or something else even more great and magical happens I haven’t seen yet.
My Commitment: To be open and fully present to these possibilities, working my smartest, and taking care of my body every step of the way. I’ll also talk to the designer.
Dear Bride to Be,
You are searching for the dress. You don’t want a cake-topping style Cinderella poof dress. You want an ephemeral, delicate, damn sexy, classy, and artistic dress that will be perfect in warm weather. Something that evokes the Victorian era without being too costume-y would be nice, because that era suits your figure and you love it. Ivory. You are around a petite size 4/6. You don’t want to spend more than 1000 on a dress.
.-= Kate T.W.´s last post … Dead Days =-.
p.s. thanks for this love letter format Havi. I love love letters!
.-= Kate T.W.´s last post … Dead Days =-.
I am: tired of purses and uncomfortable pocket bulges.
You are: the perfect little wallet.
In your main compartment, you’ll cradle my phone. In a snug and secure outer pocket, you’ll have room enough to hold a bit of folding cash, a credit/debit card, and my driver’s license/ID. You also have a convenient, sturdy, comfortable place for me to attach my keyring.
You are made of a material that is durable and feels wonderful to touch — very important, that, because I’ll be touching you often! — and you’ll come in a color that makes me happy. Finally — and this may be most important of all — you’ll come equipped with an easy, comfortable, secure and reliable means of attaching yourself to my waist, so we can travel together with blissful ease.
My commitment: I will keep searching for you, and believing in your existence. When we find each other at last, I will celebrate and treat you as a trusty companion — and oh, the adventures we’ll have together!
.-= spiralsongkat´s last post … Some people cry at weddings… =-.
No ad for me this time, only a retreat tip: Asilomar Conference ground in Pacific Grove, just south of Monterey. It is situated in a State Park with an ocean view and the Conference Center is a National Historic Landmark.
http://www.visitasilomar.com/
It is truly gorgeous and my favourite vacation place ever.
.-= marie´s last post … I have a dream – what is yours? =-.
Asilomar is really pretty @Marie! And, Monterey and Pacific Grove … beautiful!
@Havi — a suggestion that is not on the West Coast, but does have a spectacular labyrinth and is attached to a retreat center: The Carondelet Center in St. Paul, Minn. … http://carondeletcenter.org/spirituality.aspx … would be quite pretty during the warmer months!
There’s also the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska, MN (also in Twin Cities metro) … very pretty garden-y place … but accommodations would be offsite, and no labyrinth.
In Pacific NW, I loved Sequim, Wash., with its lavendar farms and also the Lake Quinault area in Olympic Nat’l Park. There’s a very pretty lodge there … and I think they had a retreat center. Is one of the more peaceful places I’ve been.
My VPA: As I am wrapping up a couple of PAID projects, I’d like have another one find me. Interesting clients with that special balance of knowing what they want with enough vision to let me work my magic with their projects. I also need to finish my article for my graduation project. This is my last try to finish before I give up completely on my Masters.
My commitments: To embrace the new month with the delight of good things to come. To not worry, but wait patiently for the blessings to arrive. To work steadily on my project for a couple hours everyday without guilt, or “should’s”, or head-games of why can’t I?
I’m hoping the Giants sign whomever the Red Sox do not between Bay and Holliday. For your sake, Havi. There’s my VPA, since asking for the Yankees to lose 3 in a row seems more like a prayer at this point.
I have never checked the comments to a VPA posting before, and I like how everyone is chiming in. I find it interesting that people ask for things on a blog’s comment section. It’s a miracle in itself. Then again, you have managed to find these people, Havi, and brought them together. Amazing.
.-= Jonathan Vaudreuil´s last post … Loyalty and sports =-.
I love the sound of the retreat – would love to walk a labyrinth.
I would like:
For my throat not to hurt and to not be sick (or get sicker), pretty please.
How this can happen:
The sicky-ness can be on its way out already and this is just the after-effect. The “supplies” I will buy at lunch can work their magic. The healing energy can be working its magic even as I type.
My commitment:
To rest when and where I can. To eat and drink good things. To take my vitamins. To run energy on myself whenever I can. To actually visit the doctor if my throat hurts more. To enjoy my new deep voice in the meantime. She giggles.
.-= Elizabeth´s last post … the great pumpkin =-.
I just wanted to leave a link to the Sycamore Hot Springs since I really enjoyed my vacation there a few years back. It’s a cozy place in San Luis Obispo. They have a labyrinth, a hot springs, plenty of beautiful places to wander through, great organic food, Healing Arts institute, and its close to a small beach town for field trips. Just a thought…
http://www.sycamoresprings.com/labyrinth_gradens.html
.-= Lira´s last post … Goals & Wishes, (not) Puppy Dogs & Rainbows =-.
@Kate T.W. if it meant that I could have a wedding and plan it all over again, I’d take your wedding dress so you could have your dream purple coat! I just hope it is what I imagine and doesn’t look like that dinosaur Barney. Then I won’t help you;-)
I’m preoccupied today. My husband has some scary swelling in his eyes and I don’t know how to cope with the thought of illness. It’s really the first time we’ve dealt with sickness in our marriage.
MY VPA: Don’t overthink about the outcome and to be strong for him. Find strength in being present even if it makes me uncomfortable.
Havi, good luck finding your retreat location. I’ve started looking for something myself and can’t seem to get beyond the double-bed situation. And well, that’s an important deal breaker. While I love my friends and would have no problem sharing a bed with them if need be…it’s NOT for everyone.
I had someone turn me on to Camp de Benneville Pines (UUcamp.org) in San Bernadino, 90 miles east of LA. I haven’t looked much further into it other than to know it’s affiliated with the Unitarian-Universalist Association. I see that they are a space for church retreats, but I’d have to assume that they can’t be too church-ey.
That said, I’ll be working on my VPA later today. I love how powerful the whole just asking thing can be.
@kat_taf
.-= Katy´s last post … The Universe is Your Dog =-.
update on previous: This week, I finally took a half day off my day job and attended the weekly networking lunch of the local voiceover community and it was really fun and not scary and apparently one of the heavy hitters liked me enough that I may get some voice work out of it (Squeal!) AND I asked my grandma who gets me what I ask for for Christmas to get me equipment for my home studio, so I know I will be closer to having the creative environment I need. Yay!
This week, I would like to get through the annual meeting I administer for my passive- aggressive boss with a minimum of passive aggression.
And then I would like my kids and husband and me to all be healthy as we board the Disney cruise ship on Saturday and have a great time with each other and the other guests. And I would like at least one 3-hour nap, which I will trade with yon hubby. So please send healthy vibes if you have any to spare.
I have been really astonished how well my previous asks have worked out. Now I have a big one that is just so painful to think about, I almost don’t want to address it.
What I need:
I am asking for a beautiful, comforting, and peaceful holiday season for my extended family. While I would love it if every November and December were filled with good feelings, this year we have a couple of loved ones who are healing from a challenging illness or facing down a disease they won’t heal from. Starting right now, I want the ease and grace that comes when people who love one another act in harmony – drawn together by a common cause. A little extra care and bravery would be greatly appreciated too!
My Commitment:
I will love and appreciate this gift of time and festivity. I will be a grateful giver and receiver of all the positives that come my way. I will share and love and laugh as hard as I am able.
Thanks again this forum Havi!
.-= Lauren´s last post … We Came For The Hoecakes =-.
Sounds like you would love Sycamore Springs Resort in Avila Beach.
West Coast.
Just south of SLO, but not really.
Labyrinth.
Mineral Springs.
On site yoga room (no idea what they do with retreat hosting though…)
good luck.
-bt
.-= bt´s last post … =-.
The place that zings for me is Grace Cathedral in San Francisco: http://www.gracecathedral.org/visiting/overview/
I don’t know how a retreat would work here, but… the labyrinth and the cathedral together put me in a good mind place. Walking meditation, I call it.
Hope your ideal place finds you!
Okay, it’s my turn to post some personal ad goodness 🙂
Bright, intelligent, creative person seeking job where she’s actually useful
What I’m looking for:
A job that is absolutely no more than 15 hours a week. Preferably 10. But you pay well – $15 an hour. I don’t care if I work in a team environment or one-on-one. Maybe I’m your assistant a few hours a week. Maybe you need someone to help you strategize and keep you on track. Maybe you just need someone to file things, keep your office organized, and help you develop systems. Maybe you just need someone to type for you, make your stuff look pretty – I don’t know. But I get to be helpful, and my skills and intelligence are really valued. And it will be fun. It will be something where I will be in my prime and can make lists and be ridiculously anal and detail oriented, as well as keep an eye on the big picture.
Hopefully you’ll be creative, fun, goofy and quirky too, and we’ll get along great. Maybe you’re here in town, or maybe I do all this virtually – I’d be happy either way. You won’t care that I didn’t go to university, and you respect the skills that I’ve picked up at the School of Hard Knocks.
What I commit to: Giving the job my all and earning every cent you pay me. I promise I’ll be fun to work with, easy going, dependable, reliable, and timely. I also don’t need to be fussed over – give me instructions and away I’ll go to get it done. I promise I will be smart, creative, and helpful and you will never regret hiring me.
How This Could Happen:
– the job could show up on the job bank, kijiji.ca, in the paper, or other sites online
– it could happen through word of mouth
– Magic? Coincidence? Synchronicity? Who knows.
– Another way that I can’t even think of right now.
Yeahh. So far, some magical goodness has been showing up already, so let’s hope that it keeps going!
Havi,
I think you would love Sleeping Lady resort outside of Seattle near Leavenworth. I’ve gone to yoga retreats there and come back totally refreshed and renewed. I leave feeling like I’m floating on a cloud. And it’s not just the yoga. It’s the place.
In the middle of a forest. Wind rushing through the tops of big pines. Lots of stars overhead. Beautiful, comfortable lodgings. Amazing, healthy, organic food. A beautiful swimming pool and hot tub! Of course, there’s a nice big room suitable for yoga practice (holds about 40 to 50 people). I think there might be a labyrinth too but not sure about that. Check it out at
http://www.sleepinglady.com/home/
I’m so happy reading all the recommendations of places as I’m also looking for places to do a retreat. Funny I never even considered Sleeping Lady for mine until you asked. Maybe because I was dreaming about Mexico in January. And sunshine!
.-= Waverly´s last post … October Issue =-.
It’s VPA time, and I have one this week!
What I want:
For the home renovation that wasn’t part of our plans for now – but clearly became urgent during Saturday’s storm – to happen with ease and not come with any other unpleasant surprise.
For the whole thing to remain in the realm of the “perfect simple solution”.
Ways this could work:
The people we’ll choose to handle it will be real professionals, and will do this thing as well as we expect them to.
When we’ll take out the door that has to be changed, it won’t reveal anything else to be wrong under the frame, or anything like that. The structure of the house will clearly be sound, and won’t have been affected by the problem.
My commitment:
I’ll choose the people I’ll trust to help me with this as wisely as possible.
I’ll deal with the whole thing as best as I can, even though the timing is crap.
If needed, I’ll remind myself I’m glad this is getting done now, as it is indeed a very good thing, and I am genuinely happy about it.
.-= Josiane´s last post … Noticing – the dragonfly edition =-.
St. Mary’s/Mount Calvary is a retreat center near Santa Barbara run by Anglican monks. A friend of mine (who is pagan) went there a few years back and thought it wonderful. They can accomodate 24 in double rooms and they have a labyrinth. Here’s the link: http://www.mount-calvary.org/home Good luck!
Wow, I was just thinking that the Desert Renewal Center might be a good fit! It is in Tucson, beautiful, with delicious food, and a labyrinth. I went on a teacher retreat there once. The rooms are small but nice and comfortable. They do ask that you make your own bed at the end of your stay just to cut down on costs. The only thing that might be an issue is that there is a lot of art that is very Catholic-y. One of the women on my retreat was upset about it, but I had just seen the movie Demons and Angels before my stay so didn’t even notice it. Here’s the url if you want to look into it: http://www.desertrenewal.org/
.-= Yael Grauer´s last post … Loving Tucson: Food and Drink =-.
Ooooo, Havi! I just read about this place in Palm Springs (I know, it’s a bit further south than San Luis Obispo, but not that far), and immediately thought, this is Havi’s kind of retreat place.
How could you not love somewhere that welcomes dogs, has vinyl record-players in each room, serves alcohol snowcones by the pool, and says on its site: “We have been called a boutique hotel. We’re not sure what that is. We just love doing things our own way, and creating a neat experience based on a sense of place”?
http://www.acehotel.com/palmsprings/place
Ooo! Ooo! And did I mention that it has an event space called the Commune?? “a 3000 square foot event space available for meetings, receptions, dinners, weddings and pretty much anything else you can think of. The walls open up to a circular pool, an intimate amphitheater, and views of the mountains.”
C’mon Havi! No labyrinth, but you could make one with rocks or coloured sand before the guests arrive. 😀
Hiya!
Havi – you might want to check out the list of retreating places I listed on my blog recently (several people had additions to the list, too): http://www.inspiredhomeoffice.com/totally-add-vacation-edition
FYI: you can *rent* a canvas labyrinth if the place you settle on doesn’t have one: http://www.labyrinthcompany.com/view_category.php?category_id=5
Here’s to personals ads. They work! 🙂
– Jen
.-= Jennifer Hofmann´s last post … Making order in half-second steps =-.
Havi, something totally clicked in my head when you asked for a retreat site and mentioned hot springs. I worked for a little while in Ashland, OR and loved both the vibe and the springs. A quick search turned up Buckhorn Springs (http://www.buckhornsprings.org), with a meeting room, guest houses and lodge, and their own organic garden that supplies much of their food.
And this opened up an ask I didn’t even realize I’ve been meaning to ask: I’m looking for a place for my sweetie and me to retreat when we need to recharge. Someplace within a few hours’ drive of LA, someplace that will let us get back in touch with clean air, nature, and ourselves. Maybe a B&B, maybe a small hotel, maybe a guest house or cabin. Somewhere with good vegan food in the vicinity, or a kitchen so we can cook. Preferably costing us less than $100/night for both of us, and preferably available on short notice (and we’re willing to go during the week, during the off-season, and keep checking back for availability). We will definitely commit to keep returning to a place that nurtures us!
Hello,
here is a link to the Whidbey Institute. I lead a retreat there and it was stunning. We rented the Farmhouse cause we were a small group but they have lots and lots of spaces and types of spaces available. Plus Labyrinth, plus hot house, plus a sactuary space that makes me cry it is so beautiful, the trees… oh the gorgeous gorgeous tress.
http://www.whidbeyinstitute.org
much love!
amy
.-= amy goetz´s last post … my tarot video is up =-.