Mar02
Posted on Mar 2 by Ruth Davis
When I returned to the beach in September after my four month cross-country Heart Sparks Road Tour, I had every intention of sitting right down and writing about the adventure. But I didn’t. After two months of not writing I realized it was too soon, that I hadn’t yet lived beyond it, to know what story I really wanted to tell. Then I thought, well, I could at least get started on the book proposal. But I didn’t. And I’ve been beating myself up big time for the last six months because I still haven’t started. And yet, this book proposal, this book, is a key component to the future I’m visioning. And so I bombard myself with questions: Am I being lazy? Why am I avoiding this? What is the resistance to this thing I want most? And then last week, on my yoga mat, I set an intention for patience and compassion. I’ve been cranky with others and realized it is because I’ve been cranky with myself. And I stepped back into the observer role and examined...
Feb25
Posted on Feb 25 by Ruth Davis
When I was a kid, Spring was my favorite season. We could play outside during recess, bright bursts of colors appeared all over the neighborhood, and, oh, it was also my birthday. I loved the smells in the air, the promise of rain and green grass and always a family trip somewhere during spring vacation. After living in Arizona for so many years, Spring became my least favorite time of year. Even though flowers and trees bloomed, the temperatures were a lovely 70° – 80°, and it’s still my birthday, I was all too aware that soon after mid-March, summer would blast in, a furnace of heat and dryness and six months of being sequestered in the air-conditioned indoors. For many years I wasn’t able to appreciate any of the joys of Spring in the desert because I was already dreading the coming of Summer. And then, a few years ago, something shifted. Maybe it was that day trip out to Boyce Thompson Arboretum, where we counted thousands of wildflowers blooming along the highways. Maybe it was riding my...
Feb17
Posted on Feb 17 by Ruth Davis
We all avoid something. Going through that stack of mail. Making an appointment with the dentist. Getting on our bikes and riding around the block. My biggest avoiding is Getting New Glasses. Big capital letters kind of avoiding. Just the thought of it makes me want to run and hide. I’ve been wearing glasses since I was four and every single time I get fitted, it’s a struggle. My eyes are so sensitive to even the slightest bit of crooked or discomfort that I usually end up in frustrated tears because the glasses are too close, too far, too high, too low, too tight, too loose. I have tried affirmations – this will be easy, effortless and a good fit. I have breathed and meditated and visualized a successful fitting. But so far, it hasn’t worked. And so I’ve avoided Getting New Glasses for three and a half years and I really can’t put it off much longer. My neck and shoulders are sore from using my bifocals to see the computer screen, the scratches on my lenses...
Feb10
Posted on Feb 10 by Ruth Davis
My friend Laurie is dying. While I have lost two childhood friends to cancer, Laurie is the first friend who I have walked the path with, even if it has been mostly virtually. I met Laurie Foley online in 2012 through a network of Martha Beck coaches. She was a branding expert with a very smart blog that helped me see new possibilities for marketing my business. When she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, she shifted her writing to the journey she was living. In October 2013 I met Laurie in person at Patti Digh’s Life is a Verb camp. Laurie had just finished a year of surgeries, radiation and chemo and Patti had invited her to speak about The Courage to Be Mortal. I saw Laurie at the Friday night Welcome Party, standing near the skewered shrimps and mini quiches. She was much taller than I expected and her hair was a stunning spiking gray. She walked toward me, offering a hug. I said, “Wait, this is special.” I took a big breath in then out, and then we...
Feb03
Posted on Feb 3 by Ruth Davis
I’ve been thinking lately about what seemingly subliminal messages we expose ourselves to every day, with TV commercials, billboards, extraneous conversations. And what about what we consciously CHOOSE to listen to? So what are you listening to? What’s playing in your iPod today? On your car radio? Do you listen to the lyrics? Do you sing along? Are you singing about power and beauty, and meeting your vulnerability head on? Or are you singing about how the world owes you or that someone did done you wrong? Giving voice to words is a powerful thing. Even if it’s “just singing with the radio,” your words are impacting you on a subconscious level. So why not chose to sing what you want to believe, what you want to come into your life, what you want to be and feel? Many years ago I bought a cassette tape with all kinds of original songs about the cartoon character Gumby. Remember him? That rubbery green fellow with a bump on his head and his orange pony pal named Pokey? Well, last week...
Jan27
Posted on Jan 27 by Ruth Davis
On a recent coaching call, we were talking about the times and places in our lives where we could literally pay more attention, slow down, be more present. One woman said that, often, when she’s walking her dogs, she’s doing it out of obligation and she just wants to get it done. She suggested she could slow down and enjoy the walk as much as they do. After the call, Cody and I took our own walk around the neighborhood. I tried to keep him close, with the retractable leash locked at 6 feet so that he wouldn’t explore every neighbor’s lawn, but we are used to the full length of the lead, out in open spaces, so that we can walk at our own paces, stopping for each other as necessary, with minimal tugging. This tight leash walking was new to both of us and there was too much tension on the leash for either of us to enjoy the walk. I wasn’t prepared for a training session, so I unlocked the line and we quickly settled...
