Oct15
Posted on Oct 15 by Ruth Davis
I have a picture of me standing in the late afternoon sun in Marika’s backyard. The light is perfect on my face, illuminating me like a spotlight and I am smiling from the inside. I remember that day. That moment. Feeling so content and joyous and happy for everything in my life. It was in May of 2006, almost two years after I had moved out of Marika’s house. Earlier in the morning she and I had gone to Goodwill. We were trying to work through the anger and do more fun things together instead of just sitting across from each other in a restaurant, sharing a meal, hardly talking. We still liked to go yard sale-ing and thrifting for odd trinkets, bird feeders, potential art supplies. That day at Goodwill I found a pair of wings. They were pink and lacy, with a two-foot wingspan, obviously intended for a child. But they had adjustable straps. Instead of making fun of them, Marika helped me loosen the straps, slip my arms through the loops, and adjust the wings onto...
Oct08
Posted on Oct 8 by Ruth Davis
This is so exciting! My first book. A dream is actually happening. Right now! I am getting ready to not just write, but publish my first book! This means final content edits, choosing artwork, checking page breaks, figuring out how the new version of Word deals with page numbering for even and odd pages, and always, envisioning the finished product in the hands of my readers. I have my graphic designer on standby, so, as soon as I have the copy for the back of the book, and the official ISBN number, we’ll be ready to roll. Yes this is pretty darn exciting! I’m reading Guy Kawasaki’s book, APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur and I’m still hovering between Author and Publisher, working my way through Amazon’s self-publishing website, createspace.com. Several friends have used the service and all give it high marks for ease of use and good results. I did consider submitting a book proposal to publishers, but right now, I like having all of the control. And in my vision for this book, I sell so many copies...
Oct01
Posted on Oct 1 by Ruth Davis
After four months away, I returned to my gentle yoga class last week. I knew it was time to get on my mat, to reconnect with my body, to stretch to my soft edges. But equally important, I was longing to reconnect with my community, to practice with my teacher and my regular classmates, and to be received with so many hugs and welcome backs. But my teacher was on vacation so the substitute didn’t know I had been absent for so long. And it was a smaller than usual class and I only knew four people. After some lovely hugging hellos, I found a spot at the back of the room. I unrolled my mat, arranged my gray and red striped blanket on top, positioned my bolster near one end and set my blocks and a belt on the floor. And I stepped onto my mat. I breathed in, slowly raising my arms over my head, open to the sky, I exhaled, lowering my arms, bringing my palms together at my heart. And I cried. Just to be back,...
Sep24
Posted on Sep 24 by Ruth Davis
Have you ever been called to do something that pushed you to the edge of your comfort zone? This soft edge is where we can learn so much about ourselves. We can observe how we respond to the challenge. We can hear the stories we tell ourselves. At this uncomfortable edge we can choose to step back from the fear and stay safe. Or we can choose to move toward the discomfort and uncertainty and say YES to this thing that excites us and scares us, knowing that something big and beautiful is bound to happen when we do. In 2006 I had never considered going on a retreat. In fact, I really didn’t even know what it entailed. I hated sleepover camp and I prefer small groups and my own bed. But I been reading Christine Kane’s blog for several months, connecting with her words, resonating with the themes and ideas she shared. So when she announced that she was leading a women’s retreat in Asheville, North Carolina, something deep and strong inside of me said, hmmmm. But then...
Sep17
Posted on Sep 17 by Ruth Davis
“Broken hearted often leads to broken open. And broken open is the perfect environment for finding out who you are and why you’re here. Break and grow.” – Michele Woodward On September 16, 2007, emergency open heart surgery saved my life. I didn’t have clogged arteries or heart disease. I had a myxoma, a very rare benign tumor that was almost completely blocking the blood flow through the left atrium of my heart. They discovered it after I had an episode of sharp ice pick stabbing pain in my back and chest and the inability to breathe. And yes, jaw pain and arm pain too. It started right after dinner out with friends, so I thought it was indigestion. I made a cup of tea and smoked some pot to calm down. And then I just laid in my bed and tried to find a position of least resistance so I could just focus on breathing. I didn’t call 911. I knew that if I went to the ER, that crazy, noisy chaos would kill me. I knew that...
Sep10
Posted on Sep 10 by Ruth Davis
I’ve been struggling these past few weeks, not knowing if I should stay in Arizona longer or head back to the beach. Unlike previous returns to CA, this time I didn’t have a clear reason for going back, besides the fact that it’s the beach and I can walk and breathe and I love the climate. But I had lots of reasons to stay – to help Marika oversee the big front lawn landscaping project, to enjoy the company of friends, to make art in my studio in the garage and enjoy TV and high speed internet. And so I was torn. Because I thought that NOT going back to the beach meant I had failed somehow. I floundered in those feelings of failure and loss and not knowing until finally, I called my coach. She helped me recognize that I was beating myself up and that whatever I chose would be the right choice. I spent the next few days after our coaching call editing the Heart Sparks book. Reading my own wisdoms about breathing and letting...
