Aug27
Posted on Aug 27 by Ruth Davis
Wherever you are is where you begin. Right here. Right now. Never mind how you’ve tried it before, done it before, been there before. You are here. Now. Standing in this present moment. While this may be an easy concept to accept abstractly, it is not as easy to embrace when we are attempting to do something we used to be so good at. I used to be a cyclist. I took daily rides of 10-15 miles along the canals, to city parks. I easily pedaled 35-50 miles every Saturday, touring the stretches of farmland on the outskirts of Phoenix. I even did a 2-day, 150 mile ride to California as a fundraiser for MS. When I think of those long rides, I forget that when I first started, it was a huge accomplishment to ride just one mile around my own neighborhood. I forget that it took months for me to build up my physical and mental strength and endurance to ride long distances. It’s been more than 20 years since I was that long distance rider....
Aug20
Posted on Aug 20 by Ruth Davis
I had dinner the other night with a friend who, for several years, and many reasons, has stayed in an unfulfilling marriage. But now, she is taking the steps toward divorce. While she knows it is the best choice for her, she is freaking out about the future. How will she support herself? How is she going to live? What will her life be like if she is not married? And when she asks these questions, there is so much panic and anxiety in her voice that she freezes. I suggested she change the intonation of her questions so that they are more like open-ended wonderings that don’t require immediate answers. I asked her what her dream life might look like twelve months from now. Without hesitation, she began to describe a cozy house and she would paint all the walls whatever colors she wanted. Her whole face lit up as she shared her dream of this community house filled with books and space for people to just come and hang out. And then she stopped. But it’s not practical, she...
Aug13
Posted on Aug 13 by Ruth Davis
Marika, Mabel and I spent last weekend at a friend’s cabin out of the heat of the desert. What a gift to drive two short hours north and be surrounded by tall, sweet pines, where the daytime temperature peaks in the mid-80’s and at night, it’s cool enough, with the windows open, to pull a blanket over my shoulders. We arrived in the dark on Friday night, unpacked, made the bed and went to sleep soon after. In the morning, Marika took Mabel for a walk along the forest trail while I lounged in bed, happy to see all of the trees through the windows. After coffee and breakfast on the deck, I took Mabel for a short neighborhood walk but the 6500 feet altitude was hard on this sea-level gal’s lungs and I when we got back I had to take a nap. But the air was clear and crisp and even a little moist when the afternoon clouds gathered in with a promise of rain. We heard some far off thunder rolls, but the storm missed us....
Aug06
Posted on Aug 6 by Ruth Davis
Two years ago this week I was pulling out of Marika’s driveway in the RV with Laddy, heading to the California coast. The dream was to move to CA, find a house to rent, continue doing the same Mac training work and enjoy the climate and the weather as I built a new life. And maybe Marika would join me in a year or two. A friend recently reminded me that dreams are fluid. They are not frozen in time exactly as we originally imagine them. Our dreams are always shifting, changing, seeking their own level, like water. As you know, that original dream morphed and changed many times, and I discovered that I enjoyed the simpler, smaller, spontaneous life of living in my motorhome. I made trips back to Phoenix to visit family, clients, and adventure with Marika. Somewhere in those adventures, we rekindled our deep love and, in January, we celebrated and recommitted to our 25 year partnership. Which is why I’m still in Phoenix in the middle of a Very Hot Summer. Yes, it is partly...
Jul30
Posted on Jul 30 by Ruth Davis
“Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.” ~ unknown Nothing is impossible. An idea may seem challenging. Difficult. Hard to fathom. But it is not impossible. Often, what we believe is impossible is really someone else’s voice telling us we can’t be it, do it, have it. But what if, for one moment, we imagined that we could. What if, for one moment, we heard a different voice that says it might, in fact, be possible. Shifting our thoughts, trying on this new belief as possibility, changes everything. It says that YES, we could, YES, we might, YES, we can! “What we can or cannot do, what we consider possible or impossible, is rarely a function of our true capability. It is more likely a function of our beliefs about who we are.” ~ Tony Robbins It is so easy to just say a thing is too hard, too bizarre, too ridiculous to even consider trying. But what if you did?...
Jul23
Posted on Jul 23 by Ruth Davis
I love stepping back from myself. It gives me perspective. It minimizes self-judgment and helps me see my patterns and habits more objectively. When I take a step back and imagine that I am talking to myself as if I am my own best friend, I am gentler, kinder and so much more forgiving with myself. And it is easier to see how my behavior may not really be serving me. I’m finding that, the more I become an observer of myself, the more flexible I become, the more willing I am to try new things and open to the unexpected. Several months ago, my coach and I were talking about the power of our thoughts and intentions, and she shared a Prayer for Unexpected Income with me. She said that, when we open ourselves to new money, that new money will come. So I tried it. I read the prayer, out loud, and envisioned checks arriving in my mailbox. And nothing happened. A few weeks ago I found the prayer again. I read it out loud again, several...
