Feb19
Posted on Feb 19 by Ruth Davis
In Chinese tradition, this is the Year of the Horse, a year of galloping forward, of fast victories, unexpected adventure, and surprising romance. No wonder my new friend is a horse. He lives on the hill right next to Paradise Park. I watched him all last year from afar, and then he was gone. But a few days ago, on my way to the beach, I saw him and I swear, I squealed, out loud, “The horse is back!” That night, a little before sunset, he was standing about 30 feet away, on the other side of the old, rusted, falling down, barbed wire fence. I held up a carrot and he trotted over. And I realized that he was actually a she. She ate the carrot and then kept licking my hand. I closed my fingers into a ball and she started to nibble me with her gums. I talked to her, out loud and silently, and we looked each other in the eyes. When I walked away, she followed along the fence until she couldn’t see me...
Feb12
Posted on Feb 12 by Ruth Davis
There was a fun game going around on Facebook a while back. A friend chose the age for you and you had to reflect back and answer the questions as they related to you at that age, and then also at your current age. Like most quizzes, the important thing was not to spend too much time thinking of perfect or clever answers, but to simply respond with whatever came up in the moment. A friend gave me the age of 26: I was: 26 I lived in: a semi-furnished one bedroom apartment over a garage in Tempe, AZ I was married to: being single, independent, the best I drove: a Plymouth Horizon I feared: nothing I worked at: Computer Pro, preferring to demo the Apple IIGS and Macs than IBMs and Compaqs I wanted to be: top salesperson every month and I was Then, when it came to my current age, I wrote: I am: 54 I live in: my RV across the street from the ocean in Cayucos, CA I am married to: my technology I drive:...
Feb05
Posted on Feb 5 by Ruth Davis
The last time Marika and I went whale watching, we both got seasick. But it was more than twenty years ago. And we both wanted to try. And this time we would take some pharmacist-recommended bonine pills before we went out. She took two pills with her tortillas and cheese breakfast. I decided I didn’t want to feel spacey, so I put my no-more-nausea- seasickness bands on the pressure-points on my wrists and we headed out. It was a clear, crisp, blue-sky morning. I bundled up in layers: an under-camisole, brown turtleneck shirt, mid-weight fern green sweatshirt. My top layer, my over-sized blue Morro Bay hoodie that I bought in 1995 was on the seat next to me. I had my knitted hat on and I regretted not bringing gloves. The boat was a catamaran, like an oversized pontoon, but with two tubular hulls to float the boat instead of one. And it had a motor. The sides of the boat were about four feet high and the deck was open to the sky with five rows of...
Jan29
Posted on Jan 29 by Ruth Davis
I am writing. Not just blog posts and my Mac tips, but real writing with sturdy nouns and persuasive adjectives, full delicious sentences that appear on the page as if by magic. Writing that isn’t about making a point or sharing information or already knowing what I want to say. I’m writing from a deeper, more creative place. And yes, I have a book in the back of my mind, but I’m not writing for it to be a book or published article in a magazine. I’m just writing. I’ve been making excuses for months, years, really, about why I don’t have the time or the energy for this kind of writing. But really, WHEN I AM WRITING LIKE THIS I GET ENERGIZED! Writing is one of my very favorite things to do. I get lost in it. Time has no meaning when I am following a sentence on the page, finding the absolutely perfect way to describe the bending shadows of a tree or how it feels the day after you meet a favorite author. Some days the...
Jan15
Posted on Jan 15 by Ruth Davis
Life is funny sometimes. We tend to avoid what we need and want the most. And then circumstances happen and we are suddenly faced with exactly what we weren’t able to give to ourselves. Leaning into it, accepting it, can be a challenge. But when we are able to be grateful for the experience, magic can happen. Several weeks ago I tweaked my back (again) and spent five days resting, moving slowly, doing virtually nothing. I couldn’t walk the dogs or do the laundry or run errands. I couldn’t sit at my computer for very long. I couldn’t do any of the things that I usually do to distract me from my heart work. But it was such a gift, really, to have my body step in for me and give me what I most needed–time to let go and do nothing. Because it is in this quiet space of stillness that we can choose to release the struggle and begin to ask, what do we really want. The weeks leading up to my tweaked back had been very...
Jan01
Posted on Jan 1 by Ruth Davis
Do you begin the year with a list of New Year’s Resolutions? Things you swear you are going to do or not do that will make this year different than all the rest? And then, just a few weeks into the year, you realize you’ve abandoned your list, slacked off on all of the things you swore would be different this time? And you feel pretty down on yourself? Face it, resolutions are a great concept, but they’re usually goal oriented and don’t address HOW to achieve what we want. Here are some simple suggestions to help you focus more on the HOW of the changes you want to make in your life. 1. Take some time to discover what you really want 2. Be brave and say it out loud 3.Join an online coaching circle 4. Be open to opportunities that may not look like your original vision 5. Do more of what you love 6. Hang out with people you admire 7. Find more balance between your body, mind and spirituality 8. Say NO more often to...
