Sep14
Posted on Sep 14 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 As you read this, I am on vacation with my dear sister-friend Marika, exploring the lighthouses along the western shore of Lake Michigan. It’s a special trip, really. Not just because we will be staying with new friends along the way, but because, four years ago, we were exploring the eastern shore of this same big lake, climbing up the hundred steps of the towering lighthouses, and I was struggling to breathe. My inhaler did little to calm the constant coughing and I tired so easily. Two weeks after we returned from that trip, I had emergency open heart surgery to remove a myxoma, a rare benign tumor that was almost completely blocking my left atrium. A client recently asked me if I experienced a white light epiphany during the surgery, if that was when I decided to change how I lived my life. The answer is no. It...
Sep07
Posted on Sep 7 by Ruth Davis
In an episode of the original Odd Couple on TV, Felix, the neat one, is in court, defending himself after being arrested for scalping tickets. As he interrogates a witness, he writes the word ASSUME on the court’s blackboard, circling the letters as he proclaims, “Never assume. Because when you ASSUME, it makes an ASS out of U and ME.” Assumptions often hold us back. We think we already know the answer, the outcome, how the story is going to end, and so we don’t even try. A client wanted to build an addition on her house. When I asked her what was stopping her, she said she couldn’t afford it. I asked her how much it was going to cost and she said she didn’t know. She had just ASSUMED it was out of her budget. It turns out that she COULD afford it and now, three years later, she loves her new living room addition. As many of you know, I am planning to move to Morro Bay, CA in the spring. In the back of...
Jul27
Posted on Jul 27 by Ruth Davis
We’ve all heard that it is better to give than to receive. Giving and doing for others is the fastest way to get out of depression and woe is me. The selfless act of doing something for another human being or animal or nature or cause can fill the heart with pure wonderfulness. And the best part is, we think we are only giving and often, what we receive in return is even bigger. Last week I had the honor and privilege of facilitating a workshop at the local senior community center that my Dad enjoys. My mother used to love going to the center for the activities, the people, the sense of community. I wanted my workshop to honor my mother and her time at the center and so I shared some of the tools and practices that helped her maintain a positive attitude, despite her health challenges, age and circumstances. I invited the attendees to draw a big heart on their papers and write inside of it all the things they love. Then each person stood...
Jul20
Posted on Jul 20 by Ruth Davis
“Beautifully Balanced” by Deborah South-McEvoy We’ve all been there. You hear a great motivational speaker or attend an uplifting event or read some inspiring article and a million new ideas swirl around your head and you can’t wait to take some action. In fact you’re so ready to do it all that you don’t know where to begin and maybe you attempt several things at once or you are overwhelmed with all of the choices and you do nothing at all. But doing nothing can actually be a good strategy. By not immediately rushing forward, you are allowing all of the stirred up possibilities to sift down to the single most appropriate action. Several weeks ago I attending a very inspiring week-long workshop all about movement and improvisation. All of the pins were firing in my head during the classes and I was so excited about all of the new ways I was playing and expressing myself creatively. I couldn’t wait to come home and write about it, dance about it, share what I was learning with my friends...
Jul13
Posted on Jul 13 by Ruth Davis
I know me. If I don’t find enjoyment in doing something, I’m not going to follow through. If I don’t have a deep motivation for WHY I am doing something, I won’t stay with it. Some people are able to go the gym every morning, even when they don’t feel like it, because it’s “what they do.” This doesn’t work for me. I am highly self-motivated and disciplined, but if I don’t WANT to do something, it’s not going to happen. And so it’s been a challenge to find ways to connect with my physical body. I don’t mean just exercising, working out, lifting weights and losing weight, I mean really connecting with my body. I know that, as in touch as I am with my heart and my thoughts, until I am just as connected with my physical body, the big shifts that I desire can’t happen. And so, many weeks ago I set an intention to find new ways to connect in my body. Without a clear idea of what that would look like, I opened up...
Jun15
Posted on Jun 15 by Ruth Davis
I believe there is great power in working with others. Sharing ourselves with people we trust and respect helps us see many more possibilities and options than we can imagine in our own minds. I live with myself and my dogs and am self-employed and so I know, first-hand, how important it is to step outside of my solitary comfort zones and seek the wisdom and companionship of others. As humans, we need contact and connection with other people. But what I’m learning is that basic contact isn’t enough. Several of my Living Room Ladies joined the circle to meet like-minded women. One of them has little social contact outside of her family. Another works with with a group of colleagues but realizes that this is not real connection. A third has many women friends but their conversations and interactions are somewhat superficial and safe. “I could never talk about this stuff with them,” she shared in one of our groups. If we are really honest with ourselves, we crave intimacy, really talking with a person and connecting at...
