Archive for January 2010

Have you ever seen Magen’s Bay in St. Thomas? What a fabulous place to leave behind any stresses, any “should’s,” any worries; and breathe in…life.

Similar to how a dog feels safe in his cozy kennel, as a beach bum I felt totally “safe” here on Magen’s Bay, too. The beach is surrounded by a cove; a magnificent three-sided wall of lush tropical green. There’s something about it that felt so comforting, and I was amazed by the acoustics—while there were hundreds of people having a good time on the beach, I noticed that we lowered our voices when we spoke, as if we were in a sacred space like a church or place of worship.

I was moved to take this shot of a carefree grandma resting with her grandchild under the sun. Seeing the peace that enveloped these two reminded me of how easy it is to be “on-the-go” or to be busy “gettin’ stuff done.” It certainly isn’t as easy, though, to tap into the joy of life amidst that busy-ness.

On the contrary, joy is wonderfully experienced when we slow down, take a deep breath, and relax into being.

You may have heard the notion that Read more »

One of my hallmarks of being on vacation is to be completely disconnected from TV, news, Internet, email, and phone. This time, though, the news was so big that it found me. And I couldn’t ignore it like I usually do on vacation. I further broke tradition and was moved to go online now to donate money to the earthquake relief efforts for our brothers and sisters in Haiti. While I’m here, I also wanted to write about the extreme irony of where I sit as I send my money.

We’re sailing the Caribbean on a mega cruise ship where glitz and glamour abound. Most of us onboard weren’t even aware of the massive destruction unfolding in Haiti and continued partying on and enjoying gourmet cuisine, fancy martinis, and live jazz.

I was particularly struck by the moment I learned of the news later the next day. I had purchased a half-day pass to an elite section of the ship called The Sanctuary, an adults-only “pocket of tranquility” they call it. Here, you get your own reserved comfy chaise lounge, similar to a cloud on wheels. Cleverly named “Serenity Stewards” are on-call to Read more »

Hello and welcome to a bunch of new subscribers! So glad to have you here. Wow, we are really rockin’! And the message to me is that we’re on the right track. Love it! And so grateful.

To get 2010 started off right, let’s look back a bit…

First things first. Got any idea what the initial blog post was about back in April ‘09? In it, you’ll find the phrases: “Cedar Falls, Iowa,” “front row,” and “Taco Bell.” Still not sure? Here’s the gig that kicked this whole thing off back in the spring.

And…here are the reader faves from the rest of 2009!

Synchronicities & The Power of Intention:
–How Synchronicity Led To A Front Row Kiss
–Winning Tickets To The Caribbean
–Jefferson Starship and “Miracles”
–Neil Diamond, CEO’s, and Magic

Helping & Serving Others:
–How To Help Others Follow Their Joy
–You, Too, Can Make Someone’s Day

Law of Attraction & Concert Tickets: Read more »

“…People all over the world, join hands, start a love train, love train…” If you recognize this 70’s song by the O’Jay’s, and if you’re like me, you can’t help but get out of your chair and start dancing! And if you don’t know this one, you may want to add it to your library. I love that song! And from now on whenever I hear it, it will bring a “pause” to my life as I recall a very powerful and goosebump-inducing night last year.

Bill and I were on a cruise celebrating my 40th birthday. It was glorious! As we sailed the Caribbean, one of the nights on the ship was designated as “70’s Night.” That one had my name written all over it, and it was also the backdrop for some pretty cool personal experiences for me.

In the interior of our ship was a large promenade area that looked up seven levels and was probably the length of two football fields. This was the grand setting for the evening’s kick-off party as no less than a thousand passengers filled the space.

Most of us didn’t know each other and many of us spoke different languages. But when that O’Jay’s song blasted through the speakers, and the music pumped through and filled every single corner of that massive interior of the ship, time stood still. There were beach balls smacked up Read more »