It seems that even though I am an author, I have only been blogging regularly at the end of each of the past few years (at the insistence of my web manager).
What can I say about 2019? I spent much of the year as a gypsy in Coronado and Colorado. Coronado filled my soul with the sea, temperate weather, abundant nature, joy and easy solitude. I seemed to be able to re-align my body, mind, emotions and spirit no matter what the outer challenges were which included a minor car accident, the sudden death of one of my closest friends (chosen family) and a choking incident which landed me in the ER. I felt surrounded by the love of my friends which were spread across several states, an intimate long-distance relationship and the work I do through my company, Body/Mind Dynamics, Inc.
I still had much of my belongings in Storage and after almost two years and the desire to close the gap on the long-distance part of my relationship, I decided to return to Colorado and buy a home. I needed an anchor, a base, and I was looking forward to building a community of like-minded beings while expanding my work and relationship.
From the moment I came back to Colorado in late August, everything I had imagined, fell apart. No one, no-thing remained constant or consistent. The one thing I was able to manifest and create was a home, but the people I imagined sharing it with, disappeared or were unavailable.
I was back in Colorado, surrounded by the beauty of the mountains, but Winter descended during my favorite season of Fall and the temperate weather and solace of nature that I found in Coronado were not present. I had no sea ledge to sit on, no sand to collect beneath my feet, no waves to watch and the dear companion(s) I had cherished in my heart, were not there. After a life-time of cultivating a desire for periods of solitude, I felt this old gnawing sensation of being alone, lonely, isolated and deep, deep loss and disappointment. I wanted to get up and leave, feeling like I had made the biggest mistake of my life, but I had finally unpacked and could not imagine being a gypsy again.
After decades of personal and professional growth, I have cultivated the belief that we create our reality and are not victims. I teach that we must rely on our inner state for joy and happiness rather than on others or the outside world. The courses I teach educators involve the knowledge that not only must we be mindful of our thoughts, words, beliefs and actions, but that those inner resources are our only true source of freedom as we cannot control people or outer conditions to bend to our will or desires.
One of my favorite subjects I teach is about resiliency and here I sit at the end of 2019, contemplating my thoughts, beliefs, feelings and actions and wonder why I created these conditions when I could have made such different decisions that might have been so much less painful and harsh. And yet, I also believe everything happens for a reason and that things sometimes appear one way and evolve and change into more magnificence then we could ever have imagined. It’s that old cliché of trust and faith, not so much from a “religious” point of view, but from understanding the honorability and mystery of the Universe. As one of my heroes, Alice Hertz-Summers (who was the oldest living holocaust survivor) said: “Every day is a miracle — No matter how bad my circumstances, I have the freedom to choose my attitude in life, even to find joy. Evil is not new. It is up to us how we deal with both good and bad. No one can take this power away from us.”
As you contemplate 2019, releasing what you no longer need and embracing your intentions for 2020 and this new decade, I invite you to join me in a course, session, reading, book, CD or class. I have on-going weekly Yoga classes, Graduate Educator credit courses, clairvoyant/spiritual private readings and will be expanding my workshops and on-line video resources as well as products. Click the menu links for more information.
No matter how bad or challenging the past has been, we can reclaim our future by embracing the present with hope, love and appreciation.
To 2020 — may it unfold into the truths of our being — Joy, Love and Adventure,
Françoise
