Ben dancy pants from andrea scher on Vimeo.
Monthly Archives: March 2010
This week’s delights*
March 23, 2010 – 12:15 pm
Karen Walrond, Edible Schoolyard, Berkeley, Canon Digital Rebel XSi
Some delights this week:
Seeing Karen Walrond and taking her to the Edible Schoolyard… She gasped at every new plant and tree she had never seen before and snapped furiously with her camera. It was such a pleasure to share my little corner of the world with her.
Tasting a Cara Cara orange for the first time. It’s a cross between an orange and a grapefruit. Have you ever heard of such a thing?
Vivienne’s incredible photos and words on her blog.
The current Mondo Beyondo class. It just keeps getting better and better and I am so proud….!
Having lunch with the talented Samin and hearing her Mondo Beyondo story.
Marcia Gagliardi, author photo by me, Canon Digital Rebel XSi
Celebrating my dear friend Marcia and the launch of her beautiful new book: The Tablehopper’s Guide to Dining and Drinking in San Francisco. I had the honor of taking her author photo which turned out so well.
Heidi Swanson and me, San Francisco, CA, Canon Digital Rebel XSi
Meeting one of my heroes, Heidi Swanson and getting a photo with her. Total Mondo Beyondo moment for me.
Going to my friend Sasha’s on the rooftop of the SF Moma with Ben. Finding him flirting with two beautiful young women and giggling to myself, then returning a few minutes later to find him wrapped around one of the girls’ ankles and licking her calves! This kid has some serious moves! 
Finding out Ben’s MRI was all clear. Also, discovering that he is not allergic to anything at all. (This shocked me, I was sure he had celiac, but that’s another story)
spring flowers, Berkeley, Canon Digital Rebel XSi
Hiking in Sunol Regional Wildnerness and seeing the wildflowers in bloom. I haven’t been this blissed out in a long time.
Ben update*
March 23, 2010 – 11:17 am
Ben with his dragon claw, Sunol Regional Wilderness, Canon Digital Rebel XSi
Just got the results back from the MRI and all is well! His condition is still undiagnosed but he is doing well and getting healthier every day with a combination of diet and osteopathy treatments. Thank you for all the Ben love!
Winner of the giveaway and other blessings*
March 16, 2010 – 10:43 am
self-portrait with hearts made of rain, Berkeley, Canon Digital Rebel XSi
The winner of the Brene Brown dvd is Sarah Beckley! Congratulations Sarah! For the rest of you, hop right over to Brene’s site to order your own copy. It is a life-changer for sure. (I love the idea of ordering a copy and having a viewing party with several friends. It would be an amazing conversation starter and a powerful gift for your dear ones)
One of the best things about being in the middle of a Mondo Beyondo course is that I am reminded to practice the principles daily. If I’m going to talk the Mondo Beyondo talk, I’ve got to walk the walk as well, right? My commitment to authenticity won’t let me off the hook on this one.
In the class, we practice strengthening our courage and being willing to be vulnerable. We practice following our intuition and leaning into trust. From what I’ve seen, if we are fully embracing and exploring our edge on these practices, we are pretty much unstoppable. We are jedi warriors of the most soulful kind and we become master manifesters… the world of possibilities just continues to expand.
You might remember that I declared a clearing a couple of months ago. I wasn’t sure what I was preparing for, but my intuition told me that i needed to clear out as much space as possible for new dreams to find me. In that space, we found a new home and moved, Ben went through some serious health issues (that I was so grateful I had freed myself up to address) and then the miracle of all miracles, I found out I am pregnant! I’ve been telling students that the clearing is about creating space for new dreams and unexpected delights to find you… and this is truly an unexpected delight!
I am continuing to listen to myself deeply, to trust myself and to know that my deepest truth (if I can get quiet enough to access it) will never steer me wrong.
Hold us in your hearts tomorrow as Ben has his MRI!
The Hustle for Worthiness + a Giveaway!
March 11, 2010 – 12:38 pm
Phone booth, Guerilla Cafe, Berkeley, Canon Digital Rebel XSi
As I was writing this piece, inspired by Brene Brown’s new DVD The Hustle for Worthiness, I couldn’t help but notice the Michael Jackson silhouette on the phone booth outside the cafe. And it got me thinking: What about the electric slide for worthiness? or the moonwalk for worthiness? These images make me giggle because it’s so true how we literally exhaust ourselves in the struggle to feel worthy (of love, of respect) or simply to feel like enough.
One friend of mine calls her first dates the “dancing bear routine” where she watches herself do that first date performance of how fabulous and witty and interesting she is. It usually works, but she comes home feeling tired out by it all and wondering why she doesn’t want to go through it again.
I think I’ve dropped a lot of my hustle over the years, feeling slightly less inclined to need other’s approval, but I still see how what I do (or don’t do) is tied up in my self-worth. Case in point, I have been staring at this blog for weeks feeling like a total blog failure, wondering what I should write about, what would be interesting, worth sharing, fabulous enough… And just the striving alone to be brilliant or fabulous will block you up every time. Pretty soon there are tumbleweeds drifting by your blog.
The irony is that all anyone really wants to read is what’s true. The truth is so much more compelling than any dance we can do and our authenticity is the greatest gift we can bring.
Brene says it beautifully here:
“Our lives are a collection of stories – truths about who we are, what we believe, what we come from, how we struggle, and how we are strong. When we can let go of what people think, and own our story, we gain access to our worthiness – the feeling that we are enough just as we are, and that we are worthy of love and belonging.
If we spend a lifetime trying to distance ourselves from the parts of our lives that don’t fit with who we think we’re supposed to be, we stand outside of our story and have to hustle for our worthiness by constantly performing, perfecting, pleasing, and proving. Our sense of worthiness lives inside of our story. It’s time to walk into our experiences and to start living and loving with our whole hearts.”
In celebration of Brene’s incredible new DVD, I am giving away a copy this week to one lucky winner!
Just proclaim in the comments, “I am enough!” (or some variation on that theme) and you’ll have a chance to win.
Giveaway Guidelines:
– You have until 8PM PST on Sunday, March 14th to enter this giveaway.
– Just make a comment ON THIS POST to enter.
– This is a random drawing
– One entry per person, please. (Just push “post” ONCE and wait a few seconds. The comment should appear)
