For some time I’ve been thinking about the concept of responsibility. Perhaps because of my history, training and experiences, I have often interpreted the word in a strict, disciplinary fashion. Nothing wrong with discipline, of course, but my version of the word tended to make me want to avoid the subject. Or perhaps give myself a hard time when things weren’t working out quite right, thinking I am not being responsible enough.

Sometimes that was true, but just recently I took the word apart and understood a lesson many are awakening to recognize. It’s not what happens to us, whether externally or internally, it’s our ability to respond. Maybe we do need to change course but we can care for ourselves during the correction.

Maybe we imagined an obstacle when there really wasn’t one there. Sometimes with a little investigation, those obstacles dissolve right before our eyes. Maybe we took a comment or event too personally when it really wasn’t about us at all. It often isn’t. Maybe present day circumstances have been formed by outworn habits or memories and need to be looked at from a fresh perspective. Sometimes we just need a change of scenery. Maybe we jump too quickly to cause and effect and blame ourselves for past actions. There are lessons in the past, but how are we able to respond in the present?

It’s like training a muscle. Believing in ourselves and giving our best is a solid foundation for learning more about our responses. Eliminating self judgement and replacing it with self worth goes a long way toward deepening our understanding and our ability to respond. Some lessons are harder to learn than others, take more time, uncover more truth. But then suddenly we are able to look at ourselves in the mirror and rejoice in living in our own truth and authenticity.

Your comments welcome, as always.

The concept of a beautiful life seems to be pouring into mine. I purchased this rose just before Easter, almost 3 weeks ago and although the outer petals are a little frilly, it remains happily gracing my windowsill. Beauty is not just the flower or the painting on the wall. It is joy at the bird’s song, making new friendships, running a well-kept store, championing what we believe in.

Gregg Braden recently announced his scientific understanding that “beauty is a force of nature.” That means there is a tangible power in our creativity and our ability to influence the world around us. He continued with his practice of the Wisdom Codes, prayers and exercises to align us with the language of the heart.

Nicholas Roerich, in his book Shambhala, In Search of the New Era, writes on the power of beauty in raising our culture. “With every affirmation of the beautiful and of the highest, we are creating the quality of the future life.” With joy and enthusiasm, he says, “If we shall take from life all expressions of beauty, we shall change the entire history of humanity.” He continues with the idea that positivism (as he calls it), aims “to draw heaven to earth.”

And Van Gogh is quoted as saying, “I want to touch people with my Art, I want them to say, ‘you feel deeply, you feel tenderly.’ ” That tender place between us, that heartfelt communication, is yet another example of our collective beauty.

As I continue to meditate on Blue Heaven, my place of beauty and creativity, I am asking myself if I am indeed creating the beauty that I am dreaming of…..with my thoughts, my actions, my daily expressions. I’d love to hear from you, my readers, how you are creating your beautiful life?

In my New Year’s blog, I wrote about my word for the year, Arise! I also commented on how time seems to be speeding by, how fast things are changing and how the unexpected has become an everyday experience. A friend of mine recently expressed it eloquently by saying, “Every day I awaken to an entirely new chemistry.” She was talking about a healing process she is going through but the more I thought about it, it seems to apply to the whole universe we are living in and our relationship to it.

Meditating on this idea and wondering what I should be doing about it, I recently went on a shopping trip, looking for nothing in particular, but thinking I might find something. I found myself trying on a pair of boots which were surprisingly comfortable, which is a miracle in itself. As I took them off to decide whether to buy them, I wondered what the brand was. I looked inside and there was my next word:

The Italian expression andiamo means: let’s go or hurry up! As a longtime aficionado of many things Italian (ciabatta, aerobics instructor, olives, hairdresser, wood-fired oven pizza, doctor, novels and movies, painting of Positano, meatballs, scenes of Tuscany, I could go on), I knew I had found the response to my question and of course I made the purchase. I’ve also discovered that the word is sometimes used as an exclamation of joy when something unexpectedly good happens. So the answer is clear: Take action, move forward and remember to embrace joy at every juncture, no matter the nature of how things may appear.

I also want to express my joy and appreciation for all your comments to my recent blog questions. Where could I find more inspiration than in the words and experiences of my thoughtful readers? Grazie!

I am inspired today to reinvent some New Year’s rituals that I haven’t used for awhile. The first is choosing a word for the year. The way time is accelerating, the word could certainly change before we get to 2023, but for now the word is ARISE. Many meanings of course:

Sometimes it’s simply to get out of bed. When I took this picture this morning, it was a crispy blue 5 degrees after a below-zero night taking us into the New Year. It was hard to throw back those warm covers, but the trees were reaching for the sky. Of course Arise can also mean: rise to the challenge, stand up and be the real you, aim higher than you have before, rise above earthly circumstances, stand up for what you believe in, reach for the stars.

Right before Christmas, I had an experience that demanded this word. I slipped on some ice and found myself right on the ground in the snow. Brushing past history aside, I found myself exclaiming, “I am okay, I am okay, I am okay!” and scooting over to my car and getting myself up. I promptly followed with helpful remedies and the absolute knowledge that I knew what to do and was indeed going to be okay. I wasn’t thinking about it, just doing. And I proceeded to go about my day. I said a fierce prayer to heaven intensely aware that I was the co-creator and had to do my part.

As we are arising, we are of necessity letting fall from our consciousness thoughts of judgment, self-criticism, being a victim, and ignoring our responsibiities as spiritual warriors. Every once in awhile, I seem to be reminded rather dramatically that I have been heading in the wrong direction. Aquarian ways of thinking are arising upon the planet and they are meant to be integrated and acted upon in our everyday experiences.

I have to record this incident as a victory to remember. Somehow I knew that I was responsible and I was in charge of my reaction. Days followed with very little soreness and a quick recovery, shoving any doubts aside and reasserting my belief in a world where we are practicing self-care, listening to our bodies, moved by the spirit and inspired by new and never-before-thought-of ideas.

The other ritual I began today is a jar where you add slips of paper recording victories, inspirations, great news, little synchronicities,etc. for the year. The more you recognize them, the more they multiply. I wrote the word Arise and taped it in the jar, combining the two rituals. The idea is to open the jar at the end of the year and celebrate all the good news you may have forgotten, a Victory journal in action. I might not wait until the end of the year, the jar may get too full.

We are all Co-Creators! Blessings and Love for 2022, Susan

As a Heart2Heart Coach, I am often asked what I do, what does coaching mean, what’s the plan, and similar questions. I usually respond with a description of getting from where you are to where you want to be. Most recently, I’ve discovered that many people feel they are at a crossroads.

It may feel like there are many choices or there are none at all. Confusion may set in. Change may be the order of the day, but how to do it, what direction to head? It may seem like the universe is giving you a very strong message to go in one direction or another, but you find yourself seemingly without the tools, resources or belief in yourself to take the initial steps.

I am reminded of the quote from Yogi Berra who was quoted as saying, “When you reach a fork in the road, take it.” Simple enough in a way, but a little zen. I researched to make sure he actually said it. He did, but he was giving a friend directions to his home. At the point where a fork in the road appeared, bearing right or bearing left would lead you directly to his house. Not so zen after all, but still indicative of the need to make a decision.

There are multiple decisions to be made when proceeding from a daunting crossroads. And I have found that during this experience, support for your progress is rather essential. Friends and family can be most helpful, or sometimes not. This is one of the reasons I’ve pursued my coaching practice. As a more objective observer, I can assist those challenged by the crossroads experience. There are questions to be asked, steps to be taken, obstacles to be overcome and decisions to be made. Usually none are right or wrong but need fine tuning to align with your purpose and life direction.

The crossroads experience comes along repeatedly during our lives. I’ve noticed that when worldly events intensify (have you noticed?) the whole process appears, and may indeed be, more crucial to our progress on the path.

Take joy in the knowledge that the crossroads experience may be challenging but always indicates incoming change and transformation, and your heart will undoubtedly lead the way.