The Labyrinth and “The Way”

After watching the movie “The Way” last night, I considered the importance of traveling a path…be it a Labyrinth, like the one I walked at Grace Cathedral yesterday afternoon after delivering a re-order of my cards to their Gift Shop, or the Camino de Santiago that Martin Sheen’s character walks in the movie.  Both have to do with “Transformation”.  Both offer time for reflection, connection (with the Divine) and a peace to enter one’s heart.

Since meeting Bruce Bearden, Canon for Administration for Grace Cathedral, at the SF Gift show in August I’ve been considering creating a card of a Labyrinth.  Bruce told me about their Labyrinth’s at Grace Cathedral (one is indoors;one outdoors) which are modeled after the one at Chartes Cathedral.  When I delivered my first order of cards to their shop he took me upstairs to view the Labyrinth from an interesting vantage point.  He encouraged me to create a card by telling me that anything that has a Labyrinth image on it sells in their Shop.  I was interested in the transformative nature of the Labyrinth.  I had walked one earlier this year when at Mercy Center in Burlingame (also an outdoor version) and have heard of people who make it a spiritual practice to walk a Labyrinth.  It’s akin to saying the rosary, I thought.  I wonder if it is the repetitive nature of the circling round the path that, like the rosary, is repetitive in nature.  Be it the prayers of the rosary or the beads that one holds that brings one to peace or allows one to offer up their thoughts/worries/joy/pain etc to the Divine or the footsteps on the path…either way a transformation happens.  (I’ve not said the rosary since probably sometime in parochial grade school but my Mom is a devout Catholic who prays the rosary on a daily basis).

Yesterday prior to my walking the outdoor path at Grace I tried to center myself  and asked for inspiration to come through.  As I walked, turning words in my head as well as my feet on the path, I “got” these words:

The Path reveals

The Mystery

of Life Unfolding

I quickly captured the words on paper after I finished.  Now I just have to capture the image and I’ll have the beginning of a new card for my Inspiration line!  I’m going to work on that next.

I think my friend Lauren, who walked the Camino de Santiago a few years ago, would agree with the words that came to me.  It’s the Mystery of Life Unfolding that we are called to explore.  I hope Words and Watercolors offers greeting cards that can offer some thoughtful wisdom to those that find my cards!  What transformative experiences have you had with a Labyrinth or long walk!?!

As for the title on my next business card (last post), my friend Minda suggested “watercolor guru”.  I liked her statement “that says it all!”.   Thanks Minda!!!!

what does it say on your business card?

When in Portland for the Nursery Trade show in August, I had a chance to get a “reading” from my very favorite astrologer/tarot reader Lucy Pond.  Lucy has been instrumental in helping me “see” things for a number of years.  She also used to live in Seattle and we’d meet at her office in her home twice a year or so.  Since moving to SF, I’ve had a few phone sessions with her but was thrilled to realize I could again work with her in person since she and her husband relocated to Portland a few years ago as well.

During our time together, she encouraged me to continue to see myself differently.  It’s obvious that I’ve made the change, in my mind, from that of Corporate Sales Queen and Single Mom to Artist/Entrepreneur (it only took a few painful years!) but she encouraged me to stretch even farther.  She’s been telling me for awhile that I’m a “Teacher”.  I thought I was a teacher as a Weight Watcher Leader (a role I just gave up because I realized I no longer had time for it and wanted to put ALL my energy into Words and Watercolors and teaching others through workshops).  She said “You’re an Inspirational Speaker!”.  I’m beginning to get that.  Even during my Sales career, I loved to inspire others to do what they wanted….now it’s my time to do that for me.  Lucy’s suggestion of putting whatever I want on my business card will help me claim it as so has made me consider what I’d say on my business card.

My stack of cards is getting low.  It’s about time for a reprint and I think I WILL put a title on my card (in addition to adding the fax number which was left off inadvertently the last time).  I’ve been mulling over Artist/Entrepreneur/Inspirational Speaker/Workshop Leader.  Probably too long but maybe not?  Most people wouldn’t read it all anyhow or if they did it would be cause for conversation!  Since June I have done 2 workshops titled “Moving through Transition with Creativity”, obviously with my own experience charting the course.  I’ve also done 2 drawing/painting workshops at Flora Grubb Nursery and Alden Lane Nursery with another scheduled at Prospector Nursery in November.  I want to do more of these things because as Lucy also stated and I know, “people like you and they want to be around you” in addition to the “I need the world”.  I can only take so many days of working on my own before I need to socially connect with others…I do, in fact, need the world!

So what does your business card say about you?  Would you change it next time you reprint to more accurately state who you are becoming?!?  Some thoughts to consider!  And BTW, if you want Lucy’s contact info let me know.  I highly recommend her for her clarity and ability to get to the heart of a matter!!

full circle

Out on a walk last week, I was contemplating the idea of “going full circle”.  I’ve been thinking about it for awhile as I realized that my birthday marked my 30^th anniversary of quitting my job in Indiana for my 26^th birthday present to myself.  I had decided, while riding on a boat surrounded by the water and mountains of Lucerne, Switzerland in July of ‘81 that if I wanted to fulfill my dream of moving “out west” I’d best do it soon.  Returning to my job at Hill Rom in Southern Indiana after my month long sojourn to Europe, I thought I could work for 2 months, save some money and then quit my job for my birthday present.  That’s exactly what I did.

I never thought, when I drove my packed full of boxes VW out I-70 to Denver that October, that I’d live “out west” my entire adult life.  But that’s what happened.  I realized as Mark and I boarded the plane in Indianapolis last Tuesday (headed to Ft. Lauderdale to visit his Mom) that I’ve been on planes to Indiana at least once a year (and more times than not two or three times a year) for 30 years.

This past week when visiting “home” we took in, not only the Purdue/Notre Dame football game, complete with the tailgating, but a walk around Columbia Park (it looked much smaller).  It felt “full circle” as we sat at the Frozen Custard, lunched at Arni’s and visited with family and friends

Not only have I come “full circle” with my move west and trip home but my launching Words and Watercolors again feels like I’ve gone “full circle”.  Initially I launched a small greeting card line in ’94 with the same name.  It wasn’t the time then as I was pulled in many directions as a Mom, Corporate Sales Queen and Wife.  With life changing so drastically the past few years after my marriage to Mark, it seemed like the timing was right….thus “full circle”.

An invitation for Ron and Steve’s retirement party on October 25^th arrived the other day.  Ron and Steve are Henriksen/Butler respectively, the owners of a very large, successful Herman Miller Dealership in Salt Lake City, Utah.  I was one of the first full time designer’s they hired back in 1983 and then transitioned to Sales after my son was born in 1984.  I have always felt a great deal of gratitude to them for allowing me to enter sales.   The Corporate Sales world I entered became my career and one that lasted for 25 years till I moved to San Francisco.

Also I’ve reconnected with an old architect friend from Utah…it’s all part of the “full circle” theme that seems to be going on this month.

Do you have any “full circle” experiences?  Isn’t is fun to go back and “connect the dots” as Steve Jobs talked about in his address to Stanford in 2005 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd_ptbiPoXM.  Mark and I watched this first about a month ago, after Steve had stepped down from Apple as CEO.  His message is timely and enduring.  I loved his story of connecting the dots…your really don’t know how things/people/places you encounter will change you in the future…but keep an open mind and you’ll see it all play out in “full circle”!