The truth is I think I stood on my Kindle and of course crushed the poor thing along with the fabulous piece I was listening to on the Language of Archetypes…I only realised this at 11pm last night so given I have patience of a flea, I went onto Amazon’s website to see what could be done… I tried chat and then used a call back option… both were answered immediately (in fact I didn’t call the US, they called me instantly) and I spent 5 minutes on the phone with a polite and capable woman who had by the end of the call shipped a replacement kindle at a reduced rate, explained to me how to download my library again, apologised profusely for my incompetence at crushing the kindle 🙂 and all I could think about afterwards was how extraordinary the customer experience was… No wonder I love Amazon.
Month: June 2012
Stalled not Speed – the bus drive from hell
My frugal ways saw me on the bus at 6.15pm into the city for dinner… the reality is this sounds much harsher for a princess than the reality, which is just two stops and you are in Sussex street in the city… Only this bus was steered by a man I don’t think had either been trained in bus driving and definitely had never managed to drive the incredibly simple distance into the city… we managed in rush hour to cross four lanes of traffic as the travellers screamed at him to avoid going into the cross-city tunnel thereby avoiding the city altogether… I looked around for Keanu Reeves to save us from the loon at the helm of the bus… he then managed to have us hellbent on crossing the harbour bridge again not wanting to actually take us into the urban destination, while the wailing passengers squawked directions at him and once again he had to cross four lanes of heavy traffic to finally take us into the city… the spoof wasn’t yet finished… he managed to stall the bus at the lights on an incline not once but twice and the second time we began rolling down the hill.. thankfully he neither hit nor killed anyone… I fled the bus and downed two drinks rapidly and came home by taxi.
Sunlight is the best disinfectant
Having put a little ray of sunlight on a long-held secret or half-lie has lifted a burden that I actually didn’t know I was carrying anymore… Funny how you just learn to live with all these awkward and uncomfortable feelings and sensations and eventually you know no other way… I can’t say I will never hold another’s secrets or lies – a little to close to hubris for me… However I will be more conscious in my choices…
Secrets and Lies
Every woman I talk to seems to have held the secrets and lies of men – personally and professionally. I too have held these secrets and lies for others – it festers really and because I view myself as honest and trustworthy and authentic, these untruths or unspoken admissions weigh heavily. I had the opportunity yesterday to clear some of this unwanted internal clutter and I shared a pretty revealing truth with a visiting guest – the release at no longer needing to protect another’s lies or deceptions was profoundly moving for me… I couldn’t sleep though because it was so unsettling to really speak my truth and I felt enormously angry at 3 in the morning about how much energy and time is used to keep silent… So another threshold moment and one that in my work I hope I can share with others who may struggle with holding their truth gently and powerfully…
Containment and Drama
One of the women on the retreat was pretty ill before she arrived – what amazed me was her capacity to both contain herself, not impact others and also to really enjoy the weekend despite having a nasty virus… I on the other hand, had to have root canal 3 hours before I left for the retreat and before any guest had entered the house, they knew my tale of woe, my endontist’s name and my enormous gratitude that I had managed to have it done before I left Sydney… Different archetypes doing their bit I guess…
With my boot in hand a soulful threshold is crossed
What an amazing weekend – the first Boot&Soul Camp…The women were extraordinary, the retreat centre perfect, the food yummy, the yoga delicious and the process work gentle yet transforming. Personally I crossed a few of my own important thresholds – my prayer to the universe became a reality and Boot&Soul Camp was born, I did my first unassisted handstand, I saw my first wombat (living one that is) in the wild and Mel and I worked so beautifully together… The co-creation with her was a gentle and nourishing dance that held the energy of the women for the weekend. In the words of one of the participants: “Rarely do I go to something where I let go – generous, considered, caring, safe and special. The sharing of your knowledge caused the change – you did what you hoped and I felt it and loved it – thank you”… and another “The combination of focusing both on our physical wellbeing as well as calming and engaging the mind was a magical formula and I have returned rejuvenated and re-inspired.”…So from yoga to archetypes; silent walks to treasure maps, we managed to create a beautiful and empowering weekend for all. Thank you to all the women who joined us for the first B&S retreat :-)… 
Birkin Bag in the Valley 
