Inspiration Archives

My son and I went for a walk today in an oceanfront park in Anacortes, WA, in the San Juan Islands of the Pacific Northwest. Lush green, towering cedar trees and fauna of all kinds surrounded us. This forest receives a lot of precipitation making it a very green sanctuary. Many of the trees were covered with moss and the floor was covered with many varieties of lush plant life, from ferns to fungus. If wet had a scent, this was the place to smell it. My nose was filled with the musty smell of dampness mingled with the sweetness…

My husband and I are spending time in the Seattle area, house-sitting for a friend until the end of September. Today I began the drive from Boulder to Seattle, through Wyoming and Montana. It rained most of the morning, but by early afternoon, the scenery was simply spectacular. The colors seemed so alive and vivid, the landscape fresh and new. One particular field of sunflowers simply took my breath away. I’d driven for more than 700 miles when I started to pay attention to the ribbon of highway in front of me.  The road looked just like the ribbon candy…

About two weeks ago we came sailing to the British Virgin Islands, to relax, play, enjoy being together, brainstorm InspireMeToday.com, and to give me time to percolate some ideas I’ve had, including writing a new book. Well, you know me, and know that I believe a lot of things in life are metaphors for your life. After this sailing trip, I think life is a lot like bananas. Let me explain. On our first day here, the 28th of July, I provisioned the boat from Bobby’s, the local grocery store in downtown Road Town, Tortola. I bought a stalk of…

Yesterday we arrived at the Bight, a cove off Norman Island in the British Virgin Islands. We took the dinghy into the beautiful beach just in front of Pirates Bar, which happened to be closed for the upcoming hurricane season. The beach was still beautiful and we were looking forward to enjoying some R&R in the sunshine and playing in the warm waters. The only thing that gives me concern in the waters of the BVI is jellyfish. This trip, it seems they decided to come to the BVI during the same time that we did. We saw them on…

I live a very blessed life. I’m still unplugged in the British Virgin Islands, relaxing, writing and getting perspective on my life. We come down here several times each year to think and just be. Funny thing is, I almost wrote that I come here to get away from the self-imposed busy-ness of life. But, how do you spell busy-ness? Would that be business? Interesting, isn’t it? The biggest change in my life when I’m down here is that I don’t use my cell phone. When I’m home it is attached to me. Here, it’s only used if we care…

Experience has shown me that everything in my life is a metaphor FOR my life. If I pay attention and just ask myself the question, “What is this trying to teach me”, I find myself learning from the situation. Yesterday I was walking on my favorite beach on the island of Anagada, in the British Virgin Islands. This particular beach is on the windward side of the island and therefore, gets many of the treasures of the sea washed upon it’s shores, from beautiful sea shells and sea fans, to sneakers and beer bottles. I went for a walk, in…

Maybe I’m just stuck on this title because I’m going on vacation in the morning. Maybe it’s because I’m going sailing in the Caribbean and I’m just getting into the attitude of the islands. Or, maybe it’s just what I need to hear right now too. Just a few days ago, I was walking on Pearl Street in downtown Boulder, CO. There’s a section of sidewalk in front of the courthouse with “jumping water”. This is where water jumps out of holes in the sidewalk and shoots into the air. The atmosphere was quite festive with a lot of little…

POP QUIZ I had an experience several years ago that highlighted every major principle I talk about in my work. My husband Gay and I were about to go on tour for our new relationship book, The Conscious Heart. In it we explore the primary commitment to learn from every relationship interaction, no matter how seemingly trivial or huge. We wrote at some length about choosing to see who people really are, their essence, rather than making ourselves right, avoiding learning and repeating old patterns. We'd noticed that living this commitment created magic and turned potential power struggles into exciting…

Often we have a special occasion coming up and want to look fabulous. Then the panic of “What do I wear?” begins. For my special occasion I want a new outfit that fits me perfectly and when I put it on, I feel beautiful! I went to Bonnie, a talented wardrobe consultant at Tres Bon, in Boulder, and hired her to help me find just the right thing. She asked questions about the look I was trying to create. She also asked what was already in my closet and I told her she didn’t want to know. Bonnie was trying…

I have a friend named Jamie who lives in a medium sized city where she doesn’t feel like she belongs, but she can’t relocate yet because of her husband’s work. For the last two years she’s tried to meet people but is convinced that there are no “cool people like her” in the entire city. My good friend Tom, who is really great, lives in the same area so yesterday I introduced them on the telephone and they set up a time to meet for coffee. Jamie agreed to meet with Tom because she really wants to meet new friends,…

What's in your someday basket? Today I talked with several different people who all talked about what they were going to do "someday". By the fourth person, it hit me. I know when today is. I know when yesterday was. I even know when tomorrow will be. But, when is someday? According to the dictionary, someday is "at an indefinite future time." For far too many, it is an elusive day that may never come. Could someday be the day after my funeral? Could someday be today? I have things that I want to do… someday. Someday I'm going to…