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Volume 8, Issue 8

January 19, 2009

Clouds and Sunrise Grass Photos by Tim Trumble; Meditation image from www.relaxationstation.com/images/Power

Diving for Pearls 2– 3

Healthy Dessert Options 4

New Interns/Golden Ticket 5

The “Trip of a Lifetime” 6

My New Year’s Resolution 7

The Thing About Change 8—9

A Night with the Lion King 10

Transformation 11

Writing/The Bucket List 12

Sanskrit Proverb 13

Happy New Year! Jan. 2009

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Diving for Pearls—Turning Inward By Shavawn M. Berry

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For the past month I have been on hia-tus from my teaching job for the winter holidays. Typically, I enter the month of December feeling like I’ve been flat-tened on the interstate by a Mac Truck! But this year it was worse. The end of 2008 proved to be especially dark for me. I had no energy, felt deeply dis-couraged and depressed, and simply wanted to go to bed for a month. Spiri-tually I was overwhelmed and ex-hausted. Since I wasn’t working, I never left my house. Intuitively, I knew this was not a good state of affairs. I needed help and I needed it fast. I contacted my dear friend, Mary, an energy healer and asked her for some help. As always, she was able to help me to see the root of things. Sorrow over a break-up two long years ago still haunted me. In the depths of my heart, I’d lost hope that my life could ever change. As a generally hopeful and inspired person, it de-moralized me to find myself in such a deep well of grief and sadness.

So, what did I do? After my session with Mary, I initi-ated some intensive internal work. I dove for the “pearls” I knew were inside of me. I began by slowly and carefully removing all my masks. Asking my-self, who are you and who do you want to be, I started my work. I believe we all carry different archetypes inside of us, like the magical or wounded child, or perhaps, anger-girl (I know her well), studious-serious-chick, or doormat-woman who works like a dog. I contain all these and more! Last month, I started to delve into my inner life —the “shadow” side of my personality, as Carl Jung referred to it — and I was surprised by the amount of relief I felt. You cannot imagine how relieved I was when I started to embrace all of myself, instead of just the parts that I deemed to be “good” or “right” according to society’s standards. For years, I’ve tried to be perfect. (We all know how that works out!) In beginning this inner work, I developed some much needed compassion for myself, my choices, and the way that I have survived some pretty dicey and difficult stuff. I have done my job, paid my bills, and taken care of my business even from the depths of despair. I realized the need to express grati-tude to my body, my mind and my spirit. I read the books “calling out” from my bookshelves; listened to music; bought myself a guitar; and ate a lot of chocolate! I took long languid baths and was continually reminded of my need to care for my life completely—with the kindness and sensitivity that I would give to others. And as I did this, those exhausted parts of me, the parts of me that I had disowned or disavowed, stepped for-ward and thanked me. (Continued Next Page)

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Continued from page 2

I greeted the child inside, and remembered how she loved to draw, walk in sunlight, and eat red licorice. I found that if I truly listened to my life — really putting my ear to the ground of my being, I could clearly hear my intuitive voice. The realization hit me that in truly embracing all of myself, I would find the answers needed to make the changes I wanted to make. I found catharsis in the wholeness I discovered through this process.

In December I watched every Lifetime movie I could get my hands on, especially the cheesy Christ-mas romances. My favorites were “A Very Merry Daughter of the Bride” and “Undercover Christmas.” I laughed and I cried, watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “A Christmas Story.” I slept and I read, fi-nally stemming the long-term exhaustion I had been experiencing. I decorated the house; played with my cats; and got in touch with the lovely simplicity of en-joying daily life. Imagine that!

I also had incredibly healing discussions with my closest friends and, of course, my mother. The rea-

son I mention all of this, is that as women, we tend to put ourselves at the end of our “to do” lists. If (and that’s a big if) there’s time after everything else has been taken care of, then and only then, can we step up and take something for ourselves. I don’t know about you, but I can’t keep liv-ing like that. I need more balance. I want to feel a sense of serenity when I contemplate my life, not a sense of overwhelming doom!

On New Year’s Eve, I sat at home, drinking champagne and coloring a spirit Mandala, like the one above. I thought long and hard about all the things I still want to accomplish and see flower in my life. As a result, I came up with the following ideas. My goals for the coming year are four-fold:

1. Take care of what’s important to Shavawn, first. In other words, my passion & play (writing, music,

creativity) comes before work, no matter how ur-gently work is thrown in my direction;

2. Take care of my spirit and my body—including plenty of rest, good nutrition, exercise, and time for my spiritual practice;

3. Take care of the “important stuff” in life: responsi-bilities, family, bills, obligations, things I have agreed to with a resounding “Yes!” from my heart;

4. And, finally, let go of the need to meet the expecta-tions of other people. I have to live my life for me. I have to make my life mine, and only mine. What others think of me is none of my business. (This may horrify some of you, but, that’s OK!)

I am convinced that if I pursue these goals, I will be successful in all areas of my life.

Some of the reading that I did was truly transforma-tional. The most helpful books include

Living Your Unlived Life by Robert A. John-son & Jerry M. Ruhl, Ph. D.

The Eden Project—In Search of the Magical Other by James Hollis

Trust Your Vibes by Sonia Choquette, and

The Water of Life by Michael J. Meade

If you are struggling to find balance in your life, I highly recommend them as a place to start. As women I think we owe it to ourselves (and to those we love) to put ourselves on our “to-do lists.” If we do, the resulting joy will translate to everyone we touch.

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New Beginnings in the Kitchen: Healthy Dessert Options

by Mary Powell

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It is the New Year. You try to count the number of calories you’ve ingested, too many for a TI-95 calculator to add up! You feel full, and bloated, like “Jabba-the-Hut” from Star Wars and never want to see another piece of pumpkin pie again (maybe lemon meringue…). We’ve all experienced the difficul-ties of eating healthy at the holidays. Friends have parties with lard-filled tama-les, 7-layer dip and wonderful Christmas cookies that they slaved away to bake. Godiva chocolates jump up and wave at you; éclairs entice you to sink your teeth into their buttery, rich crust. We have also all paid the price after the holidays and stepped onto the scale to see ourselves weigh a little (or a lot) more than what we weighed in October. The Better Homes and Gardens ads with thin women, wearing Lycra Capri pants and indulging in chocolate cheesecake are un-

realistic; we all know those models eat a carrot before the shoot and wouldn’t be caught dead eating such decadence. But, there is a remedy to the dieting blues. The following are some scrumptious “substitution” dishes that taste quite similar to the real food, are actually good for you and won’t pack on the pounds.

Pumpkin pie is a delicious dessert that everyone loves. With plenty of vitamin A and fiber, it can be good for the body. The fat and extra calories in the crust; however, make it an instant “no-no” for dieters. Try buying plain canned pumpkin-stay away from the sugar added “pumpkin pie filling”- and mix in your favorite sugar substitute. I prefer Stevia because it tastes most like sugar, and is all natural. You can buy Stevia at Sprouts, Trader Joe’s or Hi-Health. It is also being sold under the name Truvia in regular supermarkets. Add a dash of cinnamon to the pumpkin mixture. Next, pour a cup of nonfat, sugar free plain yogurt, mixed with a sugar substitute onto a piece of angel food cake or whole wheat bread. Spoon the pumpkin mixture on top of the yogurt and top it with some light cool whip, cinnamon and a graham cracker crumbled onto it. This dish may sound strange, but it tastes similar to pumpkin pie. You now have a dessert that is 250 calories, has ½ a gram of fat, significantly less sugar, and is actually good for you! You may vary this to mimic the taste of dif-ferent flavors of pies. Instead of canned pumpkin try unsweetened, all natural apple sauce, or canned, sugar free cherries, spiced apples and other sugar free jams and fruits.

Another delicious and healthful recipe, which I drink on a daily basis, is my non-fat, sugar free cocoa. Cocoa is a major source of antioxi-dants which may help stimulate dopamine, the euphoric feeling that people with obsessive compulsive disor-der, like me, have trouble producing. This may account for why those of us have obsessive compulsive disor-der crave carbohydrates and sweets. I take a ¼ teaspoon of regular baking cocoa, unsweetened and add it to three scoops of Stevia, although you may use any sugar free sweetener. Then pour a hot cup of skim milk or water onto it and you have hot cocoa that is 5 calories, sugar free, and fat free. It is lower in calories than the store bought sugar free cocoa, and is better for you because it is made with 100%, pure cocoa bean. It makes an excellent hot drink during the winter months, and despite the caffeine in the cocoa, helps me get to sleep! I must admit, I catch a lot of flack for my eating habits. I have had friends exclaim, “Ew, what are you eating!” or stare at my plate and ask, “What is that?” But with high cholesterol, diabetes, and high blood pres-sure running in my family, I cannot afford to be lackadaisical about my health. I refuse to feel deprived when it comes to eating, holidays or not. A few adapted recipes keep me healthy, and fitting into the same clothing I wore in high school (yes, I still need to get rid of those balloon legged, skinny ankle, nineties jeans). Don’t worry about looking like someone on Sex in the City; just treat yourself right by eating nutritiously. We only get one body and it needs to last us a lifetime.

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Maggie Flanagan (upper left) is a senior at Arizona State University. She is currently working on her Bachelor’s of Arts in English Literature and will graduate in May 2009. She hopes to one day work as a writer and publish her own novels. She loves to travel and has been to several countries in Europe and the Middle East and would like to travel to more of Africa and the Far East. In her spare time, she enjoys blogging and writing. She works at Coach in Scottsdale Fashion Square on the weekends, and loves to shop!

Sarah M. Bramlett (right) is currently a senior in the Col-lege of Liberal Arts and Sciences working toward her Bache-lor’s in English Literature at Arizona State University. She is originally from Southern California where she intends to re-turn after graduation to pursue a career in writing and editing. She eventually aspires to be a free-lance writer, primarily fo-cusing on nonfiction, novels and poetry. She will complete her Associate Degrees in both Anthropology and Criminology in the San Diego area, before beginning her Master’s in English Literature at San Diego State University.

Sarah Maschoff (lower left) is an honors senior at ASU pursuing a degree in English Literature with a minor in Women’s Studies, as well as a Writing Certificate. Interested in a broad range of writing, she plans to pursue careers in both fiction and screenwrit-ing. In the Spring of 2008 she had a recurring opinions column in ASU’s campus news-

paper, The State Press, and just finished her first screenplay for production in the summer of 2009. She is currently working on her first novel and hopes to find a job working for the BBC in London after graduation this May.

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Introducing Global Thinking Women’s Spring Interns—2009

Life’s Golden Ticket: Book Review By Shavawn Berry Brendon Burchard’s, Life’s Golden Ticket: An Inspirational Novel, outlines one man’s jour-ney to consciousness and appreciation for his own life. Burchard, who survived a catastrophic car accident a decade ago, has used his own sense of renewed purpose [as a result of that experience] to create a successful career as a motivational speaker and writer. In Life’s Golden Ticket we discover an engaged couple on the brink of breaking up because the man has become calcified to-ward making any changes in his life. He is depressed, fearful, and stuck. His fiancée, Mary, disap-peared 40 days before, and he is a suspect in her disappearance. Prior to leaving, she told him she

was going away to, “try to save the relationship.” He has no idea what has happened to her. The book opens as she is hit by a truck on the highway near an old amusement park. She’s in very bad shape. When the main character arrives at the hospital, Mary hands him an envelope and tells him to head up to the amusement park. She wants the envelope to be returned to her brother. The thing is, her brother died in that amusement park, while she was still a child. The man sets out anyway — at her insistence — and finds himself standing outside an empty and quiet amusement park, just as he imagined he would. Yet, when he crosses into the park, everything shifts. Suddenly the park is full of visitors, and his life-altering adventure begins. He meets the first of several people who will guide him. The workers at the amusement park act as spiritual teachers to him, pushing him forward, as he digs into his dysfunctional life in order to eventually transform it. Initially, he’s very resistant. He is then given a form called, The Price of Admission. It reads, in part, “I agree to give up my dependency on my present experience and be open to possibility; I agree to give up my defense mechanisms and face the truth; I agree to give up my belief that change equals pain” (Life’s Golden Ticket, page 20). All of these parts of the ‘price’ he must agree to, are things we can all relate to. What ensues during his adventure (challenges, revelations, insight) allows him to better understand himself, and as a result go through a spiritual transformation. Anybody grappling with the difficult work of changing their life, will re-late to and enjoy this book!

Happy New Year, GTW! As the New Year begins, I’ll tell you my secret to make the leap from the dream vacation or get-away ”wish”, to a concrete event. The key is simple: A calendar!

I found out that my travel ideas stayed as such if I kept “wishing” or “wanting” to go…. And they became a reality as soon as I started “plotting” every trip in my calen-dar. So, how do I do it?

First, write down all the important events you need to attend (e.g. family gatherings, birth-days, kids’ activities, work events, etc.) for the com-ing year. In this way, you can completely focus on your trip without having to switch dates back and forth. Plus, if something else comes up, you know it is probably not extremely important, so you can keep your focus on making your trip a reality.

Find a time of year that is suitable depend-ing on your destination. If you are going to hike the Grand Canyon, maybe you want to choose the cooler weather, but not freezing weather! If you are going to Egypt, probably the summer months will be too hot to enjoy the bazaar or the pyramids. Think about what you want to do and plan accord-ingly. If time is not an issue, check hotel rates and airfares (if needed) to see if there is a big difference between seasons. Sometimes one week might have a great price in a particular month. Who doesn’t

want to save (to shop later) if given the opportunity? To make your dream trip even more real, make your reservations as soon as you have set the date! This has some advantages. One, you can make your fi-nancial plans with real numbers (not what you think it might cost); also, you can start saving or paying in advance, so when the time comes you are better pre-pared. Plus, airline tickets offer great deals if you buy in advance –if your plan requires them. In addi-tion, pay attention to cancellation policies just in case some real obstacle interferes with your trip. Don’t purchase tickets that you cannot change!

By writing down your destination and the reservation numbers on your calendar, you will al-ready feel that your trip “wish” has moved to a more tangible level. This will give you a sense of accom-plishment that is hard to beat. So, if you have al-ways wanted to see the sunflowers in Provence or the White Cliffs of Dover, set it up. Make it real! And while you’re there, send us a postcard! Bon Voyage!! Marcela

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Travel: Planning that “Trip of a Lifetime”

by Marcela Marenco

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Would you like to write for Global Thinking Women?

Do you have expertise to share with other women? February’s Issue will cover the theme:

Epiphany: How Sudden Insight Leads to the Revitalization of the Human Spirit

Submit articles, article ideas, or ideas for themes for upcoming issues to

shavawnberry@cox.net

VOL UME 8, IS SU E 8 Page 7

My New Year’s Resolution: Leave The Past Behind

by Wendy Brunner

I pack my bags, gently laying the break-ables on the bottom, surrounding them with softness and comfort, folding with care what is fragile as I gather together the errant pieces of my life. I lay the bundle at my feet.

I look at all that I have been through. I al-ready miss my former life. I don’t want to let it go but I must.

We both know this is how it must be. We can’t move forward together; I cannot move forward with you. The pain is the worst I have ever known. But I know I will be ok. It’s how it must be for my growth. Holding on never gets me anywhere.

You don’t cry, you only look puzzled, like a child. Still, I m beginning to think you understand.

I think you know you’ve had control of me long enough, and, yet secretly you would like to go back to your room. In the past, you kicked and screamed and created quite a stir, unwillingly to let me leave, crying in pain that you wouldn’t be able to survive without me, holding on, desperate. But this time you remain silent, only watching. This is how I know it is the right thing to do.

“Now it is time” I say. All these hours and days— a lifetime talking is done. It has all been said. It has all been examined, from the beginning right up to this moment. This is the crossroads.

So, I step over the bag containing my past, turn, and simply walk away. I’ll travel lighter now, leaving behind the parts of me that have kept me small and contained.

This past year life has persisted in its insistence that the ideas in my head — ideas I have carried around for decades— are just that, ideas. Reality can no longer be denied or pushed aside. And though it has seemed ab-stract when I have heard this from others, the part of me that has been fighting back, resisting this natural course of events has finally given up. I am through grasping at people and places to make my “old life” feel like a good fit for me. Suddenly this new me, this fresh identity actually seems tangible.

So I say goodbye, leaving my bag of heartache and losses. I leave the old version of me at the curb.

It’s time for a whole new beginning.

After observing several disturbances to the peace and tranquility in our lives, most on us are forced to make a change at some point . It is that, or be miserable! We all make particular poor choices, bad decisions and untimely speculations. We become baffled, perplexed, bewildered and wounded from self failure—even to the point of be-ing un-willing to parlay another bet in which winnings from a previous bet were gam-bled and lost. Finally, we panic or give up. Past waves of doubt tend to consume and baffle the mind with entirely too much clutter. It’s time to get a handle on making wise choices, attain wisdom, knowledge and understanding—and more specifically, to realize

the task set before us—it’s time to consider making a change about something in our lives. Change requires preparation—whether your decision has been to change your thinking and commu-

nication process or your heart toward forgiveness of others. You might want to change a relationship with your children, change your marriage, change your friendship with someone, or change to a healthier life-style. Or, perhaps you seek a change in your career, or a change in the dynamics within your family—it may also be your desire to change you financial situation. Finally you may long to transform living in a constant state of depression, fear, and worry to a new state of living. Regardless of what is the matter, we must pre-pare the way, throwing out the items of hindrance and destruction. The preparation for change requires get-ting things in order and asking some very direct questions. The questions are simple: why, what, when and how do you want to change?

The wise person needs to have clarity and complete understanding of the reason for desiring change. If there is no vision, no motivation, or a set purpose to the change we plan to make, there is no real passion to change. Therefore, you must dig deep and intentionally discover what’s been causing your stag-nation and failure in order to develop, progress, or make necessary changes. The following format is a path-way to discover everything you need to know about making a lasting change.

Discover why you want to change

Why is used to ask a question, talk about the reason, purpose, or cause of something (for what rea-son?). As you determine the motive behind your desire to change , you must keep the question alive by not only asking, ‘why’ I want to change—but also and more importantly for ‘what reason I want to change’—the ‘why’ becomes our vision for changing.

Also, ‘why’ is used to express agreement with a suggestion or proposed course of action—such as “would you like another coffee?” “Why not!” It becomes a reason or purpose for something. So we see that ‘why’ becomes the vision and the purpose to change.

Discover what you want to change

“What” is word used in direct and indirect information or about the purpose of something. For ex-ample, it asks, “What time is it?” It is used to seek information. What is constantly asking you to define the directive question of describing the something “you” want—so, we see that “what” becomes the seeking vari-able for the specific information leading you to the purpose of change. Also, ‘what’ is a pronoun asking you the direct question of “What are they doing or what am I doing?”

Discover when you want to change

When is used to ask at what time or at what point something happens. When ask you the direct ques-tion, “When can we expect you to change?” The word “when” is a conjunction is also used to ask at what time or at one point something happening, for example, “They think I’m really easy going, when, in fact, I’m not.” “When” is also used to indicate a time at or during which something is happening “When did it hap-pen?”

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The Thing About Change by Kim Eagles

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VOL UME 8, IS SU E 8 Page 9

Journal Image by Cindy Jones Lantier @ www.lantier.com

Discover when you want to change

When is used to ask at what time or at what point something happens. When ask you the direct question, “When can we expect you to change?” The word “when” is a conjunction is also used to ask at what time or at one point some-thing happening, for example, “They think I’m really easy going, when, in fact, I’m not.” “When” is also used to indicate a time at or during which something is happening “When did it happen?”

Discover how you want to change

‘How’ is used to indicate the way in which somebody does something; to ask a question about some-one, or as a means to change the subject of a conversation. It is also used as a suggestion. It gives instructions such as a “How To” manual. The “ how” of something gives detail or step-by-step instructions or outlines—step 1, step2 and so on. Finally, the why, what, when and how you want to change begins by you realizing that you must possess a willingness to change.

The Goal of Changing Your Life in One Year

It is my belief that when we make a decision to “believe” that there is a lot that we must all come to grips with. And it is to the degree that we make an honest assessment of where our hearts are, then start from that point and go forward, that we truly begin to experience all that life has for us. No matter where we are in our spiritual journey, there’s always room for growth that will bring us to a place of greater service and inti-mate relationship with our spiritual source.

The Goal of Changing Your Life in One Year system I have outlined here, uses learning wisdom based on Proverbs. The intention is to evoke proactive change and new awareness in various areas of life that have complicated and/or stifled healthy growth in our lives. This series is a tool for an introduction to self evo-lution of past and present beliefs, concepts, and misconceptions that may have caused confusion and misdi-rection. Having used the system, I know it works. It will excite you so much that you cannot wait for the next day to venture into finding out about just who you are! It’s thrilling to actually create your own personal blue print of your life’s experiences. The program’s theory helps you to see what makes you who you are and reveals who you desire to be. No more hiding and being fearful of the past. Choose to change! Be intentional and live! Let’s make this year different. If you are interested in this program of journaling for self-growth, send for your first week’s journal today at Kim_eagles@msn.com .

Go see it for an evening of magic. Go see it for an night of fantasy. For whatever reason, I urge you to see The Lion King at Arizona State University’s Gammage Auditorium. Imagine the timeless Disney cartoon that you experi-enced with your own child or watched as a child mixed with phenomenal music from Grammy and Tony Award winners Time Rice and Elton John - now multiply that to the tenth degree. This show is filled with beautiful dancing, powerful singing, and the most creative and spectacular set, costume and production design by Julie Taymor. Ms. Taymor directed, designed and conceived last year’s hit film, Across the Universe, featuring the songs of the Beatles. Her visual artistry is evident everywhere in the Lion King.

Photo from Washington Post By Joan Marcus

Overall, the cast does an excellent job of making you feel part of the story. You become emo-tionally connected with the performance. If only for a night, you feel a part of the “Circle of Life”. I won-dered how could the African Pride land be portrayed on a stage? The performance is not limited to the floors of the stage. The cast utilizes the entire theatre as birds soar through the air, elephants tramp down the aisles and giraffes stretch across the stage. This performance is not limited to a person‘s imagination

as it exceeds reality and allows magic to be real.

The Lion King embodied all things African - the scenery, variety of exotic animals, the tribal mu-sic and dialect and of course, the unforgettable or-ange sun. It is refreshing to see a work pay homage to such a continent.

Another great aspect of The Lion King is the two child stars, playing the roles of young Simba and Nala. The duo truly held their own weight and added to the wonder of show.

One of my favorite characters is the sage ba-boon, Rafiki, played by Phindile Mkhize. This woman stole the show with her powerful voice and natural African spirit, as she is native to South Africa. For Ms. Mkhize, this is her debut in this role for The Lion King’s National Tour. She is a tremendous per-former, as she has been in Sarafina 2, Mamma, Maria Maria, and WozaMyFohloza prior to joining this cast. Being an African American woman myself, it is a pleasure to see such a proud performance from a woman like Ms. Mkhize. This is not to take away from the excellence of the rest of the cast, as they were more than superb.

All in all this musical is more than great dancing and soulful singing. It is an experience. If you want to see a show that is a countless times better than a night out at the movie theater, go see The Lion King. If you want to be dazzled and treated to a night of wonder, go see this show. Whatever your reason go, go, go! Contact http://www.asugammage.com for tickets and show times. The Lion King runs from Jan. 2 – Feb. 8, 2009.

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A Night with the Lion King by Paige Eagles

COMING SOON

to ASU Gammage Auditorium RENT - March 17-22, 2009 Exclusive Pick 4 Subscriptions

Available Now! Get seats NOW for WICKED

Before they go on sale to the public.

VOL UME 8, IS SU E 8

New begin-nings are new blessings--although on the surface they may not appear like blessings, especially if they are not of our choosing. Transi-tions can be fraught with diffi-cult new experiences, and so it often gives rise to anxiety, frus-tration, and sadness. It can be painful and confusing to sud-denly find yourself in difficult and awkward circumstances. Partly, the confusion arises from loss of identity. Transitions can be experienced as a temporary diminishment or loss of the self. We are no longer the person we were. This realization can be unsettling. Thus, transitional states not only affect what is ex-ternal to us, it also transforms our internal life.

While difficult times of transition can be painful and stressful, nonetheless these are the kinds of experiences that mold and prepare us for the next chapter of our lives. New begin-nings are rife with opportuni-ties—opportunities for growth, learning, and achievement. They are opportunities for dem-onstrating and embodying trust. We trust that we have the

strength to persevere and to make the necessary changes. We trust that each new path will be filled with enriching experi-ences that increase our fortitude, strengthen our resolve, and en-hance our humanity.

Jean-Pierre de Caussade, a Jesuit priest, likens the turmoil and frustration of a life in transi-tion to a stone that is being shaped by a mason. The stone suffers repeated blows in order to shape and mold it for its ulti-mate function. The stone does-n’t understand why it is made to suffer, and yet it trusts both the mason and its own purpose: “I know neither what he is doing nor why, I only know that he is doing what is best and most per-fect, and I suffer each cut of the chisel as though it were the best thing for me, even though, to tell the truth, each one is my idea of ruin, destruction and deface-

ment. But, ignoring all this, I rest contented with the present mo-ment” (The Sacrament of the Pre-sent Moment, p. 56).

Although this poor stone is traumatized, it trusts the mason, trusts that being carved into some-thing new is part of its ultimate purpose, and therefore content-edly waits for the unknown out-come. New beginnings require unwavering faith and inner cour-age. We don’t know what the fu-ture holds; all we know is that we are no longer the way we used to be. However, just like the mason’s stone, we can control our attitude. We can accept, trust, prepare, and grow into our ‘new’ future. We can be content with the understanding that we are being forged into something new for a reason.

Without the mason, the stone would be just an ordinary stone. Instead, it may perhaps be an integral part of a magnificent edifice. Without these transitional moments we would never know what we might ultimately become. Life blesses us with challenges and directs us (willingly or unwillingly) to the actualization of our hidden potential. We may find that we are grander than we could have ever envisioned, all for a new begin-ning.

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Mind & Soul: The Transformational Power of Change

by Elaine Yoshikawa

“First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transforma-

tion of those plans into re-ality. The beginning, you

will observe, is in your imagination.”

- Napoleon Hill

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Exploring Our Inner Garden: Write! by Kim Eagles

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Self-expression is one of the last true forms of art (e.g. to write, to dance, to sing) and literature becomes the home of the deepest secret talents of the gifted muse of ideas, thoughts and feelings. Therefore, when the muse hits, and I have an idea, I always try to remember to jot it down. As I write out my thoughts, it allows me to be authentic. My goal becomes to not be afraid of what I am actually thinking and pondering on paper. If I do not “chicken-out,” the art of writing gives birth to who I really am. It allows me to challenge myself to stretch and grow.

I compare writing to a gardener tending to her garden. At first the potential green-thumbed worker seeks out a plot of earth and speculates and envisions what variety of plant-life she plans to plant, rearrange, or uproot in weeks to follow. She attentively hones in on her collection of memories: colors, smells and textures. Per-

haps she plumbs her childhood archives containing happy times. And, she may briefly anticipate and even wonder what impact this floral gallery may spark from a distant admirer. Or perhaps the gardener’s motive is

simply her own selfish indulgence of experiencing the miracle of sowing and reaping. Comparing the gardener to the writer [or dancer or singer], perhaps it is the won-

derful feeling of simply getting our hands in the soil and experiencing the delight of getting dirty in our own space, that draws us in! There is simply nothing like it. So, in this New Year, let’s all remember to write, and dance, and sing. Let’s plant and grow and play, and even at times, show-off a bit of what God has given us!

Inspiration: The Bucket List by Shavawn M. Berry Some of you may have seen the 2008 movie, The Bucket List, which starred Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. The premise of the movie surrounds the idea of making a “bucket list.” A bucket list con-sists of the 100 things you would like to do before you die; in other words, what do you want to make sure you do before you kick the bucket! Although for some, contemplating what to do with our lives prior to our deaths may seem unpleasant, the idea is to make sure that the time we spend on this earth is passionate, filled with things and people we love, and above all, guided by our own special purpose for be-ing alive. Maybe we know what that is, maybe we don’t. The important thing is to work to discover the way (or ways) in which we can be of service to the world, while at the same time, building experiences into our lives that inform, inspire, and enrich our spirits. I remember a Jackson Browne song in the mid-seventies called, “For A Dancer.” The lyrics are about a young woman who has died, and the singer is standing near her grave, convinced “she’d rather we were dancing...dancing our sorrows away.” I always loved that image. To me, it indicated her life had been well-lived, even if it was short. Each one of us has dreams and desires we would like to see manifest. Unfortunately, for many of us, these dreams remain simple thoughts floating around our addled brains late at night as we fall into sleep! We daydream about Paris, or that novel we will write “when we have the time.” We think we will visit our best friend in Myrtle Beach one “ethereal” perfect summer; however, we never actually see any of these things become realities. Author, Henriette Anne Klauser, Ph. D. has written several books outlining the power of writing down what you want, including (appropriately) “Write It Down, Make it Happen.” She contends that something happens in our brains when we make a list of our goals. Listing them in our heads doesn’t cut it. We must physically write them down. So what would make your bucket list? Make a list today of everything that you absolutely do not want to miss in this life! And, once you do, set about making your list come to life.

Look to this day For it is life The very life of life. In its brief course lie all The realities and verities of existence, The bliss of growth, The splendor of action, The glory of power --

For yesterday is but a dream, And tomorrow is only a vision, But today, well-lived, Makes every yesterday a dream of happiness And every tomorrow a vision of hope. Look well, therefore, to this day.

Sanskrit Proverb—Advice on Staying Present

“Global Women Have Something to Say”

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Leadership and Development

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Global Thinking Women Kim Eagles, M.A.—Global Leadership

Founder/Director Tempe, AZ 85281

kim_eagles@msn.com www/igloo.org/arizonacommunity

www.igloo.or/kim_eagles http://eagles-thinkingwomen.blogspot.com/

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