A Peak - Peek Experience

A 'peek' experience

I've been to the Summit and I'm here to tell the tale(s).  Tales from the cape that is.

No, I didn't happen to get to that Summit in Nepal, not yet.  I went to a different Summit...a different peak. This Summit was in Phoenix and it was a gathering of Martha Beck coaches.  The theme was The League of Extraordinary Coaches and it was an amazing, magical experience both personally and professionally.

Though I returned from the Summit on the 20th of March, I noticed that I have not been back to post on the blog.  I started this post right after I got back but then this page remained empty for another week. This got my attention. Though the critic in my head showed up to chide me, I didn't believe all those thoughts.  It made me curious as to why I just didn't keep writing and post. I began to suspect it was something about  BIG experiences.  There is a time of descent after the climb, of conserving energy after the expension (or expansion) of a big event.  I was then struck by the insight of returning to see level. Hmmmmmm, that made me curious.

And 'see' level is exactly what happens. This play on words with peak/peek and sea/see feels so true.  We are able to experience something not just with our human body but with our wise being.   I know a number of coaches who attended returned home and promptly got sick with a cold or flu bug.  Others reported feeling low energy, restless, sad and unsure.  The phrase, the spirit was willing but the flesh was weak (or the flesh had a week of maximum energy spending.)  Which feels better:  weak or week?  They are both true, but the energy of week is much more apt and kinder for the critical mind to absorb.

Now, there were other coaches who came home and things came together, pieces fell into place and new adventures and dreams unfolded.  And that's ok too.  Each journey is different.  Each life path filled with peaks and peeks at different times.

I don't think it was an accident that this event was named The Summit.  It was indeed a peak experience that most, if not all of the participants and staff and Martha herself, had been anticipating for months.  It was indeed a league of extraordinary coaches, and events, connections and vital information that was shared over the four days. For most attendees, this was the first time 'meeting' a beloved coach, teacher and friend in person.  This alone is a heady experience.

Here's my theory about BIG peak events.  When we arrive at the summit of any experience, at that peak, for some, we catch a glimpse of the future, a peek, and this creates the beginning of the next adventure, the next wave, the next climb.  This is why the wisdom of 'base' camp is so vital.  The air at the summit, the energy, the frisson is different.  So, there is a wisdom in the time to acclimate, to practice small ascents and then return to base, - small ascents, return to base - small ascents, return to base.

So, where in your life journey did you reach the peak of an experience, climb to the top of the summit and are now feeling confused, agitated, rest-less as you have returned to 'see' level?  Stop and really see what new peek is on the horizon. Now, really connect to your base camp.  Where is it?  What or who is it filled with? How is it supporting, as all bases do, your life adventures?  This is where the best journey begins.

And when you are ready, and even sometimes when you are not, the ascent begins again.  Get ready for the climb of your life!

Hope Springs Eternal

People don't cry when they lose their hope, they cry when they get it back.

~Martha Beck, Finding Your Own NorthStar

March.

It is an aptly named month in the calendar.  There is a rhythm and a flow to March that has us doing just what it says...march.  There is a get going quality to this third month in the yearly cycle.  The old saying goes, "March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb."

Well, the lion is roaring.

I notice this in my life and in my practice.  There are a lot of people dealing with so many changes, and challenges and choices.  And with this 'c' of change, (forgive me, the alliteration was just too tempting) I am reminded of Martha Beck's brilliant observation in the quote above:

People don't cry when they lose their hope, they cry when they get it back.

So as we move through this cycle of winter ending and spring awakening, keep this hope-full inspired idea about tears in mind.  I find that when I cry or a client cries during a session, it feels very much like hope springs eternal.  The tears are flowing, the act of crying is cleansing and healing and a sense of renewal takes the place of the gripping tension, resistance and fear of the moment before.

Let your hope spring eternal this month even if the tears flow.

Ingredients for Change

Create your own recipe with life's ingredients.

Change is not a process for the impatient.

~Barbara Reinhold

The fall I took this fall has been a game-changer.  Literally. A child's - game - changer. And change, with the right ingredients, is the stuff of child's play. If change had the voice of your favorite children's game, it might use the following lines to lure you out:

Red Rover, Red Rover, send Mary right over, ring around the rosie or duck, duck, GOOSE.

But my favorite comes from Hide and Seek. Ready or not, here I come.

Bam.  This is the voice that called to me as I fractured my tibia that October night. Change knew it was time to play and called out- ready or not, here I come.

There is no question that having a broken leg or more accurately, being dealt a broken leg in the card game of life, brought with it a host of changes.  Some were challenging, some were painful, some were rich and beautiful - all were invaluable.

As an intuitive, I have an uncanny knack for spotting patterns everywhere.  I see parts as whole and disparate ideas as integrated solutions.  Now, when I say solution, I see it as a liquid, not a solid.  The best solutions are fluid.  They are mixed in life's lab and the chemicals - the ingredients come together to form a solution that is a variety of combinations, yielding different results.  Many are tasty, others sour and still others - downright explosive.

As I began physical therapy in January to regain balance, strength and flexibility in my left leg, a new al-chemical solution emerged with these new ingredients. It turns out that more than my left leg was impacted during the physical therapy sessions.  I have had my share of therapy during my lifetime and now I can add physical therapy to the list.  Turns out, I've had years of physical therapy, I just didn't know to call it that.

What emerged during my two days a week over six weeks at the sports-medicine clinic was a list of ingredients for change.  And just like the chemist working on a new experiment in the lab, adding a pinch of this and a dash of that, this experiment with a broken leg has deepen my awareness to be changed. 

So, here are the ingredients I've added to my shopping list when change is ready to play.

• The path of least resistance.  It is amazing how far we can go with just a little bit of stretch each day.
• Small bites.  Many have heard me talk about Turtle Steps - a great metaphor and coaching tool for being gradually changed by life.  Notice the way your body feels when you run too far, eat too much, sleep too long and push yourself up each and every hill.  Small bites is a great ingredient for change.
• Gaining momentum.  This has been so interesting to observe the physical changes as my leg has healed and to feel the ease of being stretched and strengthened with each new exercise. 
• It's not what you think.  This is an invitation to listen to other parts of yourself than your critical thinking.  Your inner critic is not your best ally or ingredient in the change process.  Using your five (dare I say six) senses is the way to grow.  This is a great time to invest in some right-minded - inspired thoughts...for a change.
• Discipline is not a dirty word. Times of change bring about a sense of chaos.  Let the origin of the word discipline be inspiring: become a disciple of order and regular action. Take your cues from the change at hand. 
• Partner.  I love the biblical quote, wherever two or more are gathered in my name.  There is a great deal that can happen when we are partnered for change - great or small.  It is a reminder that when change calls us out, we do not have to go it alone.
• Facing inertia and fear.  Yes, like turning your face to the sun, turn and face inertia and fear.  When we acknowledge and face our resistance, lean into it like those stretches I've been taught in physical therapy, we experience both stillness and movement.  Facing inertia and fear paradoxically relieves it.
• Celebrate small successes.  "Celebrate, celebrate, dance to the music."  Yes, take the time to acknowledge the changes, throw a small party, do a happy dance, rest and relax.  And then go again.

As I was writing this post, I came across an article in Time magazine that underscored some of the ingredients for change I listed above.  The article is about the negative effect of focusing on our carbon footprints and changing our awareness to seeing the benefits of our handprints.  A brilliant and simple idea.  I was particularly struck by this because I too am moved by the power that is in our hands.

The link for the article is below, but let me share with you the brilliant closing paragraph as inspiration for your own list of 'ingredients for change.' You see, when I didn't have my footing so to speak the past several months, untold resources have come into my hands.

"If we have a positive goal in mind that we can take small, manageable steps toward, we feel good - and are more likely to keep going.  Step by step by hand."

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2108015,00.html