my 2nd Chakra Dream Chart

Well, here it is. At home, in my art space....my first inspired wall chart. This is a personal chart inspired on Monday morning by reading this from The Chopra Center April Newsletter. 

Below are a few notes about the chart and then a few notes about what I learned about technique as I completed the work. 

Dare to dream has always been a personal mantra of mine so the core word DREAM really popped out when I read the newspaper.  As I saw each of the subtitles. DIGEST, REST, EXERCISE, AWAKEN and MEDITATE...I KNEW I had to draw what flashed before my mind. 

I centered it around an image of the 2nd chakra:

The Sanskrit name for the 2nd chakra is "Svadhisthana." This word means "dwelling place of the Self."

I am generally open here and resonate with the image and the concept. The emotion associated with the 2nd chakra is passion & the element for the 2nd chakra is water.  Yep...that pretty much sums me up. 

I found the E for exercise the most difficult section because for now it feels lost in my life.  I have every intention to re-root myself here and thus chose the brown colors for grounding.  S•T•R•E•T•C•H  &  B•R•E•A•T•H•E are my starting points in the journey. 

Regarding Technique:  

• I will always remember my early work for the dimples caused by the uneven wall I am working on right now (gotta get to home depot and buy and 8x4 foam core board). 
• I can also tell that some markers I like better than others (they tend to be the ones that bleed through and have 2 edges instead of 3).  I will practice my lettering to become more consistent with the density of my lines and letters.
•  For getting low, and staying in my body, I sat on a exercise ball.  I did find that this let me get low, stay with my core and body to the area where I was working and it allowed for a natural movement better than me shuffling across the floor.  
•  My floor- HA!...the poor beige carpet.  I've dropped a few markers, and the chalk dust is everywhere.  Sorry honey, I guess I'll get a little mini vac for my 4th beroom-turned-art-coaching-studio.  

In all...I'm in heaven.  When I started this Monday, I hooked up a USTREAM session (there are a few boring videos of the process..bad sound and apparently I couldn't be bothered to dress up or make up my face for the camera).   Today even, on a group call I used the wall and did some graphic facilitation of our topic via the web with large chart paper on the wall.  That is a whole new area...actually using this live with my clients...and the feedback from them was great.  They loved the visual tools...and so did I.  

my heaven these days

I've been doodling so much lately, I haven't been writing.  I've been reading and thinking so much, I haven't been writing.  Have you ever had a rebirth or rediscovery of a gift in you...that at one time you thought was lost? Last year during a turbulent time I picked up my markers again.  And so it began...again. Now i find my self holding 4-5 markes or pens in my hands at all time. I've got pads of paper in all sizes EVERYWhere. 

 

I'm inspired to go through old things and pull out this history of the visual thinker in me....and watch the rest of the story unfold.  The coolest part is, I know there is a Future...with a capital F in this story. 

I've had all these crazy cool teachers show up in my life....

Christina Merkley

Deepak Chopra
Abraham Hicks

Ron Patulski

i just met Bryon Katie last week!

MAPS BOLD program has supported me financially and emotionally over the last year. 

Lee Mannix taught me so much in his death and I find myself beginning to really become a bit more comfortable with who I am.  I'm shedding some layers and getting comfortable in the layers that are really me. 

Courtney Crow Wyrtzen teaches me all the time....and did especially in this editorial about moms.  

Dr. Wayne W. Dwyer (listening to the power of intention on itunes)

Oh...and all the beloved books by my bedside....(thanks nikki for sharing the Renard book).

At this moment....I'm in heaven in my life....and I'm thankful.

I wanna be like Lee Mannix

Shit.... Lee Mannix..did you really have to die this week? I keep seeing your smile...and hearing the straight talk things you've said to me, and to hundreds of other folks.  I read the posts of your friends and clients and I realized another of the many reasons you are so loved.

I have dog stories...you have worked with all three of my mutts...and they are no different from the thousands posted here on the Lee Mannix Center for Canine Behavior fan page. No need to write about them... Talking to Kimberly Burgan, whom we both loved...who you LOVED SO WELL......it hit me as to EXACTLY what it is that endeared you to us all. 

You chose to be fully yourself....your unfiltered, smart ass, funny as hell, sly, prankster, laughing, crass,  boot-wearing-beer-drinking-copenhagen-dippin, smiling & magic with us all, self.  We love you so much...because you were able to do what the rest of us struggle with. You chose to live life exactly as you were....for the authenticity of it...and not the popularity.  Yet...you gained popularity and even more.  You earned massive love and respect...and a heart in the homes of thousands of dog- loving families. We love you so much, for not just what you did...but for who you were...because in our own little way..we long to be as brave as you were...and live this life TRULY being ourselves... exactly the way you did. 

I choose today, to be more of my true self...to be brave and live fully me...because you inspired me to do that. And...I will do it in my cowgirl boots more often! 

Love, 

Allison....and Hank (the dope)...and Daisy (the freak)...and Lulu (the little bitch)

I'll be at your party tomorrow...and I will wear my boots...and celebrate your fine ass and your magic spirit!

what im paying attention to today

Facebook murdered the writer in me

....but I am going to resurrect her. It is ridiculous how much time I waste on FB....but it isn't really the time. It is the creative energy that gets sucked out of me. I have these amazing thoughts worth writing down. I'm grateful for coaching sessions with my clients because it is a great outlet....yet...of course I don't give it credit unless pen has hit paper...or at least a san serif font has hit the blank screen.

so MORE writing to come...will be starting slow and small and most likely...insignificant...and yet..it is a start.

photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/76283671@N00/ / CC BY 2.0

This is EXACTLY what I feel today!

and what I choose to feel EVERY day!

Confessions of a Desperate Housewife

I have just spent the last 52 minutes doing my weekly favorite house chore. Except today I am thoroughly disgusted by it. Carpet is simply FOUL. I mean EEEEWWWWW. And what is the useful life of a vacuum cleaner anyway. Yes I have 3 dogs. And a GOOD -at least I thought it was good Kenmore vacuum cleaner.
I loved you when I first bought you....but soon despite my emptying the container EVERY room and cleaning the filters each time I vacuum....you soon gave way to the YUCK that lives in my carpet. And, it isn't JUST DOG HAIR. I mean where did this ash like dust come from? (The photo is not mine...I thieved it off the web....just ad 3x the amount of short dog hair and you have the DOWNSTAIRS weekly accumulation of my vacuum cleaner. Oh and the spin of the canister molds it in to this egg shaped orb of dustydoghairmuck-- yum huh).

PAUSE: By now you are thinking we a dirty filthy folks. Ah, no- I married MR. Clean and Tidy... and our house is always spotless and clean. I simply think, under the carpet, is a foundation of dirt and ash. Our dogs are inside dogs and are bathed almost every few weeks.

I have decided that tile is disgusting too. Mostly because of the grout. No matter how clean the tile is..the grout gets nasty too. I do not want nasty floors. I have decided that hardwood floors through out the ENTIRE house...yes in the bathrooms are the ONLY way for me to go. Ah the once daily vacuum with the floor attachment to scoop up NORMAL DUST...warm sold floors that I can accessorize with a once-it-gets-nasty-chunk-it-and-get-a-new-one textile.

Let me introduce you to my new best friend

This post is probably a little airy-fairy for some of you....so warning. I am pretty airy fairy sometimes and this is my blog. That being said, let me introduce you to my new best friend.

I was recently introduced to my angel-ness and her purpose for my life. I'm grateful for the introduction and for the many messages she has been giving me since I met her. Today was the day I first drew her and put her to a visual symbol. She is the very best version of myself. The one God created me to be. She is here to remind me that I brave and strong and the words on her spirit tail are just some of the qualities that I know I have and am growing every day.
Here are a few of the other messages she has helped me uncover:

• Watch out for downplaying who you are
• Leave the small shit behind
• Validation comes from the SPIRIT, not from the world.
• You have an infinite capacity to grow and love and evolve
• You are an artist--always have been.
• You are able to trust completely...those wings are strong and will guard my heart when needed.
• Life is meant to be enjoyed abundantly...this abundance is for all of us...including you, Allison
• Laugh
• Don't take life so seriously
• God takes care of the birds doesn't he? and they are just birds...
• Delight in the people you love
• Just be. Just be has been your motto for a long long time...bring it back...and be all that you want to be. Be love-don't DO love...just be.

I guess I share...because I'd love for YOU to have the gift of hearing what your angel-ness has to say for you? How can he/she/it contribute to your spirit...and then your life?


To the one who introduced me to my angel-ness, I am grateful for your contribution to my life..I look forward to speaking again soon...and learning more.

things i'm thinking about

things i'm thinking about these days:

1. i'm thinking about writing about things that really might not go over well in the corporate world...but that would go over very well with an authentic audience.
2. i'm thinking about how well dark chocolate m&m's go with a good cabernet i'm thinking about my big sister having a child. i want her to be deliriously happy
3. i'm thinking about God...and how sadly i often only think of him in extreme good or extreme hard situations. i'd like to think about him a little more in the everydays of life. and am sure glad he's there during the hard times.
4. i'm mindful that people out there are praying for me and my family. that is a warm thought.
5. i'm thinking about completely and utterly and drastically simplifying my life---aka getting rid of massive amounts of stuff.
6. i'm thinking i want to live where love live.
7. i'm thinking about going blonde again. except i really don't want to pay for the upkeep.
8. i'm thinking about reading more and worrying less.
9. i'm thinking about my big dog...and how he's getting older and bumpier every day.
10. i'm thinking about NOT thinking at 2 am, 3 am 4 am.
    

what are YOU thinking about?

14 things i love about living in the suburbs

as compared to previous post 13 things i miss about living in a central austin bungalow

1. a bathtub big enough for two and a separate shower. 
   
2. a kitchen that holds EVERYTHING, is big enough for a center island, and is open to the family room. 
   
3. a garage- this is my first time living with a garage and the first 3 months we lived here i always forgot to close it. my car is covered and always warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
4. the front sitting porch and the back hanging out porch.
5. our neighbors, (who called me whenever i left it open and asked if she should shut it for me). 
6. room for kids, kid friendly rooms, and kid friendly neighbors. 
7. planting trees and watching them grow year after year..
8. the wedding hot tub 
   
9. our neighbors--who gather most evenings for a visit on the curb while the kids run amok up and down the street. 
   
10. it was a completely blank slate when we moved in and i love to paint.
    
11. our neighbors and the neighborhood pool in the summers.  some days it is just us.
    
12. more house for less money, much more house and much less money. 
    
13. did i mention our neighbors and BOD (beer of the day).
    
14. bill and i started our life together here with the kids. 

13 things I miss about living in a central Austin Bungalow

as compared to the next post 14 things i love about living in the suburbs

1. the origional hardwood floors-  next to the real wood baseboards and the sound of a time before I was born that whispers when you walk. 
   
2. a long wide front porch overlooking a lush green lawn and yes, even the cars going by...a sitting spot for friends....wine with my girlfriends on that porch. 
3. screen doors.
4. wood windows all up in the spring and the layout of those open windows bringing a perfect breeze through the entire house. 
5. having a WHOLE bedroom as a closet. 
6. colorful flower gardens to piddle in after work and on saturday morning and the 3 rose bushes on the south side that bloom all year long. 
7. the 11$ cab ride from down town. 
8. sunlight in the family room with it's floor to ceiling walls.  the best spot for hanging out and my home office. 
9. the soft zen zoysia grass in the back yard surrounded by a perimiter of iris'.
10. being exactly 7 minutes from anything, everything, and everyone. 
11. color parties: The Fabulous Pink Party, The Blue Shasta, The Solid Gold Party, and countless dinner parties on the back deck. 
12. the doggy door.
13. falling in love with billy there in the spring of 06.

 

it is just what I do.....explained for today.

There is a question I have asked many clients: “If you knew you couldn’t fail, what would you do?”

The answer is scary and fabulous all at the same time for many of us.  Our thoughts and beliefs and “everydays” are made up of so many pieces.  So many voices and influences, it is often hard to listen to the quiet dreams of our hearts.  I know the quiet dreams of my heart, as I am always engaging them and nurturing them. 

Recently, a moment of past pent up hurt flashed that dream as a better alternative than what that present moment was offering me.  In a sensitive moment of feeling completely misunderstood (one of trigger spots I’m working on healing), my reaction was to remove myself from the pain and move toward the pleasure of the dream instantly and without regard for a community I not only belong to but actually, love.  Even if the end choice is good, we still have to remember that there is a path to that choice…..and spur of the moment choices can be dangerous for the surrounding hearts.  Personal and professional collateral damage. 

Question: Is it selfish to --AT TIMES--protect my own heart and values from the damage? I think not.  A team is only as strong as the weakest link, they say, I’ve come to believe that being my BEST self helps not only me personally, also all those I come in contact with and those whom I am in relationship with.  I spent up to about age 24 NOT taking care of my body, my mind, my heart, my spirit.  That certainly didn’t work.  Is it really possible to put others first and protect yourself?  Aren’t adults capable of taking care of themselves? When does looking out for everyone else steal from one’s own soul?   

 It is about being true to self. It is about not tolerating a cancer in an otherwise healthy body of this being. Even more than that, it really is about being free to be ALL that I’m am capable and destined to be. It is about expanding my wings and soaring. As a master soul coach, Nigel, spoke with me in February--it is about what is in my heart.  

In my heart, I help millions find a deep love for themselves –exactly for who they are—and I help them use that love to become all that they were meant to be for blessing their businesses, for blessing their families, for realizing their dreams, for honoring their spirits—and maybe—for the blessing the world. 

It’s just what I do.

Oh and, It’s not about the money. 

AMAZING photo called"It takes a silly girl to lie about the dreams she has. (210)" by whatmegsaid under a Creative Commons License.

still dreaming of a dog ranch

I often kid with my husband and my friends....that i want to just stop everything else a go farm dogs. Well, really just ranch them...rescue them, let them laugh and play and run all day and snuggle up and cuddle with us all evening. 

After this video, I might be able to add elephants to my farm, too.  

Still just love the dogs....and how human they can be. 

Thanks to Malita for sharing on her blog (if she had "sharethis" i'd a shared via that!"

We had to staycation

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Man.....LARGE disappointment occurred yesterday when on the way to the airport for our week long adventure to Key West, I realized we had missed our flight.  "Complete and utter dumbass" as Bill calls it. Neither one of us had read the itinerary correctly....we've had the thing for 3 months...and yes, BOTH of us read the itinerary as LEAVING at 3:45.   This in fact was our arrival time....so arriving at the airport at one did us no good for a flight that was to have left at noon.  2hours on the phone with US AIR (not very friendly) and Travelocity (not friendly either) we were not able to book a later flight -

NOTHING.  "Ms. Flanigin, we can get you on a flight on Wednesday."  Bite me lady. 

Ok....so 2 hours later, fortunately we are relieved to find out that we did get a full refund for the hotel and we have a credit for the air fare.  What happens if US Air goes out of business. I think we will try and get a refund through our travel insurance. 

Really, I do and did feel sorry for my self. This was our long ago-planned Christmas present to each other.  It was a bright spot on long work day to look at the hotel web site or day dream about our sailing excursion booked for new years eve. 

My sweet hubby took over the phone negotiations for me and then booked us a few nights at Hotel San Jose here in Austin-- a cool modern suite too.  We got our room and cruised down congress to the South Congress Cafe's turquoise and orange recycled glass bar and ordered a pomegranate margarita or 4.   Already I feel a little better. I can't seem to find the sun or a beach or a hammock.  I did find sweetness in my husband as he was just as disappointed as I was...and we were both thanking God that it wasn't ONE of us that had read that ticket wrong. Can you imagine if it had been ALL my fault, or ALL his fault.  So, we dumbass together here at the San Jose. Smiling because we are a WE.....cuddling in a cozy bed and thankful for days off and that the city we live in is itself, a hip spot to vacation.    

Yesterday, I was so saddened by the loss of something I had looked forward to for so long. And today I realize that I get to look forward to that trip to key west still.  Casa Marina waits for us--and maybe at cheaper rates since it won't be Christmas time....and US Air...well...maybe that will get us there on another day.  And our sailing excursion ...the one we had already paid for--no refunds, and no rescheduling..... Well, I called him yesterday and asked if we could transfer it to another party so someone else could at least enjoy. He said sure and thought it was a fun idea and would have the couple he gave the trip to write us a note.... "Nah, just tell them to pay it forward....make someones day for us..." we suggested. 

A few minutes later, Sunny from the sailing harbor called and said,  "Ms Flanigin...ya know...if you ever do make it down this way...we'll save this sail for you...just call me and we'll take you on your trip."  No such luck from the outsourced Indian workers from US Air and Travelocity.  

I thought that was pretty dang cool and we look forward to a trip only delayed.....and are grateful for the surprise of our staycation here in Austin. 

oh and...no more plane trips during the holidays....and I will read my tickets CAREFULLY from now on.  I do not look good in dumbass...neither does Bill. 

I've been warned not to read this unless I want to quit my job

well, I don't want to quit my work....but I am curious about the book...and so I read on.

The 4 Hour Work Week by Timothy Feriss: pp. 32

"Alternative periods of activity and rest is necessary to survive, let alone thrive. Capacity, interest, and mental endurance all wax and wane. Plan accordingly."

The heading to this mini paragraph is: " Interest & Energy are Cyclical." <-------this describes me about almost everything. Ahh...to feel known...and then to be loved past that knowing.

More to come later:

Also bought to read in the next few days or weeks or whatever....Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert and The Dip by Seth Godin. Do you sense a theme? I do and oh how I heart a theme.