Women who Rocked it in 2011

The Women I Admire of 2011

 I have had so many positively influential women in my life over this past year.  I would like to honor my top ten list of the women I most admire from 2011 as we move into expansion of our lives in 2012:

1.       The Abundance you get from gathering women.  The women of my book club.  As we closed out this past year, we met on a winter solstice night and shared our desires for the year the come and one person in the room whom inspires us.  It was with gratitude to be with women whom so honor one another and want to build each other up in life. Together since 1998!

2.       And 3. Courage.  Shayla Logan (formerly from Colorado) and Jackie Houtz (formerly from Nashville) now in San Diego.  Two women whom I traveled with in 2010 to Vietnam and then again this past year to Bali.  Met, found love, explored love and then took the leap to start anew together in San Diego, close to the ocean, a desire met.  Shayla is a Passion Test Facilitator and a Love Ambassador (www.shaylalogan.com); she seeks to connect others with hugs and positive messages.  Jackie performed her new passion of Belly Dancing in Bali and it was pure joy to watch.  WOW!  Women of Wonder!

4.   Wisdom.  My 8 year-old daughter Maya.  Often found speaking her truth and I am told at least once a month from various people, “She is wise beyond her years.”  Indeed.  She is compassionate and driven and outspoken…you go girl!

5.  Endurance.  My sister-in-law, Ali.  Went into labor on a Tuesday and gave birth to my beautiful niece, Amelia, on Friday.  Tells her birth story with gratitude and perspective, vs. dwelling on the negatives.  What a woman of strength.

6.  Zest.  Vicki Hannah Lein (www.outrageousvisions.com).  A woman I met in Bali, whom lives with her husband Murray part of the year in Bali and part of the year in the USA.  She is funny, she is insightful, she sings, and I enjoyed one heartfelt conversation at OmUnity village one morning about the creative process, marketing, and finding our stories and voices.  She has traveled extensively and some of it alone…she is mostly blind.  Absolutely inspiring and always with zest.  You can’t help but smile when you are around her!

7.  Perseverance and Patience.  The women of Hot Pink YOUniversity: Lori Hepp, Ann Soe and Diane Dickinson.  Known each other for awhile; but, got serious about putting our wonder powers together almost a year ago, we have steadily moved in the direction of our dream.  Though sometimes the pace is slow…all great things come to those who wait! And I know it will be GREAT!

8.  Vision.  Jana Stanfield (www.janastanfield.com).  She inspires through her songs.   She puts together these awesome trips, with awesome people, doing awesome things like: volunteering, singing, snorkeling, moving beyond our comfort zones to get to the juicy stuff in life.

9.  Gratitude.  Jen Hannah (www.jenhannahsings.com).  Released a wonderful new CD out this year with the song grateful.  Every time I listen to this song I well up with gratitude.  She shared the song with us in Vietnam last year and again in Bali this year.  Ahhhh…..

10. Admire.  Me.  And this list is in no particular orderJ . If you are not on your own list of admiration, I dare you to put yourself on there.  I spread my wings, grow each day, live fully, and learn to forgive myself and others.  I look at the negatives and figure out ways to find the lesson, and there always is one! Thanks mom…for having me! (You gotta have mom on the list!)

I encourage you to make your list of inspiring women.  Put yourself on there and why you will inspire yourself in this brand new year of growth…2012!

GRATUITOUS PLUG…INSERT HERE:   Check out our events page at Hot Pink YOUniversity www.hotpinkyou.com  We have an exciting event planned for the Wausau, Wisconsin area February 17-18, 2012.  Kick start your year into high gear with us at the Let YOUr Light Shine Playshops! Join our email list for up-to-the-date events.

Sustaining the Change....

·         I walked 2 ½ miles one way, testing my endurance and strength, through rugged terrain to stand at the foot of a magnificent waterfall and dive into its power to swim.

·         I enjoyed the company of fabulous young women from the Widhya Asih IV Orphanage for a pool party and ice cream and became inspired to sponsor one.

·         I stayed in the village of Sudaji at OmUnity where we visited a school, had a talent show with the village kids, and immersed myself in what life might be like if I were born here for 5 days.

·         I experienced a luxurious massage in an open air hut, overlooking the rice paddies and valleys of Bali, while a light rain fell around me.

·         I had rich and deep conversations with my fellow travelers and made lifelong soul friends.

It was these moments and many others that create the spiritual landscape of my life as I return from Bali.  The pace and material wealth of my homeland, America, hits me in the face as I get through customs.  Sheltered from the hustle and bustle of Christmas, I suddenly feel my heart catching up to the rest of what you all have been experiencing the last two weeks I was gone.   I am suddenly compelled to make my list, check and recheck, buy, buy, buy.  It takes much effort to restrain myself and return to the Zen state that Bali created for me.  That state feeling much more authentic and comfortable for me than the frenetic me I return to.

How can I incorporate what I felt about myself and others during the Bali experience into my world?  How can I create that sense of knowing and centeredness when everything around me is pulling me towards wanting what I do not have and feeling inadequate?

So, here is my Christmas wish list this year:  Dear Santa, I would like to beat to my own drum and not be led by the beat of another.  I choose.  I want to follow my passions in life and learn to be a sieve, catch what I want and need and let the rest run by me.  I want to live fully while I am here and use my life and the blessings I have for the good of those around me and those with less.  I wish for a little less harder and a lot more bliss (thank you Jennifer Nettles).  Lastly, when I am off my track in life, I want the clarity and awareness of that fact and the knowledge to get back on my true path. 

Wishing you all the blessings of the winter season and some little inner Buddha whispering to you, beckoning you back to authenticity, to your truth.

Namaste’ Christie

If you want to change the world....

When you want to change the world, let the world change you.  This is what happens when you put two words together, Volunteering and Touring= Volun-tour.  Our first stop is at the Widhya Asih IV Orphanage just outside of the capitol of Bali, Denpasar.  We get off the bus and step into the hot and humid weather, greeted by Bali girls whom call this orphanage home.  Many have families; but, the families are unable to care for or support their children in the poverty conditions here in Bali.  The girls are cheerful and open to receiving hugs and time.  We are fed what they eat, tempeh, rice, a boiled egg and water for lunch.  Some of the girls speak very good English, Anggun reminds me repeatedly that Justin Beiber is her boyfriend and she is in love with Justin Beiber, if he only knew the admiration that was here for him!  Many of the girls do not speak English.  Communication consists of smiles, gestures, games and song.  In the end we are all communicating the same human need, love and connection. 

Girls bunk in rooms of four, with little air circulation.  They are so excited to show us their rooms.  The orphanage is clean and welcoming, the staff incredibly giving and friendly. We play games and then take turns performing our songs and they perform their songs and dances for us.  Pure joy fills the room for the next hour.   As we leave we sing, “I want to be your friend a little bit more”, on our way to our bus.   We will see these girls for a pool party at our hotel next week. 

So what is the difference between vacationing and Volun-touring?  You come to this place one person and you leave incredibly changed and in awe that such joy can be found regardless of conditions of life.  You fully see and feel the culture, not just the tourist hot spots dotted with shops and activities.  You experience a sense of immense gratitude for the conditions in your own life.  What once seemed stressful becomes minimal and unimportant in the grand scheme of things.

www.balifund.org

Pushing Your Life to the Edge

What have you always wanted to do, but were afraid to try?  What intentions do you have for your life, but so much gets in the way?  What is your purpose, but you find it hard to get there?

Maybe it is a list of risks, like skydiving or traveling.  Maybe it is being true to your heart and honoring your authentic self.  Maybe it is being present in the moment.  Maybe it is finding forgiveness or healing in your life or making a much needed change.

What gets in the way of these things we long for?  Fear, money, judgments-your own and others, time, other commitments….you get the picture, our excuses can go on and on and on.  This is our edge.

Getting to Bali for me took 8 hours of air travel just to get to the east coast.  Then another 16 hours across the international time zone, a 4 hour layover in Taiwan, then another 5 hour plane ride to Bali.  These numbers for some may get in the way.  But if these numbers become your edge in life…meaning, if you allow those numbers to get in your head and in your way, you will limit yourself to the possibilities. 

Our edges define us if we allow them to.  Break through your edge.  Today, I went snorkeling in the ocean.  Not something I am even remotely comfortable doing.  The fear of sharks, the fear of the risk was my edge.  I pushed through it and saw amazing things.  Pushing through the edge, as Jana shared with us on our first day in Sanur, Bali, expands our world and ripples out to encapsulate other things we may want in our lives, we may NEED in our lives like a ripple effect. 

Our good Hot Pink YOUniversity friend and supporter, Ann Saris shared with us the following poem from The Ripple Effect Project about just that thing.

BOULDER  

It is not given us
to live lives
of undisrupted calm,
boredom, and mediocrity.
It is given us
to be edge-dwellers.-Jay Deacon

Dwell on your edge today, look down at the precipice below….and let go and jump! 

Namaste’ 

Christie

Follow me as I travel with Jana Stanfield!

In less than a week I leave for Bali!  And, I am feeling all of these things:  excited, fear-am I going to make all of my connections for my flights?- anticipation, surreal, and guilt……yes, guilt-  Where did that come from?

It comes from my own self-imposed expectations, but more importantly, the expectations, or perceived expectations of others.  Who are these others?  Other moms, other wives, other women who may say or think, “how can you leave your kids for a 13 day trip to Bali?”  And then there is my own self-doubt.  Will they be okay?  Am I scarring them for life?

I put this question to my mom the other day- my wise, deep, wonderful mom- the answer I got:  “Oh for goodness sakes Chris, you’re going for 2 weeks!  You’re not moving there!  Besides, I get my grandma time.”

So I step back and ask myself, where does this voice, this sabotager come from?  And, yes, there will be others that do not approve; but, since when was I living my life for them?

In 10 minutes will this matter?  Well, yes.

How about 10 days?  Well, in 10 days I will be deeply immersed in the travel experience.  I most likely will be somewhere warm, a beach or the OmUnity Eco Village, where we will be truly experiencing sustainable and eco-friendly living.  I will be doing good for others while there as we Voluntour our way through Bali.  So, in 10 days, my heart will be overflowing with gratitude for life and love.  I will be reuniting with my fellow travelers from Vietnam last year, Jana may be leading us in songs of “have no fear”, “be brave”, and “live your true calling”.  I will be meeting my new soul friends of new travelers.  In 10 days, my children back home will have some longings for their mom.  But, they will also be living their lives, have grandma and grandpa time, filling themselves up with dad; and, the countdown to the holidays will be more important to them than the countdown to my return.  In 10 days after I come home, will this matter?  My leave will be forgotten as we wrap gifts, make cookies and enjoy one another. I will be appreciating the blessings of good, supportive husband, who lets me be me, as he has held down our fort of the life we have created.

In 10 years will this matter?  YES! In a positive way, as my daughter turns 18 and my son turns 25- I hope to have modeled to them how to fully immerse yourself in life.  How to appreciate the blessings of travel and how to let the world change you so that you may change the world. I will have modeled to each of them how to take abundant care of themselves so that they may more fully care for others. 

May each of you find the courage to battle self-imposed expecations and live your life in whatever way feels FULL to you!  Namaste’,  Christie

http://www.janastanfield.com/travel.asp