What did you want to be when you grow up?

A few years ago, I was interviewed by a local high school student because I was a business owner in the community. One of the questions was "Did you always want to do massage and be a business owner" and "What did you want to be when you grew up"? This morning as I send my stepson off to school the question arose in my mind again, but this time I was thinking of him. High school. So much pressure to decide what you want to do and be... I can't imagine having to go back there... So here is what I shared with the student a few years ago, and I share it again for all the high schoolers who are being expected to choose their life careers when their life is so young here on the planet... When I was a teen all I wanted to do was be a Mom. I imagined my children. I imagined how they would smell all clean from a bath, and wrapped in snuggly blankets. I chose names for my imaginary children. I even imagined one boy and one girl. With that said, I had my first child at 20. I often felt that I was looked down on by my peers who went off to college to party and live off their parents (my assumption). I had my second child when I was 27, when many of my friends from high school were just beginning their careers or starting serious relationships. During that time between when I had my first and second child I had a dog who had lots of health problems. So I got a part time job (on top of my full time job) so that I could learn about dogs and could better care for my own. When I was about 28 I figured out that I had some intuitive skills, I could anticipate what someone needed before they expressed it verbally. So I used that skill and worked in a small testing laboratory. I started out as receptionist, then took classes because I was interested in people so learning about human resources was right up my alley. After a few years I was given the responsibility of heading up the HR department. As the company grew and my children were getting older and really needing their Mom at home after-school and for chaffeauring, I stepped down from HR and worked part time, assisting the new HR Manager which was really a fun job. When I was 35 I had some very serious health issues so I began learning about alternatives that could help me get well without the recommended surgery and medications that were being offered by main stream medicine. Within a year, I was off all meds and the heart condition I was diagnosed with miraculously was gone. So when I had my car accident in 2001 it was only natural that I would again look for ways to help myself, and Massage was it. After attending massage school, graduating and getting licensed I started my own business. Again I used my intuitive skills, listening closely to my clients about their health issues and their needs, and started looking into further education. I have taken many certification programs and use all of them as needed. A few years ago I began wondering about teaching, so I started sharing information with clients about energy medicine. Balance for the self! As I continue to wonder about teaching, once again the Universe is presenting me with opportunities! This summer I am holding energy and assisting at Meridian Massage Institute and have been asked by my M.D. to sit on a panel of healers to assist in the shift of health care in my local area... So, as you can see, What did you want to be when you grew up, was really not something I could have answered in high school. I have always just allowed my dreams to come. Although it was not always easy, as my brothers and sister all have Master's Degrees and work "regular jobs". I was always the odd one in the bunch. Can I say I am happier than others? I don't know. But I am happy for myself. And that my friends is all that really matters... So high schoolers, and parents of high schoolers, lighten up. Enjoy the ride. Listen to your heart. And it will all be alright!! Namaste, Janet

challenging authority?

Someone recently said to me "well he's just doing what we taught him to do, challenge authority". This sentence has been popping up in my conscious thoughts so I sat with it. Here's what I came up with... To challenge authority means (to me) when you are asked to participate in something that is illegal, immoral, or hurtful to another, then standing up and saying NO to that action. This is honorable, and it is imperative to the whole. BUT... if at work (or school for those in school since that is their work/job at this time) you are asked to do your job, do what you have been hired to do (or do work that is asked of you in school) then it is an equal exchange of energy and not doing it is NOT challenging authority. It is okay for your boss or teacher to ask of you what was agreed to upon your hire (or your enrollment in school). It is not a bad thing to understand that sometimes we may not always like what it is we are being asked to do. It may be boring, or you may have had a night of no sleep, or you may be distracted with personal challenges, etc. In most jobs (school) if you are honest about what is happening for you, you and have a conversation with your boss / teacher, often times another solution can be agreed upon, if the reason for not doing what is asked is valid... BUT just saying "no I don't want to" or "I don't feel like it" is often times not acceptable. Imagine how you would feel if you hired a contractor (or any other service person) to do a job. You agreed to what was to be done, how much it would cost, and the time frame it would take to get it done. And then when they were half way through they just decided they didn't feel like finishing. It probably wouldn't feel good, it may even cause some anger to well up inside of you. BUT if that service person came to you and explained that something was happening for them, and the time frame had changed due to circumstances beyond their immediate control, then you may actually feel empathy and would be able to sit down and work out another solution to the agreed upon exchange. So if challenging authority is about standing up for those who have no voice, or protecting the land or the water or the community then I say YES!!! BUT if challenging authority is an excuse to be whiny or lazy, and you use it to not do something you may not like doing than it can feel obnoxious to the person you are having the exchange with. And there are NATURAL CONSEQUENCES for this behavior. If its at work, you may lose your job. If its at school, you may have no weekend privledges at home. And if you don't like the natural consequences, then change the behavior that is causing them. Its all up to you. Period. Thanks for listening, my rant is done...

The silly workings of the mind

I love when I remember to pay attention to the pause in between... In between each breath, in between words, in between thoughts, in between actions... In between. This theme has come up for me (and many I know) alot lately. In between jobs, in between kids, in between relationships, in between life and death and so on... For me the in between has been in my own thoughts, and what is programmed as "right and wrong" and what actually is... Recently my husbands teenage son has come to live with us full time. My husband and his ex-wife (his son's Mom) have co-parented for many years, their son has lived with my husband full time on and off over his life, and they have been able to work it out where if one of them has more than the other one, the one with more takes responsibility at that point. This is such a beautiful thing and I am so glad it has worked for them. And I really want to make it clear that the issue is mine, there is no right or wrong and I know that to be true. I am sharing because I am sure that many folks have the same internal struggles but really don't know how to talk about it in a way that is ok for all involved. So I shall attempt it: My MIND says She should..., we should..., he should..., that's not right..., what about... Of course you can fill in the blanks in many ways, and those are not really the important part of the story for me, the story is that my MIND wants to control the situation with "shoulds" and "should nots". That's the thing with the mind. It has been fed a story about what is right, what is not, how we should respond, how others should behave, and then there's the fear of how are we gonna do this financially, I mean really, a teen boy EATS alot (big sigh). Anyone else know what I am talking about? Ok if you do, then you realize that these thoughts pop up randomly and then they take hold and act like the energizer bunny... they keep on ticking! And its WORK to get them to let go. And the WORK is WORTH IT!! When my thoughts become un-loving or judgemental of self or another, I pop open my tool box to bring me back to myself! I know about energy and the energy body and how to balance, I use mantra's, meditation, writing in a journal (or blogging) to open the cork so the bottle doesn't blow, I have the accessibility of the woods, know how to breathe deep and have surrounded myself with relationships that bring me back to whats love and whats not. So, if you are having thoughts of right and wrong, or looking at how another is living their life and think "if only they did blah blah blah, then I suggest you STOP. STOP the mind. Check into the heart. And if you don't know how, then ask someone who might be able to guide you. And really don't take it too seriously, its just the silly mind after all and your heart is much more powerful, you just have to learn what it feels like and how to let go of everything you've been taught about life ~ yup, that's all, that's what's on my "mind" today! Be well and happy! It is a choice!!