jalléCafe

Intuition and Mountains

Intuition, originally uploaded by jalléCafe.

Yesterday, I trekked again to Arosa for a walk in the mountain sunshine. (I've already shown you a lot of Arosa photos; so, I'll let you link to Flickr - click "Intuition" above -  if you want to see the latest!).

I realized suddenly, as I sat on a bench in the sun writing, that something I had once felt deeply and intuitively had really happened. I was being a kind of artist in front of a mountain.

This is the page from my Intuition Journal in which I said "yes" to the possibility that I could live more like my spirit and soul yearned to do. More creatively. That was 2002 far away from Switzerland. This is 2009.

I still do not draw any better than you see here. But I have found new technology that helps me express my view - the web, writing, photos.

And I now sit regularly in front of mountains and ask them what I should do next. They usually tell me. Exactly like this photo suggests. It needed practice.

Only one person really hears the most important voice

OK. I'm joining the millions of people for whom the 44th President of the United States is their blog topic today. 

Late last night, I realized unexpectedly the two things I liked most about our new leader:

#1 He smiles when the Ohio State marching band goes by in the inaugural parade.  Look at this!  I came home at 11:30 p.m. after a meeting of the Professional Women's Group of Zurich (which thankfully started AFTER Obama's speech).  I flipped on the TV, wishing I could stay up long enough to also see Michello Obama's ball gown (by an unknown Chicago designer).  Suddenly, I heard the Ohio State Fight Song.  I thought I'd started dozing off.  But no!!! There they were marching in front of the White House.  And Obama was smiling.  All of my favorite worlds collided - my college days where I first dreamed of being the kind of woman who could see the world outside of Ohio, Zurich which has helped me come near to that woman I dreamed to be, AND a smart, driven man whose perspectives I can respect leading our country.  Fantastic moment.

This little experience caused me to think of #2:

Obama is a man who, one day in his life, said "it might be possible that I can become President."  "It might be possible that I can change something important."  Sure many people would have said he was crazy and even arrogant to have such a dream.  But I'll bet it was a thought that inspired and burned unlike any other for him - maybe he could become like other people he truly admired, someone he would be proud of.  There are plenty of people around who would say "no chance."  You can always find those people. But thank goodness for our culture that Obama's voice said "possible" and he followed it. 

Obama's inner voice was the main one that counts.  Because if he had said "not possible," he would not have changed in the direction of that dream.  And he would not be now in some way changing the world. That's the only thing for certain about his Presidency.  He illustrates how the most important voice that says "it's possible" is our own.  For me, that is the best reason to like him.

Sunday starting slowly

You remember that one of my goals this year is to be more "meaningful" (i.e. thoughtful, creative) with my friends in the little things? I got to test my resolve right away this week when three people had birthdays.  Two of them big ones: 40 and 60!

My new goal means that I cannot just pop into a shop for flowers or a bottle of wine.  I have to think of an idea that fits the person and find it.  So between meetings and deadlines this week, I searched book and department stores for ideas. I found a couple of great books for me. Typical. :-) And I did buy and write better cards than usual.

It finally all came together over the weekend.  I managed to take just the right book to a party last night (at least it is one of my favorites by an artist I also have hanging in my home - Real Reason by Brian Andreas  The book I gave was Mostly True, which includes my other favorite Brian Andreas story, Waiting for Signs). 

And finally this morning, after three cups of coffee, the newspaper and a little email, I've wrapped the third gift.

Perhaps the goal should have been stated as "meaningful" AND "on time." I think I'll get started on February now!  (Well, after I finally go to the gym and...)

Resolved

Back to work week.

My friends all say this year the return was slower.  We had a nice long break.  Being back in the office feels like waking up from a deep, pleasant dream - gradually coming to consciousness.

Just before Christmas, I happily received my little red watch back by mail.  I purchased it in the USA last September. It quit working two weeks after I returned to Switzerland.  I grumbled something like "I will always buy Swiss watches from now on!" as I shipped it back to New Jersey for repair. It's not that special, but it's fun.  At least I had it for the holidays.

Thing is, I wanted to know why it stopped running.  I dug through the papers in the shipping package and found this remark about the problem:

"time keeping issue"

Helpful. Yes, it sure was a time keeping issue. The hands didn't move to show the time. But why did it stop?  Sometimes I have a time keeping issue when I cook: I can't always get everything to be ready the same time. Maybe I also need a repair!

I think our New Year's resolutions can be a bit like this.  Right now, for example, a lot of people are working on their "body management issues" at the gym. If I arrive between 6 and 8 p.m., there are so many people with "issues," I have to stalk a treadmill to get it before someone else does.

Happily, the repair process goes fast in January.   In two weeks, a tremendous number of people will have apparently resolved their issues.  The pace of the gym will return to the lower key buzz of regulars with no waiting lines.

But I know more than a nice, corporate-sounding phrase about my issue:  I had stopped showing up at the health club three days/week and stopped jogging 3 kilometers per visit. And meanwhile I often replaced a few of those fitness sessions with prosecco sessions among friends.  All in good fun, like my little watch. And like my watch, I need to be both fun and running! 

Any other idea is still holiday dreaming!  :-)

Snowflakes

My year started in the snow:  Zurich enjoyed a little surprise snow and ice storm in the early evening that kept me at home on New Year's Eve.  I finally journeyed out January 1st on a beautiful sunny morning to spend the day with friends (where I should have been the night before!).

Now I'm hibernating.  Nearly literally.  Slept more than 10 hours each of the last three nights.

Normally, I would take one of these snowy days to walk in the mountains.  But instead, I have this feeling that I need total relaxation and space for myself.  Warmth and blankets in my own place.

By tomorrow, we will all be back to work.  Our holiday conversations always included speculation about what the year will bring.  This is the second major economic downturn of my adult career.  The first one brought both challenges and personal growth - maturity - to learn how to make decisions for the longer term.  No one knows what this one will bring. I just know I need to take it with a steady pace, flexibility and somewhat stubbornly persistent optimism in the face of gloom.

I wrote my 2009 goals using a process that has helped me for the last decade.  I read through all of my 2008 journals, then listed about five lessons learned.  I looked over my goals from last year to see how they worked (if I achieved them AND if they were the right goals in the end).  I did OK really.  In fact, I'd say 2008 was one of my more full years in terms of strong personal and professional development. I noticed that it started with some of my most stressful - and high work load - challenges in a while.  Perhaps some of the good feeling includes the reward of having overcome hurdles.

My goals always focus on what I will do new or different. (I assume, for example, that I will still jog regularly and be sure to take vacations - old goals from previous years that are now habits).  There are never more than five (any more is a list, not a set of priorities).  Here they are in short form:

1. Launch a program in my business that I've dreamed of now for a while. It will be the most high-risk step so far because it is new and will not bring in quick cash.  But it's where my passion tells me to go. 

2. Plus, we'll aim for the next year of steady progress with my largest client, working with and building the team that is a genuine pleasure every day in the office

3. Reach 200 members in PWG of Zurich with all that entails

4. Be more creative with meaningful little gestures for my friends

5. Return to playing golf after a five year lull.  (Next after golf: learning how documentary films are made)

So, you can see that hibernation for me is not exactly inactive.  It's time to watch the snow fly and ponder quietly a little.  The New Year came in on a soft, swirling snowflake as during the first silent hours of a snowstorm, before the snowplows take over.