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IN THIS ISSUE: WHAT IS FUELING YOUR ENGINE?
WISDOM: "If you are going through Hell, keep going!" Winston Churchill
BOOK REVIEW: "Great Dames" by Marie Brenner
SOUL TRAVEL: Bosque del Apache, New Mexico
COACH'S CHALLENGE: "It feels as though I want more for you than you want for yourself."
4 DAY RIVER RAFT TRIP FOR MEN AND WOMEN AGE 50 AND OVER -- an adventurous and gorgeous ride down the GREEN RIVER in Colorado, July 21, 2002. We promise excitement, campfires, music and camaraderie. The guide will do the rowing of the rafts but there will be kayaks available for those who want more action. Cost is $750. Includes four days on the river, two overnights in Vernal, Utah and transportation to and from Salt Lake Airport. Reservations (deposit of $350.00) must be made by April 1 2002. See www.dancewitheagles.com/soultravel.html for more information and refund policy.
WHAT IS FUELING YOUR ENGINE?
What sources are you using for energy? One might think that getting "things" done, accomplishing goals or just managing the day suffices, but it might be insightful to look at what is fueling your engine. Last month I wrote about how tolerating "tolerations" can deprive you of joy and be a constant source of conscious or unconscious frustration and energy drain. The other side of the coin may be the conscious or unconscious use of tolerations as a SOURCE of energy. In the general sense, "tolerations" can be defined as anything one is putting up with, but "tolerations", I think, also include what you ALLOW without restriction or that which stems from a perspective that lacks balance. As a result, there is a loss of equilibrium, the inability to balance the whole - "tunnel vision", if you will. Tolerations can produce friction and that friction fuels the energy many of us rely on for motivation in a misguided attempt to restore our equilibrium. This source of energy is negative and negative energy does not ring the bell; it tolls the bell.
For example, what of the person who is grinding their way up the career ladder motivated only by a desire for money and/or power? What about the perfectionist who allows his/her fear of imperfection to motivate "excellence"? What fuels the energy for the workaholic and the overachiever? Stress is a common source of fuel and is often manufactured just for that purpose. It is used by the person who creates crisis after crisis, relies on anger, or constantly overburdens him/herself in order to keep moving. These motivators create the treadmill or chaos approach to getting through the day and consequently life. Adrenalin can be another source of fuel. I would wager we all know someone who manages his/her life by courting constant (habitual) risk in order to find meaning. And even more common are those who prime the pump with drugs or too much caffeine or alcohol. All of these energy drivers are excesses (imbalances) and therefore they become tolerations. Such tolerations result from an attempt to meet unmet needs in order to feel alive. And, like the Cadillac that now lies spent and broken because its owner powered it only with low octane fuel, those of us who drive our bodies and minds with negative energy achieve the same fate.
So what is positive energy? Positive energy is thoughtful and balanced energy. Whereas negative energy is unconscious and allows your senses to be on automatic, positive energy requires that you be in a state of conscious awareness. It doesn't mean you don't have stress in your life or crazy days, it does mean that you find time to think, to listen, to learn, grow and create, to be compassionate and kind, to connect with yourself, your environment and with others. It means understanding what your values are and translating them into your life plan every day. It means being aware of your needs and your tolerations and addressing them in a positive way. It means fewer or no rushes, disturbances or reasons to vent. It means getting high on the beauty around you. It means giving of yourself to others but taking care of yourself first so you have something to give. It means a job well done because of the pleasure of doing a job well and/or because you love what you do. It means a body well nourished and cared for. It means saying "I love you" to those you care about and "I love me" to yourself. If you want a Life, you will want to fill it with positive energy.
WHEN WAS YOUR LAST ACT OF RANDOM KINDNESS?
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SOUL TRAVEL: BOSQUE DEL APACHE, NEW MEXICO
 Bosque del Apache is known as one of the most spectacular wildlife refuges in North America. Each fall, tens of thousand of birds make the refuge their winter home. And there I was, standing at the side of one of the larger ponds at 6:00 a.m. in the chilly morning with many other photographers waiting for the sunrise. I knew nothing about what was about to happen. The sky began to turn a brilliant orange and then, much to my amazement and as though on signal, thousands of snow geese began to fly in from all directions, the air filling with their plaintive honking. Thousands and thousands of them settled down on the water until not a space was left. Cameras clicked away. Then, about twenty minutes later, a few small groups began to lift off. Suddenly, they all rose en masse. The sky was black with noisy geese, silhouetted against the sunrise, now in its almost fluorescent glory. Awesome, it was absolutely awesome!
In addition to the 44,000 snow geese that were there, there were 15000 sandhill cranes and, of course, other birds, including eagles, hawks, ducks, pheasant, redwing blackbirds, herons and more. Sunset at the crane pond before you enter the refuge can be equally as spectacular as the cranes fly in to spend the night. Driving through the refuge in the earlier hours of the day until about 10:30 and after 3:00 p.m. is best. Lots of trails around for hiking.
WHERE: Stay in Socorro, N.M. The reserve is about one-half hour away. For further information, www.southwest.fws.gov, or call 505-835-1828 More photos in my photo gallery (Animals, Abstracts).
BOOK REVIEW: "Great Dames", (What I Learned from Older Women) by Marie Brenner
I do not believe this is just a woman's book any more than "Profiles in Courage" by Kennedy was a man's book. This, too, is a collection of profiles, profiles of courageous women of their time, all of whom have much to teach us about an era and about humanity. From the summary -- "They had glamour, style, and intelligence. They dressed up the world.". . . "These are women who helped shape a century….They were grand and they were gallant." . . . "The way the great dames lived their lives - their rules, their codes, their insistence on certain fundamentals - are models that today's women (editorial note: and men) might consider as they ascend to positions of leadership in the new millennium."
My favorite passage in the book is from the profile of Kitty Carlisle Hart:
' "I believe in denial," she says. "Denial is a marvelous thing."' "Each morning, very purposefully, Mrs. Hart dresses herself in ebullience.* She gazes into her bathroom mirror-. . . and thinks about any subtle indiscretions or cavalier behavior she might have perpetrated the day before. Then, in the silence of the bathroom, she smiles at herself and says out loud, "Kitty, I forgive you!"**
* "dresses herself in ebullience" - isn't that just the most wonderful phrase?
** I wonder if she ever asked those she may have offended for forgiveness.
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"THE DAYS THAT MAKE US (editorial note: we make) HAPPY MAKE US WISE." John Masefield
Until April. Take care of yourselves, Live your best and Have a wonderful day!
IN THE MEANTIME, YOU MIGHT WANT TO EXPLORE MY WEBSITE AND PHOTO GALLERY AT WWW.DANCEWITHEAGLES.COM
Please feel free to forward this on to anyone you believe might enjoy it and encourage them to subscribe for themselves. Comments, submissions and suggestions are welcome. Although this material is subject to copyright, please feel free to reprint this publication in whole or in part, or use in any way you feel it might be of benefit. All I ask is that you use the following credit line: Reprinted with permission from Allison Quattrocchi of Dance with Eagles, www.dancewitheagles.com All past museletters are posted on my website.
Names of subscribers will never be shared or sold.
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WINGS Vol. 1, No. 2, March, 2002
