The Party Moved!

We've got a rockin' new party happening over at the new place - Good Vibe Blog or click http://goodvibeblog.com/

We took all the content and party hats with us, so join us over there for the latest in law of attraction tips, stories, and exercises.

Before we go, though, big fat thanks to everyone for all your encouragement and support while we were growing this law of attraction blog. We did great work here together!

Click over to http://goodvibeblog.com/ to catch up with the new party. :)

Namaste -

Manifesting Space

Last week between client sessions I had a quick minute to post an article online (it was on Thought Vs. Action, if you'd like a look-see) before I ran to a couple different stores for people food, dog food, cat food and paper. As I was driving along trying to decide what I had time for, what was most important and thinking of the article that didn't get properly edited, I felt tension creeping in.

Awareness of the tension was my red flag to release it and remember all is well. No need to be tense. But it kept creeping back in. Three times I remember consciously releasing tension, before I finally checked in as to where it was coming from. A general feeling of being rushed was behind it.

By then I'd kind of lost patience with myself. After all, I had work to do.

So we get to the first store (the dogs came with), pick up the dog and cat food along with a couple treats, no time to chat with the owner, barely time to pet the store chihuauhua on the way out.

We're on the road again and I'm deciding what I have time for next. Paper or people food, I don't have time for both. It probably has to be paper cause that'll be quicker. And I better not get distracted by any fun colored stuff - because I know I have a tendency to be drawn to colored paper, pens, folders .. it's like a magnet. No time for fun, though. We have to be efficient!

Which is the thought I was holding when my cute little car got slammed in the rear end by a woman who didn't know the rest of us were stopped.

Now, I haven't been in an accident since I was 18 (when I was also rear-ended by a girl watching cute boys on the corner). That's over 20 years of a virtually perfect driving record. This is something that simply doesn't happen to me.

And here it was happening to me. Deep breath. New priorities. Everyone okay? Yeah. Two sheriffs and a tow truck driver saw it happen and were on the scene immediately. The woman who hit us was very nice. Luckily enough I didn't hit the car in front of me, and no one hit her. Both cars were driveable (after cute tow truck guy pulled my bumper off the rear tire).

We took care of business and I headed home late for my next client session. Before my next one started, I had 15 minutes to reflect.

What had I been feeling that put me in alignment with a wreck? Albeit a very minor wreck that actually wasn't that bad an experience, it still isn't the sort of thing I thought I was lined up with.

I remember feeling tension on the drive and trying to release it several times. I realized the tension came from trying to do too much in too little time, and the thought came up that I "need more space in my life."

More space, indeed. That's exactly what the other driver got cited for not allowing between our cars. I need more space. More breathing room. I'm cramming too much in. I need to relax in lots of ways - errands, client work, in myself.

So that was my "thank you, Universe" moment where I could see the gift of my fender bender. A message that I couldn't ignore to take this space thing seriously. I've been talking to my coach about it for a while now, and only made superficial improvements. Time to show I mean business.

You better believe next time I walk through the dog food store I'm going to hear all about the owner's fun weekend, pet the store dog AND store cat before I go. I'm indulging my "feel good" at the office supply store next time, shopping for whatever I'm drawn to. I'll remember there's always plenty of time for everything important, and I'll also appreciate all the drivers who keep their safe distance.

I'm also newly committed to keeping a smaller client roster and booking more "me" time in every day - not just every week.

I share that here because I know as I say so, I'm much more likely to live up to it. Thank you for hearing me.

If anyone has any messages from the Universe you care to share with the rest of us so we don't have to get slammed in our own rear end, I welcome hearing them!

How to Get Paid Using Law of Attraction

Someone owes you money or is slow to pay? While it's easy to blame the other for the situation, that energy isn't likely to help you get the money you're due. Use the Law of Attraction to let the payday in.

First of all, it couldn't have happened if you weren't aligned to it. You played a role in this co-creation. That doesn't make you bad or wrong, it just is what it is. Don't use it as a reason to feel bad, but rather as a way to lift resentment that might be present toward the debtor. After all, they're the ones that got sucked into your "I didn't get paid" or "I got shafted" vibe. (Maybe they deserve some sympathy too, huh?)

How to remedy the circumstances so the money's flowing in? Simple: shift the energy. Specifically, shift YOUR energy. You've got to change how you feel before you can get what you want.

There are a variety of ways we feel when someone's not giving us what we think we earned: upset, angry, resentful, fearful, victimized, resigned, ungrateful, etc. And we know what that energy attracts, right? More reason to feel that way. So that doesn't work.

We've all been down that road to know it.

Before someone can pay us, we have to feel a way that's aligned to that result. Which could be a variety of feelings - different for each of us. For me personally, getting paid what someone owes feels like relief. Relief of those bad feelings I was trying not to flow while they owed me money!

The work is to feel this way BEFORE they pay you. I know it can be tricky, but think of it as good deliberate creation practice. They're giving you an opportunity to flex your manifesting muscle! It helps to find new thoughts that allow for new feelings. Get creative in finding which ones work for you.

While I'm noticing someone still owes me money, and growing more irritated with every week that passes without payment, or even word from them that they intend to pay, I'm flowing energy that keeps that payday in the future. In this way I'm responsible for the delayed payment.

To bring that payday to the present, I have to feel NOW how I would feel then. So I can practice feelings of relief; that "FINALLY!" feeling. I imagine the feeling of a clean slate again. Maybe running "It's about TIME!" through my head or "Thank GOD" I can give this up now.

As I give this up NOW, I open the door to getting paid.

Also, as you flow this newly aligned vibration, check in on whether it feels good to take any particular action. Like sending a reminder invoice, making a call, or asking them to sign a promissory note.

If you take any action, make sure it feels good and do it with the feel good "I just got paid" or at least "I'm on way to being paid" energy - not the "pissed off I'm still not paid" energy. It makes all the difference in the world!

It also helps to release your attachment to receiving the money. If you find your way to knowing you'll be fine either way, that helps let the money in too. Easier said than done, I know, but it works if you can get there. (You have to really mean it for it to work, not just saying the words. The Universe knows the difference.)

I've had luck in the past with this forgiveness exercise that Connie Domino's "Develop Irresistible Attraction" offered from Catherine Ponder:

“When you hold resentment toward another, you are bound to that person or condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel. Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that link and get free.” - Catherine Ponder

Holding the person you wish to forgive in your mind, state your affirmation of forgiveness something like this:

“I forgive you completely and freely, I loose you and let you go. So, as far as I’m concerned, the incident that happened between us is finished forever. I wish the best for you, I wish for you your highest good, and I hold you in the light. I am free and you are free, and all again is well between us. Peace be with you.”

You might have to read it a time or two before you feel a shift, but stick with it. That shift is what releases your attachment to getting paid, which is very likely exactly what allows you to let the money in.

I myself am having a hard time on releasing attachment to a particularly large sum that I'm owed (not by a client), so I know getting to forgiveness is easier said than done. And if it doesn't feel good to go there, don't! We know how this works ... find your feel good wherever it is, and that's what'll let the money in.

Here's to a happy payday for us all!

Got Bad Feelings?

One of the most asked questions I get from LOA savvy folks are what to do with negative feelings. We know we get what we vibrate, so if we're immersed in something negative, how do we get out of it?

Answer: stop trying to get out of it.

Feel your feelings.

They're not as scary as they might seem.

I'm not saying revel in them, or stay stuck in them. I'm just saying we aren't going to be able to avoid feeling them by ignoring them or wishing them away. It's okay to feel them. That's actually a rich part of the human experience, don't you think?

You're irritated at your sister for changing the family's holiday plans? That's okay. Be irritated. So what? Once you let yourself be irritated, it's much easier to get over it. It's trying NOT to be irritated that keeps you stuck in it.

You're mad at the boss for shortchanging you on the raise he promised? It is what it is. If you're mad, be mad. And then you'll be able to leave mad behind sooner rather than later.

It's not that you approach your less-than-fabulous feelings with the AGENDA of ridding yourself of them, rather that's just a beautiful side benefit that those negative feelings are more easily released after you accept them.

Weird, huh?

Well, it's not that weird. What we resist, persists. So don't be afraid of your negative emotions.

When I let myself entertain thoughts of revenge against that neighbor I struggled for weeks with, that actually felt better. (A LOT better. It feels awful to feel powerless, but revenge - now that gave me access to feelings of power again.) That feeling of revenge eventually gave me access to choose other feelings, like peace and appreciation. But if I had sworn off all negative feelings - oh man, I hate to think where I'd still be with him.

Where does deliberate creation fit in all this? In our conscious choice to feel what we feel. And then making deliberate movement up the emotional scale as we're ready to.

When I had Shadow euthanized, I felt sad. I didn't try talking myself out of it, although I did remind myself I didn't need to be sad for him. I let myself be sad for me. It's amazing how much more quickly I move through grief now that I know to let myself feel it. Instead of trying to pretend it's okay or wishing the pain away or doing everything possible to avoid thoughts of my favorite cat, I just feel sad.

So I felt sad.

And then ... I didn't.

Instead of dealing with buried grief that I'm afraid would just bring me more things to grieve over, I honored what I felt. That allowed me to move on to appreciation and love for what great company he was for those 18.5 years. As I find my way to thoughts that feel better, I welcome those. No need to dwell in something that doesn't feel great when there are other options available.

But until those other options become available - in fact, what ALLOWS them to become available - is feeling what's up for you now.

So here's to your fabulous feelings, including the revenge and anger and despair and all the other wicked ones. Let go of your judgment and fear of them, and enjoy playing with the full deck.

(Unless of course judgment or fear is what's up for you. ha In that case, enjoy them too!)

Managing Far Away Goals

Every Friday I join dad for a 6 mile mountain hike. Today I noticed we have very different approaches toward this outing.

After we get a couple of turns up the switchbacks, if we look up we can see our end point - a big white rock that stands out on the next mountain in the faaar off distance. I mean FAR off distance. (The first three miles are uphill, too.) Like, when I take other people on this hike, I don't even say that's where we're going because they get too discouraged to finish. (In fact, along the way, I like to point out to dad, "this is where Russ turned around; this is where Verrall turned around." hee hee)

On this morning's hike, dad made a point of stopping to look at the big rock in the distance and said jovially, "hey, that's where WE'RE going!" As I also looked at the FAR OFF rock, I thought, "that's a long frickin' way" and felt my energy fade.

While it totally energized him to see the end goal, I experienced a different feeling altogether. It seemed really long, really hard, and very out of reach.

But when I put my head back down and watched the trail in front of me, I was right back to enjoying the hike as usual. I realized it works better for me when I think of the bend just ahead, and then the next creek we cross, and then my favorite tree after that. Thinking of it in bits and pieces suit me best for making it to the end.

I thought how this relates to other goals in life. How some of them seem so ridiculously far away that we give up before we even start. And yet, if we just point out a couple of milestones along the way, and shoot for the closest one of THOSE, one at a time, we make amazing progress.

I also thought of how some people do better when the going gets rough to stay strongly connected to the end result - to remember WHY they're trudging up this hill that makes everyone else think they're crazy.

And then I realized focusing just on the end result can be tricky, too. After all, we know it's not the destination that matters, but the journey.

So although I might have thought dad's end result was the big rock (and mine the bench next to it), I realize it's more likely the time spent together enjoying nature and the dogs. Making new friends along the trail, saying hello to the regulars, and updating each other about our lives as we go.

"That's where we're going."

I've been interested lately in thinking where WE'RE going with our deliberate creation work. I have to imagine that when many of us get this stuff down pat life is going to be VERY different than as we know it now. Don't you think?

Regardless - what's before us now is the next step. It seems prudent to focus on that, and find the thoughts that most help us enjoy taking it. (And for some of us, that thought may very well be of the big rock ahead.)

I'll practice this myself as I work towards my birthday present to self of "best shape ever." Instead of wondering how I'm going to get back to looking fabulous in that size four little black Anne Taylor dress, I'll look at the next step ahead. (Getting my thoughts in alignment is MY first step.)

Once there, I'll look at the step after that, and so forth. And I'll get there. Maybe seeing that little black dress on the hanger once in a while will help - I'll feel that out as I go. And I'll enjoy the journey along the way. Simply because I said so. :)

So the next time you're feeling deflated because what you want seems so far away from where you are, remember you can get there from here. It starts with the next step, and deliberately enjoying your journey will make all the difference in the world for your continued progress and eventual, inevitable success.

Swift vs Struggling Manifesting

To be fair to all the male creators out there (who read my October 23rd ezine with the genders showing the swift creator as female and the struggling creator as male), I'm giving you your due:

Swift Creator:

Believes what he wants is possible
Willing to try
Gives himself credit where he can
Practices what he learns
Is open and trusting
Doesn't hinge his wellbeing on the outcome
Feels connected to the world and others
Easily finds something to appreciate
Leaves the past in the past
Open to guidance (from higher self and others)

Struggling Creator:

Doubts it's possible; fear it's not
Fears disappointment
Sees failure instead of progress
Doesn't give it a chance to work
Is "shut down" and suspicious
Everything depends on a positive outcome
Feels isolated and alone
Sees little to be grateful for
Feels compelled to analyze what went wrong in the past
Closed to guidance from self and others

Hope that feels better. I actually understand how offensive that may have been for some to read, as I couldn't bring myself to use "she" or "her" in describing the struggling creator here.

My sincerest apologies!!

And a clarification in the same issue: my ecology professor (in fact, my high school ecology teacher, too) in college is inspiring because of his enthusiasm and love for his field of work. I rarely meet others so engaged and in love with what they do. Which is why he's my model for joy and passion.

(See guys, my ecology professor/hero was male ... !!) : )

Seriously, the simple fact is that most of us show up in both lists at one time or another. Which is fine. That's how we work. It's not unusual and it doesn't make us bad or wrong or incompetent.

What I like is for us to be aware of where we're holding ourselves back in order to free ourselves from habits that don't serve.

Awareness is the first step.

So, along those lines: I'm willing to try to help and believe that I can (and am). I give myself lots of credit (in fact, the "thank you" emails outnumbered the "what were you thinking" emails 9 to 1, so thanks to those of you who give me credit, too). I'm practicing what I know every day (and doing so in this post now), am open to correction and new learning, I'm feeling the love for and from those I'm in this go-round with, loving life in general and appreciating that people read and think enough of what I've written to write back!

And with that said I'm off to write a new post that's been on my mind for a few days.

Thanks for being here! You likely have no idea how much you mean to me! : )

Deliberate Creation: Take 2

After receiving an unprecedented number of personal emails (thanks, everyone) following the last post about recreating reality with my neighbor, I thought it would be helpful to offer another less dramatic example.

We all have small opportunities sprinkled throughout every day to show our commitment to the life we want. Sometimes those are the easier ones to start playing with, rather than the big deal that's got us tied up in knots.

Thursday I experienced a new challenge at the computer. Emails were coming in, but nothing was going out. My outbox was filling up, and each time I would try to send another email, I'd get another error message about being unable to connect to the server, or something to that effect.

After 20 minutes or so, my concern grew. I make a living by phone and email, so to not have email access is more than a minor inconvenience. I'd never experienced this problem before. It definitely wasn't my internet provider, because I was online and receiving emails just fine. Tried researching Windows Mail help. Sheesh. I should know better. It gave me a couple of suggestions that seemed irrevelevant and the fixes they offered didn't make a bit of difference. I shut the whole thing off, and rebooted. Still nothing going out.

I started wondering who I could call that could walk me through an easy fix. Everyone I thought of would have been happy to help, but I "knew" they wouldn't be available immediately. Plus, I have a tendency to prefer not to ask for help.

So then my frustration grew right alongside concern.

I started thinking about whose fault it was that there was a breakdown here. I thought about Microsoft, Geek Squad, and Comcast always gets thrown in this group, too, when I go down this road ...

I wondered about recent emails I'd received and tried to reply to, thinking maybe one of those was the culprit.

All the while the clock's ticking, and my anxiety is growing. Clients expect to hear back from me within a certain period of time. What if this was more than just temporary? What if ... ?

Then I got conscious to what I was flowing.

Frustration, worry, tension, anxiety.

How's a solution supposed to show up when THAT'S what I'm flowing?

Right, it can't.

I've got to get to relief, easy, smooth, pleased.

So I walked away. I took a shower, which always seems to help clean the vibe up. During the shower I smiled my big smile for seeing my outbox empty and everything flowing again just the way it usually does. I said out loud, "Ah! I KNEW it!" and imagined my pleasure with myself for remembering to shift the vibe.

After the shower, I thought about checking in on computer. "Ah, give it another minute," I thought. Meaning give ME another minute to get really solid on "this thing works great."

I swapped out a load of laundry and gave the dogs a treat, remembering to feel my "relief" vibe about the outgoing email.

Then I came back to the computer. "All is well," I reminded myself, as I sat back down. I could really feel it - not just a pretend "all is well" vibe - but a sincere one. (I get there pretty easy because I practice this one a lot. It gets easier the more you practice it.)

And sure enough, all was well. The outbox was empty, everything was in sent mail just as it belongs, and we were in business again. I couldn't explain what changed - except my vibration. Which is all that matters.

It doesn't matter whether we're shifting the vibe to create world peace or make it through the next green light - it's the same process. Remember what you want, feel how that feels, and relax.

This is what deliberate creation is all about, right? Flex your muscles, and have fun with the process. It will lead you to a whole new world. :)

Leaving Reality Behind

I've got three clients telling the same story: "I can't get the relationship I want." (Hmm, note to self: am I flowing any of that? When it shows up repeatedly on the outside, it's worth looking within to see if I'm vibing it too.)

But these LOA savvy people have a long list of reasons to back up that "truth." You know those reasons, right? "I've never been able to attract the kind of person I want." "There aren't any honest men left." "The women I meet are only interested in my money," etc.

Many of us have used similar "reasons" at some point to stay stuck in our story of reality.

I got stuck recently. My reason for being there was my mentally unstable drug dealing neighbor made multiple death threats against several of us in one weekend (including the vet who came over to euthanize my cat). My neighbor was the reason I was upset, angry, frustrated, and vengeful. And I had good reason to be (can you hear me stuck on it?). Here were some of them:

He was training his dog to kill my cats, laughed out loud when he knew he'd woken me up in the middle of the night, deals and does drugs in his front yard in the middle of the day (and night), tried to engage my boyfriend in a duel, swears at his grandmother when he catches her talking to me, threatened to kill me, drives recklessly down the street while kids are out playing ... the guy is truly off-kilter.

The "truth," as I told the detective, was that this guy was a drug dealing addict who respected no one (including the police) and was a danger to everyone in the neighborhood.

My list of reasons was long and well-documented by the police. My other neighbors had similar reasons too - which made it even more true. It wasn't just me - lots of us felt that way! And we reinforced it with each other. The "reality" was we were dealing with a dangerous psychopath who could take all of us out at any moment.

So that's where I was. Can you feel what a strong story I had going?

And I know how this works. I know that as long as I'm flowing anger, frustration and other negative vibes, that's all I can attract -more experiences that inspire more anger and frustration.

I know that as I continue to send this energy out, I continue this same reality.

And I know that to change the reality, I have to change my energy.

So before I have any "reason" to feel differently, I have to find a way to start feeling differently. Or I'll be stuck here forever.

I know moving isn't the answer, because I'll just take my "hate my neighbor" vibe with me, and voila -there will be a new problem neighbor wherever I go.

My work is right here. With my best next door teacher.

What do I want? That's the question I (sometimes) remember to go to when I'm tired of feeling awful.

Well, I want Peace, Quiet, Appreciation, and Love. I write these words down on a sticky note. They're still taped to my computer terminal as I type this, even.

That's what I want. How does that feel? I conjure up feelings of peace, quiet, appreciation and love. Okay, I got it. That feels good. That's what I'm after. That's a good start to shifting the energy.

And two hours later the neighbor is cursing at my dogs who are barking while he conducts business in his front yard with yet another shady character. As I connect with feelings of anger and resentment and fear again, I remind myself what I'm creating. That's not what I want.

What I want is peace, quiet, appreciation and love. I can get there. Even here, while I'm in the midst of something that would normally inspire very different feelings, I can get there. Because I'm in charge of how I feel. I'm in charge of what I create.

I talk myself to a better place. I conjure up the good feelings again. All is well. It's okay, Jeannette. He's just here to give you practice. It's all good. Where would you get a better teacher than this?! Tough to imagine. God bless him for being willing to wear the black hat to teach you unconditional love.

Sometimes I could go with those thoughts. Sometimes it was more like, "He's digging his own grave and can't last much longer," or "That sounds like a nasty cough - maybe he'll get sick enough to die" or "Maybe he'll move in with his new girlfriend" or "The recidivism rate is 87% for h*ll's sake, it's just a matter of time before he's back in prison."

So it wasn't always love and light, but I regularly practiced talking myself into a better feeling place. For weeks. I certainly didn't get there overnight.

And I've been getting better at it. I can feel the difference.

I knew that if I could consistently get on the vibe of Peace and Appreciation and Love, that he couldn't continue the way he has been. I thought he'd end up in prison or the morgue or at least someone else's neighborhood.

But I was wrong.

Over these last few weeks I practiced finding my way out of frustration and anger to Peace, Appreciation and Love. Late Monday night I got a phone call from him.

He spent five minutes apologizing for being a bad neighbor, asking my forgiveness, promising to change (including seeking out mental health support), and wanting me to know that he respects me and would never hurt me or anyone I loved or any of my property. He was in tears within seconds of talking, and so was I after we hung up.

There it is.

There's the Peace, Appreciation and Love I've been calling in. I didn't think he was lined up for it, but I was wrong.

I knew he meant it when he said it, and the next day he had a dramatic opportunity to prove it.

The German Shepherd he's been trying to train to kill my cats actually had a prime opportunity to do so. She took off like a bat out of hell when she spotted Elsa (Russ' favorite) across the street, and Elsa ran like her tail was on fire, and then my neighbor followed suit faster than both of them. He ran after his dog like his life depended on it, because he did NOT want a bad ending for my cat, certainly not at the jaws of his dog. I loved him for his sincerity.

We've turned a corner. I can easily feel the Peace and Appreciation and Love. Even as he's chasing down his dog chasing down my cat (who easily found a safe spot). Nothing but love for a guy that I ... well, didn't easily find love for before.

We live with our best teachers. Mine has taught me even better how to flow what I want, even in the midst of a very contrary reality. (Dad reminded me at lunch this from Carolyn Myss: "Your task is to learn the lesson that the teacher has for you rather than to resent the teacher.")

For my clients who continue to repeat the reasons they can't get the relationships they want - they have the same work ahead of them. Finding a way to feel what they want before they have any reason to. That's the deliberate creation work for ALL of us.

Once you're there vibrationally, the Universe MUST yield to you. And it will seem like a miracle when it does. :)

Feeling the Universe's Humor?

During yesterday's group course session, my coach partner, Amy, told a story about how she used to wish for fame when she was little. She distinctly recalls growing up with the desire that everyone across the globe would know her name.

Her maiden name was Scott. Years later she married a guy (with THE sexiest voice I've ever heard, by the way) whose last name is Grant. Which officially made her Amy Grant.

Not what she had in mind!! lol (Most reading this blog have likely heard of Grammy winning Amy Grant.) So my partner got her wish for having a name that everyone knew. Just not how she intended.

Her point in the story was:

Did she get what she wanted? No.

Did she get what she asked for? Yes.

I'm inclined to believe that Universe knows our true desires, and doesn't play games like this with us often.

But I realized Universe is playing with me along these same lines, too.

I've been toying with the idea of a new residence. One of the things I would love in a new place is dirt paths instead of cement sidewalks. Gravel drives instead of concrete driveways, and natural growing native plants rather than perfectly manicured landscaping. Squirrels, and neighbors that wave howdy each time we pass, whether we know each other or not.

Over the last week, I realize I got what I asked for, although not remotely what I had in mind.

My two young dogs have taken a toll on this yard that my senior dogs didn't. Whereas my senior girls kept an eye on the neighborhood from the porch, these pups run up and down the fence line which ensures no grass grows. In fact, on most days their muddy feet track dirt at least halfway up the cement path leading to the front door. Voila ... my dirt path.

And no matter how many walks they get, they dig like nobody's business. Which turns up a fair number of rocks, which somehow end up on the driveway. Not exactly what I had in mind for a gravel driveway ...

I met with a friend a couple blocks from my house at the library the other day, and saw a squirrel run across the traffic-packed road. (I think he made it across okay.) So there's my city squirrel.

It gets better ...

Since we've had trouble with one of the residents on the street, more neighbors stop by to chat than used to. My neighborhood's getting closer, although I didn't expect it would come about from having a drug dealing person in our midst. And on a dog walk today, several trucks passed us and responded in kind to my "howdy" wave.

So as far as Universe is considered, it can cross me off its "to do" list. Mission accomplished.

Got what she asked for.

While I appreciate the evidence that I've been heard and answered so succinctly, I recognize some clarity about what I really want might come in handy.

"A more relaxed lifestyle, closer connection to nature, surrounded by easy-going people."

Then my question becomes: What makes me think I have to move for that? Universe already proved its possible right where I am.

So this is where I get to be even MORE clear about what I want. I may just find I've already got what I want - right under my nose.

What are YOU asking for these days?

What's the true essence of that desire? Boil it down to the heart of it and consider letting the Universe deal with the details. Lots of times we micro-manage when we'd be much better off getting clear about what we really want and leaving the nitty gritty details to the Universe. (Or at least not being attached to the details.)

And Amy, if you ever wished for a Grammy on your mantle, just get that husband of yours out in the spotlight. He's got an award-winning voice if ever I heard one! (Just kidding! We all know fame and fortune is your destiny!)

Work Wanted

I liked this story from my girlfriend Anne so much, I asked her permission to share it.

She's been on the job hunt for a couple months now. After joining her boyfriend in California last year, she burned through a couple of different positions that for one reason or another weren't right for her. She's been out of work now for several weeks, and is getting unnerved by her extended unemployment.

Anne wrote the other day, saying she's been searching job listings, sending out resumes, writing cover letters, reviewing web sites, trying to line up interviews, all to no avail. She was frustrated, to say the least.

Her note to me said she recognized she was "needing" this new job, and knew from an LOA perspective that that was keeping it from her. So she was going to work on "believing" it.

But before she got around to that she decided to give herself a break and go see her favorite band perform live. Her boyfriend took her, and even though he's not nearly the fan she is, he stayed for entire concert and they had a really good time. (She's such a big fan that her personal email address is the band's name, and she's travelled the country to see them live! I mean, the band members know her name!)

Can you guess what happens next?

The very next day she got four messages. Three from employers asking to set up interviews, one asking her to come in that same day.

So now she's feeling in "high demand" and her whole vibration is turned around.

What a difference a day makes, huh? Especially a day that includes us doing something that feels fabulous!

You know as well as I do that lots of folks would have given her advice about how to "make it happen" in her job hunt. They'd counsel her to work her network, beef up her resume, or take some other conventional action to make herself more desirable to prospective employers.

Not too many "experts" would suggest a night out with her favorite band for the solution to getting a job.

But that's often exactly what shifts the energy - doing what feels good. Which is what allows our escrow to squeak through our "real life" door.

Congrats, girlfriend, on letting the Universe do some of the heavy lifting. And I know since you pre-paved this next job that it will be a keeper!

PS - that's not say that taking real life conventional action doesn't make a difference in getting what we want. For lots of people, that "real life conventional action" is what shifts the energy, right? We do what we "believe" will work, and that believing is sometimes exactly what creates our vibrational alignment.

It's just a matter of finding your way to what feels best to you. :)

All Is Well

I've been inundated with emails from kind readers who are wanting to help ease my pain and attachment to Sasha, based on the story I told in yesterday's (Oct 9th) ezine. Several also expressed surprise that I was married. (I'm not.)

I failed to mention in yesterday's ezine that those events took place over a decade ago.

Sasha was Kita's sister, both have been gone for a while now. As has been my dear husband. He didn't die, but we're still great friends to this day. lol (Okay, that just makes me laugh that I said "but" instead of "and" in that last sentence.)

Between Kevin, Sasha, Kita, along with many other cats, boyfriends, jobs, and girlfriends, I've had plenty of practice to learn how to release attachment.

We all have plenty of practice, don't we?

Learning to let this be easy; to recognize that how we feel is up to us, no one and nothing else; and to embrace our power to feel good right now, despite what is or isn't happening - that's what will set us free.

That's where life gets unconditionally good.

Anyway, I just wanted to set the record straight that this took place in the mid-90's and thank everyone for writing. Here's a reprint of the story for those who aren't receiving my bi-monthly ezine and have no idea what I'm talking about. (And if you want the tips & tricks to determine whether you're attached, sign up for the ezine using the sign up box in the right hand column here and I'll send you a full copy.)

Before you get what you want, whether it's money, the body, career or love life, you get to learn how to want it without attachment. Because as long as you're attached, it will elude you.

Here's the deal. Although strong desire is helpful in a speedy manifestation, when we desperately want something, or have to have it, or condition our happiness on getting it, we slow its progress. (Sometimes even halt progress.)

So releasing attachment to what we want allows cool things to happen.

Knowing to do it is one thing; practicing releasing attachment is another.

"I can't live without him/her." Have you ever heard someone say those words? Or maybe you have yourself.

I felt that way about my first dog, Sasha. She turned up missing last morning of a camp
trip. My husband went to work, but I searched for her on that damn mountain for three days before Kevin finally made me come home. I was devastated.

On the front porch steps I fell to my knees. I literally couldn't come home without my girl. (Kevin
thought he was going to have to take me to the hospital for a sedative. I was that kind of distraught.)

Can you feel my attachment? It's an extreme example, but it's important to be able to tell when you're attached to an outcome.

We found Sasha a couple days later (on a completely different mountain range). I'm certain the only reason we found her was because Kevin was still connected to Source; I surely wasn't.

He was able to follow intuition and discern inspired action, which led us straight to her. (A miracle, in my book.) I was numb, running nightmare thoughts of life without Sasha. To this day it's a
tough story to tell.

That's what attachment feels like: Shut down. Disconnected. Gotta have it. Won't be happy till it gets here. If this doesn't happen, my life is over.

How attractive is that? (Not!)

Universe doesn't flow good stuff there. It sends the good stuff where there's nice strong desire and "feel good" already present. Where it feels EASY, appreciated, and open.

Are you wondering whether you're experiencing attachment? Tips & Tricks below will help you determine whether you might be.

So just to have a happy ending here - when Kevin did finally get me through the front door, we came in to hear a voice mail message from one of the rangers. (This was before we had cell phones. Well, before HE did. I still don't.)

We had posted lost dog signs all over campgrounds and fishing spots and the ranger's place. The ranger from another mountain range was at our ranger's place when he saw our lost dog sign, and told a story about how a couple of his workmen who were making a new trail with heavy construction equipment had seen some sort of strange animal they could not for the life of them identify. (Sasha was a red chow.)

It was so strange they were telling the story back at the office. (They didn't even know it was a dog.)

So our ranger left a message giving a ROUGH idea of where he thought the other ranger's men saw what could have been Sasha. We waited till morning light to start looking on that new mountain, and after a couple hours of driving, Kevin felt a strange impulse to turn where there was no road, and right after he turned we looked to the left and saw her hiding behind a big bush.

She had not done well in the wild. lol

I was too numb to even be happy or relieved. I was just numb. And that was WITHOUT drugs!

Sasha, she was my girl.

Of course, so was Kita. And Sophie. And now Sadie. And I'm sure there will be more.

I don't have digital photos of Sasha, but she was a looker! Here's one of Kita, though - Sasha's big sister and my favorite girl of all (with Soph in the background - my other favorite girl).

As one astute reader said, dogs are particularly gifted at teaching us non-attachment. They are perfect models at how everything is okay, no matter what is or isn't going on.

God Bless the Dogs. :)

"I Secreted It ... "

Yesterday I met a new girl at the salon who asked what I did for a living. I told her I was a life coach specializing in the Law of Attraction, and asked if she'd heard of "The Secret."

Oh boy, had she heard of it!

The tone in her answer clued me in that she wasn't a fan.

She said doesn't believe in it. At least not fully. (She added that last part in an effort to minimize offense.)

She went on to explain that she used the Secret to get pregnant, but still had three miscarriages. So it didn't work for her at all.

Despite the fact that she was seven months pregnant as she told this story (happily expecting to deliver a healthy boy in mid-December), and despite the fact that she said she used the Secret to get pregnant (versus give birth) - four times no less! - she was steadfast in her belief that the Secret didn't work.

Her exact words: "I Secreted it and it didn't work." (I enjoyed hearing the Secret as a verb!)

I also njoyed not feeling compelled to point out the fairly obvious contradiction in her experience and belief. And I thought how odd that the very same situation is proof for one person it doesn't work and proof for another it does.

We each do truly get what we think.

I think it works, and I see in her situation the proof of it. She thinks it doesn't work, and sees in her situation the proof of it.

We really are each creating our own little world, huh?!

I offer this story as an opportunity for each of us to examine where a new perspective might serve us better.

My tried and true neighbor gave me such an opportunity this morning. A mobile vet I’ve never used before arrived to euthanize my 18 year old cat, Shadow, and mistakenly parked in the neighbor’s driveway instead of mine. My neighbor came raging out of his house with expletives afire about how he couldn’t park there.

As I met this new vet I learned he just arrived from Iowa, and has only been in Utah a few months. One of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. “Good people” is what my father-in-law would call him. And here he is getting a greeting like that from my neighbor. I was mortified.

And angry.

Which I caught on to pretty quick. As you know, I have much experience with the “angry at my neighbor vibe,” which I’m purposely deactivating. So I found my way to a new perspective fairly quickly.

After apologizing to my new vet friend and explaining that the neighbor’s on crack and isn’t in charge of his behavior, I realized my neighbor probably has very few things in life he can control. Who parks in his driveway is likely one of them.

We all know how good it isn’t to feel powerless, and when a stranger’s parked in your driveway, that’s likely to activate “powerless.” I can see that.

So, with those thoughts in mind, I can cut him some slack. I’ve probably been mad at someone blocking my driveway a time or two. He and I aren’t that different, I remind myself. And that feels better.

Plus, I’m probably feeling a little powerless myself as I have to say goodbye to my Shadow. So .. it’s easy to see how “powerless” would show up in my world.

And then I remind myself we’re far from powerless. We’re creating all of this! And when I practice managing my feelings, I’m creating the kind of live that makes it all worthwhile.

Integrity and the Law of Attraction

What does personal integrity have to do with the law of attraction?

Much of my personal development training has dealt with the topic of integrity: how if one spoke in your wheel of life is missing, the whole thing doesn't work.

Some people approach deliberate creation without much thought to the level of truth they live their life with.

They think wanting to manifest the partner of their dreams has nothing to do with how they feel about their job. Or that attracting financial prosperity will solve the problems in their marriage. Or that their drinking problem has no effect on their ability to make their dream come true.

How to put this succinctly ...

It's all related, folks.

How we feel affects what we can create. Period.

So if you're out of integrity in one area of life, it'll touch the other areas in some form or fashion. You can count on it.

Which is why one of the most powerful ways you can start getting what you want is to clean up the areas you're out of alignment in and begin living authentically.

It's why when one of my ex-boyfriends finally broke up with me, he immediately experienced incredible professional success. It's why when my girlfriend paid off debt that she wasn't comfortable with, her romantic and professional life took a big turn for the better. It's why when I don't tell Russ what's bothering me in the relationship, it feels like my manifesting is in slow motion.

Personal integrity. Living what's true for you. Knowing who you are and living what's important.

It's easier said than done for many.

Without the awareness of where you're not being authentic, living in integrity is a good trick. But once you know where you've been pretending, you've got material to work with.

Here's a common and quick exercise for excavating your truth:

When you've got a couple of private minutes to yourself, get quiet and grounded, and complete each of the following statements:

"I've been pretending that ... "

"The truth is that ... "

Repeat the series until you hit on something that feels ... well, it might feel like a pang in the heart or like you just got hit between the eyes. This realization doesn't have to be painful, though - it can be liberating. Especially when you act on it.

And acting on it is critical to swift and successful manifesting.

Otherwise we handicap our vibration with negative energy that often leaves us frustrated as to why law of attraction seems to work for everyone but us.

So if you want to create immediate motion in your deliberate creation efforts, discover where you've got a short spoke in your wheel and address it. Difficult as it may temporarily be to do this work, the payoff of an authentic life makes it worthwhile.

(I know these are personal stories to share, but if you have an example of this to share with others by posting a comment, I guarantee you'll inspire someone else to take brave steps in their own life, too.)

Namaste, friends.

Birthday Present for You

It's official. I'm 39.

I've been thinking of myself as 39 for long enough that I feel like I'm finally catching up with myself.

My birthday present to myself this year is the best shape I've ever been in. By the time I am officially 40, I will feel and look better than I ever have before. That's a promise.

I can feel my commitment to this in a way that makes me know it will absolutely come to pass. No ifs, ands or big butts. : )

It's different than wanting it, different than flirting with the idea. I'm claiming it. I own this one now. I'm enjoying it already! Can you tell?

My birthday present to YOU is my seven day e-course I've been threatening to launch for several weeks now. It's not perfect, but it never will be, and I refuse to let that stop me any longer. Enjoy!

(You can subscribe to it using the signup box in the top right hand column.)

Abraham said something recently that inspired me to change my thoughts about aging. They said aging is inevitable, since we experience the passing of time. But decline with aging is NOT inevitable.

So I'm now on board with embracing my real age, and having new meanings about what that number means. I'm not resisting 39 or any other number again. Instead, I'm creating what that age means.

All right - I'm off to set some other additional intentions for my new year, and invite any of you who have birthdays this month to share yours as well!

Namaste.

Pray Rain in Action

As promised, here's the story of my first experience with a pray rain journal.

I was in the corporate world and had just gotten out of a staff meeting where we salespeople were told if we didn't turn our numbers around FAST, we were out of jobs. They'd pull the plug on the whole department.

Nothing was going right in the year the department had been up and running. I'd been on board four months and from day one was immersed in the struggle to make something good happen. We were having miserable results. No internal cooperation, our product wasn't well-received, and management had this pool of amazing 401k experts COLD CALLING prospects to try to sell this thing. It was ridiculous!

And it wasn't working.

So coming out of that meeting, I felt like I'd been fired. I thought, well, what they told us to do hasn't worked (cold calling, script sheets, etc.) so I may as well try something new.

And I thought about a pray rain journal. I'd heard of it, but never practiced it.

I knew a hairstylist who'd achieved her dream of owning her own salon by using a pray rain journal, so I had reason to believe it could work.

I also knew I didn't have a lot of time to get results, so I needed a very short journal.

Guess what I found in my drawer? A little 25 page $0.88 notebook - maybe 2" wide by 3" long - I mean TEENY. I could whip through that thing pretty fast. Didn't know if it'd be fast enough to save my job, but - it was worth a shot. After all, nothing else was working!

So I pulled out my new notebook, and on the first page I wrote about how excited prospects were to find me. I wrote about how much they loved my product. I wrote about what great instant rapport we had, and how they couldn't wait for me to implement the product, and how perfect it was for their company.

It was pure fantasy! Everything I wrote in there was the exact opposite of what I'd been experiencing.

But for those four minutes it took to write a handful of sentences about what I wanted as if I already had it, I was vibrating alignment with it. (And we all know that's where the magic is.)

So after my first entry I did another unheard of thing. I asked myself what felt good to do next.

"Lunch."

I hadn't had lunch since my first day on the job when the big wigs took me out.

I'd been eating Snickers and Grandma's cookies from the vending machine because we were under immense pressure to make a certain number of phone calls every day and track our results, and report back to management, etc. etc.

So after asking what felt good, I did something different. I went across the street (whoa - left the building! ha ha!) and ate my favorite Greek food at an outside table on a gorgeous spring day. I kicked my feet up on another chair and leisurely fed leftover pita bread to the sparrows. I goofed off. And it felt GOOOOOD!

After an hour and a half of enjoying myself and the beautiful day and the amazing food and friendly birds, I went back to the office. I was feeling refreshed. And better.

In the elevator on the way up, a gentleman asked me who I was. I told him my name and the company I worked for.

When I told him I sold small business 401k plans, his mouth dropped open. "You HAVE to follow me to my office." Which is where he showed me his desk - covered with sales literature from 401k vendors.

"I've been going through this for weeks and haven't been able to make heads or tails of any of it. Can you help me?"

Ha ha!

Can I help him?! It's only what I was born to do!! I mean, in truth, I LOVED 401k plans, I loved talking about them, I loved helping people understand them, I loved helping them figure out what would work best for them.

I finally got to do what I LOVED!

I had my satchel with me and pulled out my sales literature. We had a very nice chat.

After 15 minutes he got up and walked me down the hall to his HR Director. "Sherry, meet Jeannette. Jeannette, meet Sherry." He tells Sherry I'll be implementing their new plan and to sign whatever I need her to sign.

He turns to me and asks "How soon can you get that to us?"

I was more than a little shocked, you can imagine. Where were the objections? Where was the dance to try to get a second appointment? Where were the other decision makers who I had to get on board?

This was supposed to be a six week process to even get to the point where we prepare contracts for signature.

From that day on, I became a pray rain journal junkie. I mean, I didn't even have to get to the end of the BOOK before my first dream came true ... it happened before the end of the DAY!

I've used them on various things ever since. (Building my ideal coach practice in amazingly short time, for one.)

Have fun with yours.

And I just want to officially say thank you, Universe, for being so good to me. That was a really good day. : )

Pray Rain Magic

Karen at Live the Power recently featured a manifesting technique I shared with her called pray rain journaling. I didn't realize how many people didn't already know about this, so I thought a post devoted to the topic would be helpful.

Then I thought an e-book would be even better.

It's my hands down favorite manifesting technique, and when you read about it, you'll understand why!

36 Hour Gift

What would you do with an extra 36 hours of free time every week? This is the question posed by my handsome cyber-friend Ed Mills at Evolving Times, inspired by Tim Ferriss' "4 Hour Work Week."

Just considering the question is bound to bring us more free time - since we get what we think about. So I happily accepted Ed's challenge to answer this question. I'd love to hear your responses as well!

If I had an out of the blue extra 36 hours every week, I would get a good girlfriend and hang out with her. I haven't made nearly enough time for strong friendships in my life since my coaching practice was born. Yeah, I would get a girlfriend. A local single girlfriend (since all my good girlfriends keep moving or getting married.)

And maybe she could be self-employed from home, too, and we could bounce ideas off each other in the middle of the work week while we hiked our dogs in beautiful places.

I would also seek out more excellent food. I know I'm missing out on wonderful dishes all over town. Okay, I said food, but I'm really thinking desserts. I welcome new desserts in my life. That would be suhweeeet (hee hee).

And I would linger and lounge and contemplate more. I would examine. And get quiet. And enjoy my ding dongs more slowly. On the back porch instead of the computer.

That's what I would do.

What would YOU do? In fact, I'm officially tagging Zoe to answer this as well, since she's always a joy to read, along with Karen .. wait, Ed already tagged them. (Ed, do you feel like a blog tag hog?)

Maybe I need to expand my circle. Which I know exactly how to do. Did you see Priscilla's list of personal development bloggers?? Holy hannah!! Big kaching! You'll strike gold browsing through THIS list!

Again, I'd love to hear from you readers as to what you would do with 36 extra hours every week! Thanks in advance for sharing your inspiration on what you'd do with your free time. :)

PS - Tanna, you're tagged too.

What We Resist

Yesterday afternoon I thought some of us might get a kick out of this story. My girlfriend was selling shoes at the Greek Festival this weekend and I offered to help her man the booth.

She has an amazing array of shoes, the kind you can't help but ooh and ahh over. Nothing practical here - it's all glitter and glam. From flats to pumps to clogs to wedges to boots and sandals - she has it all. Some were sparkly, some had lacy straps, some were made of shiny satin, some had such pointy heels they were an engineering wonder - and honestly, you can't help but touch them. They're just fun!

She had one particularly appealing pair of shoes with fur trim that made everyone smile when they saw them. Most passersby would stop, look, laugh and then actually pet them. (Especially the men - go figure!)

I thought it was cute and a good draw; my girlfriend was annoyed that people were handling her merchandise.

So she made up a "PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH!" sign and just as she placed it next to the irrestistible fur-trimmed shoe, two women approached with a yellow lab by their side.

You know me, as soon as a dog is on the scene, I forget everything else.

But pretty soon I was smiling to realize the law of attraction was proving itself in quick action once again. This was a seeing-eye dog for one of the ladies, whose owner promptly began shopping by handling every shoe on display while her friend described the colors to her.

I had to laugh that as soon my girlfriend took action to stop people from touching her merchandise (resistance), she attracted a situation that delivered more of what she didn't want.

She wasn't really in a mood for an LOA lesson, I thought, so I was proud to not say anything. Well, to her anyway. I knew the rest of us would get a kick out of it!

And of course, I realize she's mirroring exactly what many of us do every day without realizing it. She knows how this stuff works - so do we. Yet how often do we unconsciously slip into "resist" mode?

Not that I would encourage us to look for resistance, since we get what we look for. But maybe a good focus is on what we're allowing, and where we have more opportunities to relax and flow, and on a greater level.

With that said I'm going to go "flow" an article for my editor. Happy day, everyone!

Choosing a Good-Time Filter

Every week the dogs and I go hiking with my dear dad. His favorite trail (Mueller Park - shown here) has crazy bushes along the way that create nasty stickers for dogs. My ex won't even walk it. He says it's not worth the trouble of pulling out stickers from coats for several days.

Plus there's an abundance of deer and rabbits the dogs love to chase. And (I imagine) it'd be easy for them to get lost on this mountain.

So when Sadie or Joe launch an off-trail adventure, I'm not super encouraging of it. (That's my indirect way of saying I yell at them to get their butts back here.)

Last week Joe went off trail for quite a while. So long that I thought I lost him. There was a lot of hollering that day. I was unusually hot. He jeopardized our good time by risking getting lost?! What a Stinker with a capital S! (Indeed it was an s-word I used, but it might not have been "stinker.")

Anyway, as we're wrapping up this morning's hike, dad says, "I noticed Joe didn't get in any trouble today."

I realized he was right. There was no yelling, no hollering, no waiting. Joe was a very good boy today.

As I start to acknowledge agreement, dad says, "And it didn't seem like he did anything different."

Wait, what does he mean by THAT?

Of course Joe was different, because there wasn't any trouble or hollering or MIA dogs.

I think about it, and realize Joe did go on an off trail adventure today. He was gone for a while - twice even! But I didn't worry about him this time. I trusted he'd find his way back to us and all would be well. No yelling today.

Dad is not a master of subtlety. However, I realize today he is making a gentle point that we went on the same hike we always go on, this time there was no trouble. The difference was me.

Same Joe, same off trail adventures. No trouble.

Different Jeannette.

So the trick for a more enjoyable walk with the dogs doesn't have to do with dogs listening better. It has to do with ME and my CHOICES of how to be on this walk.

I can worry, or I can trust and enjoy. It's so much nicer for everyone when I trust and enjoy. I know this stuff - why aren't I practicing it more?!

Tonight I wonder where else I might spoil my potential good time by worrying instead of trusting and enjoying.

Well, I see it a lot more of it than I would have guessed. I thought I was the Good Time Queen! And now I see how I spoil my Friday night with Russ by fretting that he's not off the golf course till 8, which is too late for dinner, too late for a movie, too late for fun.

Uh huh.

I see that instead of being able to laugh at watching my ex and his dad try to re-trap nine feral bunnies (seriously, two Elmer Fudds lurking behind bushes with fishing nets and traps with carrots set on the trigger - classic humor!), I worry what fate might befall the bunnies if they're not relocated.

I see that I could have more purposefully enjoyed four kitties growing up in my house if I wasn't carrying the tendency to notice the absence of the two who didn't make it.

No change in situation. Just a change in my perception, my response, my vibration. Makes all the difference in the world.

Wow!! What ELSE can I change??

Okay, I'm liking this ... instead of being regretful about all the work that didn't get done this week, I could relax and know the important stuff got done and enjoy my accomplishments. Maybe even look forward to the next week, instead of feeling behind for it.

Instead of being annoyed with dad for pointing out that I'm the only good time spoiler on the hike, I could be grateful for seeing it myself now.

My perception. That's the difference.

The good time is always there. The only question is which filter am I using? Am I filtering for a good time, or filtering for a bad time? I'll find either one I look for. Universe is very accommodating that way.

Here's to a good time filter for all of us who desire it this (stateside Labor Day) weekend! Namaste.

Conquering My Nemesis

Dog pee on the rug.

That was my old nemesis.

For reasons I won't elaborate on (to not attract more of it), one of my biggest challenges was learning to walk in the front room to check for wet spots from inappropriate canine elimination, while holding the expectation of "nice dry rug."

If the dogs had been left in quite a while, or there was a suspicious smell, or the cats were acting funny near a particular corner, or the rug looked wet for some reason, I used to march over exclaiming, "This better not be what I think it is!" I would hold thoughts of a damp smelly rug, with the only question being whether it was still warm or had been there a while.

That dog pee situation was a big charge for me. No surprise it happened often, huh?

Yeah, a lot. (My carpet cleaner used to be on speed dial, and I used to buy two rugs, with one on standby when it was time to call it quits on the first.) All those wet rug opportunities gave me plenty of practice at changing my thoughts as I conducted rug sweeps.

When I would walk to the suspicious corner I would catch myself expecting to blame somebody (usually the boyfriend who made us late getting home, or the ex-boyfriend who didn't come over to give them a break), and anticipating that familiar feeling of wet rug under hand or foot.

So I learned to test the rug while saying "Ah, nice dry rug." "What good dogs. Thanks for holding it, everyone! That's right, nice dry rug!"

There wasn't a single time I expected dry rug that I was met with disappointment.

It's been a while since I've dealt with that.

Today I met my nemesis again.

My ex asked me to check on his dogs while he was out of town for a day and a half. Morning check-in revealed his mastiff foster escaped his kennel. And the house showed it. That guy wreaked HAVOC! I won't even describe the destruction I witnessed. Whew. It was bad.

Dining room chairs chewed up, couches on their backs, cushions missing, blankets in the kitchen, poopy paw prints everywhere, trails of urine in the hallway.

All right, I lied. That pretty much describes it. The poor cats looked like they were in shell shock.

My first thought was, "I'm not cleaning this up."

My second thought confirmed the first one. I didn't have time to, even if I wanted to. Which I definitely didn't.

My next thought was "I can't leave these guys here." It was a hazard zone! I only had 20 minutes before my next client session, so I loaded everyone in the car and took them to my house.

Notice what happened? Reactivation of my nemesis vibe, and lots of "good" reason to worry about what would happen at my place.

After all, I'm on the phone with each client for over an hour, and I had two sessions in a row. No time for supervising; seven dogs (his four and my three) were left to their own devices for a good three hours.

After my last session I walked out of the office to survey. Yeah, to survey damage. That's what I was expecting. What did they get into? What could be fixed? What was ruined?

I caught that familiar feeling. "Hey, I'm looking for trouble."

Maybe I should look for confirmation of what good dogs I have instead?

Looks like they rustled the garbage, but didn't remove anything. Cool. Cats look okay. Plants upright. Good. Couch cushions in place. Fabulous. Next the rug.

I immediately thought of "wet rug." That's what I didn't want. What did I want? Nice dry rug. I made a barefoot sweep across the rug, while repeating to self "nice dry rug." Sure enough, dry rug! Yay! My nemesis defeated! I truly have conquered my (former) biggest manifesting challenge!

That's when I noticed the slobber. On the chair, the couch, blanket, stereo, my favorite buddha statue. Lots of slobber.

Well, at least slobber doesn't smell.