Much to Rejoice About .......... .8/28/13

Time before an expanse of water was had today. Am I lucky. How could I not be grateful? 

      Good evening everyone,

How was your day?  Mine was an oasis, refreshing me in the midst of a demanding week. This inn was busy today, hitting a high water mark.  Over
1,200 people dropped by.  Thank you, for giving this place the once over.  I hope those new to the inn feel welcomed; you are.  I hope you return, again, and again.

 My Gratitudes for Today: 

1.  It's good going with the flow.  My work has a cycle that runs independently of the best laid plans.  Making sense of it is futile.  But overall, it's positive and encouraging.  I love my life's purpose and the creativity I weave into time spent serving others.

2.  Recently, an out-of-state client I see, using Skype, sent a note the old-fashioned way, using snail mail.  In it she said, "Thank you, for giving me sanity."  That was a welcomed cool glass of water during an emotionally parched day.

The Giant Dipper

       Work provides thrills better than the old, wooden Great Dipper roller coaster in Santa Cruz that I've ridden since I was a kid, adolescent and now, as an adult.  Better what I do for a living provides calming, not gut wrenching, adventures.   Helping people become who they want to be---as they tackle personal challenges----nurtures the innkeeper's soul better than any spinach salad, even if it has bacon and Greek olives.

       I love seeing clients grow in their awareness of healthy alternatives to counteract their dilemmas. This is much preferred to the responses they once had: passivity, yielding to indignities from others.

        I'm touched when clients find greater emotional safety by applying non-violent communication and asserting themselves.  Witnessing their growing confidence, as their lives become more congruent with their values, provides lots of satisfaction.  Seeing clients confront their emotional hurricanes with grace and strength is satisfying. Wow, gosh, even.

       Now, they can experience the enormity of their feelings without being overwhelmed by them.  They stand for themselves without standing against their fellows, something they couldn't do before.   As a result of work spent together, clients know a wholeness, once not dreamed as possible.

3.  Today, I met with clients, someone I mentor and friends.  I also talked with kind person at a restaurant in the early evening, making it an excellent day.

4.  At five p.m., I cycled with a friend for 8 miles.  Nice.  Riding westward into the headwinds of Alameda Island provided a cardio workout.  At the four mile point we stopped, for my friend's sake.

      Planting ourselves on a weathered, shore-tossed, square, wooden beam, we scoped out the bay.  A marina lay before us, along with marine wildlife. The San Francisco Peninsula, across the bay, reclined before us.  Time spent with my cycling companion was the antidote needed for a busy day.

How About You? 
What are your three gratitudes for today?  Hearing yours will be great, contributing to the community we share here.  Thanks!