Last year, I fell into it at the last minute. This year I came prepared to deliver, at San Miguel Writers’ Conference, a 90-minute workshop on “Self-Publishing Success.” My overview of  the rapidly-changing world of print on demand (POD), eBooks and online marketing was well-received by 40 gracious and eager learners.

I shared what I discovered in publishing”Leonardo’s Revenge and Other Stories” – in the week between Christmas and New Years Day, without spending a penny – my encouragement to get it done, and my suggestions of where to spend money on professional help: editing, cover design and a well-conceived marketing plan so as to stand out among the three-million-plus eBooks expected to be published in 2012. I also uploaded a number of resources to this site for those interested in self-publishing (feel free to pass along!).

By all accounts, the 7th Annual Conference was the best yet! Bigger, better and exceptionally well organized, the four jammed-packed days in mid-February provided authors and readers a plethora of workshops, classes, panel discussions, readings and lectures. For me, the highlight was Margaret Atwood’s keynote address, “Writing and Hope,” attended by more than 800 people, both residents and visitors to San Miguel.

Margaret Atwood, photo by George Whiteside

Margaret Atwood, a Canadian National Treasure and author of more than 40 books of fiction, poetry, and critical essays, spoke of hope as “a human constant and a literary concept. As writers, we cannot possibly succeed unless we have hope… hope we’ll finish a book, find a publisher, and the publisher last long enough for the book to come out; and hope someone will buy it, read it, and understand and/or like it. That’s a lot of hope!”

With grace and wit, she traced her history as a woman author in light of social changes over the past five decades, starting with “Edible Women” published in 1969: “In those days, I was often asked, ‘Do you hate men?’ to which I’d responded, ‘Which ones?’ When vacuous reporters asked, ‘Is your hair really like that or do you get it done?’ I’d say, ‘If I were going to get it done, would I do this?’” (Sharing a similar relationship to my unruly hair, I had to laugh!)

In a beautifully balanced discourse of light and darkness, Ms. Atwood raised the question of hope regarding human rights and environmental issues – major issues of our time and her passions – noting we rightly fear for the economy, the planet, our children, and the civil rights we once took for granted. She concluded, “We are readers and writers embedded in time.”

In regard to her dystopian books, that she refers to as “speculative fiction,” “”Handmaiden’s Tale”, “Oryx and Crake” and “Year of the Flood”, Atwood addressed possible, scary futures such as “theocracy, and contraception in all its forms” – who can have children, who are denied them, who must have them, who gets to steal the children of others, who creates canon fodder – adding, “I did not intend [my books] to function as a blueprint for Republicans.”

In Atwood’s insightful world, “Writing is the coding of human voice into symbols. Reading is the decoding of symbols (like music). Readers are playing your symbols; it’s not passive.  Human voice and language – it is us and we are it.” But, there is always the dark side: “Those in power control language. They think, ‘if it can’t be said, then it can’t be thought, and it can be made to disappear.’” She asked us to consider examples, such as recent laws of unbridled snooping, and labeling environmentalists “terrorists” when, in fact, “it’s all about the oil!” As soon as those emphatic words were out of her mouth, a boom of thunder shook the conference hall. Without missing a beat, Ms. Atwood calmly proclaimed, “I love punctuation!”

Among many global concerns and challenges, she spoke of the disappearance and murder of journalists “brave enough to write about drug violence. Mexico deserves better! Writers must be free to use their human voices without being martyred.” She ended her beautifully-crafted speech with a final insight into hope: “Hope imagines things can be better than they are.”

The next day, passing Ms. Atwood on the grounds of the Hotel Real de Minas, where the conference was held, I thanked her, saying, “That was the best keynote speech I’ve ever heard.” To which she replied, eyes twinkling, “If that’s the case, we’re in trouble!” We both laughed and moved on. I felt hope… hope that I might realize my aspiration to be such an elegant, lively, passionate and brilliant writer and speaker as Margaret Atwood.

With another successful event behind them, Director Susan Page and the executive committee are already planning for 2013. I have submitted my proposal to again present on self-publishing and marketing, and hope to be invited back to this extraordinarily fun and inspiring conference.

A highlight of the San Miguel Writers' Conference is the Friday night Fiesta, held at the exquisite Instituto Allende. Here I am with some strange characters.

Giant puppets, Mojigangas, join us for a photo op. Left to right: Aysha Griffin, Linda Post, Susan J. Cobb and Conference Director Susan Page.

It’s been a while since I posted – life sometimes takes precedence over blogging. In the meantime, I published a book of my short stories, “Leonardo’s Revenge and Other Short Stories” (more on that soon), and I’ve been preparing to present again, on Self-Publishing, at the San Miguel Writers’ Conference, which starts later this week (more on that too!)

I returned to the perennial spring of San Miguel, from winter in New Mexico, and woke my first morning to the vibrant colors, church bells and now-familiar vistas of my “second home.”

Being Saturday, it was time to head to the Organic Market on Zacateros for a piña (pineapple) tamale and Jamaica (pronounced “ha-mike-a”, i.e., hibiscus) juice, and buy some yummy (and U.S. priced) organic goodies for the coming week.

Along the way I couldn’t help snap this photo of a local working man carting his wares.

Being early February, I met up with my friend, Patty Barakat, to peruse the annual “Candelario,” where plant growers from across Mexico set up stands in the gracious central park, Parque Juarez, and sell fruit trees, cacti, flowers, herbs, soil, pots and all things related to one’s home garden or patio/terrace enhancement.

Young boys and old men wander the park with their wheelbarrows, offering help to buyers. If you give them the nod, they will follow you amid the maze of offerings and place your purchases in their wheelbarrows, drafting their pals into service if more are needed. When you’re done shopping, they follow you home and schlep the plants, pots and soil to your patio or garden (with a trail of soil and leaves) – all for the equivalent of $20 per guy.
While much of what we gringos consume here in San Miguel is not noticeably less expensive than in the states, these pots, plants, local vegetables, cut flowers, and mid-day multi-course meals (“comidas corridas”) are definitely in the “good deal” category, and they support local workers and vendors.

But, in typical San Miguel fashion, social events tend to pile upon themselves and this Saturday was also the date of a mega event – local artist Anado McLaughlin‘s open house for inauguration of his “Chapel of Jimmy Ray“. The celebration of colorful, quirky, outrageously fun creations by Anado was attended by some 1,500 people.

It is said that “it always rains during Candelario,” and this year is no exception… except the rains keep coming. This is not the sunny, warm weather I had hoped for. But, unlike being a tourist, where a week of bad weather can ruin a vacation, I trust the sun will return during my next couple of months in San Miguel and many more wonderful outdoor adventures will be had. Please stay tuned.

SHE LET GO…

As we say adios to 2011, reflecting on what is past, envisioning what lies ahead, and cultivating Presence and gratitude in the Now, this beautiful poem (below) was sent to me by Michael Sudheer (check out his website for fabulous photos of San Miguel de Allende). I share with you these profound words and my wishes for your experience in 2012 to be that of abundant health, joy, love; and that you inhabit your dreams!

She Let Go
Without a thought or a word, she let go.
She let go of fear.
She let go of judgments.
She let go of the confluence of opinions swarming around her head.
She let go of the committee of indecision within her.
She let go of all the ‘right’ reasons.
Wholly and completely, without hesitation or worry, she just let go.
She didn’t ask anyone for advice.
She didn’t read a book on how to let go.
She just let go.
She let go of all the memories that held her back.
She let go of all of the anxiety that kept her from moving forward.
She let go of the planning and all of the calculations about how to do it just right.
She didn’t promise to let go.
She didn’t journal about it.
She  didn’t write the projected date in her Day-Timer.
She made no public announcement.
She didn’t check the weather report or read her daily horoscope.
She just let go.
She didn’t analyze whether she should let go.
She didn’t call her friends to discuss the matter.
She didn’t utter one word.
She just let go.
No one was around when it happened.
There was no applause or congratulations.
No one thanked her or praised her.
No one noticed a thing.
Like a leaf falling from a tree, she just let go.
There was no effort.  There was no struggle.  It wasn’t good.  It wasn’t bad.
It was what it was, and it is just that.
In the space of letting go, she let it all be.
A small smile came over her face.
A light breeze blew through her.
And the sun and the moon shone forevermore.
Here’s to giving ourselves the gift of letting go…
There’s only one guru ~ you.

Dr. Ernest Holmes
Founder, Science of Mind

We all have needs for attention, appreciation, affection and acceptance. But we vary individually in HOW we want those needs to be fulfilled, our capacity to receive, and our ability to express them clearly, so they might be met.

Feeling our needs are not met leads to resentments, anger, sadness, pain, distress, discomfort, constriction and fear… the opposite of the feelings/emotions we yearn to experience: joy, pleasure, comfort, relief and love.

There are three key components, or reasons, our needs are not met:

1. The other person is not able. It is not within their capacity, and therefore it is usually easy to accept that reality. For example, you wouldn’t expect someone with back problems to help you lift heavy boxes, or someone who likes staying home to accompany you on a long trip.

However, problems arise when we don’t accept what another knows or perceives as his/her limitations or truth. We may try to convince, cajole or otherwise disrespect the answer we receive to our request. As Byron Katie says, “Any time you argue with reality, you create your own suffering.” When someone says, “I can’t,” believe them and move on to someone who “can.”

2. Your needs are in conflict with the other’s needs (and vice versa). Meaning, simply, that you have different needs. This is especially important to understand as it also speaks to the reality of things and accepting our real differences.

If your needs are at odds (in conflict with) another person’s, and we respect our self, their needs are also to be respected. If we say, “I need you to accompany me” and the other says they have a previous commitment, our ego might go to a wounded place of feeling unappreciated, unaccepted, unloved. “Aren’t I – my needs – more important than yours?” In fact, no, they are not. They are your needs, and therefore your responsibility to get met.

The beauty of understanding the reality of both #1 and #2, which are essentially the same: hearing and accepting “I can’t” from another, is that there is no blame. Each of us is different, and we let our self and others off the hook when we take sole responsibility for meeting our own needs.

While we delight when someone can meet our needs and their needs are in alignment with ours, we can also take pleasure in knowing we are free to respond to a “no” or “can’t” with: “Thanks, I’ll take care of my needs elsewhere.”

3. You have not clearly communicated your needs. This is the crux of the matter and accounts for perhaps 90% of why you are not getting your needs met. Asking clearly for what we want takes a great deal of conscious communication.

It means knowing what you need, and not waffling just to please another or expecting them to martyr them self or compromise their needs for you (which inevitably leads to ill feelings because their needs are not met).

It means being confident that you deserve to have your needs met.

It means be willing to have the other respond that they are either not able or not interested… and not taking their response personally, as if you are unworthy. That is just not true, and thinking that should act as a big indicator that you need to give your self more attention, appreciation, affection and acceptance.

It means loving your self enough to tell the truth about what you need, and accepting that another person may not be able to give it to you (or at this time, or perhaps ever)… but at least you have given them the opportunity to hear your request and respond honestly.

You CAN get your needs met. You must know them, communicate them clearly, and find the people who able and freely willing to say, “Yes!” Then, it’s up to you to appreciate your self and the other, hearing and reciprocating (as you are capable and choose to) to their needs.

May you live fearlessly, passionately, joyfully!

Aysha is a certified business and relationship coach. For the winter 2011/2012, she is offering a special price for personal coaching via phone or Skype. For more info, see: AyshaGriffin.com

I like to think of Thanksgiving as a time for openly expressing gratitude for the abundance and love in our lives. And yet stresses of the holiday season can easily reignite old wounds and a sense of needing to defend our self against the judgments or negativity of others, especially those closest to us.

Usually, we jump to the conclusion that it is that person or this situation that triggers our defensiveness and shuts down our hearts and new possibilities. But, I think the only reason triggers or “buttons” exist is because of old, unexamined and unhealed wounds; usually from our early childhood. How, then, can we heal these, so our present experience is not distorted by our mental and nervous system memory of the past?

If we can observe our defenses as a signal of places within us that need more love; if we can realize that we developed these defenses to survive and feel safe in stressful situations and that they once served us but do not any longer; if we can allow the time and curiosity to excavate the sources of where we have shut down to protect our hearts; if we can forgive our self for the ways we developed to cope that have tripped us up, or trapped us into patterned responses in adulthood; if we can bring appreciation to our unique spirit and embrace that no matter how alone we may feel – or in fact are – we always have our Self… I believe we can discover a new level of freedom, a new level of thanksgiving.

I wish this for you and me. I wish us the blessings of abiding connection to our highest self and appreciation for this Life that we each uniquely embody. HAPPY DAY OF THANKSGIVING!

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More About Defenses

Greg Newman, body-centered life coach and my colleague from the Hendrick’s Institute training (in 1999), has identified some of the most common defenses that occur in close relationship and his suggestions for defusing them. The following is reprinted, with permission, from his monthly newsletter:

Judging/Criticizing; Intellectualizing/Analyzing; Denying; Changing the subject; Going silent/stonewalling; Going numb; Getting righteous; Blaming; Making a joke; Justifying; Getting dramatic; Freezing; Fleeing; Getting sleepy.

When I first started to notice all my different ways of defending in my relationship with my wife June, I was shocked. Defending was my knee-jerk reaction whenever any stress or conflict arose between us. I noticed I was even defending during times of peace and closeness. I was so bound up in my defenses that being “undefended” and open-to-learning was a missing experience in my life.

To defuse my defenses I first had to become conscious of them. If you’re interested in more learning and love, I invite you to consider doing the same. Start by opening your awareness to the specific defenses that show up for you in your interactions with your partner and with others.

For example, your partner might say to you, “I’d like to talk with you about something.”  Immediately you hold your breath then change the subject…”Hey, did you remember to pick up some mustard at the store today?”

Rather than opening up to what your partner wants to talk to you about, and what you might learn from it, you’ve gone into defending. So, identifying what defense you’re in is the first step. Then you can begin to notice “how” you create and maintain the defense in your body.

In other words, how are you shaping your awareness, breath, posture and movement to form and act out the defense? For example, you might go blank, tighten your body or go slack, go numb or rev up, get silent or raise your voice, depending on what defense you are constructing at that moment. If you’re perceptive, it can be like watching a slow-motion film: first you sense the birth of the defense inside of you, then you feel it moving through your nervous system and solidifying in your body. Then you act it out with your partner.

This is an unconscious process for most people. But the sooner you can become aware that a defense is forming inside of you, the sooner you can interrupt this normally unconscious process and open to new creative possibilities.

Typically, when one partner goes into a defense, the other partner reacts by going into a defense of their own. For example, you might defend by withdrawing after your partner goes into blame. Or your partner might defend by getting very loud and dramatic when you’re being stonewalling. When this happens, you have two defenses playing out, rather than two people relating to each other. For some couples, the basis of their relationship is the day-to-day interplay of their defenses.

When you notice yourself defending, it can be very helpful to say to your partner “I notice that I’m defending.” And then to name your defense. For example, “I’ve gone into my blaming defense.”

Bringing consciousness to your defenses and communicating them to your partner in the moment can start to shift the unconscious patterns of defense that play out in most relationships.

If you’d like to defuse your defenses, take three steps this week:

1. Notice when your defenses emerge in your relationship with your partner.

2. Identify the defense (judging, spacing out, justifying your position, etc.) and communicate it to your partner.

3. Tune in to how you’re shaping your defense in your body (what you’re doing with your awareness, breath, posture, movement, voice, etc. that creates and maintains the defense).

The more you can become conscious of your defenses, the easier  it becomes to shift out of them and back into learning and love again.

The Body-Centered Coach is copyright 2011 by Greg Newman. Since 1995, Gregory Newman, MS, has coached individuals and couples in body-centered skills that have made it easier for their lives, relationships and careers to blossom. Greg coaches over-the-phone and in-person and can be reached at 608-274-6962 or greg@bodycenteredcoach.com

The Second Greatest Alignment Day In The History Of The Earth

One is the number of individuality, undivided, pure, soverign, united, harmonious. Alignment means: a state of agreement or cooperation among persons, groups, nations, etc., with a common cause or viewpoint. In terms of self, it means integrating, embracing, loving all the various parts, which often requires forgiveness to accomplish.

Today is, by our calendar, a very special day for considering the meaning of One. I share with you some thoughts from an email by Mark Ivar Myhre, author of Emotional Times, with his kind permission. I would love to hear what the meaning of Oneness, and this day, means to you. (Please leave your comments below).

I don’t know much about numerology but I do see all those ones, and here’s what I’m seeing: The time between 11:11 AM and 11:11 PM on November 11 2011 will be a high energy time to work on yourself.  The second greatest alignment date in the history of the earth, after Nov 11, 1111, which is obviously the first.  But we’re here now.  So let’s do it now.

Nothing but ones.  What does that mean?  Oneness.  Wholeness. Complete.  And new beginnings.  And most of all, it means alignment.
How can I get aligned with myself?
How can I be true?
How can I be one with myself?

It starts with processing. Which usually means getting out paper and pen and just writing stuff down.  Get it out of you.  Get it out.  Write until you can’t write anymore.

Then you’ve got something to work with, on this day of becoming more of who you are.  Do your processing, by writing out whatever is on your mind.  It should flow out of you easily this day.

Then, after spending 20 minutes or more letting your feelings and thoughts flow out on paper, take a break for a little while. Give it an hour.  Then look back over what you’re written with a sharper eye, compliments of this ‘alignment date’.  Let the enhanced energy of this day put a razor’s edge to your vision and comprehension.

Look at what you’ve written.  Look for the voice of the ‘lesser’ in you. Look for the whine.  Look for the part of your consciousness that is whining on the paper.  Get a sense of the part of you that is adrift.  It’s drifted off into pity or martyr or blame or rage or pain or guilt or shame or…

A part of you.  It’s become separate, but now it’s time to reunite. Realign.  Get in alignment.  Here’s how:

You want to understand this part of you as much as you can.  It should be a little easier to do this today.  Your senses should be enhanced, at least a little bit.  So seek to understand the consciousness behind the words you’ve written on the pages.  Most likely it will be a scared child or a scared adolescent, or have
some sort of flavor of youth to it.

And it might be angry.  It might even be angry at you.  Whatever it is, you want to love it and accept it and embrace it as much as you can.  ”This is me.”

Take ownership of yourself.

Love yourself, as you also love this part of you.

Can you see this part of you – as a shape or a face or a light or an image or a color or a radiance of energy?  Can you hear it? Can you feel it?  Can you get a sense of what or who it is?

Now, after letting it speak on paper, after getting a sense of it, after understanding it, after loving it…

Now, forgive it.

“I understand, you separated from me, out of the pain and shame and fear and anger…  It was too intense, so you had to separate.  I couldn’t handle it.  So you took the hit for me.  You took the burden.  You took my pain… and my intensity.”

You say.  ”And now,” you add, “I’m going to make it right.  I’m going to take responsibility for what I’ve created… for what I’ve done.

“And therefore, I forgive you; I forgive myself for creating the circumstances that caused you to break off from me, and I forgive you for living it.”

And after the forgiveness, the two of you merge into one, which you can do just by imagining some sort of image of this part of your consciousness in front of you, and then walking into it.  Or it walks into you.  Or both.

One.  Oneness.  Becoming whole.  That’s what this day is about. And this is just one way you can work with the energy to help yourself to become more of who you are, and less of who you are not.

Mark Ivar Myhre
The Emotional Healing Wizard

For tons of articles and information on healing by Mark Ivar Myhre -
http://www.emotional-times.com

Want to talk in private with Mark? For details, click here -
http://www.join-the-fun.com/consult-with-me.html

Who can argue with Free? If you are not familiar with the concept of free downloadable books, I thought you’d appreciate knowing that there are scores, perhaps hundreds, of websites where you can download free ebooks. I mean, really and truly for free. The scope of information and genres is, well, endless. While I’m only presenting seven, to get you started, for a list of 50 sites, click on the photo.

You can also upload and share any books, documents, reports, poems, etc. that you have created. I’d love to hear your experience with downloading or uploading free ebooks, and other resources you would like to share.

In addition to these seven sites, I have included, below, a lovely bit of prose about autumn (both the season and the time in our lives) from one of my favorite sites, Scribd.

Scribd is an online document sharing site which supports Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF and other formats. You can download a document or embed it in your blog or web page.

Free-eBooks is an online source for free ebook downloads, ebook resources and ebook authors. Besides free ebooks, you also download free magazines or submit your own ebook. You need to become a Free-EBooks.Net member to access their library. Registration is free.

ManyBooks provides free ebooks for your PDA, iPod or eBook Reader. You can browse for a ebook through the most popular titles, recommendations or recent reviews for visitors. There are more than 20,000 eBooks available – all free!

The Online Books Page lists more than 30,000 free books on the Web.

Planet eBook offers free classic literature to download and share.

BookYards, “library to the world,” offers free books, education materials, information, and content.

FreeBookSpot is an online source of thousands of free ebooks downloads in 96 categories such as scientific, engineering, programming, fiction and many others. No registration required to download free e-books.

Fall

I was dreaming of galloping on horseback across the Russian steppes, a la Doctor Zhivago, in a big fur coat and hat, when I awoke to find Frijol, the cat, draped over my head on the pillow.

The “Cat As A Hat”… what would Dr. Seuss would say about that?

He might say I was fortunate,
that rather than synthetic knit,
I should have in dreamtime writ
the comfort of a furry kit.

I have only known Frijol for 6 weeks, since I moved in with him in a modern-style home in a centrally located upscale colonia (neighborhood). Frijol’s person, Carlos, travels a lot for work and pleasure, and kindly invited me to pet sit.  As far as Carlos is concerned, there is nothing to this job besides providing food, fresh water, the occasional delactated milk and scooping out the litter box. As far as Frijol is concerned, I am his hired hands and devoted companion. Clearly, it is my job to provide a comfortable lap to sit on, hands to stroke his soft, lithe body, fingers to be nibbled upon, arms to burrow into… and acceptance that my clothes will be covered in white fur.

Having exclusively adored several canines throughout my adult life, I have not been in the company of a feline in a long time and, of course, each one is different. But this Frijol (“Bean”) is a young, enthusiastic being, entertaining me with his self-absorbed play: rolling a cork around the floor, boxing with the string from a hoodie, crawling into every open cabinet and drawer. He waits patiently for me to stroke him, sits at length staring at something or nothing, and is a riot a bed (oolala!). He hides under the folds of the duvet. I toss him in the air to the other side of the bed and he rushes back at me to be tossed again. This goes on until I tired of the game and then he slinks onto my breast as I read, and curls up under my chin or wraps him self, like a stole, around my shoulders. He is a sleek fashion accessory with a soothing ‘white noise’ engine. Purrrrr.

Unlike a dog, Frijol-the-cat does not run to greet me wagging and ‘talking,’ rushing to get a toy to show and begging for acknowledgment. But, when he notices I am home, he says ‘hello’ (or ‘hola,’ being a Mexican cat) in his Siamese-y meow, and eventually he struts over for a caress. But it is in the night, through those long hours of dark and dream, his big-cat spirit is there beside me, nestled in the crook of my knee, stretched out along the length of my belly, or wrapped around my head like a comfy Cossack hat. I am grateful not only for this comfortable, secure house in which to have stayed, but for Frijol, my special feline friend, who has taught me to appreciate the value of his companionship, and what a fair trade is our care for one another!

Here is a parting Seuss-inspired thought:

Wherever your Youville
Your friends big and small,
furless and furry,
be good to them all.
Today, as the sun attempts to be sunny,
I hope you have lots of good fun that is funny!

I did not turn on a light in the dark hallway last night and  scraped the back of my hand pretty hard against a door knob (ouch!). My automatic response was to put my hand to my mouth and hold it against my lips. I naturally kissed the boo-boo, as my mother had done when I was a child, applying love to a wound.

Children know that the kiss may be a distraction, but the love overrides the fear, and minimizes the trauma; the carelessness of our self, or another. Loving a wound eases the pain, by acknowledging it. It also establishes connection.

As an “adult,” I have often tried to ignore pain, curse it, or minimize it.  I mean, who needs it? But obviously I need, from time to time; to be shaken up, stunned and otherwise awakened to carelessness, usually because I’m hiding from something, some fear I don’t want to have to love. That’s scary stuff.

It’s easier to just keep injuring an old familiar wound that’s never been kissed, than to face it, forgive my carelessness, kiss it with compassion, and allow it to heal completely. I can analyze endlessly all the bits of past story stored to explain and justify the wound that caused the pain that I’ve “learned to live with.”  But love doesn’t need to understand the reasons; it just wants to love.

The metaphorical Band-aids I’ve used to cover-up fears have been stripped off in San Miguel to expose some inner places that need love. I’ve had to acknowledge and forgive myself for continuing to rewound old pains, until I could finally ignore them no longer… part of being a human!

No matter where I think love originates, I possess it in and for my own self; the ideas and the feelings reside within this mind and body, which is all I can control. The extent to which I seek and accept the love I am capable of evoking for this being I call me, is the extent to which I am discovering a new level of acceptance and peace. I sense that what comes with this freedom from fear to accept love more fully, is the joyful aliveness of the responsibility for it.

So, tonight, alone, (with no one to complain to), I was pleased to see that my natural response to my physical pain was to love it, to apply a strong kiss. I smiled to myself for not turning on the light, which was the obvious and smart thing to do; and so I was careless, reckless even, with my own wellbeing. And then, in yet another gesture of self-love, I sat down to write because writing, for me, is a practice that is full of care, and through which I want to explore and honor the ways I see myself and others waking up to love.

I hope that we all, more often, remember to turn on the light and kiss our boo-boos with affection and compassion.

Growing up in suburban New York, I recall celebrating birthdays with cake, the Easter bunny with chocolates, and Christmas with presents. That was it. Not much preparation and over by bedtime. So, living in a place where there are full-on celebrations nearly every week, with planning that may go on for the whole preceding year and last for days and nights, takes some getting used to.

September is particularly festive. Here are some photos – enjoy:

Independence Day fireworks

A young woman turns 15

dressed in colors of the Mexican flag for Independence Day