Cross Country Skiing with Action

Tahoe Donner Cross Country is allowing dogs on the trail this season. I think that is so fantastic. Exercise is so important for my well being, and so is spending time with Action, my grand dog. He lives in Tahoe City now so I don't get to seem him as much as I used to. So this morning we left my house at 8 am. The thermometer on my car said it was -8 degrees! But dogs are only allowed on the trails on the weekends between 8:30 and 9:30 am. The crowds are so big on the weekends, I can understand the need to regulate the dogs a bit. This morning we were going....no matter how cold! As I was driving up Northwoods Blvd my thermometer switched to -6 degrees! Ahhhh, how can it be getting colder, that doesn't make sense. Then I realized (duh...)when you are in the minus temperatures, the lower numeral means it is getting warmer! I'm just not used to that mental exercise, even though Truckee can be the coldest place in the nation, I am not often out and about when it is so cold that early in the morning. So Action and I toured the two trails, Cup of Tea and Piece of Cake a couple of times. His paws were cold, but he barked and pranced and had a great time, and after about 40 minutes he was ready to head for the car. What a great way to start the day! Exercising with one of the very special loves of my life, Action!!

My Lesson for 2012

Seth: "I bid you good evening, and remember this: you have a right to say "no." In the great affirmation of your being, you are conscious. You are therefore able to make a distinction. You can like something better than something else! Within the great affirmation of your being, you can deny. You can say "no" to a situation freely and joyfully and exuberantly — and feel free, and that you are using the abilities of your consciousness, your spirit, and your creaturehood. If you say "no," you say "no" for a reason. Find out what the reason is. You have a right to it." by Jane Roberts (C) L.Butts The Seth Audio Collection Excerpt 20 2012 provided me with the most important lesson - probably my life lesson. I remember my first experience where the lesson was handed to me on a platter was when I was 17 years old. I chose to not step in. I'm sure it came up for me again and again but I had two opportunities, big ones in 2012. The first one was with a real estate client. At this point in my life, I didn't even know that NO was an option, I had become such a YES girl. The yes I kept saying to this client brought me to a very uncomfortable edge, almost an edge of no return. I finally said NO but I didn't understand the lesson in it, better said I didn't understand that it was my lesson. Once I came aware of this feeling, this reason that might be possible, to have no be an option as Seth says above, I kept seeing the opportunity in the situation where before I would have just kept saying yes and continued to move forward and just "deal." Then of course, came the big one for me. That's another post. But a NO that had to be said and a reason that had to be identified. By far the hardest lesson to step into, and again as Seth references the chance for freedom, joy and exuberance in the decision. This is not saying that it was easy, but an opportunity to step into who I really am, for myself, and live in this space rather than in the space of others. And as always, in the words of Radical Forgiveness, look what I created. Sheez, I hate that part, but it is the truth and now that I see it, there is such freedom!