You Tell Me

Hello Everyone! Since I am still unable to type with any speed or accuracy, due to the thumb accident of a few weeks ago, I am posting an experience that happened back in early months of 2008. It is a little long, so get a cup of tea and settle into a comfy chair ad enjoy! Would love to hear your thoughts on this one! : ) Many Blessings, Emily

You Tell Me

On a sunny Saturday morning after the blizzard, I listened, cell phone to ear, as a client recounted her recent “adventures”. Saturday being “phone call day”, I was sitting in “my office” (car parked at the flat spot on top of a hill–the only spot for ANY cell phone reception–half a mile from the cabin in Concho, AZ). Being blessed (I use that word with some ambivalence here) with the ability to multi task, I was also recharging the phone through the car battery.

The sky was SO blue, the air SO clean, my heart and mind so quietly content as I sat in the warm cozy comfort of the little Toyota I fondly refer to as Hot Red. As the call was wrapping up I became aware that an hour had passed AND that the headlights were still on. Oops.

Just before the conversation ended, I decided to turn on the motor in preparation for heading back to the cabin.

“tdk”, and then SILENCE. No rocket scientist needed here—the battery was DEAD. I drive with the lights on as supportive gesture to safety on the road AND it now was clearly evident that I had not turned them off when I parked. Tdk…………………….tdk………………….

I calmly (truly) got off the call and sat there looking out over the blue and white that lay in front of me. Options. I had options. Could walk two miles back to the main house and ask for help—it was the weekend, their time off and alone—it just didn’t seem right; could walk down 20 feet to the roadside and wave down the next cute engine with jumper cables.

Given that only 1 car had passed in the last forty-five minutes, I contemplated pushing Hot Red out of the rapidly forming and abundant adobe mud (there is a reason that adobe was the building material of choice here in the SW for thousands of years), over the cattle guard AND then roll it down the ramp to the main drag, hoping against all hope to startle it into a rebirth. One can dream.

I got out of the car, walked across the cattle guard and stood there. I was in NO hurry. That is one of the nicest things about living out in the middle of nowhere. It becomes patently clear (very quickly) that there is just no point. There are no TV’s, strip malls, or multiple choices of toothpaste to distract one from the business of living.

Looking up and down the road, I took in the rolling hills and valleys through which the road passed. Not a car in sight. I walked back across the cattle guard, completely unperturbed, rather enjoying myself in the sunshine actually.

Got back into the car, sat there, turned over the engine and as one would expect, …tck…………..Nada.

Got out, walked around and opened up the hood so I could look at that seemingly defunct “heart of the matter”. Something to the effect, “well, what would you do if it were a person?” crossed my mind. Having dealt with “persons” before, that thought provoking question gave a nice little twist to the situation. The immediate thought was, “Love it”. And I say, “Why not?”

What needs to be conveyed and clearly understood here, is that I HAD ABSOLUTELYY NO ATTACHEMENT to what was happening, (after all, I did have the back up of humbly walking down to “the ranch”), it WAS an utterly gorgeous day, I WAS warm, relaxed (beyond belief—again, living quietly in the high desert has major stress reduction benefits), AND, I LOVE a good jaunt into the unknown.

Standing there with my hands kind of cupped over the little, somewhat forlorn looking battery, I have no recollection that I THOUGHT anything, just felt immeasurable peace and an all pervading sense of contentment. And, I mean what was the hurry?

After a bit of time, I shut the hood, got back in behind the driver’s seat, turned the key, “Brrrrmmmmmmm”!

Hot Red rolled smoothly out of the mud, over the cattle guard, down the ramp and into a 4 hour drive to Holbrook, Snowflake and Heber, “just in case”!

As I left, one part of me thought, “Well, of course! Why shouldn’t human beings be capable of such things?” The other part of me was “Holy …..! Did you SEE what just happened?!?!!!???” The ravens overhead just laughed and soared on the air currents as the engine purred happily down the road.

© 2008 Emily A. Easton

Relaxing Into Life…All of It!



Years ago, I told a friend that when I figured out “this money thing” I would probably ascend! Life has been very good and generous to me in many ways, being blessed with good health, wonderful family and friends, creative endeavors satisfied…AND, a steady, positive growth in the area of MONEY has eluded me. In part, it is a familial “thing”—creativity and often brilliance in the face of it all while WITHOUT the accompanying accumulation of wealth.

There have been many ebbs and flows in the area of finances. When life is changing, moving into something new, often (I have noticed) the old begins to fall away before the new arrives. Which has left me “hanging” on more than one occasion.

So, recently, after a whirlwind of two shows, a couple presentations and prep for a workshop, all of which received “critical acclaim” if not financial, I noticed a creeping fear of, “what in the heck am I doing?” making its way into my psyche! Yech!

What usually happens with me at such times, is the gut starts clenching up, the self-judgments of the “what is the matter with ME?” variety start shouting, the fringes of red (in my mind anyway) panic start crawling into place and then its a painful ride into FEAR…Ever experienced any of THAT?

This morning, I woke up to the beginnings of all of the above, when I said to myself, “Self…wait just a “cotton picking moment” here!” Just like that, that is what I said. It occurred to me as insane as it might be, WHAT IF I just RELAXED MY BELLY?!?!?!?

Novel, I know. Scary in the “let go”? Definitely! Helpful? Beyond belief!

It took me a few conscious attempts at it as I made my way through walking the dog, doing qi gong, feeding the kitten and then it began to feel REALLY GOOD to do this RELAXING! (and for those of you who know me–yes, there is a kitten in the house—where did he come from and WHAT is he doing here??? HE is looking for a good home!)

The relaxing of the belly took enough attention and effort that I wasn’t any longer focusing on the mind rantings or the fear…I was and still am as I sit here typing, actually enjoying myself and this beautiful day.

Suddenly, whole new possibilities began opening up for me—a sense of well-being, a renewed knowing that the Universe and I are in alignment and that “this too shall pass” into what is to come, began to replace the prior mindset!

In the seemingly simply “relaxing of the belly”, I am, in this very moment, OK with the unsettling aspects of being self-employed with its ebbs and flows; I am realigned with deep FAITH and TRUST; I am open to NEW POSSIBILITIES—ALL due to letting my belly hang loose and relaxed! WOW! Try it; you might like it! : )

Blessings, Emily

© 2010 Emily A. Easton



Letting go of how we think things should be and enjoying what is!

The last couple years were spent traveling and living solo where the only responsibility was self care—no pets, no household to run, no children to support, no partner. It has been a wonderful time of getting to know myself as a single, midlife woman and to discover as each day unfolds what blessings are held in it. It also has been a time to reconnect with and take note of what draws me in now, what catches my fancy, what inspires and is fulfilling now.

Recently, I had begun feeling the need for the companionship, physical contact and intimacy of a daily life shared. Of course, as any full blooded, die hard romantic would do, I contemplated where I was going to MEET SOMEONE here, where the land is VERY BIG and the people far and few between!

Then suddenly it seemed that “everyone” around me was getting a DOG, which led to walks with friends’ dogs, visits by friends with dogs, well meaning bystanders suggesting dogs. Dogs, dogs, dogs…everywhere I looked!

OK, OK. So I dragged myself reluctantly to the Animal Shelter solely for a “look see”. I did the walk through. Nothing more. No pitter-patter of “YES, this is THE ONE”. Whew…ok, then. A few days later I with some resistance went again. Again, whew…no pressure there. I did this three or four times over the next couple weeks.

I even bought some of those green dog chews shaped like little bones while in the Dollar Store and kept them on the kitchen shelf, as a timid gesture back at the Universe that I MIGHT be warming to the idea, when in fact it was a RELATIONSHIP that I was looking for, for God’s Sake, not the care of a pet!!!!

Then one afternoon on the way home from town, while not even intending to go to the “pound”, something said that I had better. I was by now on a first name basis with everyone there. Greetings were exchanged and I was left to wander through the kennels on my own.

Off I went and there she was…just arrived and one mass of trembling terror at where she found herself. Otherwise, healthy, young and clear eyed. No collar, though along with having been spade, she seemed to have not been starved nor basic needs neglected.

For a nominal fee, she came to me, after being held for 10 days, “just in case” the previous owners would claim her. They didn’t, so I did.

I now live with a year old, heeler/beagle mix of delight. She is adorable, curious, all body wagging joyful on long walks and endlessly affectionate in a gentle, cheerful manner.

The other night, as I climbed the stairs for bed, with Gypsy right behind me, I was struck by the wonder of it all—affection is being exchanged, walks through pastures and on mesas taken together, fierce loyalty and that peace that comes when “someone has my back”.

A friend had asked me what I wanted in a a dog before I had gotten Gypsy and I had said I wanted a dog who appreciates me, is a good companion, is loyal, who delights in Life, and who brings humor and laughter into the day. She laughed and said, “That’s what you want in a partner, too…you ought to write that down!”

Sometimes we think and are SO set on a “something/someone” that we miss the beauty, wonder and perfection of what we are given. As I climbed the stairs, I marveled that what I need right now is wrapped in the coat of a thirty pound dog named, Gypsy.

That is not to say that down the road I won’t be given another package in a different wrapping! : ) May the gifts you receive be delightfully wrapped, Emily

PS—If you want a great “pick me up”,

check out, “Jessica’s Daily Affirmations” under “Extras”!

© 2010 Emily A. Easton

Out of Comparison and Into Acceptance

What one dreams of in 100F heat!

The other day, I picked up a book in a second hand store written by someone I had known years before. The book itself had been written over twenty years ago. Wondering what he was up to today, I “googled” him and found that his school was still going strong and that 18 books were credited to his name!

Now I don’t know what you would do in receiving this information. I took it personally! (The temperature was over 100º F that day, so I give myself some slack here)!

Yes, I started down the road of comparison. The book I was reading indicated someone “very together” twenty years ago. A published author no less. And then, of course, “there was me”. Where else could this go but there? : )

With the sweltering heat and aloneness of the day, I fell directly into the pity pot. What had I done? What had I accomplished? It was truly PITIFUL!

I am living in an old house in the hay fields of SW Colorado. It does not even know what AC is. As I moved miserably through the day, two things struck me. One was the fact that I had been “fighting” the heat, moaning and groaning about it as if it were a personal affront to my being. I had not found even an iota of peace or acceptance in it.

I laughed out loud when I realized how I was carrying on as if the Universe had decided that yes, in fact, it was going to make Emily Easton miserable today by making it THIS HOT!

The minute this awareness struck, everything changed. I noticed that by NOT fighting it, the temperature seemed to drop a couple degrees; maybe I moved slower. It definitely took less energy just relaxing into that heat.  AND, I wasn’t FIGHTING it anymore. It just was. Acceptance! Wow! What a concept!

The next thing that happened was a sequitur to this. I suddenly realized that the raging comparisons with my former associate really meant that I was NOT ACCEPTING my own life. I was comparing, judging and attempting to comprehend a mystery, the mystery of our unique lives and paths, as if I could dissect and label the directions each had taken into an understanding. A huge wave of relief flooded through me as I asked myself what Brugh Joy used to wonder, “Who am I to judge my own being?”

And dreams some more!

We each live the lives we live. They are uniquely ours. No one else’s.

And as Brugh Joy also said, “Make no comparisons. Make no judgments. And, delete your need to understand.”

Life IS a Mystery after all!

May you find serenity in the acceptance of “what is” in every situation you find yourself.

Many Blessings, Emily

PS–Please check out the “Analogy for Life Coaching” in the side bar that is one of the best I have heard!

Appreciating the “Long View” in Our Daily Lives

A number of years ago, I came across a study on small children and their eating habits when left to their own devises. Given over thirty choices divided amongst the “four food groups”, it was observed that the children would eat oranges all day one day, the next a bit of green and some protein and so on, with no apparent rhythm to the day’s choices. Over the course of 3 days however, they incorporated all the food groups evenly into their diets! Their bodies just naturally knew what was needed and DID it!

I think this is worthy of contemplation.. If you are at all like me, you may set out on any given day to accomplish certain things. Something comes up and you get done on day one what you had intended to do on day three; on day two, you find yourself not only doing tasks from day four, somewhere in the early afternoon there you are doing the task left undone from day one.

So many clients are startled to hear a recounting of what they tell me has gone on since our last session (I am a good listener and note taker!). My experience is that women generally don’t observe themselves accurately nor acknowledge what they actually do accomplish. More often than not they think about what, in their minds, they have NOT gotten done.

Little children naturally know the rhythms of food needs, rest needs and play needs and if you watch closely it ALL gets done. We adults can take a lesson from this and not judge ourselves so fiercely. In looking back over the “long view” of several days, more than likely you did what was in front of you to do and everything got done!

A couple years ago, I moved to a new town where I knew no one. It was easy to slide into a “myopic” view of my situation and wonder, (with no one around to give me feedback), what was I actually “accomplishing” on any given day. To broaden my outlook, at night I would review the day and in a little notebook kept track of everything I had “done”.

I am naturally a shy person (yes it is true) so I would note that I had gone to the library and spoken (even if it was just a “hi”) to three people, that I made (yes, MADE) myself go into a shop and, again yes, MADE myself speak with a shop clerk. These sound like such “simple” tasks and yet they were HUGE steps moving me into my new environment.

It was not easy and my mind wanted to tell me that I definitely was “not getting anything done!”   I, however, had my record of it! There it was in black and white! I was flowing into the life I wanted AND I could see it right there in front of me!

Over the course of a week, I saw, “oh, my goodness, I did eat all my veggies AND had some cake, too!” It all balanced out, and eventually, I moved into a space of self-acknowledgment that allowed for greater appreciation of what  does fill my days and my life.

Have a wonderful week and may Delight fill each task before you and bless you with seeing the “long view”, Emily