Carnival of Courage #10

Welcome to the Issue #10 of the Carnival of Courage: A Cavalcade of Superheroes!

Greetings, All!

Oh how I love hosting this carnival. I love it I love it I love it.  I got some great submissions this week.  I let a couple sneak in that are riding the fine line between personal accounts and coaching but they were so nice and original and relevant to what a few of you are dealing with these days that it just wouldn't have been right to leave them out.

I won't add one of my own this week. I am DEEP in Artist's Way AND, mock me if you must, I'm even gaining considerable respect for David Allen (the client I work with collaboratively to implement this is benefitting immensely from the Getting Things Done system).  As a result, I'm asking myself the most basic and fundamental questions I can about EVERYTHING I am doing in my life, including this blog so I'm taking a break to make sure momentum doesn't carry me forward into anything that I am not crystal clear on my reasons for.  I am convinced that what I want to do next here is add audio so that is coming soon. 

I'll make one courageous step here now for you, though. I publicly and boldly announce that I realized I was in a mid-life crisis for the last two or three years.  No, I didn't start wearing mini-skirts or get a tattoo or take a lover twenty years my junior.  That kind of mid-life crisis is for those who are too chicken to do anything but self-medicate in a desperate attempt to convince themselves that they aren't scared shitless by the relentless falling sands of their remaining time through the hourglass.  I happened to be one of the medications of choice for a desperate mid-lifer or two back in the day so that kind of regression held absolutely zero appeal for me.  Besides, I ain't skeert o' no dark night of the soul.  But I had NO idea just how many layers and layers and layers of existential confusion, fear, self-doubt and unconsciousness plague us by the time we reach 40.  And I've been TRYING to be conscious! 

But huge ice berg sized weights have fallen off of me in that last month and I feel like I have woken up from a spell. A spell!  I have never felt happier.  Unbelievable freedom and joy.  Just unbelievable.  I'm done being death maiden and hitting you all over the head with your own mortality.  I mean, we'll talk about it, because we still have to face it but there was this line of ants in the desert on vacation...a line of ants, each carrying a lavendar flower...

You have to learn to watch ants.  EVERYONE is chopping wood and carrying water.  There is joy within your grasp every single day. EVERY day.  But I don't want to write about it, I want to talk to you about it. 

You want to know 'The Secret'?  The secret is knowing how to serve with joy and how to remember to say, "Thank you, but I don't need any more. I have enough.  I have more than enough."

I was asked years ago if I could teach people how to watch ants.  That was why I started my very first blog. 

I finally am ready to do that.  So don't go too far, I'll be back before long in a full technicolor array of joyful, grateful woman on the far side of one hell of an existential crisis.  Can't wait to share some lightness with you (in addition to some way cool podcast guest appearances).

In the meantime, I have some absolutely rocking Carnival submissions for you, any one of which will be a great nudge to keep moving.  We're all about consciousness, personal responsibility and integrity today...(I love how these all end up clustering.)

On with the show...

Holy Sh...!!!!

This one gets the prize for "Oh. My. God."  As if once wasn't bad enough...Karen Shanley presents an

incredible story of survival with a heaping helping of perspective in The Steering Wheel posted at Author, Mom, Dog Nut.

Do-o-on't ta-reat me this wa hay hay...

Or do. Lots of wisdom in this post: Christine Kane presents You Teach People How to Treat You posted at Christine Kane.

Am I popular yet?

Is there a blogger who hasn't fallen into this trap?  It's crazy how easy it is to forget to ask ourselves, "Why am I doing this?" Everyday we are faced with a multitude of choices, but how do we know that we are making the right choices for us?  Nneka presents How Do You Know You Have Made The Right Choice? posted at Spirituality on Balanced Life Center.

The courage to let go and let others in...

How many of us really think about gaining a family when we marry? Alejandra Peraza de Halvorssen encourages us to think that through and to prepare our children for embracing the cast of characters who will enter their lives after marriage in The In-Laws posted at A Guide to Raising Great Kids.

Three hundred pounds of heavenly love...

Rod Payne was an All-American center for the University of Michigan and a most valuable player on the 1996 Wolverine's team. He played for two professional football teams, after he took off the winged Wolverine helmet. He was a member of the Super Bowl winning team, the Baltimore Ravens, in 2000. After retiring from professional football, he consented to be interviewed by Steve Rom, a beginning reporter for The Ann Arbor News. Little did Steve know he was interviewing an angel. Dr. Hal presents "Centered by a Miracle" posted at North Star Mental Fitness Blog.

The Measure of a Man...a Wo-Man even...

A great post on Sidney Poitier's autobiography and perspectives from the life of one with her own story to tell, credo presents Hopes and Dreams Uncompromised /The Measure of a Man posted at Fort Wayne African-American Independent Woman.

“Fairy tales can come true, they can happen to you, if you’re young at heart”. 

Lots of motivation in this one!  Fun factoids abour famous people that will make you stop and think and a great story on how an ordinary housewife became an acclaimed song writer.  Karen Lynch presents Dreams posted at LivethePower.

That concludes this issue. Thanks again to all who submitted!

Ready to join us?

Next carnival is due out on 3/13/07.You are welcome to submit any courage related post you like, whether it's your own act of bravery, big or small or that of someone who has inspired you. Share your tales from the trenches as you wrestle with those things that are stretching and challenging you.

SUBMIT TO THIS CARNIVAL by March 11th.

Because I am so awesome: I know several of my readers do not have blogs but do have stories to share. If you feel inspired to share, please e-mail me your spell-checked and well-written submission for me to consider posting on your behalf. I want to give everyone a chance to participate but I'm a one-woman show here so pieces that require heavy editing will be returned to you for fixing.

For more on me, visit Wellspring Coaching.

Comments

[Author Mom DogNut]

Laura, thanks so much for taking the time and care to showcase each post. I'm having a great time working my way down the list.
P.S. Love your sense of humor. And the image of the ants carrying lavendar flowers.

[credo]

I don't know how to do trackbacks but I did place your link in the post.

Thank you for including me.

[Polli]

I sure do enjoy your carnival of courage. Now if I could just learn to be as funny as you I'd be so happy! :-)

[Erin]

As a woman in her....hmmm..let's count shall we? ... 6th year of midlife crisis, I applaud you. And the lavendar bearing ants.

Cool carnival, cool host-post.

[Laura Young]

Thanks everyone! Next Carnival is shaping up nicely. Such a fun carnival to host.
Shame the ants were so small that I couldn't capture them for you guys. I'm sure your imagination can conjure up a lovely approximation, though.