Relationships

Handwritten Letters Get Opened First

How long has it been since you wrote handwritten letters to someone you know?  Not an email, not a text, and not a 140 character tweet that rarely, if ever holds context as a respected consideration.  I can’t think of anyone who doesn’t love to receive a handwritten letter in the mail.  Admit it, when you receive a hand-addressed envelope in the mail with a real stamp in the upper right-hand corner a sense of intrigue, wonder and surprise come over you.  It is the first piece of mail in the pile that you open, excited to discover its contents.  Joy fills your heart and a smile finds its way to your face.  You read it over and over and appreciate that someone took the time and made the effort to connect with you in such a special way.  There is magic in those words written in longhand.

Who doesn’t wish to receive a handwritten note in the mail?  This is exactly why one of the exercises in the Lines In The Sand Class I teach is to write four different letters.  Over the next few weeks, I will share the kind of letters that the participants in the course write and I invite you to join us on this journey.  The first letter is a Thank You note.  Think of someone who you would like to get in touch with and express your appreciation to them.  It might be one of your teachers from the past,

Note to self, yes, you.  The pretty one.  The one with the crooked smile and infectious laugh.  You can be happy.  Choose it.  Love your body and take good care of it, it is the only one you have.  Stop comparing yourself to “them”.  Who are they anyway?  Embrace your quirks, your cracks and especially your flaws.  Those things make you, you.  Be gracious.  With yourself first and then with all the others.  Welcome the struggles, without them life would be less exciting and you wouldn’t be so strong.  Be yourself, everyone else is taken.  Do something you love to do; everyday.  Surround yourself with people who honor you. 

In the Lines In The Sand Class that I teach I request that the participants find and live their truth.  This means to show up fearless and be who you really are;  your true essence.  As we continue to dive into the relationship series I am inviting you to do the same thing.  For now, let’s stick to our relationship with our parent(s).  How happy and healthy is your connection with the folks?  Are you being authentic in your bond with them or are you playing a part, tolerating the situation and neglecting your truest self?  Look at your relationship with them as a garden.  Does it need to be weeded, fertilized, dug up and replanted, thinned out, or completely torn down?

This is a process and may take some time.  For example, for several years prior to George’s (that was my dad’s name) death I rarely, practically never,  had any communication with him.  The reason doesn’t matter as it is water under the bridge at this point.  When he died, I was involved with my two brothers in making funeral and burial arrangements.   Together we respectfully created a wonderful celebration in his honor.  That was nine years ago.  It wasn’t until Father’s Day last year that I had given much thought to George’s passing and I had seldom reflected back on my relationship with him over the years.  However on the morning of Father’s Day 2015 as I was walking to my barn to feed my horses,  George came to

We are starting a series of blog post on “Relationships”.  This is a topic that is at the top of discussion in my live Lines In The Sand classes.  This will be the first blog in a series …

I consistently hear from participants in my live classes stories of childhood dysfunctional relationships with one or both parents.  Who didn’t grow up in a dysfunctional home!  For those who feel they escaped unhealthy interaction within their childhood families, good for you, count your blessings.  Seriously.  But those who do stake a claim to dysfunction have toted that baggage around with them their entire lives as if they will win an Oscar for best actor in a film called Drowning in Drama.