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~Sailing Rough Waters~

For the past 2½ years, I’ve lived in a beautiful place called Cannon Beach, which is a small tourist town along the Oregon coast. During the time I’ve been here, I’ve become much more aware and appreciative of the many lessons the ocean seems to offer up about living and life in general. Everyday, for free, I get to reflect on what this wide expanse of water is trying to teach me. This month, I’d like to share a few of those lessons with you in the hopes you’ll be reminded to “Unfurl the mainsails and stay the course”.

Imagine life is an ocean and you’re a boat touring different places. As you travel, you enjoy the scenery you pass, the ports of call you spend time in and most of the time you appreciate and treasure the journey you’re on. Depending on what’s happening in the ocean at a given time, your mode of transportation may feel like a never-a-dull-moment cruise-liner, a talk-of-the-town luxury yacht, a high-powered lightning-fast speedboat, a relaxing, go-with-the-flow sailboat or a dinghy with no oars. No matter what your vessel may be, the ocean has a way of surprising even the mightiest of ships when they least expect it. Remember it only took a few big ice cubes to catch the Titanic off guard. How prepared is your boat when it encounters rough waters?

The truth is…the ocean, just like life, is fairly unpredictable. Just when you think you’ve mastered the art of sailing, a storm surprises you and knocks the wind out of your sails. Or maybe you’ve been prepared to handle the storm, but its sudden appearance or intensity has made you temporarily forget how to row your boat. When this happens, your first instinct may be to regain control and steer yourself as quickly as you can to calmer waters. Many a time, I’ve furiously paddled my way back to a safer sea only to discover I’m disappointed I didn’t stick around long enough to see what the storm might bring. I know I’ve missed some of the best opportunities to learn how to navigate my ship when I’ve fought my way back to safety rather than just allowing the waves to carry me along.

For most people, sailing through a calm, smooth sea is the preferred way to travel. Nevertheless, it is inevitable your boat will encounter some rough waters during your journey. The ocean, life, will always be a swirling sea of change. Every good sailor knows it’s wise to be prepared how to handle those challenging times until smoother sailing resumes. In encouraging you to ride out the storms rather than trying to fight or avoid them, here are a few suggestions how to maintain a sense of safety while sailing even when it doesn’t feel that way.

5 Ways to Stay Afloat in Your Boat

1) Remember the tide will change – As I’ve eluded to earlier, the one constant thing in life we can rely on is change. It happens. (As well as that other stuff we’ll refer to here as doo-doo.) Sometimes it’s easy to forget during stormier times that we also have the capacity to change when we want to. “If you don’t like the direction you’re going in, change is always allowed.” I don’t know who said this but it’s a powerful reminder of our ability to steer our boats to where we want to go. It’s a given…in addition to your boat changing directions, the tide will turn as well and the sea you’re sailing in will become calm again.

2) Know where your life preserver is – The ocean can get pretty rough some times and even if you know how to swim and can tread water for extended periods, it’s good to know you have additional support handy just in case you get thrown overboard. What kind of support systems do you have in place and can rely on when life gets challenging? Find out where you’ve stowed yours and keep them close by.

3) Ask a seasoned sailor for help – While sailing, you’re sure to run into other travelers who have gone through similar storms. Don’t be shy or afraid to ask for directions. Yes, we’re the ones at the helm of our own ship, but there is wisdom to learn from those who have traveled the same waters as us. Don’t let your pride sink your ship if you need some support from others.

4) Take stock of your provisions – While traveling through rough waters, take a look around your boat and acknowledge yourself for the many storms you’ve sailed through before this one. Rely on and use the experience you’ve gained from previous journeys to help you successfully navigate the storm you’re encountering now. Use this time to also assess what your boat might need in order to be better prepared in the future.

5) Enjoy the ride – Oftentimes a storm is exactly what we need to experience in order to reach the sea we most want to explore. I think learning how to ride out storms and appreciating the wisdom we gain from going through them is a very important part of sailing. When the ocean tosses you about every now and then, choose to let the waves carry you rather than fight what will more than likely benefit you in the long run.

It can be scary sometimes wondering about what lies ahead in the sea you’re sailing in. However, think of all the discoveries you would never make as result of always steering your boat around a storm rather than experiencing the thrill of going through it. Life is funny in that it often repeats itself until we get the lessons we need to learn. If you’ve been sailing through rough waters lately and you can’t seem to find a calmer sea, perhaps it’s time to ask yourself what it is that this storm is trying to teach you. Helen Keller once said, “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing”. Sailing through rough waters is a part of the daring adventure. Nothing is trying to steer clear of them. Sail on!

Spirit Dance
Like to dance? Want to listen to and let your body move to some great music? A few years ago, a couple friends of mine started this monthly event for creative movement and expression in order to share something they both loved (dance) and build an amazing community of people. They’ve created a dancing venue that is warm and inviting, friendly and fun. Spirit Dance is held every first Saturday of the month in Portland, Oregon so if you’d like to attend the next one it’s just around the corner. If you’d like to know more information, you can call me or if you want your name added to the dance mailing list, email Leonie and she’ll send you an announcement with the details of the event.

I know I’ve purchased the perfect card when it makes me laugh out loud after reading it. A dear friend of mine celebrated his birthday yesterday (Happy Birthday, Roger!) and I hope he got as good a giggle out of it as I did. I hope you do too.

Text on the front of card:

“So, anyway, I’m standing in line to buy you a freakin’ birthday card and the line is like seventeen billion people long ‘cause the only thing the dumb teenage boy at the register is thinking about is the dumb teenage girl at the other register, and some dumb lady is turning her purse inside out to come up with EXACT CHANGE, like she’s gonna win some kind of “EXACT CHANGE trophy” or something, and some idiot starts up with his “This item was marked with the sale price” crap, and I just really hope you like this card…

Text inside the card:

“‘Cause I stole it.”

Why not…buy a lottery ticket??
Because…you just missed out on the chance at winning $192 MILLION DOLLARS! I know I’m not the only one who fantasizes about winning a lottery someday. Yes, you’d have a greater chance of being struck by lightning while taking a swim in the middle of a desert oasis, but here’s the crazy philosophy behind why I play and why I encourage you to play. If you buy no ticket, you have absolutely no chance of winning anything, not even a consolation prize like a Tupperware dish. If you buy one, just one measly ticket, you have as good a chance of winning as anyone else who plays. Yes, you have to pay in order to play, but remember, the most recent Powerball lottery was $192 MILLION DOLLARS! Best of luck to you playing and remember how important it is to share your good fortune with others! (<:

Don’t second-guess your intuition. It really does know the answers long before you do. We just have to remember to shove that ego out of our way so we can listen to what the truth really is.

I don’t question why the leaves smell so much better once they’ve left the tree and hit the ground. I just appreciate them for smelling as good as they do.

When looking for employment, it’s always a good thing to look beyond the traditional classified section of your local newspaper. Look in places you never considered. I just might be the next Monster.com poster child.

Clean out your closet of all those things you haven’t worn in six months or more. Trust me, you’re not going to change your mind and like them six months from now.

In the spirit of Halloween...

When was the last time you did something silly just for the fun of it?

Does your adult-like sense of responsibility need a dose of child-like silliness these days?

Care to share what these questions stir up in you? Need some support around how to engage your sense of silly? Send me en e-mail. I welcome your thoughts and will respond to all e-mails received.

If you feel like you take life too seriously sometimes and need to lighten up a little, give me a call at 503.860.7711. I may be crazy for doing this, but I’m going to offer it up anyway. It might be past some people’s bedtimes, but during the month of November on Wednesday nights from 8:00-9:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, I’m offering free 5 minute “Playful Pick-Me-Up” calls to help you handle the humdrums. In this short call, we’ll not only find a way to deal with whatever is bugging you, but we’ll make sure you’re giggling by the time we hang up the phone. It’s free, it’s fun and it’s for you during the month of November.

The holiday season is right around the corner, which means a new year isn’t too far away. Start thinking about what you want to create in 2004. The next exciting Get Real! event will be happening in January and it’s gonna be BIG! Keep your eyes posted here for upcoming details and teaser promotions like this paragraph. In the meantime, you can check out my website Playful Spirit to learn more about the work I do as a life coach and facilitator. Check back frequently as more fun pages and resources are always in the works an being added.

Warmly,
Lisa

Playful Spirit Coaching & Consulting
P.O. Box 524
Cannon Beach, OR 97110
503.860.7711