I keep knowing I chose to be here, am here for this very time our whole earth is in a huge shift. I saw this back in the seventies. Increasingly, my attention is called to what is mine to bring. Sometimes it words, concepts, specific skills. Sometimes I’m with other people, observing and experiencing what they are bringing, expressing, doing, often knowing, “No, that is not mine,” noting an opposite or different something is mine. It used to get me angry, until I began to use it to clarify mine and so know that we’re all in this grand orchestra. There part, their style isn’t mine either.

Today I’m thinking about engagement over efficiency.

There’s a lot to be said about the role of efficiency. Front line people are often so busy trying to keep the coast clear, the channels open. And, at what price? One size doesn’t fit all. Efficiency would say there isn’t time for differences. I used to be the person who would go to a fast-food place and say, “I want a burger with catsup and onion only, no mustard or pickles.” Or, “I want mine in a bowl, no lettuce please.” And so, I would have to wait longer, off to the side or something. And I would feel like the problem child. And oh, in some situations I was criticized for doing something different. “What’s the matter with you, that you can’t just be like everybody else?”

Our society does encourage us to “fit in.” So what about if or when you just go-along-to-get-along as my friend Donna refers to? That’s sometimes called “introjection.” Swallowing “the unconscious adoptions of ideas or attitudes of others.” I believe it was Fritz Perls who defined this as swallowing whole, without digesting. How often are we expected, under the name of efficiency, to swallow, to just go along to get along. Just put up with it. Just figure it will count less than to make waves. I’m not saying that the opposite is to make waves. I am saying that to always be efficient has a price. One-Size-Fits-All may lose more than it gains.

It does take energy to engage. Who has the energy, much less the time to hear the problem child who has something different to say? And what if it happens several times a day? It does take time and energy.

Wal-Mart has it right with its greeters! I think we need greeters in more places. Greeters who don’t assume everyone is in the same line. Greeters who don’t assume everyone is there for the same thing. People who show up, who say hello may not be wanting the “special of the day.” If there were more greeters, there might be better business, fewer lonely people in the world, more give-and-take, more people with something to contribute. Moving to engagement beyond efficiency might mean more connection between people, more people at the end of the day who will be glad to help…, More engagement might mean more community, less of the old assumption that there are only a few people who will do the work. More engagement might equal more kindness, more friendship beyond need, more resourcefulness. Engagement! Let’s ask people how they are as though it matters, instead of as though it’s just a colloquial phrase. And maybe it’s not having to ask, how someone is. “Hi, good to see you.” “Hi, can I do anything for you today?” “Hi, you look really nice today.” “Hi, is there any way I can assist you?” “Hi, would you like to sit with us?” “Hi, we have extra food, would you like some?” “Hi, we’re really glad you’re here.” Isn’t that last one like the Wal-Mart greeter? I wonder if there’s any research that’s been done on the influence having greeters has on keeping customers. How about, keeping friends, partners, family members talking. And, sometimes, it’s time for quiet, respecting boundaries. Engagement may not always be about talking. Perhaps sometimes it’s about being, not doing, not trying to get so much done, without trying to keep things moving. Engagement is about connecting. Perhaps it’s about recognizing we’re not here for someone else’s agenda.

I’m a broadcaster who doesn’t like to take requests. I’m a cook who may want to stick to my plan of what to serve. Still, to allow room in places beyond the boundaries, beyond the nonnegotiables, not be so agenda driven that I fail to engage, fail to find real opportunities right in front of me. That you, we each, find the real gems of opportunity right in front of you by engagement over efficiency!

I was out with my dog the other day, wanting him to go to the bathroom. At first, he was distracted, noticing the people across the street, just not on task. I suddenly remembered to do this differently and so said “Good boy!” It got his attention, voila! It’s been interesting to watch dog training evolve over the years to a place of praise or reward begets the wanted behavior. Animals I grew up with as well as earlier days with guide dogs, training was much more about stern command. Today, it’s far more based on a good relationship of mutual kindness.

When my dog responded so positively, I thought about how similar communication is with The Universe, with Spirit, Source, with anything I’m really wanting. Speaking silently or out loud with this presence in a positive tone is much more likely going to bring positive results. Saying “thank you” in advance is what we are taught in Metaphysical New Thought. It’s the Law Of Attraction. If someone approaches you kindly and another approaches you with meanness, where will your energy naturally go? Will you want to respond to the kindness or the meanness? This was such a beautiful example of this law at work. I praised before I got the result and it worked instantly.

And then, when he finished, I unhooked his Relieving Belt and was holding the bag with what he’d done. I chuckled to think about often we say that things that are negative are shit or crap etc. And yet, when we plant a garden and want fertilizer, that waste is not bad, it’s good. And even that day as I was holding the bag, I was glad he’d done this healthy deed, that I had it, ready to get rid of. It wasn’t a chore, an inconvenience, a hassle. In fact, I used to let my dogs out. Now, for a variety of reasons, I take him out instead. It’s good for both of us. Keeps me moving around, gives us time together, and he reminds me of thoughts that make a difference, something else to write about.

It’s the message I’m getting this afternoon. Even right now, this is the second round of writing this. The first one got lost!

So I’m doing laundry in our newest washing machine, a front-loader type. I have friends who have them. Have lived with friends who have them. Was warned that it takes a much longer time for the clothes to get done… Wow! These clothes will be the cleanest ever!

I was just in the laundry room, thinking they would be about done. They’re still not done. 🤣 Suddenly the washer went silent. “Are they done?” The door wouldn’t open. A few minutes later I heard the motor. I’m being shown I can’t rush this, or really anything. Some moments went by, silence. “Are they done?” No. And I got the message.

“Trust And Wait!”

I thought of the places where I’ve been applying for work, their silence. As with many things, the best one will mean all the others weren’t right.

I thought of a dear friend who has gone quiet. I miss him. And when I try to communicate, he’s as definite about that washer door not opening, closed, and locked, until he’s ready.

Everything has its time and cycles. In fact, that washer is really quiet now. I think it’s actually ready. 🙂 No, it wasn’t.

They took over 2 hours, and came out too web. Oy! And then we couldn’t leave to go to the store because my friend Des had a client she was needing to pick up and they weren’t ready. And then I called in an order for Chinese food and we had to wait for it to be ready once we got there to pick it up. We had to go pick up a birthday cake and some other things at the store… Delays! It was nuts!

It’s a great life, but, and, it’s a crazy world, especially right now. Traipsing forward insensitively with my old typical determination isn’t good, perhaps right now especially. Willfulness certainly was a part of my being in the world for much of my life. In fact, coming into this world 3 months early, I was given one in a thousand chances to live 12 hours. I think someone’s will won. 😉 Perhaps it was a demonstration of trusting and waiting.

From my perspective, no one and not much really needs pushing, at least, not by me and not right now. I believe Spirit, the great Source, essence is gentle, kind and patient. We all, with our differences, differing points of view, ranges of experience, need to take our time, to listen to ourselves. There’s plenty of other noise out there. Plenty of advice that might be good for the person giving it. There’s so much of humanity that needs to heal. I think collectively and individually, we’ve been living in more circumstances that are unhealthy. That’s for another topic another day. Meanwhile, trusting and waiting might well be a couple of the ingredients that, as we include them, we’ll find or continue to experience grace and goodness beyond our current imaginations.

To quote a line I recently came across, wishing you
Best Blessings!
With love,
Debbie
(Or should I post as WuWu Wacky Witch Hazel?
🤣😘❤️

Strong In My Purpose

I choose the big picture! And I choose it for a solid reason. The more we all know that we’re filled with spirit/Spirit, the less projection and small thinking will continue to dominate much of human experience. I’m talking about words and assumptions.

Many blind people hate the idea of me saying I am an “inspirational speaker.” Why? Because many sighted people can’t get passed the idea that a blind person just does their job, just happens to be good at what they do. They, and I, are not inspirational just because we are blind. I can understand feeling inspired when someone’s life is different and it has an impact on you. The problem is, when it persiss, and it comes off as condescending, it’s like making a doll out of someone, or keeping them as an eternal child. It’s often a statement such as: “Oh you inspire me, but I don’t see how you can do this or that and so I won’t give you a chance, won’t hire you, won’t date you etc. I’ll just admire and adore you as an icon, as a doll. I’ll endlessly ask questions and keep you at a distance. It gets old. So I can understand why many blind people detest this. I finally had to reconcile that if someone feels inspired over menial things, it’s a start. If they stay stuck there well, I can’t change it. I just won’t likely choose to spend much time around those people. I can’t let that stop me, or hold me back from expressing it the way I see and experience life.

I decided to call myself an inspirational speaker long ago, after hearing Wayne Dyer talk about the word inspire. “To feel with Spirit,” “to fill with life.” What do we mean when we’re asked for an expiration date of a credit card? “When does it expire?” When is the life gone out of that card? It used to be when calling Patient Information at a hospital, if someone died, we were told, “They expired.” The life on this human journey was extinguished. So the opposite, to inspire then, is to fill with life, with spirit / Spirit!

For many years I’ve been quite clear that I reject the term “motivational speaker.” I am NOT, I despise that term! I want you, all of us, to be internally driven, not externally driven. I’m not here to “GET” you to change. I’m not here to “MAKE you do anything. And I’m also not here to only help and teach, motivate or inspire other blind people. I don’t choose to merely accept a cookie cutter lifestyle.

It’s time to work together! It’s time to move beyond us and them thinking. Years ago when I worked in a role to coordinate disabled student services faculty would often say: “It’s good you’re here for them.” I would say, “No, I’m here for you and all of us to be here to work together.”

Do I, should I teach and help other blind people? Maybe. That’s my business, and I won’t buy into being stereotyped. Should women only work in the kitchen? Should men only work with tools? Let’s get beyond the isms: sexism, ableism, racism! Let’s stop pigeon-holing each other! I am here for blind people, understanding the human experience we share from the lack of vision that continues to thwart and keep any of us in a box. I don’t want limited thinking to stop any human beings, not you, not me, not any of us.

I was glad to hear that Esther Hicks also delineates the same understanding between inspiration and motivation as I do. I don’t like motivational hype. I don’t like coaching babble. Sorry good coaches out there. It’s not for me.

Esther Hicks describes the difference between inspiration and motivation to say that inspiration is where we find it within us, right where we are to change. Motivation is where we are moved by something external. I like to feel inspired from within, and help others to also find this spark. It’s a spark to reframe, to shift thinking from new understanding that grows from within!

In the book “The Little Prince,” the main character says “What is essential is invisible to the eye.” This has nothing to do with a blind person being inspiring. This is a call to be awake for all of us to a larger vision beyond the human day-to-day riff raff. Do I say this because I have come out of tough time? Sure. And so do we all! Henry David Thoreau says we humans “live lives of quiet desperation.” I think most of us, not just people with disabilities, jockey in a dance between isolation and violation. We all get egg on our faces. Our lives are sometimes a mess. We all have many dark nights of the soul. We all feel misunderstood, frightened, unappreciated, have moments where we wonder where we’re going or if we make any sense. Blind people don’t have a corner on these experiences, nor a corner on coming out of them. Is my hearing better than yours? No. Unless you want to say that because I pay attention to mine differently. But that’s something you can choose to do any given moment and day. Life ushers us in the directions we need to go. Our focus changes as we’re nudged to pay attention differently just to survive. That’s just human experience, survival skills. And still it’s not for me to assume anyone’s specific experience or ability based on mine or my world view.

People often say “Oh, you have so much courage!” Really? When you get up in the morning and go about your routine, does it take courage? Maybe some days, depending on what you’re feeling and thinking. But do the routine tasks take courage? Probably not usually. Neither do they for me. Once when someone expressed me having courage for cooking or crossing the street, I said “No,” and asked, “Do you want to know what takes courage for me? Daring to be myself! Daring to disagree as one voice in a room full of people who see a situation differently. It takes courage to say “I can do that,” when someone is sure I can’t or shouldn’t. It takes courage to say, “I want to experience that even if I’m not sure if I can manage it or not. It takes courage to say, “no, please respect my boundaries,” or, “I need closeness, so I can feel vulnerable.” It takes courage to be human, and to express strong spiritual stance, even if you don’t see or agree with what’s true for me. Courage for cooking, traveling, living alone at times, moving to new places, courage to speak publicly? These things are natural for me.

All kindness is not ableism. It’s one thing to offer, and another to take control with lots of assumptions.

So now, so much of what people say is a reaction to what others don’t like. We can’t say gay, where gay used to mean happy. We can’t love rainbows because rainbows now represent a gay symbol. I shouldn’t say see and vision because they milk some inspirational thinking sighted people are stuck in. I shouldn’t say inspirational speaker because that sounds like I’m going to just give the basics of how capable blind people are. So I shouldn’t say Merry Christmas either. Well tough! I’m not going to limit my words because they’re misunderstood by blind and sighted people. And yet, I do believe politically correct language is important and does have its place. Damn right! If you only refer to God as he, I will reframe it. And I will speak as inclusively as possible, to include all faiths, all belief systems, including atheism. And if there’s something on my TV that says, “If you want this product, call the number on your screen, I’ll consider that offensive and know that someone is missing the mark. I’ll assume you don’t want my money or my business. And that’s just fine. There’s too much consumerism out there anyway. I’m not interested in anyone trying to GET me to buy their product. 😊 My take, so much marketing is motivational, more concerned about numbers than cultivating and maintaining good customer relationships. Going forward, I believe it will be the businesses that care about people, that foster and maintain good customer relationships that will survive.

I like the Dianna Ross song: “All For One.”

“All for one and one for all. You live, you give, you have a ball
There’s no need to live on an island ‘Cause everyone here respects your opinion
It all adds up to, it’s your strength we need. So get behind and push, if you don’t want to lead
‘Cause it’s all for one and one for all. You live, you give, you have a ball
I don’t know your future plans, but divided I’m sure you will not stand
I said, ?All that to say there’s an easier way. If it’s love that we share then there’s no debt to pay.
‘Cause we are all down here under the sky. Won’t you try? Won’t you try?
We’re all down here. You’re not alone. You’ve been pushing and pulling and shoving since the day you were born so let’s try.
All for one and one for all. You live, you give, you have a ball
And a smile will appear on your face. ‘Cause suddenly, suddenly the world is a beautiful place
‘Cause it’s all for one and one for all. You live, you give, you have a ball…”
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Nickolas Ashford / Valerie Simpson
All for One lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

We’re all in this together. As David Roth says in his song: “Don’t Should On Me,” “Don’t should on me and I won’t should on you!” Such a great song!

Let’s stop shoulding on ourselves and on each other. About that word “should.” Regina Ryan, co-author of “The Wellness Workbook, first edition back in the early 80s said, “the bulk of the word shoulder is should.” People would come in for massage and complain about their shoulders. I would say, “ah yes, the (shooders!” (to pronounce it like should with ers on it.) shoulders.” They didn’t know what I was saying, and I would say, “the bulk of the word shoulder is SHOULD.” So why do so many people have sore and tight shoulders? Could it be all of that shoulding going on? I digress… 😊

My part in the grand orchestra is to play with inclusive language, seeking to harmonize and blend with all of the other sounds and expressions, rhythms, instruments, ways of playing and being. I choose to inspire, not because I’m blind, because I’m a spiritual being living a human experience. And I choose to live with inner vision because that is where I live. Let’s stop thinking and segmenting people and life in us and them thinking and embracing all of us together in this thing we call life!

Birthday Celebration
My Mother Did The Work!

I love birthdays, mine, and making much-a-do about others. On one hand, everyday is another birth day. Still, I love the annual day.

My mother always made a lot out of our birthdays. Somewhere along the way I decided to be sure to continue this for myself, no matter who or what else goes on.

This morning on my birthday, I’m up, making quiches, homemade hummus for going out later. I bought things I wanted yesterday at the store. It’s really not about what others do for me. I want special friends around me, and will seek to celebrate them along with everything else that happens. Friends are part of my family. I don’t take them for granted. I love them hugely, and want them to know it!

Someone asked me why I’m choosing to be up and working on my birthday. It’s this:

My mother did the work! Did she ever!

My mother had lost five babies, stillborn and miscarriages. Can you imagine the anguish? She adopted my sister, thinking she was done trying to give birth. Forgetting her diaphragm one weekend at the Kentucky Derby, along I came! (I told her that’s what she got for horsing around!)

I’m sure she took a lot of heat for getting pregnant again. My father was a violent alcoholic, none too kind most of the time.

At six months and a week, she went into labor, unable to carry a baby full term. I was to be a cesarean. They were afraid any anesthesia or anything for pain would kill the baby, so they chose to cut her open with nothing to numb her. Fully conscious, she endured that knife! She remembered them waiting until they heard me first cry before knocking her out.

I was 16 inches long, with hair and fingernails, weighing 2 pounds, 5 ounces, with a hematoma on my back. Put into an incubator, I was given one in a thousand chances of living twelve hours. It was a box where they reached in with gloves on. No skin contact. It was only the nurses and doctors. My mother was unable to touch me until I came home 2-102 months later. She used to tell me she came every day to the hospital and made sure I could hear her voice.

When I actually did go home, my mother said I would not eat. My father was ranting, and my four-year old sister had to deal with all of this change. They didn’t know for another month or so that I was blind.

I can only imagine my mother back then, having to figure out how to raise a blind child, especially in the midst of dealing with her difficult husband.

So, though our relationship was extremely challenging for us both, today, I embrace and solute my mother! I speak with her all the time, as she lived in the Spirit world. I understand tons of things now, from her perspective, and I trust that she equally sees what life was like for me. For me, nothing is about right or wrong, who was at fault for this or that. Even the fact that she chose to be with my father…, love is blind as they say. My father also came from a very difficult background. That is probably more of the norm for most of us. When someone says they grew up in the perfect family I quietly wonder if that is true, or if they will experience pain later on for which they were unprepared.

My mother used to tell everyone to take the month to celebrate their birthday. She would tell her friends that she was taking the month, so there were all sorts of times of going out to lunch, gift giving. She just said she was still celebrating. And it was the month from the day. So if someone had a birthday on the last day of the month, she would say to take the month from that day. Meanwhile as a child I was told that people get to do what they want on their birthday, so I decided that meant saying no to anything I didn’t want to do. I remember washing a china tea set I had gotten for my birthday when I was ten, and someone added an ashtray to the sink. I whimsically said that it was my birthday, and I wasn’t washing the ashtray because I didn’t have to. I think I did anyway, but today, when I tell people about what my mother said, to take the month, I add, and if anyone wants you to do anything you don’t want to do, just tell them that no, you’re still celebrating your birthday.

So today, while I play with all of that, I seriously do what I can to enfold some of the people who mean the most, to give to them, I’m so appreciative that they’re in my life.

And I embrace age! It seems to me that age is one of the best kept secrets. Age is where and when I have found peace. Age is where I have found wisdom, resilience, flexibility. Age is where I have been in my best health, my most clarity. It’s where I have found the most doors open for possibilities on every level. I’m more able to allow intimacy. Vulnerability is not so scary. Even when it is, I choose when and where and welcome those moments. Age is where everything comes together, allowing broader vision with freedom of choices!

And it’s all possible because my mother did the work!

Thanks Mom!
I’m still cheering you on as you continue to travel on your spiritual journey. Thanks for staying so in touch with me. We’re closer than ever now. 😊 Happy birthday to me!

Some people are comfortable being in a body. They like exercise and athletics. Some are very grounded. I tend to wonder if these people are as comfortable with emotions. Do you ever notice in any given day, how many emotions seek your attention? Are you comfortable when this happens? I think they catch many of us off guard. “What? Where did that come from?” “Oh, no, not that again!” “I don’t want to deal with that, here, now!”

Then there are those who are at home with emotions, maybe not always comfortable, and yet, “Be, in my body?” “Let emotions flow through the body?” “But what about trust?” “What about whether or not I’m comfortable?”

I don’t think we’re taught how to feel our feelings, and, how to let them flow in and through our own body.

Have you ever noticed what happens to and with people who live with disabilities? Usually, the first things that happens is someone wants to “put” us somewhere, usually in a chair. It’s assumed such people are not as physical. No! A wonderful therapist told me years ago, “You need to be more physical, not less!” Yes! It took me a long time to make this my own.

I’ve often said that people with disabilities often live between feeling isolated or violated. Neither is a good place. Both are lonely

In my “Differentness training sessions, we would talk about words and stereotypes, images that come to mind when people hear words such as: disabled, handicapped, afflicted, invalid. Usually they bring images of less-than to mind. I wish I had a recording of the many times I would say: “spell invalid.” A student would start: “I n v a l i d. I n v a l i d. I n v a l i d. Oh! In valid!!!” And then I would ask: “Who are people in our society we try to make or keep INVALID?” Women? Children? People with disabilities? People of a different race? People of a minority? Equally, we do it to men. Kids decide parents are invalid. Any one group does it to and about others.

When have you felt you were treated as though you are invalid?

And what happens to self-esteem when one gets a message they are invalid? What happens to emotions that want to come up and be expressed, or to feelings about being in a body? What happens when someone gets up, after being “put” somewhere and begins to move around? Do they move freely, or are they stared at, spoken to as though they can’t, shouldn’t, know what they know, make their own choices, move freely? If you don’t like feeling invalid, how can you validate someone or others in your life more fully? To whom can you give more room to be who they are and express feeling and be comfortable with their own beingness in a body?

Being in a body means it’s good to have boundaries! It’s good to move freely and to express fully! It’s good to allow emotions to flow through and from our bodies.

Being valid isn’t about right or wrong. It isn’t about feelings that are reasonable or anything that has to make sense! Feeling are quite beautiful, really. They affirm our aliveness and individual experience and expression.

We talk about body, mind and spirit because all three are important. Many people try to ignore one or the other. I think we came into this life to live from all three. I encourage you, all of us, to let ourselves feel, think, intuit, sense, and to be in the body, allowing all that wants to be experienced and expressed! In fact, we have so many phrases that say to much: trusting the gut! Listening to the heart. I used to do a guided imagery scan through the body, with many phrases we’ve typically used with body parts. It’s powerful!

Your body, your emotions, your mind and the Spirit realm continue to seek our attention. Let’s be a friend to these parts of self! They are resources! They are there to support us! Let’s let them work for us! Let’s say no to anyone who wants to assume we are less than the fullness of who we are! Let’s say yes to all that wants to seek expression and experience through us!

My last birthday was a mile marker. I claimed it as a “Rite Of Passage.” I knew I
earned it, from every life experience! Since last fall, a series of experiences began to stir within me, waking me in new ways from old memories, beliefs,
templates of being in the world. Some that arose, I wanted to yell at them and say: “Where did you come from? You weren’t supposed to return! Some I welcomed
back as old friends Gradually I have welcomed all of them to sit around my table, adding to the grandness of who I am and all that I bring to life. Perhaps
for many, if not all of us, life is like an ongoing pot luck. We bring what we bring, and sometimes we just show up and allow ourselves to be fed or visit,
or just observe. This past year, I grappled with the thought of missing professional licenses I had chosen to relinquish. With a lot of ambivalence, I
toyed with doing the work to get new ones. As I thought about all of this, I wondered if I had “done it wrong”, short changed myself. I considered other
interests… Yet as I knew I had claimed this rite of passage, something kept telling me that what I was searching for had always been right within my reach,
part of a sense of mission that has always propelled me forward. It’s All About Relationships What has been the most bumpy ride of your life? For me, it’s
been relationships. It’s been my craving. How to connect! How to allow! How to resolve! How to say no! How to say yes! How to ask! How to find and keep
healthy boundaries! Did you grow up learning these things? I don’t think most of us did or do. I don’t think our world teaches these things, really. We’re
taught by our media to listen to it rather than ourselves. We’re encouraged to “be like everybody else.” How are we supposed to learn to listen to and
like self? And if we don’t like or know self, how are we supposed to let someone else love us? If we think we’re just supposed to know how to do things,
feel like we’re inadequate if we express we don’t always know, how are we supposed to allow ourselves to learn from others? I don’t know about you, but
last time I checked, one size doesn’t fit all! When I listen to someone else, I learn about them. Usually I also learn more about me, adding more wisdom
and empathy to my own resourcefulness. Resourcefulness gives me more ability to respond, AKA response-ability! Looking back, when I went into the massage
field, I envisioned massage, healing and what I now refer to as “Nourishing Touch”, to be loving, gifts, service I bring and share. I knew I wanted to
give these as gifts. People might want to give gifts to me as well. Some will and some won’t. It was meant then and I recognize it is what I choose now,
to allow touch to be given in loving service. Before I ever studied any kind of healing, I experienced a deep and inner-guided healing of my own. To me,
healing is not so much a technique, it is a touch that allows Spirit-Energy to pass from my hands to you. I will be creating my own protocol for the way
I first envisioned the touch that is mine to bring. While it’s good to provide Deep Tissue massage, it was never my passion, never what I wanted on my
menu. It’s one of those where I always did my best to give what people said they wanted. It reminds me of going to some of the Fast Food places where they
try to sell us on the super size! “You should want the biggest, the most extreme!” I felt this was the direction of the massage field and I never bought
it and so now, as I give this, (even if I give what friends ask for in the way of Deep Tissue from time-to-time, it will be the real influence of my own
real sense of what’s needed: Nourishing Touch that’s experienced by those who receive it. Hallelujah! My business is all about relationships! What did
I crave? What still filles and warms my heart? From where do I draw the wisdom I bring to others? It’s always for me, in and about relationships! In elementary
school I first knew I wanted to be a teacher. In eights grade, there was an experimental Social Studies class, all about personal growth and relationships.
I loved it! In what was called Community College back in the day, I found the teachers and the classes with these themes. They were usually under the banner
of Humanistic Psych. So I attended University of West Florida first oping to major in Interpersonal Communication, (communication between people.) There
was only one course, so eventually I switched to psych. Seeking more of the same, I found what was then known as West Georgia College, (Now AKA West Georgia
University), to get my Masters in Humanistic psych. It was such a great place, I stayed and got an Ed. Specialist in Counselor Ed., (two graduate degrees
in two years.) I did all the course work in two doctoral degrees and let them each go. Recently I thought of finishing one of them but decided it’s not
mine to do, at least not at this time. No! What’s mine to do is to allow this journey to bring all that I’ve been building for years to simply be what
it wants to be! I recently told one of my friends that I am an Animal Whisperer. I can give pills, give Insulin to my cat… She says I am also a “People
Whisperer.” So I’ve added whisperer to my list of who I am and what I bring. Another friend says I am a Relationship Intuitive.” I won’t give you psychic
predictions, though you will likely hear real, deep wisdom and empathy from me that may help you with your life and relationships.https://debbiehazelton.com/wp-login.php
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It’s Another Rite Of Passage My last birthday was a mile marker. I claimed it as a “Rite Of Passage.” I also claimed it as a Right of Passage. I knew I
earned it, from every life experience! Since last fall, a series of experiences began to stir within me, waking me in new ways from old memories, beliefs,
templates of being in the world. Some that arose, I wanted to yell at them and say: “Where did you come from? You weren’t supposed to return! Some I welcomed
back as old friends Gradually I have welcomed all of them to sit around my table, adding to the grandness of who I am and all that I bring to life. Perhaps
for many, if not all of us, life is like an ongoing pot luck. We bring what we bring, and sometimes we just show up and allow ourselves to be fed or visit,
or just observe. This past year, I grappled with the thought of missing professional licenses I had chosen to relinquish. With a lot of ambivalence, I
toyed with doing the work to get new ones. As I thought about all of this, I wondered if I had “done it wrong”, short changed myself. I considered other
interests… Yet as I knew I had claimed this rite of passage, something kept telling me that what I was searching for had always been right within my reach,
part of a sense of mission that has always propelled me forward. It’s All About Relationships What has been the most bumpy ride of your life? For me, it’s
been relationships. It’s been my craving. How to connect! How to allow! How to resolve! How to say no! How to say yes! How to ask! How to find and keep
healthy boundaries! Did you grow up learning these things? I don’t think most of us did or do. I don’t think our world teaches these things, really. We’re
taught by our media to listen to it rather than ourselves. We’re encouraged to “be like everybody else.” How are we supposed to learn to listen to and
like self? And if we don’t like or know self, how are we supposed to let someone else love us? If we think we’re just supposed to know how to do things,
feel like we’re inadequate if we express we don’t always know, how are we supposed to allow ourselves to learn from others? I don’t know about you, but
last time I checked, one size doesn’t fit all! When I listen to someone else, I learn about them. Usually I also learn more about me, adding more wisdom
and empathy to my own resourcefulness. Resourcefulness gives me more ability to respond, AKA response-ability! Looking back, when I went into the massage
field, I envisioned massage, healing and what I now refer to as “Nourishing Touch”, to be loving, gifts, service I bring and share. I knew I wanted to
give these as gifts. People might want to give gifts to me as well. Some will and some won’t. It was meant then and I recognize it is what I choose now,
to allow touch to be given in loving service. Before I ever studied any kind of healing, I experienced a deep and inner-guided healing of my own. To me,
healing is not so much a technique, it is a touch that allows Spirit-Energy to pass from my hands to you. I will be creating my own protocol for the way
I first envisioned the touch that is mine to bring. While it’s good to provide Deep Tissue massage, it was never my passion, never what I wanted on my
menu. It’s one of those where I always did my best to give what people said they wanted. It reminds me of going to some of the Fast Food places where they
try to sell us on the super size! “You should want the biggest, the most extreme!” I felt this was the direction of the massage field and I never bought
it and so now, as I give this, (even if I give what friends ask for in the way of Deep Tissue from time-to-time, it will be the real influence of my own
real sense of what’s needed: Nourishing Touch that’s experienced by those who receive it. Hallelujah! My business is all about relationships! What did
I crave? What still filles and warms my heart? From where do I draw the wisdom I bring to others? It’s always for me, in and about relationships! In elementary
school I first knew I wanted to be a teacher. In eights grade, there was an experimental Social Studies class, all about personal growth and relationships.
I loved it! In what was called Community College back in the day, I found the teachers and the classes with these themes. They were usually under the banner
of Humanistic Psych. So I attended University of West Florida first oping to major in Interpersonal Communication, (communication between people.) There
was only one course, so eventually I switched to psych. Seeking more of the same, I found what was then known as West Georgia College, (Now AKA West Georgia
University), to get my Masters in Humanistic psych. It was such a great place, I stayed and got an Ed. Specialist in Counselor Ed., (two graduate degrees
in two years.) I did all the course work in two doctoral degrees and let them each go. Recently I thought of finishing one of them but decided it’s not
mine to do, at least not at this time. No! What’s mine to do is to allow this journey to bring all that I’ve been building for years to simply be what
it wants to be! I recently told one of my friends that I am an Animal Whisperer. I can give pills, give Insulin to my cat… She says I am also a “People
Whisperer.” So I’ve added whisperer to my list of who I am and what I bring. Another friend says I am a Relationship Intuitive.” I won’t give you psychic
predictions, though you will likely hear real, deep wisdom and empathy from me that may help you with your life and relationships.https://debbiehazelton.com/wp-login.php
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It’s Another Rite Of Passage My last birthday was a mile marker. I claimed it as a “Rite Of Passage.” I also claimed it as a Right of Passage. I knew I earned it, from every life experience! Since last fall, a series of experiences began to stir within me, waking me in new ways from old memories, beliefs, templates of being in the world. Some that arose, I wanted to yell at them and say: “Where did you come from? You weren’t supposed to return! Some I welcomed back as old friends Gradually I have welcomed all of them to sit around my table, adding to the grandness of who I am and all that I bring to life. Perhaps for many, if not all of us, life is like an ongoing pot luck. We bring what we bring, and sometimes we just show up and allow ourselves to be fed or visit, or just observe. This past year, I grappled with the thought of missing professional licenses I had chosen to relinquish. With a lot of ambivalence, I toyed with doing the work to get new ones. As I thought about all of this, I wondered if I had “done it wrong”, short changed myself. I considered other interests… Yet as I knew I had claimed this rite of passage, something kept telling me that what I was searching for had always been right within my reach, part of a sense of mission that has always propelled me forward. It’s All About Relationships What has been the most bumpy ride of your life? For me, it’s been relationships. It’s been my craving. How to connect! How to allow! How to resolve! How to say no! How to say yes! How to ask! How to find and keep healthy boundaries! Did you grow up learning these things? I don’t think most of us did or do. I don’t think our world teaches these things, really. We’re taught by our media to listen to it rather than ourselves. We’re encouraged to “be like everybody else.” How are we supposed to learn to listen to and like self? And if we don’t like or know self, how are we supposed to let someone else love us? If we think we’re just supposed to know how to do things, feel like we’re inadequate if we express we don’t always know, how are we supposed to allow ourselves to learn from others? I don’t know about you, but last time I checked, one size doesn’t fit all! When I listen to someone else, I learn about them. Usually I also learn more about me, adding more wisdom and empathy to my own resourcefulness. Resourcefulness gives me more ability to respond, AKA response-ability! Looking back, when I went into the massage field, I envisioned massage, healing and what I now refer to as “Nourishing Touch”, to be loving, gifts, service I bring and share. I knew I wanted to give these as gifts. People might want to give gifts to me as well. Some will and some won’t. It was meant then and I recognize it is what I choose now, to allow touch to be given in loving service. Before I ever studied any kind of healing, I experienced a deep and inner-guided healing of my own. To me, healing is not so much a technique, it is a touch that allows Spirit-Energy to pass from my hands to you. I will be creating my own protocol for the way I first envisioned the touch that is mine to bring. While it’s good to provide Deep Tissue massage, it was never my passion, never what I wanted on my menu. It’s one of those where I always did my best to give what people said they wanted. It reminds me of going to some of the Fast Food places where they try to sell us on the super size! “You should want the biggest, the most extreme!” I felt this was the direction of the massage field and I never bought it and so now, as I give this, (even if I give what friends ask for in the way of Deep Tissue from time-to-time, it will be the real influence of my own real sense of what’s needed: Nourishing Touch that’s experienced by those who receive it. Hallelujah! My business is all about relationships! What did I crave? What still filles and warms my heart? From where do I draw the wisdom I bring to others? It’s always for me, in and about relationships! In elementary school I first knew I wanted to be a teacher. In eights grade, there was an experimental Social Studies class, all about personal growth and relationships. I loved it! In what was called Community College back in the day, I found the teachers and the classes with these themes. They were usually under the banner of Humanistic Psych. So I attended University of West Florida first oping to major in Interpersonal Communication, (communication between people.) There was only one course, so eventually I switched to psych. Seeking more of the same, I found what was then known as West Georgia College, (Now AKA West Georgia University), to get my Masters in Humanistic psych. It was such a great place, I stayed and got an Ed. Specialist in Counselor Ed., (two graduate degrees in two years.) I did all the course work in two doctoral degrees and let them each go. Recently I thought of finishing one of them but decided it’s not mine to do, at least not at this time. No! What’s mine to do is to allow this journey to bring all that I’ve been building for years to simply be what it wants to be! I recently told one of my friends that I am an Animal Whisperer. I can give pills, give Insulin to my cat… She says I am also a “People Whisperer.” So I’ve added whisperer to my list of who I am and what I bring. Another friend says I am a Relationship Intuitive.” I won’t give you psychic predictions, though you will likely hear real, deep wisdom and empathy from me that may help you with your life and relationships.https://debbiehazelton.com/wp-login.php
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There are no results for It’s Another Rite Of Passage My last birthday was a mile marker. I claimed it as a “Rite Of Passage.” I also claimed it as a Right
of Passage. I knew I earned it, from every life experience! Since last fall, a series of experiences began to stir within me, waking me in new ways from
old memories, beliefs, templates of being in the world. Some that arose, I wanted to yell at them and say: “Where did you come from? You weren’t supposed
to return! Some I welcomed back as old friends Gradually I have welcomed all of them to sit around my table, adding to the grandness of who I am and all
that I bring to life. Perhaps for many, if not all of us, life is like an ongoing pot luck. We bring what we bring, and sometimes we just show up and allow
ourselves to be fed or visit, or just observe. This past year, I grappled with the thought of missing professional licenses I had chosen to relinquish.
With a lot of ambivalence, I toyed with doing the work to get new ones. As I thought about all of this, I wondered if I had “done it wrong”, short changed
myself. I considered other interests… Yet as I knew I had claimed this rite of passage, something kept telling me that what I was searching for had always
been right within my reach, part of a sense of mission that has always propelled me forward. It’s All About Relationships What has been the most bumpy
ride of your life? For me, it’s been relationships. It’s been my craving. How to connect! How to allow! How to resolve! How to say no! How to say yes!
How to ask! How to find and keep healthy boundaries! Did you grow up learning these things? I don’t think most of us did or do. I don’t think our world
teaches these things, really. We’re taught by our media to listen to it rather than ourselves. We’re encouraged to “be like everybody else.” How are we
supposed to learn to listen to and like self? And if we don’t like or know self, how are we supposed to let someone else love us? If we think we’re just
supposed to know how to do things, feel like we’re inadequate if we express we don’t always know, how are we supposed to allow ourselves to learn from
others? I don’t know about you, but last time I checked, one size doesn’t fit all! When I listen to someone else, I learn about them. Usually I also learn
more about me, adding more wisdom and empathy to my own resourcefulness. Resourcefulness gives me more ability to respond, AKA response-ability! Looking
back, when I went into the massage field, I envisioned massage, healing and what I now refer to as “Nourishing Touch”, to be loving, gifts, service I bring
and share. I knew I wanted to give these as gifts. People might want to give gifts to me as well. Some will and some won’t. It was meant then and I recognize
it is what I choose now, to allow touch to be given in loving service. Before I ever studied any kind of healing, I experienced a deep and inner-guided
healing of my own. To me, healing is not so much a technique, it is a touch that allows Spirit-Energy to pass from my hands to you. I will be creating
my own protocol for the way I first envisioned the touch that is mine to bring. While it’s good to provide Deep Tissue massage, it was never my passion,
never what I wanted on my menu. It’s one of those where I always did my best to give what people said they wanted. It reminds me of going to some of the
Fast Food places where they try to sell us on the super size! “You should want the biggest, the most extreme!” I felt this was the direction of the massage
field and I never bought it and so now, as I give this, (even if I give what friends ask for in the way of Deep Tissue from time-to-time, it will be the
real influence of my own real sense of what’s needed: Nourishing Touch that’s experienced by those who receive it. Hallelujah! My business is all about
relationships! What did I crave? What still filles and warms my heart? From where do I draw the wisdom I bring to others? It’s always for me, in and about
relationships! In elementary school I first knew I wanted to be a teacher. In eights grade, there was an experimental Social Studies class, all about personal
growth and relationships. I loved it! In what was called Community College back in the day, I found the teachers and the classes with these themes. They
were usually under the banner of Humanistic Psych. So I attended University of West Florida first oping to major in Interpersonal Communication, (communication
between people.) There was only one course, so eventually I switched to psych. Seeking more of the same, I found what was then known as West Georgia College,
(Now AKA West Georgia University), to get my Masters in Humanistic psych. It was such a great place, I stayed and got an Ed. Specialist in Counselor Ed.,
(two graduate degrees in two years.) I did all the course work in two doctoral degrees and let them each go. Recently I thought of finishing one of them
but decided it’s not mine to do, at least not at this time. No! What’s mine to do is to allow this journey to bring all that I’ve been building for years
to simply be what it wants to be! I recently told one of my friends that I am an Animal Whisperer. I can give pills, give Insulin to my cat… She says I
am also a “People Whisperer.” So I’ve added whisperer to my list of who I am and what I bring. Another friend says I am a Relationship Intuitive.” I won’t
give you psychic predictions, though you will likely hear real, deep wisdom and empathy from me that may help you with your life and relationships.

Are you more like a dog or a cat in a relationship, and/or, do you prefer one more than the other?

While I love both dogs and cats, I’m more like a cat, and more apt to prefer cat behavior, cat people.

I like independence.

Cats show when they choose to be close. They come and go. My cats always come back. They show they love me, yet they are not so glued and clingy that I feel I HAVE TO respond every moment.

Cats show when they want attention, when they want affection. They show their choices. They also show when they want to be in their own space. Sometimes still nearby, they just want to be undisturbed.

I find the cat who stays around the most is the one who knows it’s safe to trust, to know they can get what they want or need, including feeling safe and respected.