A quick blog to tell you why you haven't been receiving blogs from Harmony's Heart.

We're moving. Not just down the street, we're downsizing (read getting rid of lots of stuff) and moving to a warmer state. 

OMG, all the moving parts.

Photo by Digital Buggu

First, we sold the house we're in. We are now tenants in the home we owned for 10 years. Grateful, because otherwise we'd be on the street with our furry family. We'll be here until the end of July (unless we pack up the pod really fast and the house in California closes early - then we'll head out early).

Then, we needed to find a place to land in Northern California - mission accomplished! You'll get the details once everything's finalized.

We're downsizing our business, and what THAT means is we won't be doing coaching with horses any more - although it's not out of the question; it turns out there's a boarding place right around the corner from the house we picked out in California! The Universe works in mysterious ways....

It’s a typical spring day in Colorado - snow in the morning, sun in the mid-morning, rain squalls in the afternoon and WIND all day long!

You know it’s windy when our bird friends hang out in the trees all day!

How windy was it yesterday?

Let’s just say that no one in our tree was eager to leave the cozy warmth of our nest.

You go first.  No, YOU go first!

Did you know that wind is often seen as a sign of change, and songs have been written about it?

Glenn mentioned that “Dust in the Wind,” a song by Kansas, is a ballad about how life is fleeting and everything eventually turns to dust. The lyrics suggest that everything in life is temporary, and we’re all just “dust in the wind.”

We call this idea impermanence. Everything and everyone is constantly changing, and eventually, we all leave this world.

That’s life!

Another famous song is “Against the Wind” by Bob Seger, which became one of his biggest hits. It tells the story of a journey through life, the challenges of stay...

Squirrels embody abundance and prosperity by managing resources mindfully and appreciating what they have.

Let’s embrace the abundance that’s all around us by recognizing that all our lives are already rich with prosperity, even when it might not seem that way.

Look into my eyes, or at any squirrel you spot in the park or woods. You’ll see that true abundance isn’t about what we have, but how we use what we have.

Abundance comes in many forms.


It’s also time to really focus on sufficiency, not scarcity!

By making mindful choices about money or time, you can break free from the cycle of not having enough and, more importantly, develop a deeper sense of gratitude for what you already have, just like my squirrel family does. 

The way we do this is so simple, but it often gets lost on you because, well, humans tend to make things more complicated than they need to be. We know this because it’s what you learned and became accustomed to.

How squirrels do this and we hope you’ll do the same:

- Fi...

This is the first of many posts from Huxley, a member of the family Sciuridae, who lives a long and abundant life. You’ll see more ‘squirrel-isms’ in the weeks ahead. Huxley’s backstory is included at the bottom of each post. Comments and acorns are appreciated!

Squirrels symbolize mindfulness, reminding us to focus on the present moment and let go of anxiety and worry.

One of my favorite people in all the world said this:

“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.”

― Mother Theresa

Have you ever noticed how some folks seem to dwell on their past mistakes endlessly? Maybe it’s someone you’re close to, like when they’re staring at their reflection?

Or what about those who worry about things that haven’t happened yet? They seem to carry their sadness into the future, pushing their troubles onto tomorrow.

GAAAAHHHHH!

Life can be tough, isn’t it? Have...

 

“Art therapy is a sanctuary where creativity becomes a powerful tool for self-expression and healing.” 
    -Unknown

What is Art Therapy?

Art therapy is a technique rooted in the idea that creative expression can foster healing and mental well-being.

In the psychology context, creative expression refers to the process of conveying thoughts, feelings, ideas, or insights through various forms of artistic and creative activities. This can include painting, writing, music, dance, sculpture, and other forms of art. Creative expression is recognized for its therapeutic benefits and its role in personal development and psychological well-being.

Creative expression is seen as a fundamental human process that transcends mere artistic ability or talent. It is a means of exploring one's identity, processing emotions, and communicating with others on a deeply personal level. psychologists study creative expression not only to understand the mechanisms behind creativit...

I'm writing this post on Wednesday morning Nov 6 long after reading about the election results from the previous night and early morning.

First, let's back up to the night of Nov 5. Ashara and I stayed away from all news sources and social media. Instead we watched an episode of The Lincoln Lawyer with Manuel Garcia-Rulfo playing Mickey Haller who is a defense lawyer based in Los Angeles. Really good writing, acting, and producing! Next we watched an episode of Monk played by Tony Shalhoub, a former San Francisco police detective who helps his former partner and police captain in each episode. It's quirky, funny, and has the right amount of pathos to keep us engaged with the show.

We basically didn't want to know what was happening with THE ELECTION. We were already feeling stressed, our own, and from half the population of the world.

It ain't easy being an EMPATH!

I avoided looking at email before meditating this morning (Nov 6) even though intuitively I knew who won. Hell, we all...

The Enlightened Squirrel at BMSC

Whaaaaat the actual acorn is this?

Who is this enlightened squirrel anyway?
What the heck is BMSC?
Why do I care?

All great questions young Padawan.

The Enlightened Squirrel was an inspiration while Ashara and I drove from Colorado to Wisconsin last year when we thought we were moving to the badger state to become resident cheese heads. We were on a 'home and land finding' mission for several days before returning home. Long story short: we’re staying in Colorado for the foreseeable future. We love where we live, we have fantastic views of the Rocky Mountains, our family is happy living on the farm, and we live in a very agricultural community where actual deer and antelope play. Read Ashara’s latest blog post about them antelopes.

 
Home on the range where the antelope play.

OK, so what about this Enlightened Squirrel dude?

Come closer and let’s explore!
[Yah, yah. We’ll get to BMSC later.]

So, Ashara and I are driving and riffing on ideas to create a brand for...

How best to describe equanimity?

According to Wikipedia:
Equanimity is a state of psychological stability and composure which is undisturbed by the experience of or exposure to emotions, pain, or other phenomena that may cause others to lose the balance of their mind. The virtue and value of equanimity is extolled and advocated by a number of major religions and ancient philosophies.
Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equanimity

Another way of describing equanimity is:
I didn’t lose my sh*t during a time of high emotional stress. Instead I maintain an even keel by recognizing the moment when the stress-o-meter starts to rise and BREATHE before speaking what’s already on the tip of my tongue and ready to lash out.

Wouldn’t be a good look.
Wouldn’t be a good time.
Wouldn’t be the right thing to do.
Wouldn’t be right speech.

And, so I practice equanimity daily while I accept the situation and my response to the situation with as much grace as possible.

It isn’t always easy and gets easier ...

Quite recently Ashara and I were working with a corporate executive to have one of his teams come out for a day-long team building event with the horses. I happen to be one of the team members so I know this executive pretty well. My teammates were really looking forward to this event.

After several discussions and his assurances that he wants our team to have an event he was unable to approve due to budget constraints. When I heard this news I felt an immediate sense of loss for our team as we would miss out on effective team connection and bonding and for Ashara since the potential income was good for the books.

More than that I felt a sense of loss because I remembered that coaching is so important to me and how I define myself as someone who is in service to humanity. The decision meant that we would not be serving this small group of people and that bummed me out for a few moments. The reason was totally understandable from the executive’s budget constraint perspective. My mind th...

Oh, yes! I love this fun and tasty subject for the week.

Firstly, let’s look at some definitions of the word confidence courtesy of Merriam-Webster.com:

1a: feeling or consciousness of one's powers or of reliance on one's circumstances
Examples: had perfect confidence in her ability to succeed
                  met the risk with brash confidence

1b: faith or belief that one will act in a right, proper, or effective way
Example: have confidence in a leader

2: the quality or state of being certain : certitude
Example: they had every confidence of success

3a: a relation of trust or intimacy
Example: took his friend into his confidence

3b: reliance on another's discretion
Example: their story was told in strictest confidence

3c: support especially in a legislative body
Example: vote of confidence

4: a communication made in confidence : secret
Example: accused him of betraying a confidence


Attribute: “Confidence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/co...