A Good Day

This afternoon two brilliant, funny and inspiring women sat at my dining room table and took the first steps in manifesting big things. While they planned, I baked cookies. (They were chocolate chip cookies and at this moment they are being devoured by my son's Cub Scout pack.) It was a very good day.

I've been on an interesting journey since my last post and was very happy to have a good day.

The ladies in my dining room this afternoon were life coach Anne Gregson and freelance writer Beti Spangel, who were the facilitators of the amazing Adirondack Women's Empowerment Retreat which took place this past January 20th - 22nd. I was there, teaching yoga classes and helping our friend Kim in the kitchen. I was blessed to be able to watch the weekend unfold. Twelve special women came together and, guided by Anne and Beti, experienced some truly transformational moments. I was blown away by their strength, optimism and openness. I was also very impressed with Anne and Beti, both of whom overcame self-doubt and fear and together created something magical.

I came home from the retreat feeling like I was standing on top of a mountain. A few days later I started to slide down the other side.

It's all physical stuff. And it's stuff that's way too personal to get into here. Suffice it to say that there is a doctor and there is a treatment that may or may not work but in the meantime is making me feel yucky. And I may or may not have had a stomach bug as well, but the symptoms are the same so who can tell? Oh, and my knee hurts again. I think it was just missing the attention.

What does all this mean? It means I haven't been training. Not at all. My treadmill is getting dusty. I am six weeks from my first race of 2012 - a local 5K - and I'm not sure I can run three miles right now. But I'm getting better. Today I didn't feel sick, part of the reason for the good day. So there's hope that I will be training again soon.

Meanwhile, I've done some other stuff.

I'd been enjoying participating in 31 Days of Adventure until the ickiness started. Then I enjoyed seeing where others went with it.

I watched Solitaire, a really beautiful and awe-inspiring movie about backcountry skiing. Then I added visiting Patagonia to my bucket list.

I created a new page in the visual journal I started a year ago during the Inside Out e-course.

I worked with Anne (she's my life coach) on some things I'd been putting off, like conquering the big pile on my desk. It was scary, but I did it and it was satisfying to see the top of my desk again.

Once my desk was clean the rest of the house fell in line. Which left me with time to bake. Today's cookies were a deviation from the pie-baking roll I've been on. I'm determined to perfect my pie crusts. And I can't forget the biscuits. The other day I made biscuits that came out of the oven three inches high and incredibly flaky. My pastry knife is getting a workout, even if I'm not.

When I'm baking I feel totally at home in the kitchen. And I feel creative and powerful. So could there be a better thing to do when two other creative and powerful women are in my dining room putting their heads together to find ways to help other women feel creative and empowered in their own lives? 

Besides, we think better with cookies. Especially if they're chocolate chip.