Another adventure
I am going to Boston next weekend and just the idea gets my adrenaline going. It’s amazing how traveling makes me feel like part of the human race.
It’s the vagabond in me.
Good work
A day full of coaching means
insights
synchroncities
breakthroughs
clarity
achievements
satisfaction
That’s some good job.
Big adventure
So I’m watching Oprah and Gayle’s Big Adventure today and laughing like a hyena. I realized that whether they’re happy or sad, I shed more tears while watching The Oprah Winfrey Show than viewing tear-jerker movies like Beaches and Terms of Endearment.
These two dear friends are in Arizona after hours in the car together. Bickering just like any other two people in those circumstances would. What a hoot. Then they pull into a motel that has teepees for rooms. More laughs. The two of them are filling out registration cards at the front desk and the clerk, an older woman, asks where they’re from and they laughingly say “Illinois.” Finally Gayle points to Oprah and asks the woman if she looks like Oprah Winfrey. The woman says yes. Gayle says it is Oprah Winfrey and the woman looks incredulous. She asks if she’s on Candid Camera.
What fabulous TV. They captured the essence of friendship. Provided some laughs. And I imagine it must be wonderful to have the power to make someone’s face light up when they have a flash of recognition. I remember former President H.W. Bush (was it from an article in The New Yorker?) talking about how he loved that about being president — seeing people get excited at the sight of you.
Very uplifting.
Running
Book progress at warp speed. I’m gaga. Need to breathe. Eat a big salad. Crash on the couch.
Off to it …
Dynamic duo
I read with great interest Oprah’s interview with Barbra Streisand in the October issue of O magazine. For starters, we’re talking about two of my favorite women because they live with such strong passion and purpose and they walk their talk. Oprah’s Q&A has a nice rhythm to it and it really gets to the heart of Barbra’s issues and success.
I also couldn’t help but recall the wonderful experience I had the last time Streisand was at The Garden. I was working in midtown Manhattan at the time, so I just strolled over after work. I had heard that there was a line where you can, at the last minute, buy any tickets not used by sponsors. I was thrilled to get in, didn’t care a lick that I was in the nosebleeds, because I could hear her. Every note. Every word.
I can listen to Barbra Streisand sing almost anything, but Don’t Rain On My Parade brought tears to my eyes like nothing else. I couldn’t believe I was there.
My favorite quote from the article:
“You’ll get paid vacations and summers off,” my mother would tell me [about being a secretary]. “It’s a steady job.” But I knew I had some other destiny.
You don’t say?
Boundaries and breath
I am very cognizant of boundary-setting these days. Situation by situation. It’s challenging to try not to be too much of pleaser but also be accommodating where possible. Sometimes it’s such a fine line. Where to push it? Where to hang back? Where to stand my ground?
What I have found is it’s very satisfying to reinforce a healthy boundary.
It’s like expelling your breath after holding it for a while.
Head and shoulders
I feel …
Prettier. Saucier. Lighter. Hipper.
Yep. I got a haircut.
Just wondering
Does the fact that I’m craving spinach right now — with garlic and extra virgin olive oil or with feta in an omelette — suggest I want things that are unavailable to me?
Book notes
Big writing strides today. Makes me high.
Honest American
I just watched former New Jersey governor Jim McGreevey on Oprah and I found it, frankly, riveting. He is scathingly honest, some think too much so. As a life coach who is all about helping people to live authentic lives, I admire his courage and applaud him for forging ahead with his life.
And if he encourages or inspires just one other gay American to live an honest life, good for him and good for all of us.
