I love my radio show. I love interviwing people and hearing their stories. It's been the one constant for me and Heilroom Meals. Here are a bunch that I just uploaded:
I learned in high school that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. With that as my foundation combined with my experiences, it is no wonder that I have always believed that power is bad.
Jim was reading some article in the paper out loud as he does most mornings. While I don’t remember for the life of me what the article was about, I know I wrote down on the pad near the stove, “ a revelation about power.” It struck me right there and then that I have it all wrong about power. Power is actually good. It’s how you use power that can be either good or bad. For instance, you use power to lift someone up or hold someone down. Good power or bad power.
My experience with power has generally been bad. In my twenties, I was fired from a job for insubordination when I turned down my bosses sexual passes. I pursued a wrongful termination suit and learned it’s all about power and again, the context of power in this instance was bad. I watched colleagues back-stab, steal, and cheat to get ahead for money and power. And then I was sued by a crazy lady who turned out to be a serial suer. She prayed on the small vendor and she had to be right. There was no room for a rational conversation. She had power over me. And the list goes on and on. What I now see is that these experiences made me afraid. In fact, so much so that I started giving my power away. Afterall, I didn’t ever want to be someone who exerted power. Power was bad.
One day, I mentioned to a dear friend that I felt small. It was a passing comment. What showed up in my snail mail box was the most wonderful passage:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
― Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles"
I am now both holding onto my power and I am stepping into my power. When you live from your heart with love as your guiding principle miracles do happen. And I remind myself when I walk into a room that there’s nothing to fear when I show up as the authentic me – a quirky, adventurous, spirited, pioneering, creative, nurturer, loving connector and joy gatherer – no matter what I do for a living. And I hold my hand out and offer to lift you up. Whether I am helping you tell your family food stories through Heirloom Meals, or helping you make your house a beautiful place to live, or helping you finding a home, or being your friend, colleague, or neighbor. This is my power and it is good.
Sometimes the simplest things make me the happiest. Found these on One Kings Lane . While it is a great container for my garlic on the counter, I can't wait to use it for fresh berries.
It’s funny how life has a way of guiding us. We make our big plans. We set our intentions. And I bet many of you think I have forgotten to blog or even abandoned my efforts. Well, life happens and intentions get set aside. But at the core of that statement is life happens…
What many of you may or may not know, Heirloom Meals is my passion. It has yet to produce any income. It’s been a consumer of capital and I have been working as an interior decorator and real estate broker to fund my dream. What I haven’t done is integrate all the things I do. Like, for instance, why not share with you what I am doing, how I am building Heirloom Meals. What’s working. What’s not. And why not share with you my amazing interior projects and the kitchens and baths and interior spaces that I create for my clients. It’s what makes me, well, me. I realized through a lot of soul searching that I compartmentalize. Shut down. Deliver to you only part of me. You get the part that’s all love, all passion. I make it look easy. Put morsels of my life that are dreamy, beautiful, and peaceful out into the world.
But life is messy. You set off on your path and you veer off course. Or are you really off course? 2013 delivered 2 amazing decorating jobs/clients. (I promise to show and tell in a future post!!) And it delivered 2 big real estate transactions. I. AM. BLESSED. It also had its challenging aspects. I dealt with betrayal, disappointment, family dog dying, a sick horse, and many other things that I can barely even remember, and nor do I want to remember. Memory does an amazing job of forgetting the bad stuff and keeping the positive things front and center.
So as I round into 2014 and think about “life happening” and what’s next? It appears that I will continue to fire on all cylinders. My mantra for the year is to give myself full permission to be me, and that means giving my readers, listeners and fans all of me. Here’s a glimpse of what’s on tap:
- I am attending the Realscreen Conference in Washington, DC January 26-29th – the theme is unscripted television (that’s what Heirloom Meals is) and most of the major cable networks will be there. Wish me luck!!
- I am attending Debbie Phillip’s Women on Fire Retreat in Naples Florida 2/28-3/1.
- I am working on my book proposal.
- Re-vamping the online store to carry only Heirloom Meals designed artisan products
- Get more guest bloggers writing my Saturday blog post
- Recording weekly interviews for my NPR radio show – got a recipe and a story – I would love to help tell your story.
- Doing monthly cooking demos on Newschannel 13 in Albany NY
- I am taking a fencing class
- I am finishing up the design and décor of a 13-bedroom high-end drug and alcohol rehab in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts called CMC Berkshires. It is essentially a healing hotel.
- Blog more/daily if I can
- Practice Qigong everyday
- Practice gratitude everyday
- Smile with my heart and be love.
…..And so much more….
Wishing everyone a year full of love, joy, and peace. And please let me know what you are doing!!
I am looking to hear from YOU. For the next 6 weeks on Heirloom Meals Radio I want to share stories about cures for what ails you or rather: Do you have a great remedy/recipe that has been passed down through the generations for a cold, headache, sore throat, etc?? Email me!!
MIne is hot lemon tea with honey for a sore throat!!
