I am seeing a theme these days with the work I do....People saying to me that they are not feeling present with their lives: like things are passing them by and they haven't had a chance to enjoy the moment. That got me thinking.....are we human beings or are we humans "being?" Being is tough, it requires staying power and concentration and full presence of the moment..not thinking about what might happen next, or what's the next thing to check off the list or where they have to be next....Humans "being" is about staying in the moment and enjoying it in all it's fleeting glory. Feeling the sun or the rain on your skin as you go for a walk, the soothing calm of an ocean, lake or stream as you dive in to cool off in the heat of the summer, the sounds of the wind as it dances with the fullness of the summer trees....animals, people, flowers....sounds, faces and aromas. That's a human "being." I pick the latter for my choice. What about you? Are you a human being or one of the "humans being?" Living la vida fearless, Jan

And then one more....

t's been six weeks almost to the day that I first spotted mama swan in the harbour near the lighthouse. It was an odd spot for her to create a nest given that the space is right beside a main road, a place where people gather often and festivals are held. It's noisy, dirty and seems a really bad place environmentally to raise a family.Mama, and daddy, swan did not go unnoticed by the locals. There has been a daily parade of people coming by to see how the family was coming along. The local government even cordoned off the area to protect the prospective family from people predators.
I would visit often on my daily walks. Mama would always be sitting in the nest, once in a while stretching and turning over the eggs. Daddy was never far away and if mama ever needed a break daddy swan would take over. They seemed like good soon to be parents. I was shocked when my husband reported to me that one day last week one of the eggs had been broken open by daddy himself and the baby had died. I actually cried at the loss for the parents. But there were still three eggs left and they were diligent about caring for them.
Today, after the torrential downpour we had, my husband and I ventured out to see the family again. And, tada, we saw a baby under mama's wings in the nest....only one and one egg left we think. Not sure where the other egg has gone but the baby swan was born today and it's cute....Mama was covering it over with her broad wings and keeping it dry: so protective. Daddy didn't seem to be around and then, suddenly, there he was. As soon as the baby made it's way out from under the safety of mama swan and started to wander a bit around the nest daddy was there. Keeping guard, making sure nobody, and nothing, was going to harm his precious little one.
They were so cute and so lovely and so kind to the baby. That got me thinking...as I am wont to do, about care and love and instincts.
Nobody taught those swans how to be loving parents they just knew how. Nobody showed them how to feed the baby, how to sit on the nest, how to find food and how to cover the baby over in the rain. They just knew....they just followed their instincts. People used to be like that too. We used to follow our instincts if you will: to listen to our intuition: to trust the feeling of just knowing what you were doing was right. Somewhere down the line a lot of people have lost that belief in themselves. They have lost the ability to tap into theirSELF and trust that part of them.
Intuition is heart work: it's trusting and knowing that your heart is right. Living la vida fearless is like that too. Living with heart, loving with heart, being afraid and facing the fear anyway knowing that the end result is worth the fear....
There were quite a few people hanging around the bridge today when we were there. Everybody was excited to see mama and daddy swan and the new baby. You know the tradition of handing out cigars when a baby is born? I felt like doing that: except I don't smoke and I didn't have any with me...but the thought was there. I loved the sense of community this little family has created. They chose a spot that didn't seem great to build a nest, they sat on that nest for a long time waiting patiently while those of us on shore became impatient and then they showed us that, despite all those odds, they had a baby and they are caring for it just as they should....What a great lesson.
If you want to see a picture of the baby swan let me know and I'll try to get it up on my blog...
Are you living la vida fearless? Are you trusting your intuition: listening to the truth in your heart? Want to know more? I'd be happy to hear from you and offer you a sample coaching session....

Oh, and there's no name for the baby yet. I'll keep you posted on that one.

Living la vida fearless,

Jan

Oh the Places You'll Go...
a rewrite by Aunt Jan

Oh the places you'll go
And the wonders you'll see
Won't be half as much fun
As the things you could be....

You could be a this
You might be a that
You may even, my gosh,
Be the Cat in the Hat....

But what's this I'm seeing
Are you shedding a tear?
Tell my why you have water
All over your ears...

What set that off
Is the question my dear.
You can't be a anything
Til you've faced all your fears....

Your mom or you dad
or the bilbobigman
Told you you couldn't
But I say YOU CAN!

Oh yes you can
my littlest friend
From the start to the middle
and Up to the end....

But....you have to quit fearing
and wondering if.
The top of the mountain
isn't always a cliff...

Here's how to do it
I'll give you the plan.
Take one step and one breath
And then you've began....

The road will be twisty
and bumpy and curvy
You'll fall on your face
You'll tip topsy turvy

People will tell you
that's never been done
Keep quitting those fears
and laugh when you've won.....

One step and one breath
Keep quitting those fears
and when it's all over
You'll have lived all your years......

Living la vida fearless, Jan