Learning

If you are new to this thread, please go back to http://www.lindentreephotograph.blogspot.com/2010/08/its-that-time-again.html to start. It will make more sense.

I attended the workshop myself. I tried to get friends to come but no one was able. I wasn't worried about the workshop per se but about the off time. I am shy about meeting new people and the thought of spending the weekend in a hotel room by myself wasn't all that appealing. In the end, it was a good thing that I went alone. I found I had a great deal to think about. I also went out on a limb and joined some ladies at their table for breakfast. By the end of the workshop, I had made some great new friends. The best part is that we have stayed in touch, even formed ourselves a little internet support group. These are friendships that I cherish now.

I really had no idea what to expect from the workshop itself. Much of what I read on Lindsay's home page made no sense to me. I had never heard of Oneness, tapping or EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques). What I learned made a powerful impression on me. I came away with more hope than I've had in a long time. I learned something so easy yet so powerful. I learned something that was life changing, in more ways than I could have ever imagined.

After the first session, we went for a long walk to think about what I was learning about myself, just me and my camera. When I returned to my room and started looking at the images I had captured, I was amazed that my images reflected the journey that I was on. I would like to share them with you now.


Left Behind

Caged In

Discarded

Hope

Linking Together

The Goal


From this point on, my posts will be letters that I have written as I have tried to incorporate the things that I learned in the workshop, the calming of Oneness and the healing of tapping. The letters were never mailed, never meant to be mailed. I wanted to document the process in the hopes that it would eventually be something helpful to others. The personal format of a letter was the easiest for me to write. And writing to Lindsay seemed natural. Some of the letters are of my personal journey. Some are for your information. Questions and comments are more than welcome.

A Winding Road to Ontario

I have never been a terribly spiritual person. In fact, I have often 'poo-pooed' alternative medicines, metaphysical healing , holistic treatments, crystals and other 'way out there' things. I don't believe in Divine intervention or pre-destiny. That being said, there have been times in my life where I have found that events that were seemingly random have led me to a specific place and time for what seems to be a reason. One of the strongest feelings I of this kind that I have ever experienced was the convoluted, 7 year long series of random events and crazy decisions that led me to a dive shop in Corvallis Oregon in the summer of 1991. It was there that I met the man who would become my husband, partner and father of my children. Looking back on it, I don't really understand some of the choices I made but I can't for the life of me imagine how my life would have been like without them.

All of that leads me to the next series of events, each random in itself but looked at all together, along with the timing, leads me to believe that I was led to Lindsay Wagner's Quiet the Mind, Open the Heart Workshop in Ontario California on June 5 and 6, 2010. I have been in love with Jaime Sommers since I was 8 years old (really do I have to tell you who she is?!) I have always kept her with me as a friend even though I had not seen an episode of The Bionic Woman in over 20 years. Still, every now and then, I would do an internet search to see what was out there. Imagine my delight when I discovered last fall that full episodes were available online at www.thebionicwoman.com. From there, it was just a short hop to Lindsay's webpage for her seminars and workshops early this spring (www.lindsaywagnerinternational.com).

I do have to admit that the first time I read through the concepts on her webpage, I had my usual reaction, "New Age crap!" IAs the spring went on, I was becoming more and more depressed about my situation (go back to the previous post) and was becoming more and more desperate for a new direction. I found myself drawn back to the webpage more and more often. Although I didn't understand a word of it, I was becoming more and more curious about the ideas she presented and was starting to be convinced that it was something I needed to hear. (I will freely admit that the fact that it was coming from the woman who created my childhood hero was what sold it to me. I mean really? Would my friend Jaime be telling me this if it wasn't something that would help??) Unfortunately, there was no way I could afford to fly to California for a silly workshop (or just to meet Lindsay Wagner?) and the timing sucked.

Over the following weeks, random events started piling up. The weekend freed up. Bob's business trip got canceled. Frequent flyer miles were available. And, the most improbable of all, out of the blue, I received a custom order for dog images from a gentleman in Australia. Not only was the amount of the order the largest I had ever received but, it was just about exactly the amount I would need to pay for the workshop and hotel. Providence or coincidence, it didn't really matter much. I needed to go.

Next: A bit about the workshop experience and the ideas that led me to the following blog.

Its that time again!

Yep. I'm back. I've been doing some personal writing this summer and I have decided to share it with the 2 of you who actually read my blog. Before I post some of the letters that I have written, I need to let you all in on some background material.

I am 42 years old, married and the mother of 2 wonderful and beautiful girls, now 13 and 8 years old. I have always been active. I grew up swimming in the ocean, surfing and scuba diving. I played soccer for 35 years and played in both high school and in college. I played on rec teams, both indoor and outdoor, sometimes on 2 or 3 teams at a time, for over 20 years. I have played every sport from ice hockey to wheelchair tennis. I taught special education physical education for 17 years. I refereed quad rugby at a national level and coached youth soccer for many years.

For fun, I taught quilting , classes, ran a successful machine quilting business and made some award winning quilts. I have taught myself to be a decent photographer and I'm not a half bad cook. I spent my summers selling my art at farmers' markets and the Portland Saturday Market.

None of this is bragging. I just want you to know where I came from so you can understand where I am today. Three or four years ago, things slowly started to change. I was tired all of the time. I no longer wanted to play soccer and martial arts class that I had breezed through were becoming a challenge. Just getting through my day was becoming more than I could handle. I finally was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I gave up quilting because it hurt my back. I gave up soccer and coaching. I gave up my job and selling at the markets. After 2 years of being medicated up to my eyeballs for depression, anxiety, insomnia, pain and asthma, I began to feel that I was stuck in place and the thought of spending the next 40 or 50 years feeling like crap was overwhelming and depressing. I needed a path to a better place but I had no idea where to start looking. I was waiting for something to happen.

It did.

But you all will have to wait until my next post...