Chapter 3: Hanging on the Edge of My World...

As my name was called, I walked towards the place where I would be putting on more equipment to rappel down.  There were three lines going down the building.  I was happy when I ended up being on the line with the two owners of Crux (who I had spoken with briefly at the training).  It felt comforting and serendipitous to see familiar faces.

I was strapped into more equipment.  All I could do was listen intently to their every word.  But believe me, I was getting nervous at this point.

 

Getting strapped in and getting ready to go down.  Soon!

 

Below are the two of the owners of Crux Climbing.

I was told to step up and stand on the edge of the building.  All I could do was listen to their instructions.  It’s really the oddest thing, stepping on the edge of the roof of a building like that.  Not something a “normal” person does every day! 
 

Standing on the edge of the unknown.

They asked if I wanted to look down.  I said no, but then peeked over at some point for a couple of seconds. You see, I was extremely scared of heights.  Why would I look down??  Curiosity got the best of me though and I couldn’t resist.

They told me to lean back but I guess I froze. I was looking right into one of the owner’s eyes when he said “You remember why you’re doing this, right Martina?”  I started to cry. 

Later at the reception, he told me “Oh shit, what did I say?”  He thought that it was perhaps not the right thing to say.  I thanked him because it was exactly what I needed to hear in that moment to spur me on.  Funny how everyone has their own perception of what they think has happened.

There is something symbolic about that moment for me, standing on the edge of that building.  Being in a place of:  "Okay.  Here I am."  Trusting, letting go and knowing, somehow, that I would be safe and that things will turn out the way they are supposed to.  And yet, there is a possibility that something could happen and this could be it.  Such is life.  How do we choose to live it?  In fear?  Or, with wild abandon and love?

This has come up more than once in my life.  Here it was again.  This time on top of a 30 storey building.  It’s all about how I do life.

 Standing on the "edge of my world."

 

Somehow, something shifted and I slowly started to lean back, thanks to the owners' coaching.

 

I was determined to NOT let my feet leave the building whatsoever because I didn’t want to be just dangling 30 stories up!  I couldn’t look down.  All I could do was focus in front of me and on what I was doing.  I continued to listen intently to their coaching as long as I could continue to hear them to help get me through the first challenging 10 stories ..... TO BE CONTINUED.

 

 

Chapter 2: Getting Strung Up and Strung Out

It was around noon on September 6^th when I started to feel a mix of nervousness and excitement. I had no time to go out and buy a costume (as we could choose to dress up as Superheros and Superheroines) and so, I "threw" together a costume from stuff at home.  Again it worked out perfectly.


I rode over to the Sunlife Towers on my bike and locked it up.  I stood there, looking up at the 30 storey building. I started to feel emotional because I knew this was NOW IT! I was truly doing this in less than two hours.  I found out my time was delayed by 45 minutes.  But, for some reason, I was okay with that. I signed in and went to get my "Before:  Here I am!" photo taken.

This is the first shot taken before going to the back room.

 



Then, I went to the back room to settle in.  With me in my bag, I had a bottle of "Rescue Remedy".  A yoga instructor recommended this supplement as it helps to calm the nerves.  Of course, I bought some because I felt it couldn't hurt and it would support me to feel calm. I was spraying my tongue like a mad woman, every couple of minutes or so.  I thought: "Wow!  This stuff seems to be working!"  (Of course, I didn't realize the product contained alcohol!")  Obviously I didn't bother to read the label properly!

http://bachflower.com/



 I was nervous along with some of the other “Dropzoners” in the back room. There was a guy dressed like a Ninja Turtle and he was surprisingly calm so it helped to keep me calm. We were talking and I was feverishly continuing to spray myself with the "Rescue Remedy."  All of a sudden, the bottle slipped out of my hand and smashed onto the floor.  I didn't realize it was glass and I lost the remaining contents which was pretty much ALL of it. 

I panicked as I looked at the floor and realized I had nothing to "rescue" me any longer.  If I could have somehow scooped it into a cup and drank it, I would have.  But, I decided that:  a) it wasn't hygenic and simply not possible to do this, and b) it was some kind of sign.  It was a sure sign that the Universe was telling me I no longer needed to be "rescued."  I needed to let "Rescue Remedy" go with as much grace as I could.  As it turned out, I wasn't able to bring anything with me to the rooftop, not even so much as a tissue to blow my nose.
 

 

 

 

The volunteers called our names and then proceeded to harness us for the upcoming climb.  The volunteers and employees from Crux Climbing Center were helping out since 6 AM in the morning.  It's already been a long day but they are certainly troopers!  We were geared up and ready to go and it was only a matter of time before we headed towards the elevator.

 

http://thecruxclimbing.com/web/



 

 Finally, we were told it was time to go and we were now being led to the elevator.  Suddenly, everyone got quiet. I made a comment to the effect of "Everyone's so quiet," and still, no one said anything. People were definitely in their “Zone”. We rode up the elevator in silence and as we walked out, we made our way to more stairs which led up toward the roof.  I could finally see the sky from the stairwell.

 

 

I was now on the roof and it was only a matter of time before my rappel.  A crew briefly interviewed each one of us (not that this interview on the roof was on my video unfortunately. A bit disappointing I have to say). I was hoping Ninja Turtle guy and I would go down the building together but it didn’t work out that way.  I would soon learn this was a journey I would be taking on my own ..... TO BE CONTINUED.
 

Part of the climbing equipment from the rooftop.

The view from the roof of the Sunlife WestTower.

 

 

Chapter 1 The Decision: Just F'in Do It!!

On September 6, 2012, I had the honour of participating in the Easter Seals Dropzone fundraising event which is a wonderful charity that raises money for children, youth and adults with disabilities.  Since the event, I have been in a strange place of processing all that I have accomplished before, during and after Dropzone.  2012 has been an interesting year for me and this experience has been a big part of that.

http://thedropzone.ca/2009e/calgary-drop-zone

My journey towards September 6, 2012 started about 7 years ago.  I was in a Personal Best course called “Living Fitt” and the facilitator asked the participants a question to the effect of:  “What is the one scary thing you can think of doing that could change your life?”  I immediately thought of Dropzone.  I wrote it down and then thought “I couldn’t do that.  That’s too scary (and insane!).” 

I forgot about it for a long time because I realize that I wasn’t ready at the time and also, the timing wasn't right.  But sometimes, we may never be ready and may need to take an opportunity when it presents itself or it could be gone forever.  Lucky for me, the opportunity presented itself again and I knew I needed to take it.  It felt completely right for me.

I have been on a personal growth journey since 2000 and it has been quite a ride, I have to say.  I did a number of things with Personal Best (now The Creator's Code) but also other courses and workshops over the years that have been quite instrumental in making huge shifts in my life.  At times, it’s been challenging and difficult to look at myself in such an intimate way but worth everything to get to a place in my life where I feel I am a really amazing person and I’m grateful for all that I have learnt along the way.

Links to some courses I have taken over the years.

http://www.creatorscode.com/

http://www.shamanicmedicine.ca/about/

http://www.coreconnexion.ca/

I dropped away from Personal Best for a while and reconnected again this year.  At a community event in July, I won a course called “Ropes”.  I did “Ropes” back in 2001 and it was something I would never forget as an experience.  Over 11 years of personal growth and here I now was, given this gift to experience the course again and to see how much I have grown over that time.  

It felt like a “Marker” in my life and it was and felt like Divine intervention.  It was so meant to be.  I was so excited to take it again, not fearful like I was the first time around because it was completely unknown to me.  I knew on a spiritual level that this was something I needed to do again and I relished the opportunity.

On August 13, the day after the course was over, Dropzone just “happened” to come to my mind again.  We (the participants) had spent much of the weekend taking risks and it spurred that memory of Dropzone for me.  I started talking about it on Facebook and asked “How huge of a risk would it be to do Dropzone?” A couple friends supported me right away and said “Just do it.”  I knew if I brought others in my mix that it would give me the gentle “kick” in the pants and support that I needed. 

Over the next five days, I continued to talk about it, think about it, called Easter Seals and talked to them about it (who promptly told me they had enough registrants already, but that I would be number one on the waiting list.  Yikes!)  Then by the weekend, they opened up registration.  There it was again:  Divine Intervention.  By Saturday, I had registered online and then I thought “Oh shit.  Now it's official and I’ve committed!  It’s out there now.  Yikes!”; both with a mix of anxiousness and excitement.

I donated $100 to myself to get the ball rolling and my two friends donated $75. I went to Edmonton for a week and I collected another $20 from a friend while I was there.  When I got back August 26^th, I thought “Holy crap.  I need to raise the mandatory $1500 to do the event by September 6th; aside from the fact that my goal was $2000.  I better get my butt moving!”

Sunday night I sent out emails, some messages on Facebook, talked to people at my work and got some donations at a Personal Best community event.  Slowly and bit by bit the donations were starting to come in through face to face contact and emails. 

I decided I would need to be more proactive and started to think about all the people I have done business with over the years, particularly in my neighbourhood that I had developed relationships with.  I decided to "pound" the pavement.  I knew that emails wouldn’t be enough and in the end, I was right. 

I walked around my neighbourhood and I spoke with people whose stores I shopped at, a few of the librarians at Memorial Park, a yoga owner of a studio I do yoga at, my dentist, someone who works at the local art store, my massage therapist, my chiropractor, our bank (who knew they had funds for situations like these??), and on and on.

I was both surprised and amazed at the support I received and how people freely gave money to me. I suppose my enthusiasm was infectious as I felt like people were literally “throwing” donations and money at me to support me.  It taught me a huge lesson in not assuming who would donate and who wouldn’t.  Basically, just to ask because if I didn’t, I wouldn’t know.  I was surprised by who and how many people that donated.  I'd say 90% of the people I approached ended up being able and/or willing to donate.  It was a huge lesson in how powerful being proactive and face to face contact can be. 

This journey taught me that having a clear goal is important to achieving it; and, that being enthusiastic and putting the effort into achieving it, is key.  It helped to create ongoing belief in my ability to achieve goals, but only if it’s important enough to me.  If it isn’t, the energy just isn’t behind it.  Passion is definitely an important factor.

I not only achieved my goal of $2000 in just over two weeks, but surpassed it, thanks to all who contributed not only financially but in words of support and encouragement.  All amounts helped from $10 to $100 and everything in between.  The more money I raised and the closer I got to my goal, the more excited I got!  I certainly couldn’t have achieved it on my own.  That’s the power of support and community.  The many vs. the the one.

During this time, some people kept asking me if I was “getting nervous” about rappelling down a 30 storey building.  I told them I didn’t have time to think about it and what was the point in being nervous?   I needed to save that for the “BIG” day, LOL.  I realized that thinking and being nervous about it ahead of time wasn’t going to help.  I needed to focus my energy on raising money.

Having said that, I had to do the mandatory training session before the event.  This session was held at Crux Climbing Center in the NE (http://thecruxclimbing.com/web/).  I was told we would be going over safety precautions and doing a practice rappel down seven stories!  The highest I have ever rappelled was three stories, so this was already going to be a stretch for me.

As I arrived at the center, I felt fine.  After registration and a brief discussion, we headed over to the area where we would be practicing.  We had to walk up seven flights of steel see through stairs.  Once at the top, the floor was also see through right to the bottom.  All of a sudden seven flights felt extremely high.  I could feel a slight trembling in my legs that lasted for at least an hour.  Me and a few women were chatting away nervously about how high we were up.  All four of us were "newbies". 

An hour later, my legs finally felt grounded and less shaky.  I waited near the end for my turn and then I couldn't avoid it any longer.  They called me over so I could put equipment on and led me to where I would be rappelling.  

I practiced with the equipment and then he hooked me in.

The trainer guided me through the process and told me to stand on the edge and hold onto the bar to my right.  I grabbed on and he told me sit back. 

 

Leaning back and letting go is always the hard part for me. 

 

My fear quickly dissipated and it didn't take long for me to get down.  

 

Before I knew it, the rappel was over and it felt doable. 

 

I was soon to find out on September 6 how different the experience of rappelling down a 30 storey building would be.  Nonetheless, the process of taking baby steps, going from three stories to seven stories helped to give me confidence and I can see why it's good for people to go through the experience, albeit it's somewhat "false" confidence. 

As the morning of September 6^th came around, the last couple donations came in and I hit and surpassed my goal of $2000 with the amount of $2180.  People were amazed at how quickly I raised the money.  I could tell that some people had their doubts at the beginning (and I briefly did too), but that quickly changed when I changed my mind and decided that it would be an easy process and that it would happen because it was meant to happen. 

I knew the Universe was supporting this whole process 100% because I was meant to do it after all this time, that I was ready and that I was about to learn a whole lot about myself along the way.  It was truly a magical and divine experience unfolding before me, that was SO clear to me.

It was only a matter of time before September 6, the BIG DAY, would arrive.....

 

TO BE CONTINUED

Fall Altar 2012

 

It's been a long time since I've written or posted anything.  I hope I haven't completely lost you! 

 

It's been a whirlwind, 2012 and it's not over yet.  As we have now let go of summer (reluctantly at that, for me), we move into fall with beautiful colors and now snow already in mid October!  Yikes!  That's the way it goes.  Life just keeps plugging along and we all do our best to go with the flow of it. 

 

Below is my homage to fall.  Hope you enjoy it!  Blessings to you all.

 

 

Below, to the right, is an Art Card I created.  They are all the "rage" now.  Fun and easy to make.

 

 I picked up this adorable art piece below in a store in Edmonton by a wonderful artist.

 

 

 

Gourds are an easy and quick way to decorate.  Just put some on a tray or bowl and you are set!

 



Spring is here!! Goddess Spring Altar

As usual, it's been a while.  I cannot believe it's mid April already!  Yikes!!  Where has the time gone??  I don't know about you, but gosh, the last six weeks have been challenging.  I felt exhausted a lot of the time and really heavy energetically, even with sleeping a solid eight hours.  I certainly haven't had any problems sleeping.  When I fall asleep, I am OUT!!  There has definitely been some shifting happening on our planet.  The more I speak with people, the more I have heard similar comments from others.  I'm glad I'm not the only one and that it wasn't just "in my head"!

Despite all that, I have done my best to do as much as I could throughout all this shifting and healing, giving myself as much rest as I needed, listening to my body as best I could and not pushing myself too hard. 

On Sunday, April 15th though, I finally felt a shift in energy and I had more energy than I had since going through that six week period.  I definitely know what having energy feels like and what NOT having energy feels like.  This is going to continue to be a BIG year of letting go of the old!  It's time.

A few days before spring officially arrived, I could no longer wait to take down my winter altar and so, I set up my spring altar and would like to share some photos of that with you.  I love the simplicity of this altar with the white and crystal and just a splash of color.  Usually I will put an altar cloth down, but it wasn't necessary this time.  I enjoy combining recycled and used pieces with a few new ones every now and again.  I absolutely love it and hope you do too!

This will be short and sweet for now.

Bringing you beauty and inspiration.

Blessings to you all. 

Martina, aka The Goddess of Groove

I often use pretty greeting cards for display as art.  I definitely am addicted to beautiful cards and have quite a collection.  I picked up this "card holder" at a used store a while back and it's come in quite handy for displaying cards like this.

These tiny eggs I picked up at Winners before Easter.  I placed them in a crystal bowl I have owned for a long time.  The crystal vase I've had for a long time too.  I love the purple bird and silver crystal branch which I picked up recently at Chintz at Christmastime.  It looks great in this vase.  I placed a couple of shiny silver beaded "necklaces" in the vase which holds the branch in place quite nicely and blends in well with the silver theme.  They are "party beads" I picked up at a Loonie store.

The silver angel wings came from a store called "Angels"  http://www.ourangelscenter.com/ in Marda Loop.  They are just GORGEOUS and the shine on them is amazing.  The photo doesn't give them justice, but you get the idea!

Garage sales are great!  I picked up these 2 Ikea frames for $5 each!   Again, I decided to place greeting cards in them displayed as art.  I've decided I'm going to change the theme of these every change of the season.  That way, I get to enjoy different cards all year long and the art keeps flowing through!

Tinkerbell and Philosophy

I love fairies.  There's just something beautiful and magical about them.  Tinkerbell http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0823671/, the movie, came to me at the right time of my life a year ago or so.  It's always amazing how that happens.

For a few years, I was on a journey of trying to figure out what else I wanted to do for work.  And not just any work, something that would give meaning to my life and those around me.  Trying to "figure it out" was the problem.  But more about that later.

When I watched Tinkerbell, it was like watching myself.  At the time, I was struggling in a similar way that Tinkerbell was.  I was trying to find my gift, my talent, my purpose in life on the next leg of my journey.  Teaching dance started to become less of a joy for me for some reason and I wanted to find something else.  Being in the unknown and not knowing the answer was challenging at the best of times, let alone when I was having a "rough" day.

It was amusing watching Tinkerbell's journey as her "talent", her gift, her purpose, was right in front of her face the whole time and yet, she didn't want to accept it.  Most of us should be that lucky to know our gift at birth!  She wanted to be someone else because she didn't think she could make her dream of going to the "Mainland" come true with who she truly was.  Vidia (a fast flying Wind Fairy with an attitude) tells Tinkerbell that her job as a Tinker really isn't important.  Tinkerbell takes this to heart.  Be careful who you listen to, is the lesson here.  Words are powerful.  Be mindful what you say to another human being, or a fairy for that matter.

Even when someone is feeling strong and proud with who they are and what they do for work, there's always some naysayer with an inflated ego that wants to push people down.  Of course, on some level, this person is highly insecure and threatened by this person's acceptance of themselves.

Over a 75 minute journey, I learnt about Tinkerbell and how she came to be.  She was born out of the laughter of a baby.  She then floats through the air above the city until she reaches Neverland, the land of fairies.  At this point she looks somewhat like a fluffy white upsidedown umbrella.  As she finally lands in the world of fairies, her physical form is revealed.  All the fairies are anxiously awaiting her arrival.

Tinkerbell in her new physical form

The Queen Fairy shows up for the momentuous occasion to welcome Tinkerbell to her new home.  "Born out of the joy and laughter of a baby."  If only this was true for most of us.  Unfortunately the reality is that some babies are not welcomed into the world this way.

Queen Clarion

Tinkerbell must now find her "talent".  Another word for this would be her gift or her purpose in life.  Isn't this what most of us are searching for our whole lives?  What makes us unique and special?  I know it's what I want. 

It's unfortunate that too many people in this day and age get too caught up in the rat race to take time to figure that out.  They work at jobs they hate because they are trapped in survival mode.  They don't take time to get to know who they are and what they really want.  Sometimes the "talent" is obvious.  Most of the time it is not. 

Too many people get put into careers or jobs because "that is what everyone else did in our family."  Or, they go to school for a career purely because of the money.  This is where Tinkerbell is blessed as she knows right away from birth.  Many of us probably knew as a child who we wanted to be and what we wanted to do, but instead, others' ideas were implemented and we forgot who we were and what our dreams were.  This then becomes the process of discovering who we are and what we want for our lives.

Tinkerbell is now surrounded by approximately ten tables with various objects on them.  "You must now find your talent," Queen Clarion says.  "How will I know?" asks Tinkerbell.  "You'll know" says the Queen.

Queen Clarion encouraging Tinkerbell

As she wanders from table to table, she touches each object and they quickly dissolve to her disappointment.  All the fairies are anxiously awaiting to see what her talent will be as this will also determine which group she will be working with.  She continues to walk when a "hammer" starts to glow brightly and follows her.  The fairies "Ooh" and "Ahhh."  Tinkerbell then grabs the hammer and it glows like it never has before.  Her talent is revealed and everyone cheers.

Tinkerbell's Tinkering Hammer

Two of the other "Tinkers", Clank and Bobble, greet her with great enthusiasm and take her to where she will now live.  She's on a great adventure with high expectations, unbeknownst to her at this point.  Tinkerbell has big dreams for herself. 

Bobble and Clank show Tinkerbell the ropes

It's then revealed that her "job" is to make things in the shop to prepare for the various Seasonal Fairies and their fairy community.  Her two Tinker friends and workmates are quite proud of who they are and what they do.  Tinkerbell is a bit disappointed when she finds out she will be making pots and pans and doesn't yet see the importance of her job and talent.

Tinkerbell disappointed

As she spends time with some of the Seasonal Fairies, she finds out they get to go to the "Mainland".  Tinkerbell is fascinated and can't wait to go.  She soon finds out that the only fairies that go to the Mainland are the Seasonal Fairies.  Again, disappointment for her.  She doesn't understand why she wouldn't be allowed to go.

The Seasonal Fairies

Vidia, a fast flying wind fairy with a bit of an ego problem, tells Tinkerbell promptly that she is the most important fairy.  Tinkerbell, is well, just a "Tinker".  Here we see how ego and hurtful words can make someone feel inferior and less than. 

Vidia giving attitude to Tinkerbell

Tinkerbell then promptly makes a decision that she will "change her talent."   The other Seasonal Fairies don't know if that is a good idea but decide to help her anyhow.

As Tinkerbell continues to work with each Seasonal Fairy to train and learn their talent, she continues to fail, one try after another.  The Seasonal Fairies just don't think trying to be someone else is a great idea.  Isn't that the way life goes?  Sometimes people are just born with certain gifts.  Trying to be someone else never works. 

Working with the Light Fairy proves to be more of a challenge than she thought

This baby bird doesn't trust in Tinkerbell as a Nature Fairy in training

I know for me that I will never be a great singer.  That's just not my gift.  How many Idol wannabes are there that continue to go after some dream that isn't theirs to go after?  When I used to watch that show, it was clear to me some of these "singers" needed to let that dream go.  No matter how many people tell them they aren't born to sing, they don't want to hear the real truth from people.  What's really dangerous is when someone continues to support this person when a hundred others have said STOP!

As Tinkerbell flies off frustrated by the whole situation, she notices something sparkling from up high.  She flies down and finds a number of "lost things" as the other Tinkers called them.  Tinkerbell is even more intrigued by the Mainland as that is where these things have come from.

Tinkerbell finding lost things

As Tinkerbell storms off for a second time, she runs across more lost things.  Without realizing it, Tinkerbell starts putting together the pieces of a ballerina music box that has broken up on shore.  Without any real effort or thought, just on pure intuition and instinct, piece by piece she puts the music box back together.  She's so involved with what she is doing, she doesn't notice she's being watched by the Seasonal Fairies.  The Seasonal Fairies watch on and are amazed at how effortless this is for her.

Tinkerbell working with the ballerina

I have noticed that perhaps my "talent" is in relation to those activities where I "lose" myself.  Sometimes hours have gone by and it's effortless because I'm enjoying what I'm doing.  Perhaps this is one of the keys to finding one's purpose; in the pure ease and joy of being in the moment.

As the fairies rave to Tinkerbell at how amazed they were watching her put this thing together, they say to her "Well, aren't you happy when you were doing that?"  Well, maybe Tinkerbell was, but that's besides the point.  She still wants to go the Mainland and she still wants to change who she really is because she doesn't believe she will be able to go to the Mainland if she doesn't.  Frustrated by the "supposed" non-support of her friends, she flies off in a huff.

She then continues to persevere.  Perhaps she can still learn a new talent and make her dream of going to the Mainland come true. 

She talks Vidia into helping her out.  Perhaps she can teach Tinkerbell how to become a fast flying fairy like herself.  Vidia has a bit of an ego as she feels she is THE most important fairy of ALL.  After all, her wind brought Tinkerbell to Neverland in the first place.

Tinkerbell will do anything and so, Vidia suggests to Tinkerbell that she round up and lasso all the trouble making sprinting thistles.  This is an impossible task.  But Tinkerbell is young and naive and doesn't know this fact and willingly goes along.  After all, she will do anything to make her dream happen.

The sprinting thistles

To Tinkerbell's dismay, she realizes in the end she won't be able to lasso these thistles.  In fact, the thistles have overrun Neverland and have now ruined everything in preparation for spring which is to happen in one day.  The Head Fairies have a council meeting and it is revealed that they will be behind for spring to start and this will now put all the seasons behind.  Yikes!!  That's what happens when people mess with Mother Nature.  Sounds familiar folks??  Nature needs to be in balance!

Tinkerbell feels terrible for the distress she has caused.  She wants to pack up her fairy bag and leave Neverland forever.  She goes to see Terrence about getting dosed up on flying fairy dust for the long trip ahead. 

Terrence consoling Tinkerbell

Terrence seems sad that she is leaving.  Tinkerbell feels sorry for herself because she doesn't feel "important" and made such a mess of things.  Terrence can sense this from her and plays along, pretending that he too, is not "important."  Tinkerbell can't believe he would feel this way.  What he does is very important, providing fairy dust to fairies so they can fly.  "You should feel proud of who you are!" she says to him.  He, of course, says he does.  Tinkerbell realizes what Terrance is doing and finally accepts the gift of who she is and her purpose.

With her self acceptance, she is finally able to use her gift and empower herself to do something about the distress she has caused.  It is here that she is in her true creative power.  Things start to flow effortlessly from her and she comes up with various ideas on how to rectify the damage she has done with the thistle incident.

She speaks to the Fairy Council about her ideas and truly believes that if everyone works together as a community, they can work together to get spring back on schedule.

Tinkerbell speaking with the Fairy Council

There are so many themes throughout this movie and how it can relate to life:

The power of words and how it can affect a person positively or negatively.  Be kind.

Keep believing in yourself and your dreams, no matter what.

The power of working together and the power of being in community.

The power of friendship.

The power of people telling you the truth.

Trusting yourself, trusting your intuition and trusting in the Universe.

The search for meaning and purpose in life.

We don't always need to do BIG things to make impact.  A number of small things from many people can make impact to.  "We cannot do great things on this Earth; only small things with great Love."  Mother Teresa

Self acceptance and self love.

Sometimes we can't see something, even when it's right in front of our faces.

We are ALL important.

Be who you are, no matter what.

Ease, joy and fun in what you are doing are clues to your purpose.

Don't mess with Mother Nature because it throws things out of balance.

After teaching with GoDDess GrOOve for ten years, I felt I wanted to move in another direction.  I was searching for a new purpose.  I continued to do personal growth and healing work.  I meditated as regularly as I could despite my impatience and frustration of finding it difficult to quiet my mind.  I even prayed.  I danced.  I rode my bike.  You name it, I probably did it.

It wasn't until I started to hear from three different sources (people) that they weren't searching for "IT", "IT" found them.  IT being my new direction.  When I heard that three times, IT (in more ways than one!) finally clicked in.  I was trying too darn hard!!  I needed to let go and let "IT" find me and trust that it does.  My impatience of wanting to find IT blocked the ability for "IT" to find me, ironically.

That's the way it happened with GoDDess GrOOve and teaching dance.  The seed was planted years before by a friend, but I couldn't accept it at the time.  I wasn't ready to share my past, my experiences and the idea of teaching dance.  I needed to accept it myself first.  It wasn't until years later when I did healing around my past that I was able to start sharing the gift of dance to women.

As I got out of my own way and allowed the phrase "IT found me" to click in, a strange thing started to happen.  I inadverently found out what I wanted to do next.  The funny thing is, it's not what I thought it would look like at all.  I, like Tinkerbell, thought I would have some bigger purpose.

Sometimes when someone else believes in you first, it's easier to believe in yourself

 

It's still all new to me and eventually, when I am ready to share it some more, you will be the first to know.  It doesn't mean it won't impact people in a big way, it may in fact.  But right now, I'm deciding to keep it as simple as possible.  I know that when I start to make things too big, I get overwhelmed with the bigness and then it stops me in my tracks. 

So, I'm using the KISS RULE.  Keep It Simple Superstar!  Focus on one step at a time and trust that it is all leading me to where I need to go. 

Rock On Tinkerbell!  Who knew I could learn so much from a Fairy!  A children's movie only?  I think not!  We all need to nurture our child within.  Continue to be like a child; full of curiousity, wonder and play!  And yes!  You too can learn from Tinkerbell!