If you wish to see my work or hear me speak, check back regularly for upcoming events.

As of this post (3/26/10), my work can be seen at the following location(s) (all in the Asheville, NC, area):

The Downtown Market, 45 South French Broad, downtown Asheville (open Fri-Sun, 10-5); I will be leaving this site as of Sunday, the 28th, at 5pm. Look for my work to pop up elsewhere in Asheville.
Bravo! office, 5th floor, BB&T building, downtown Asheville

HAPPENINGS:

AT CRYSTAL VISIONS (in Hendersonville, on highway 25 just west of 26):

On Saturday, April 3rd, I will be giving a brief FIRE talk at Crystal Visions about my event there on the 22nd:

On Tuesday, April 22nd, from 7-9pm, I will be offering an introductory workshop on playing the Transformation Game to ignite de-light within (and between) people.

Sometime in April or May, I will be offering a Transformation Game focused on rediscovering joy in oneself and one’s relationships. Please check back for exact date(s).

All of these events will be co-led by Bonnie Cooper, LCSW, relationship coach and certified imago relationship therapist.

Ongoing Asheville dream group next meets on Wednesday, April 7th, from 7-9.

Please contact me at innerlandscaping@aol.com for more information about any of these events.

• Make regular play dates with yourself to do one of those things you are always too busy to do but which you really enjoy.

• Do something similar to the things you most enjoyed as a child. (For example: if you liked making up stories, try writing or storytelling. if you liked banging on pots and pans, take a drumming workshop. if you liked playing dress-up, go try on some clothes, just for the fun of it.)

• Imagine every cell in your body as a happy face, giggling.

• Quit listening to/reading your usual news sources. (Try this for 1 week; this includes “women’s magazines.”)

• Check out positive news sites, such as: http://www.positivenews.org.uk/cgi-bin/Positive_News/welcome.cgi.

• When you feel irritated by someone, search for something you appreciate about them instead.

• Remember the “glow” from when you first met your current partner? Come from that space the next time you see them.

• Look for things to smile or laugh about, remembering that the joy comes from within you.

I’m sure you’re wondering what that means. One of my “mentors,” Abraham, says you must “make a decision that you’re going to be happy one way or another—no matter what.” But if you are relying on the external world to make this possible, you are coming at it from the wrong direction. The happiness comes from within you, and is then radiated to the world around you. I invite you to take this challenge which I recently gave to a client who was one of the least happy people I had ever met: Each day, come up with one thing that you are happy about. The first few times she really struggled with this, but within a few weeks she was coming into the office enthusiastic and excited to share what she was happy about that day, and each day the list got longer. Now, the things in her life, and in the world, hadn’t changed—she was the one who had changed; at my urging, she had decided to try bringing a different attitude to how she lived her life. Interestingly, as she got more skilled at this, her world DID change; very quickly there was more of what she really wanted in her life, things which hadn’t been there when I first suggested the practice. 

http://www.thingstobehappyabout.com/

I recently attended a concert by one of my favorite singer-songwriters (Peter Mayer) and had a huge smile on my face from beginning to end. I kept the glow with me through the rest of the evening and was still radiating it the next morning, but I allowed it to fade when I went to work. Then, during a challenging interaction, I remembered the concert, and the glow, and brought that forward once again into the current situation. Suddenly I was smiling, and things began flowing more easily. Whenever you get into a funk, recall a time when you felt joyous and bring that feeling forward with you. And check out http://www.petermayer.net for some delightful music.

After several months of change (during which I left behind my back yard labyrinth, and am still pondering how to create a large, portable one), I am returning to my online journal with a new focus: Ignite Delight. In case you’re wondering what that means, one of my “mentors,” Abraham, says you must “make a decision that you’re going to be happy one way or another—no matter what.” But if you are relying on the external world to make this possible, you are coming at it from the wrong direction. The happiness comes from within you, and is then radiated to the world around you. I invite you to take this challenge: each day, come up with one thing that you are happy about. It can be as simple as seeing a butterfly, or as profound as reconnecting with someone whose relationship you thought was lost to you. In the next weeks I’ll be journaling about some of my own delights. Blessings.   http://www.thingstobehappyabout.com/

I dedicated my labyrinth on winter solstice of 2005. Several friends were present, as well as my 8 year old goddaughter, who ran and skipped along the path, laughing and singing. She reminded me that I often take life’s journey too seriously. Since then, I have begun dancing at the turns of the large, canvas Chartres pattern which Jeannette Stokes brings to Asheville each spring. I laugh more. I feel lighter. Delighted. Enlighted?