Port Angeles - The City of Angels

"Sunny skies and windy conditions joined a half-dozen volunteers as they hid more than 100 handwritten, brightly colored love letters in businesses and shops across downtown Port Angeles on Saturday."  

We made the front page of the Peninsula Daily News again today, but the true story will occur in the ripple effects of this project.

As a Life Coach and science enthusiast who has studied the impact of the butterfly effect, and specializes in teaching the HeartMath® system to increase heart coherence (see below for more information) I look forward to watching and enjoying the impacts of this project as the effects spread through our community.

For one thing, kindness is contagious.  When we see someone else be kind to another person, it gives us a warm feeling inside, and increases our own desire to be kind.

Second, kindness makes you happy.  Research has shown that once you start doing nice things for others, you might not want to stop.  This creates a positive feedback loop!

And third, focusing on kindness --and its associated emotions of love, care, appreciation-- can create a state of heart coherence.  When people are in a coherence state (when the heart, brain and nervous system are working in sync) their mental, emotional and physical systems function more efficiently. Increased coherence has been shown to normalize blood pressure, improve nervous system & hormonal balance, & facilitate cognitive function. 

Rollin McCraty, the Director of Research for HeartMath, in discussing the hypotheses they are studying at HeartMath and the Global Coherence Initiative, discusses the third hypothesis of their research: when large numbers of people intentionally create more heart-coherent states—love, care, compassion, and so on—it helps create what we call a more “coherent standing wave,” offsetting the stress waves that become standard in the human condition."

In this way, spreading the love in Port Angeles becomes a simple way that might impact the stress waves that have become standard in the human condition!  This is why I love The Port Angeles Love Letter project so much!

Dr. McCraty goes on to say, "What we’ve found is that if you have [one] really coherent individual who maintains that higher pitch, he or she can be much more useful than twenty people who are not really practiced or able to maintain their focus."

If you would like to learn to be one of those people, or just have a desire to learn some techniques that will teach you new ways to manage the stress in your life, or want to learn more about how you can get involved with The Port Angeles Love Letter Project, or Hannah Brencher's The World Needs More Love Letters project, contact me.

More on The HeartMath® system 

The HeartMath® system enables people to tap into the innate heart / brain communication system to reduce emotional stress and increase their heart rhythm coherence. The HeartMath® system is a comprehensive system based on two decades of research resulting in techniques, and technology that provide clear, concise methods for reducing stress and creating a deeper, richer experience of life. 
Science has shown that the heart communicates with the body and brain in four main ways:

• The heart sends neurological information to the brain and the rest of the body.
• Through the pulse, the heart sends energy in the form of a blood pressure wave. Researchers have seen that changes in the electrical activity of brain cells occur in relation to the changes in the blood pressure wave.
• The heart communicates on a biochemical level, releasing a hormone that inhibits the release of other stress hormones.
• The heart communicates electromagnetically. An EKG measured in the doctor's office is actually an electrical signal produced by the heart. This signal can be picked up anywhere on the body, and permeates the space around us.

Contact me for more information or to schedule your FREE 20-minute consultation.

Be healthy.  Be happy.  Live a Vital Life!
KIC Coaching - Inspiring a revolution of vitality in my community and beyond.
Serving the universe from the seaside town of Port Angeles

Re-Connect to Your Authentic Self.
www.kiccoaching.com or contact Kristin Halberg


Currently offering FREE 20-minute consultations to relieve stress and anxiety.
Phone appointments available.

V-Day's ONE BILLION RISING is biggest global action ever to end violence against women and girls

Why did I rise?

Let me count the ways ... 

I rose because I believe in the butterfly effect, in JOY and PASSION, and the BEAUTY that is omnipresent in women and girls around the world!

I rose because I believe in a world where women and girls are FREE and SAFE and CHERISHED and EQUAL.

I rose to STAND TALL, and HONOR myself, my friends, and family members who have experienced abuse and violence.  

 


I rose to keep the NEXT GENERATION safe from violence.

I rose to help create VISIBILITY and UNDERSTANDING of the INTERCONNECTION between issues such as poverty, greed, environmental plunder, imperialism, marginalization, immigration, labor, and political repression, and violence against women.

And I danced and laughed and rose to spread the joy and freedom of movement and laughter in our community.





I read the V-Day press release moments ago, and these are a few of the highlights:

• In India, events ranged from large-scale dance protests to bus drivers stopping the buses for 10 minutes in acknowledgement of the campaign for the safety of women. 
• All around the world youth rose. Students created art, staged their own risings, and wrote poetry heralding in the new wave of anti-violence activism. Schoolchildren staged flash mobs to the One Billion Rising anthem “Break the Chain” in classrooms and schoolyards, working with teachers, school administrators and their communities.
• There were tens of thousands of events across the world including over 50 events in Turkey alone, over 100 in the UK and Italy respectively, and thousands in both India and the United States. 
• Created the opportunity for councils of indigenous women to participate in global problem solving.  Created global solidarity and strength cutting across borders, races, class, religions, sexual orientation, ages, genders. Reignited solidarity between women's organizations in various countries. 
• Rekindled the ethos of sisterhood amongst women on a global scale.

ONE BILLION RISING wants all of us to pledge not just to party again next year at this time, but to take action TODAY to continue to change the world that is, into the world we want it to be.  What will you do?  Need more inspiration?

Join us this weekend, Saturday the 23rd, at 3 pm to deliver love letters throughout our community, and watch the joy spread!

Be healthy.  Be happy.  Live a Vital Life!
KIC Coaching - Inspiring a revolution of vitality in my community and beyond.
Re-Connect to Your Authentic Self.
www.kiccoaching.com or contact Kristin Halberg
Serving the universe from the seaside town of Port Angeles

Currently offering FREE 20-minute consultations to relieve stress and anxiety.
Phone appointments available.

Ripple Effects of Kindness - inspiration from a Concord High School student

It really can be this easy!  Watch this video "Spreading Smiles" -- 

After viewing this, why NOT spread kindness, that's my question?  

Each day, as I become more conscious and aware of my own behavior and of the people around me, I am striving to notice and act, rather than just noticing things I appreciate about others.  For example, I was filling my gas tank at the station a few weeks ago, and noticed the woman driving the car behind me had a cute & happy flower in a pot (one of those dashboard jiggly things) on her dash.  It made me smile at its spring-like aura, and I almost walked by just appreciating it and smiling to myself.  Then I became aware of my own interest, and reminded of the practice of kindness that I'm working on instilling into my nature (so that it becomes simply a natural part of who I am.)  I turned to the woman, and simply said, "I love your cheery flower pot!" with a smile, and pointed to her dashboard.  It made her happy, which made me even more happy.  And that's how it works!

Learn more about how to access the power of your heart to integrate practices of happiness and gratitude into your life, and increase your joy and vitality while decreasing stress, anger, anxiety, depression and sadness.

Be healthy.  Be happy.  Live a Vital Life!
Serving the universe from the seaside town of Port Angeles.
KIC Coaching - Inspiring a revolution of vitality in my community and beyond.
www.kiccoaching.com

One Billion Rising Port Angeles ... the aftermath of Love!

Yesterday we hosted One Billion Rising Port Angeles, on First Street by the fountain.  We hired a DJ, purchased balloons, and invited the entire town to join us!  I was struck by the joy in the crowd of men and women dancing, the freedom of expression, and the fun we inspired!  The joy spread like wildfire across town!  Here's one example I had the privilege of witnessing ...

When the event 
was over, we distributed the 
large bunches of balloons to a couple who joined us, and a group of teens that I may (or may not) have seen in the past, hanging out by the bus stop downtown.  When I stopped by Safeway on my way home, I saw that same group of teens re-gifting the balloons, one by one, to the Safeway shoppers, wishing them a Happy Valentine's Day.

Where else did the joy spread?  Do you have other stories about the ripple effect of kindness?  I'd love to hear your stories!

One Billion Rising Port Angeles

I am so thrilled to be a part of the team planning One Billion Rising Port Angeles!  We've been awed and amazed at the support from the community, media included!

We are counting down the hours now ... come on out and DANCE WITH US!  

Where?  Downtown fountain in Port Angeles
When?  Valentine's Day, February 14th, 4 pm to 6 pm
Why?  To show our solidarity with our sisters around the world who are RISING TOGETHER to say ENOUGH violence!

Learn more about the International ONE BILLION RISING movement on the official One Billion Rising website.

Women Use Anonymous Letters to Spread Love in Port Angeles

The first pile of letters, written in The Country Aire,
our local whole food store.

"You are magnificent!  Did you hear the wind whispering sweet nothings to you this morning?  Did you see the sunrise over the straits?  I was thinking of you when I sent those, beautiful one!"

Those are a few of the opening lines of the love letters written for strangers in Port Angeles, WA last week.  

The letter writing project began in New York city, when Hannah Brencher started her "the world needs more love letters" campaign. But this past week, myself and my collaborators in "Thriving on the Olympic Peninsula" brought the project to our small seaport town on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state.

My 5 year old niece, Mary Rose, who helped us go viral!
with her adorable photo on the front page!

The three of us are Life Coaches.  We formed "Thriving on the Olympic Peninsula" because we all believe that collaboration is the way of the future, and we believe in the abundance philosophy. We all thrive when we support one another to greatness.  

Hoping to garner interest in our letter writing party at the local library, we wrote a short news story for the Peninsula Daily News, and submitted it for publication.  The concept intrigued the editor, and he asked one of our local community writers to do a bigger story.  We love that writer, and were sure she would do a great job with our story, but we were absolutely amazed Tuesday morning when the story ran on the front page of our local paper!  We called one another to share the excitement.  A bit later in the morning, we were even more surprised and amazed when we started getting phone calls from the media in Seattle (two and a half hours away from our small town!)

The rest, as they say, is history ...!  The story was picked up by the Associated Press, and went viral!  You can check out my webpage to learn more about the project, and see more photos of the event.

Margaret Mead said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world, indeed that is the only thing that ever has!"  

We are holding a "letter writing distribution" party on the 23rd of February.  If you get the chance, swing on by to Port Angeles ... my hope is that the town will start hiding love letters all the time, and become known as "the little seaport town on the Peninsula where you can go on a treasure hunt for a love note tucked away and meant just for you!

Be healthy.  Be happy.  Live a Vital Life!
Serving the universe from the seaside town of Port Angeles.
KIC Coaching - www.kiccoaching.com