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

On Living ...

Photo from http://evelynrodriguez.typepad.com/

"The Buddha was instructing a young nobleman, who had asked how he could know that the Buddha was teaching truth.  The Buddha explained that what he taught was a way to discover truth for yourself.  Still, the young man wanted to know if following this path would lead to a happy afterlife.

'If you had been shot in the arm with an arrow,' the Buddha said, 'would you have it plucked out quickly?  Or instead, would you inquire from whence came the arrow?  Was it from an enemy archer or an accident from your own men?  Would you inquire if the archer was an untouchable, of military class, or a noble?  Would you then require a list of his ancestors and parentage?  Would you seek to know the materials that made up the bow and the arrow?  Would you only then, after gathering all these facts, pluck the arrow from your arm?'

'No master,' replied the young man.  'But I do not understand your meaning.'

'My meaning is clear,' spoke the Enlightened One.  'Life does not give us time to prepare all things before taking action.  We must take action as best we can, as we need to, and learn all else we need while we are ourselves in action.  Don't put off doing what you can and what you know is important just because you do not know the unknowable.'
--from the Shaolin Grandmaster's Text

Today, let go of the how and the preparation ... live into the laughter and fullness of your life!  Breathe into the vibration of your deepest purpose, and let that be enough to carry you today.

Bravely Step into a New Beginning

As we approach December 21st, the winter solstice, the end of the Mayan calendar, and approach the 1st of January 2013, I thought I'd share one of the poems that has been inspirational to me since I began walking into my new life nearly 7 years ago.

For a New Beginning

In the out of the way places of the heart,
Where your thoughts never wander,
This beginning has been quietly forming,
Waiting until you were ready to emerge.

Though your destination is not yet clear
You can trust the promise of this opening;
Unfurl yourself into the grace of beginning
that is at one with your life's desire.

Awaken your spirit to adventure;
Hold nothing back, learn to find ease in risk;
Soon you will be at home in a new rhythm
For your soul senses the world that awaits you.
(John O'Donahue)

I hope it inspires and comforts you as well as it has me!

Thanksgiving Weekend Challenge

Your challenge for Thanksgiving Weekend:  Choose five questions from this list and work them casually into the conversation.  My personal favorite?  What act of kindness has made the greatest difference in your life?  My best friend (before I knew her well) gave me a ride back from my brother's state track meet to a beach retreat, and we bonded on the road.  She became one of the most positive influences in my life and is a very dear friend some 20+ years later!

Love is Exponential!

"If many people do small acts of love ..." love will grow!  Everybody wants to love, Everybody wants to be love ...!"  Click here for an example of one small way to make a difference in the world!

http://youtu.be/TlFCfkyuQM

Take a Stand

Weekend Challenge:  This weekend, Take a Stand for something you believe in.  This 8 year-old girl took a stand against slavery.  What --big or small-- will you take a stand for this weekend?

Appreciate the Unappreciated

Weekend challenge:  Appreciate the Unappreciated.  Make a list of people and things you normally take for granted.  For example:  garbage collectors, mailmen, check-out clerks, evergreen trees, (creating oxygen for us to breathe,) bees (pollinating fruits and flowers).  Make it a point to thank them this weekend!  (Yes, you can thank trees and bees too ...)

"Being truly thankful makes you infinitely more resourceful ..."  --Ralph Marston (writer, philosopher)