I posted this picture yesterday under my "Busy" post, but thought it warranted its own post. A tribute to my Peeps – near and far.

We can lament the effect of social media on our lives all we want. Yet I also feel compelled to embrace the beauty of it. The people around the world – or maybe even in our own neighborhoods – who we might not have met if it wasn't for social media.

As someone new in town, I walk by parties wonder what it would be like to know these people. From a distance, it looks like fun. A great time.

And it might well be. I might have a lot in common with them, for all I know.

Yet I have also gone to my share of parties where I have nothing to say, and there's very little of interest to hear. 

So just like "real life," online you have to find your tribe, too. Your peeps. People you can open up with and share your thoughts. People who are supportive of you. Who (hopefully) believe in you. Who want the best for you, as you do for them. 

So this post is in tribute to my Peeps. You know who you are. My "beautiful souls" I talk with sometimes several times a day. The people who I can turn to any hour of the day, knowing that someone somewhere will be awake and looking for conversation – or a laugh. 

Thank you, Peeps!  Love you bunches!  

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday I was busy. Busy-busy. Like "hardly got off the chair or away from the computer" busy all day. I didn't take a break to exercise or watch TV or anything recreational. 

This quote is, of course, important. But so is the opposite, at least with me. I have been spending so much time "making a life" that I haven't been doing much to "make a living." 

Beyond writing and hiking I need to make some kind of progress. A contribution. A difference.

Yes, I enjoy writing this blog. (Some days more than others, but that's true of anything). And I enjoy managing my 

Yes, Happiness is being busy doing the things you love. And I love writing, creating, inventing. But sometimes we need to get out of our comfort/happiness zone just a bit, don't we? 

Rhetorical question. A conflict all authors know. You can't just sit at home and write and not reach out to the world with your "message."  It's like a single female who sits at home every night hoping for "Mr. Right" to show up at her doorstep. Not gonna happen unless she orders a lot of stuff online and has the hots for the UPS driver! 

So you have to get out there. Find your tribe. I got this image from a website (click it to follow the link). I love it. 

I have a couple of treasured online "tribes." Groups that fit this description and more. Like unity, sharing, support. 

One is a group I've been running for about a year and a half. It's a "fan" group for a book series, and is a very special group of beautiful souls. You know who you are – love you ALL!  

This group not only helps me by supporting my own novels, they also provide a lot of love and reinforcement and support. And purpose. 

I started another new Facebook group yesterday for a very different reason. It's a sub-group to a Masterclass for screenwriting taught by Aaron Sorkin. The group is called "Scripts with Purpose and Meaning" and is already turning out to be quite a special group.  

These groups are great. An opportunity to meet people from all over the globe. Yet we all need real, human contact as well, especially when you're new to town, so I'm also reaching out to find and/or put together groups here in Aspen. 

So far – it's fabulous. So many like-minds that also help my mind expand. 

 

 

In addition to looking for a grocery store and hiking trails, one of the first things I scout is a place to reflect and meditate. 

Yes, there's a lot of opportunity for meditative thought while hiking, but there's nothing like finding a special place to go "deep."  To reflect on life, to ask questions for your higher self or Higher Power to answer, or just to remove the thoughts from your head. 

I think I found such a place – and believe it or not it was at a park on the end of my very same street. How fortuitous can that be? Peaceful with waterfalls – both manmade and natural – whispering aspens, a nice breeze and large boulders to sit against.  Ahhh!

So many people talk about prayer or meditation as being similar, but to me they are as I say in this quote. Prayer is talking to God. Meditation is listening.  

I wrote an entire chapter on Prayer in my book Five Reasons Why Bad Things Happen. It's a complicated matter.

Why? Because we so often pray for things that might not be what's best for us. Or we fail to realize that sometimes we pray for something that affects other people in a way that's not best for them. 

When someone online asks for prayers I send this message: It's not a prayer exactly. Instead, it allows the recipient to accept the loving, healing energy. What's interesting is that I've had so many people tell me they can "feel" it. I love that.  

I have asked for many things in my life. Set out countless goals. Made plan after plan. This year (after another in a long series of failures), I my mantra became "I desire not to desire." Saying those words out loud had a visceral, profound effect.

 

 

Here's Garth Brooks' classic song about "Unanswered Prayers."

And, well, for a number of reasons I want to post this song. It's a cover of a Garth Brooks cover of a Bob Dylan song – and symbolizes a dream coming true for an unassuming and very talented singer.

There's a popular saying in skiing, "No Falls, no B***s."  Sort of a take-off on "No Guts No Glory."  

It's a valuable message. If you don't take a risk, then you'll never achieve greatness. If you don't go out on a limb, you'll never reach the fruit. 

But sometimes falls hurt. Guts are just another word for bravado. And limbs (of both kinds) break. 

The older you get, the more your knowledge-base of stories of people falling to their death on trails (or most recently a reporter in North Carolina slipping and pummeting 150 feet to her death on a waterfall), people who get lost in the wood or… worse. 

I'm calling this "Wipeout Part 1" because I'm quite sure they'll be a "Part 2" and probably more once the snow falls and ski season begins.  

In hiking, the analogy of "no guts no glory" doesn't really fit. Or probably shouldn't. But I did take a hike the other day with two major "obstacles," shall we say. 

I was curious about a trail off of "Hunter Creek" called the "Verena Mallory Trail" that might have fewer rocks to navigate. As I was looking at this sign, a hiker emerged and confirmed that this was, indeed, an alternative that would avoid some of the rocks on the trail. 

What he failed to tell me was that this trail was TREACHEROUS. Not only narrow and uneven, it had sheer drop-offs. Where one misstep could have certainly led to death or serious injury. To make matters worse, the black flies were out in masse, biting aggressively. 

I made it – by taking tiny, careful steps – barely. Then, guess what happened? I was so exhausted when I got to the bottom and flatter land, I was checking the time and stumbled. Wiped out. 

It was a few days ago and I'm recovering from my relatively minor wounds. The odd part is that they hurt more now than they did in the hours or even days afterwards. Funny how the body heals itself. (For an interesting article on why healing wounds itch, click here). 

And now for some music: 

Fat Boys Cover (my favorite):

I know I'm showing my age, but The Agony of Defeat in this ABC Wild World of Sports is SO appropriate!

I love this quote and how it teaches us to appreciate diversity and learn to accept people as they are. 

Maybe too many people are separated from nature. Maybe that explains it. Or maybe they are victims of what I call "Social Darwinism." (I didn't coin that phrase; I just have my own interpretation of what I think it means, which is what happens when someone is feeling insecure, he or she feels the need to put someone else down in order to feel "superior").  

I don't know. I do know that diversity makes nature more interesting. Wouldn't it be boring everyone was the same? If all the trees were "perfect?" As much as I love the Aspens here, if that's all there was, if each was identical, it would get old fast. 

Just like in music – we need low notes and high notes, major and minor, sharp and flat, black and white, melody and harmony to make music. A symphony isn't one instrument – it's a variety of sounds and rhythms, each using their unique talent and message to work together to deliver a unifying sound.  

And beyond that, these same instruments can make such a beautiful variety of sounds and genres, from soul to pop to jazz and everything else. 

As someone who has a passion for Innovation (one of these days I'm going to write my book, 50 Ways to Innovate, with over 50 different kinds of innovation), as well as being the inventor of the DrawSuccess Program, I also know how crucial it is to have diversity of thought. "Groupspeak," whether it's in friendships, business or the planet at large, limits creativity and innovation. Just as a closed mind prevents new thoughts. 

 

The interesting thing about coming to a new town and starting over is that you're a nobody. Completely anonymous. You don't know anyone, and they don't know you. You can walk down the street and never get a second glance. 

I remember when I lived in Manhattan I'd never felt so alone in a crowd in my life. It was the summer between my junior and senior year of college. I was working for an advertising agency and for the first two weeks I was filling in for the Chairman's assistant while she – and he – were gone. So I was alone. Alone alone. If that wasn't depressing enough, the first week I was there (living in a studio apartment on the upper west side), I dropped my clock radio and guess what broke? No, not the clock. And not the whole radio. Just the FM part was gone, so I was left with AM radio as my only entertainment. Talk about torture! The same three songs playing over and over again all summer long! And of course this was before the days of social media – or even cell phones, so I was completely isolated. I remember walking home one day and crying my eyes out. No one even gave me a second glance. 

So here I am again – alone and starting over in a new city. 

Yet there is a certain freedom in being anonymous. You can become whoever you want to be. They don't know who you are – or aren't. 

Aspen is an interesting blend of humanity. Yes, it's a residence of choice for a lot of the rich and famous. The non-anonymous. But what makes it interesting is how difficult it is to tell the "average Joe" from the famous one. And I think that might be one of the reasons they like it here. The opportunity to fit in and not necessarily stand out. To be anonymous.

So when I walk down the street – or up a mountain – on my own, I am not just a "nobody." I could also be a "somebody." I could be a wildly successful author or screenwriter or businessperson or just about anything. 

Or anybody. 

I'll end with a relevant (and favorite) song by Carly Simon:

And a little Staple Singers…

I didn't mean to upset anyone or be insensitive. I promise. I just wanted to share. I knew the rest of the country was in a dangerous heat wave, and I wanted to cool them off a little. Like people who share pictures of a warm beach when it's cold outside, right?

The other day I posted these pictures of the Ice Caves in the Grottos near Aspen on my Facebook page – while the rest of the country was struggling with record heat. I didn't post it to rub it in. Just to show that there are places to cool off. 

Okay, I guess I also wanted to also express my amazement in the pleasurable sights and weather in my new locale. Is that so wrong? If so, I'm sorry. (Though I don't think it's that different from anyone posting their travels or food or relationships, do you?) 

I will confess that I was a bit "haunted" wandering around these rocks and crevasses. I kept thinking about the movie (and real-life story) "127 hours" where Aron Ralston (played by James Franco) fell down into a deep cave and was trapped by a boulder. 

I guess that's one of the truths about getting older. You have more experience that tells you there are more things to fear than you might have imagined. 

 

Because you were singing it anyway…

And, well, it should be obvious… *wink*

Now let's talk about the "New" West. Yesterday I volunteered for the Aspen Brain Lab event here in Aspen. It was an honor to be a part of such an exeptional event – on so many levels. And in many ways a refreshing contrast to my previous experiences with similar events in Atlanta. 

The speakers at the event were top-notch, combining experts who live here (at least part of the time) with brilliant minds coming in from all over the country. Here's a list of speakers and topics. http://www.aspenbrainlab.com/speakers/. To be fair, Atlanta also has a lot of events with leading minds as well. Yet I didn't go to them as often as I probably should, for a number of reasons, mainly relating to safety and convenience. 

How refreshing (in a very literal sense) it is to be able to attend such an amazing event!  

One of the first distinctions was the venue. A week or so ago, I had been to a "Mind, Body, Spirit" talk at a nearby venue, Paepcke Auditorium, which was also lovely. Both intimate and spacious. 

The Aspen Brain Lab was at the Doerr-Hosier Center. As a prolific speaker and facilitator, I have delivered hundreds of events at all kinds of different venues, and I can say beyond any doubt that the Doerr-Hosier Center would have been by far my favorite place. Beautiful and open with inspiring, yet not distracting views and incredible use of light. Ahhh!  This photo was taken from one of the balconies just outside the meeting room. Ahhh! Fresh, mountain air!

It is both a dream and a goal to facilitate a future event at this location. To be able to share my expertise in innovative, interactive learning and self-development exploration with the open hearts and brilliant minds of Aspen.

Soon, I vow. Soon.  

To learn more about the architecture of the Doerr-Hosier center, and a little more about the Aspen Institute, see the video below:

The other difference from Atlanta was the convenience. It took me – get this – 7 minutes to get there. Seven minutes! In Atlanta it would have taken me 7 minutes to go less than a mile! To get to a similar event, I would have had to allow 90 minutes to get there. And unless the event was during the day and ended before dark, I would probably not have gone alone out of concern for my for my own safety. Yet here in Aspen I can feel free to explore "after dark" alone without worry. 

I remember a Sex & The City episode where Carrie decides to "date" her true love – New York City. I guess, in a way, I'm doing the same thing. So, yes, the love story continues with my newly adopted town. 

This might be an image you expect to see in Colorado. Horses tied up to a rail outside a saloon while their riders are inside refreshing themselves. 

But what you might not expect to see is those same horses blocking you from getting into your car.  

It does put things into perspective for sure. 

As some of you readers may know, my second novel travels back to "The Old West" – into the past life of my characters, Paige and Griffin. When writing it, I never could pinpoint the exact location they lived in and traveled to. In fact, I liked leaving it a little vague, primarily because past life memories are often quite vague. 

Yet now that I live in the "West," I'm motivated to explore a little into the world of Paige and Griffin in the late 1800s. See if I can find the cave with the view outside of town where they played together as children. Or the larger town Paige (as Penny) lived in with her aunt. 

I know – these were places conjured from my imagination. 

Or were they?  

Who knows where inspiration comes from. Literally defined, Inspiration means "to be infused with Spirit." So maybe…? Who knows, really. Okay, I know "who." Got that part right. 

Since I'm on an "Old West" theme today, here are some songs that make me think about the Old West, several of which are referenced in my DUET stories book.  And since it was just Don Henley's birthday recently, it's a nice idea to honor him.

I'm choosing the Linda Ronstadt version of this song for a few reasons, but mainly because I loved hearing Don Henley talk about how gracious Linda was at the beginning of his career.  (See below for the documentary "History of the Eagles). And I mean – listen to her pipes. Incredible. 

And to diverge a little bit – the live version of Hotel California is absolutely brilliant. 

While the sight of a deer is not exactly unusual (after all, I saw a herd of deer in the back yard of a house where I used to live in Atlanta). But it is a beautiful – and distinctively meaningful – vision to behold. 

I pulled over just to take a picture of this beautiful Aspen grove when this deer appeared.  

If you know me, (the person who literally "wrote the book" on things happening for a reason), it shouldn't surprise you that I believe in paying attention to signs. To notice messages to teach us something. This includes "spirit animals" or "animal totems," which basically means that when we see these creatures there's something for us to pay attention to. In the case of a deer, most sources say it's a sign to pay attention and listen (symbolized by the deer's big ears). They are also a beautiful combination of agility and fragility. 

Here are a couple of sites with information on the deer as a spirit animal:

Deer Spirit Animal

Deer Power Animal Symbol Of Gentleness Unconditional Love And Kindness

And here's a song from the movie Begin Again by (and I believe about) John Carney with Keira Knightly, Adam Levine and Mark Ruffalo. It has some interesting lyrics about a lion and a deer. 

And I loved this scene about how Mark Ruffalo's producer character can envision the potential for a song. Lyrically, it's about taking chances. To "take a step you can't take back."