Hey All

Welcome to my Portage Newsletter. 

I'm about to take this winterized body to the Virgin Islands for our annual retreat, The Rest of Your Life: A Playful Retreat for Successful Life Transitions. There's still room. Come join us if you're inclined!

I'm one who does not have a strong attachment to goals. Oh, I can focus on occasion but, frankly, I'm a wanderer. Like the creek in my backyard, I rarely follow a straight line. I'm continually picking up new things that cross my path, carrying them with me for awhile, and discarding old things to the bank. My intent for this newsletter, if anything, is just to present the musings of a wandering woman. And I appreciate your feedback. Keep it coming! 

"I'll let you be in my dreams if I can be in yours." ~~Bob Dylan

A special thanks to those of you who have passed this newsletter on to others.

I'd love to hear your thoughts, insights and understandings. deb@portagecoach.com

If you're anticipating a transition, personal or business, just give me a call at 231-879-4178 or 877-762-4178. 

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A Fly In My House

There's a fly in my house. It has been here for two days. It's smaller and looks different than the house flies I've seen all winter. And it's bigger than a fruit fly, so I know it didn't come from the bananas in the kitchen. I'm excited. It's the first sign of spring! This fly may be a misfit, but I'm pretty attracted to the misfits of this world and thrilled to have it in my life.

So it was a short leap from this misfit, the fly, to this month's newsletter. Hey, no excuses for the strange wanderings of my mind. That's the point.

The Top Ten Ways to Enjoy Being a Misfit:

1.  What causes you to be labeled a misfit is the very thing that makes you an individualist. Explore it! 
2.  Your “misfit-ness” is often your strength. Hone it!
3.  If being a misfit looks like fun, others will follow you. Flaunt it!
4.  Every circumstance in  which you find yourself unsuitable is an opportunity to learn something new. Uncover it!
5.  When you stand out, you have a better chance of being heard. Say it!
6.  People will talk about you. Use it!
7.  Expanding on that which makes you different will elevate you to one of a kind. Enjoy it!
8.  Misfits often look at things from slightly different angles. Notice it!
9.  Misfits tend to question accepted views and to consider contradictory ones. Challenge it!
10.  Just like the fly in my house, if you're the only one out there, the lanes are wide open! Floor it!

First, ask yourself “Am I a misfit in any way?” And if so, don't concern yourself with hiding or compensating for it. But instead, ask yourself, “How can I expand that to other areas of my life?” Because today's misfit is tomorrow's maverick.

“Man is physically as well as metaphysically a thing of shreds and patches, borrowed unequally from good and bad ancestors, and a misfit from the start” ~~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Here's part of a little ditty I've been singing lately. My favorite version is Susannah McCorkle’s
A stick, a stone,
It's the end of the road,
It's the rest of the stump,
It's a little alone

It's a sliver of glass,
It's life, it's the sun,
It is night, it is death,
It's a trap, it's a gun

The oak when it blooms,
A fox in the brush,
The knot in the wood,
The song of a thrush

The wood of the wind,
A cliff, a fall,
A scratch, a lump,
It's nothing at all

It's the wind blowing free,
It's the end of the slope,
It's a beam, it's a void,
It's a hunch, it's a hope

And the river bank talks
Of the waters of March
It's the end of the strain
It's the joy in your heart

The Waters of March  ~Antonio Carlos Jobim

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Peace and much love
Deb
 

The Fine Print
A Note About My Recommendations
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