I really appreciate you passing this newsletter on. We're over 1,700 subscribers. My goal for March, 2003 (my 7th anniversary of being a coach) is 2,000 subscribers. Thank You.

My intent for this newsletter, if anything, is just to present the musings of a wandering woman. I've learned a lot about myself in this process of writing and from your feedback. I appreciate that feedback. Keep it coming! 

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

As I look out my window at the snow on the ground, I'm thinking about this coming Friday. I'm headed to St. John, U. S. Virgin Islands for another adventure. The topic of this retreat, What Are You Doing With The Rest of Your Life?, has got me more than a little excited. My co-host for the retreat, Patt Osborne, is turning 50 on November 6. I'm right behind her with my 50th on January 6. So we're both primed for the topic, not to mention the environment. Patt is already in St. John and I just got a picture from Patt this a.m. She says "Everybody's smiling in St. John--Even the hummingbird feeder!" 

Is Your Valve Open?

I had an expensive lesson last week. On Wednesday a technician came out to fix my water softener.  He tested the water at the kitchen sink and proclaimed it very, very hard. Yup, that's why I called. Then he went to the basement and in less than a minute discovered that one of the many valves on the maze of water pipes in the basement was closed and should be open. He opened the valve, waltzed back upstairs, ran the water for a few minutes, tested it again and proclaimed the problems solved. He handed me a bill for $95 and was back out the door in less than 15 minutes. My incredibly hard water was meeting resistance (the closed valve) and bypassing the softener.

So what to do with the fact that I spent the price of a really nice fishing rod on a closed valve? Well if I could just remember who I called to fix the leaking pipe last spring, I'd probably have the culprit who closed the valve and didn't reopen it. Sigh. But the immediate value was the relief I experienced when I got the news that this was not going to be an “expensive” repair problem. I also got a lesson on just how water flows through my house. It seems to me it could be done with a few less valves (I counted 10 total). But what do I know? 

Here's what I'm doing with that lesson now. I'm reminding myself that when I'm resisting in some way, in any way, I ought to check and see if my own valve is open.

So here are some things you might want to open before you get all rusty and have to call a technician. Open the valve to your...
...heart 
...capacity to receive
...attention to the answers
...attention to the questions, they're probably more important than the answers
...enjoyment of the outcome, even if it was not the expected one
...acceptance of those who deliver the messages
...intuition
...fears, let them flow through
...ability to change
...emotional reactions
...success
...mistakes
...path, the one you are on now, not the plan you have made
...burning desires
...creativity
...inner silence

Thanks to Coach Maggie Foley-Burgess for talking me through this one.

A Few Quotes

"If a person can't see and smell the banquet, malnutrition becomes a habit." ~Coach Allison Quattrocchi. 

"Keep your eyes open. If there's a problem, there's an opportunity." ~Carol L. Dannhauser

"Minds are like parachutes - they only function when open." ~Lord Thomas Robert Dewar
 

Peace and much love
Deb
 

Portage is published 12 times a year and distributed monthly by e-mail. Comments, submissions and suggestions are welcome. Please feel free to forward any or all of this newsletter to those you know will appreciate it and encourage them to subscribe for themselves. I am always pleased to receive your suggestions as to what type of material you would like to see here. 

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