Hey All

Welcome to my Portage Newsletter. 

How was your summer? Outstanding, I hope.
In May, I fished Northern Ontario 14 days in two trips. I mowed the lawn once.
In June, I had Jeep failure and didn't fish at all. I picked a rash of blueberries. I mowed the lawn twice. Was a nasty pattern forming here? 
In July I fished Northern Ontario 12 days. I mowed the lawn once.
In August I fished Northern Ontario for 15 glorious days. And I mowed the lawn only once.
This month I’ll be back up for two weeks. I've already mowed the lawn.

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. I've learned a lot about myself in this process of writing these newsletter articles. 

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be." ~ Douglas Adams

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. 

Back to Contents
 

The Intimacy of September

Ah, September. It's my favorite time of the year. My flower garden has dulled to browns and just a few yellows from the lingering Black-eyed Susan. But the backyard along the creek bank is in full bloom with goldenrod and wild aster. Yellow and lavender grace the perimeter. The Shaggy Manes are popping up in the yard and I'm devouring them as fast as they dare show themselves.

In September, as the yellow school bus once again winds its way down the road, I get the urge to get things around the house and yard completed and put away. As the autumnal equinox approaches here in the northern hemisphere, as the sun crosses the celestial equator and night and day become nearly the same length, I too feel the balance. 

There's something familiar and meaningful about September. It's the time of year I feel most intimate with others, myself, and the things around me. The frivolity of summer has ended and with September comes the urge to push my roots a little deeper. I feel warm friendship with those around me. I feel cozy in my surroundings. I'm less interested in declaring my desires, as I had all summer, and much more interested in discovering what my desires want of me. 

The intimacy of my September reflections and conversations brings me closer to others as those conversations and thoughts become more intellectual, spiritual and emotional. I'm enjoying those deeper connections. I hope you are too. Trust me, September is safe.

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.  ~Albert Camus

Delicious autumn!  My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.  ~George Eliot

Youth is like spring, an over praised season more remarkable for biting winds than genial breezes.  Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits.  ~Samuel Butler

Back to Contents
 

Peace and much love
Deb
 

The Fine Print
A Note About My Recommendations
I provide links in this newsletter to products and services I am offering or I have personally found valuable. If you are ever disappointed with one of these recommendations, please let them and me know. If they don't make it right, I will.

If you find value in Portage please pass it along and ask your friends to subscribe. Thank You.

Help me stay with you. If you are enjoying Portage, please protect your subscription. If your email address is about to change, please remember to visit my home page and subscribe your new address. And if your email service automatically deletes large broadcasts like this one, let them know you want Portage from Deb Martin to come through.

Portage is published 12 times a year and distributed monthly by e-mail. Comments, submissions and suggestions are welcome. Please forward any or all of this newsletter to those you know will appreciate it and encourage them to subscribe for themselves.

Although this material is subject to copyright, you may reprint this publication, in whole or in part, in your company publication, in training, presentations, or wherever you feel it would be of benefit. This also holds true for members of the media. All I ask is that you include the following: Reprinted with permission from Deborah Martin of Portage at http://www.portagecoach.com

The names of newsletter subscribers are not shared or sold.

Copyright (c)  2006 by Deborah Martin. All rights reserved.