Welcome to my Portage e-newsletter! Enjoy! 

There's a hard frost this morning. As the wind blows through the leaves, I can acutally hear them clinking against each other. Soon, when the sun comes up and warms them, many will loose their grip and fall to the ground in a rain of gold and orange and red and brown. 

My intention for this newsletter, if anything, is simply to present the musings of a wandering woman.  Take what works for you. Discard what does not. I won't mind a bit. 

"The act of putting pen to paper encourages pause for thought, this in turn makes us think more deeply about life, which helps us regain our equilibrium."  ~Norbet Platt

A favor, please? I appreciate your help growing this e-newsletter. If you find value in my writing, please forward this broadcast to folks you know and ask them to subscribe.

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Memories

Cold morning. The steam is rising off the creek, creating ghost-like wisps through the cedars.

I wonder about the seemingly substantial, the things in our lives that feel so solid. And then, just like the steam on the creek, the images of something once very real are gone in an instant with something as minor as the shift of the sun one degree. And I am left wondering if I imagined it. I suppose it does not matter if I imagined something as fleeting as the steam rising off the creek or my entire past. The memories are still rich and they sustain me.

At the time, each experience is wonderful, or painful or peaceful or even magical in that one moment when it is present. And then, in the blink of an eye, it becomes a memory, something in the past to hold on to.
 
Our memories are ultimately all we are, I suppose. Something so simple, so sweet, so painful, or so inviting is really nothing more than a fleeting moment. But in that moment it also becomes a memory we will hold on to forever.
 
Sometimes I imagine myself being able to craft my future. If I just do this…If I just say that…If I am able to save a certain amount for later…If I invest in this…If I take time each day to plan...
 
And yet, when I choose to be still, to put all the plans and plots and good intentions on the back burner to simmer, I’m present enough to really experience the things that will create lasting memories. I don’t have to work for them. I don’t have to create rituals to make them happen. They are just there for me. And as my bank of memories grows, my present becomes more luscious. The past and the present become woven. The future? Well, I’ll just wait for it to become the present and I’ll see what memories unfold from that.

"Leftovers in their less visible form are called memories.  Stored in the refrigerator of the mind and the cupboard of the heart."  ~Thomas Fuller

"Memory is not so brilliant as hope, but it is more beautiful and a thousand times more true." ~George Denison Prentice

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Adventure and Retreat Teleclass Training Starts Tuesday, October 6!

On Tuesday, October 6, Patt Osborne and I begin another Adventure and Retreat teleclass series for coaches and wellness professionals who want to take it outside!

• By the end  of this series, you will be in a great position to offer retreats and adventures as part of your business.
• This 9-session series runs through the end of the year.
  
• All sessions are recorded so if you should miss a call, you have a week to listen in.
• Includes two one-on-one coaching sessions.
• A SPECIAL price is being offered for this fall series.
  
• Details can be found at http://www.portagecoach.com/ARCTraining.html

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Where You Can Find Me

Here's how you can find me:
My Portage website is, well, Portage. You'll find more about me and coaching there. 
You can read this article and more at either one of my Portage Blogs right Here and Here. Stop by and comment.
On Facebook, you'll find I'm just plain Deb Martin. Feel free to add me.
On Twitter, I'm Deborah Martin. Although, admittedly I don't totally "get" Twitter. For me, less is more when it comes to Twitter.
On Ryze, you can find me hanging out as debcoach.
And on one of my favorite sites, Squidoo, I'm right Here. I've got lenses related to these articles and more.
You'll find my Market America business and products at My MA Webportal. Just let me know if you are interested in knowing more about products and/or the business.
If you want to do a little fishing with me, you can find out more at Cameron Lake Fishing Lodges, Inc.
And finally, my email addresses are deb@portagecoach.com, deb@deborahmartin.com and deb@cameronlakefishinglodges.com.  Feel free to use them.

Again, thanks for letting me bop into your inbox once in awhile.

Blue Sky and Sunshine, My Friends!

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.

You can subscribe to this newsletter by visiting the subscription box on my home page at www.portagecoach.com

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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

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Copyright (c)  2009 by Deborah Martin. All rights reserved.