Hey All

I'm leaving on Wednesday for fish camp. The car is almost packed with fishing gear and clothes. All that's left is to toss in the cooler and the dogs. The house sitter notes are complete. I may or may not get the lawn mowed but I don't much care. 

I talked to the camp yesterday and the big surprise was three inches of snow and a high of 27 degrees. The camp owner's truck slipped on the icy two track into town, missed a turn and went airborne for about 12 feet. The damage was a couple of dents in his pickup and one shot tire. The water pipes to the cabins and shower house are frozen.

I, on the other hand, am looking for more pleasant surprises. I know of a couple of hot spots for morel mushrooms. And I hear from those who are already at camp that the walleye are biting fast and furious and averaging 4-5 pounds. Yummy!

I'll be back home in early June, ready to start another series of Adventure and Retreat Coach teleclasses. If you're interested, details follow in this newsletter. My partner in these classes, Adventure Coach Patt Osborne is standing by to take your call. 

See you all on the flip side of May! 

A special thanks to those of you who have passed this newsletter on to others. And I do appreciate your feedback. Keep it coming! 

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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Surprise!

As a coach, it's always gratifying to hear a client enumerate all the things he or she has accomplished. But last month, when one of my clients told me, “I've become accustomed to being surprised,” well, it just made me thrilled and proud. 

Surprises, yes, can be as unwelcome as waking up to three inches of snow in the middle of May or some other hurtful onslaught. But most often, a surprise is an unexpected feeling of wonder and astonishment that has been triggered by something we have come upon suddenly. Sometimes it can be startling, but generally we think of surprise as something good. There may be disbelief, but surprises are usually enveloped in amazement. And what a great way to be, expecting and becoming accustomed to being surprised. Surprises make our life so much more special.

For me, May is the month of surprises. It's morel mushroom season and so I spend even more time in the woods around my home. Any other month of the year, you can find me walking the dogs for an hour or two each day. During May, I clear the calendar a couple of days each week and take to the woods from sunup to sundown. So while racking up all that time and all those miles in the woods, I have plenty of opportunity to be surprised by wildlife, both flora and fauna, rarely seen. And I'm on the hunt for the elusive morel, never knowing when I'm going to walk around the other side of a tree and be surprised by a jumbo white morel. Or a whole patch of them!

There's something instinctual or intuitional about finding morels. Most often, I have a sense, a physical feeling, in my gut and heart, just prior to making the discovery. I notice I slow my pace and breathing and become more alert. I've noticed the same intensity just before a fish hits my lure. I've learned how to detect the oncoming surprises at a cellular level that does not take away from the surprise but, instead, enhances it. 

You can too. We're all capable of having these feelings or “hints” prior to being surprised. Most of us, however, don't notice them because we haven't practiced. When we practice an activity that involves hunting or searching for something, we more frequently have the opportunity to notice what we were feeling and sensing just prior to the discovery. Go on the hunt, I suggest. And become accustomed to being surprised. 

“The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise. It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us.” ~Ashley Montagu 

”Surprise is the greatest gift which life can grant us.” ~Boris Pasternak

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Peace and much love
Deb
 

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