Alive in my Heart

Today I am coasting into the work week with a dreamy, beautiful and empowering weekend alive in my heart.It all began Friday afternoon sharing with my friend Andrea Deerheart about the choices we don’t know we have regarding death and dying. Through her work at the Heart Way, Conscious Living, Conscious Dying, she is a death doula, an advocate and a teacher. We spoke of old mythos and breaking down paradigms in our society and our hearts.That evening I went to a bookclub meeting with seven beautiful, strong, conscious women to discuss The Untethered Soul. This book addresses that critical, nagging voice inside you that if she were sitting on the couch next to you, you’d tell her to shut up. But sometimes we get caught or blocked because the stories she tells are quite believable and intriguing. I named her Sheila, she wears a sweater of fear that keeps her cozy, but not me. Tangible, not fantasmic or etheric, she’s much easier to quiet and push onto the floor.Saturday I visited my friends Cheri and Scott in Westlake. Cheri listens with such compassion and Scott offers intriguing insight into the male psyche. We walked eight miles (in prep for the Warrior Dash mud run) through trails where at dusk the coyotes howled and hawks hunted before evening’s descent. For hours we shared thoughts on politics to relationships, deepening our friendship bond.On Sunday inspired by Cheri, a group of powerful women visited The LA County Museum and The Wonderland Exhibit displaying female works of art dating from 1931 to 1968, with some later examples that demonstrate Surrealism's influence on the feminist movement. “While their male counterparts usually cast women as objects for their delectation, female Surrealists delved into their own subconscious and dreams, creating extraordinary visual images. Their art was primarily about identity: portraits, double portraits, self-referential images, and masquerades that demonstrate their trials and pleasures.”Last night Jeep came over and we enjoyed a fabulous dinner at a favorite restaurant, Mama D's, followed by a dip in the jacuzzi. Steeped in the weekend's blessings, I deeply enjoyed his company and our growing, evolving friendship.Ahh. Life really can be beautiful.