Cosumnes River Bat Spectacular

We went to the Cosumnes River Preserve for a potluck and bat presentation. We saw live adult bats. They are so tiny! The presentation dispelled many myths about bats. They don't nest in your hair, so when Bruce touched my head while thousands of bats were flying over I felt like a bat flew into my hair even though I know that would be very unusual.

Bats like to live under bridges during the day and then fly out at sunset. We waited until the sun was sinking as the evening light twinkled over the river. Then suddenly thousands of tiny bats like a swarm of ants flew across the sky. The preserve just south of Sacramento has about 40,000 bats as regular inhabitants. They eat their weight in bugs and help control mosquitos and other bugs.

We didn't join the Kayak Tour since I didn't want to kayak down the river after dark (I don't think Bruce did either.) We'll have our daylight kayaking next weekend. We took a walk along the river and watched the kayakers and hawks. A cool breeze, Mt. Diablo at sunset, and a bat fly over. Great evening!

Be the Light

It was a dark wet day. If I had stayed inside, I would never have seen the rain splatter on the sidewalk or the wet leaves that stuck like glue to the grass.

For a few minutes the sun shone through the gray clouds. “It must be time for a walk,” I said. Within minutes the sun was lost to heavy skies. I smiled and put on my raincoat. Today I am the light. I can smile, share, and find joy in the day.

“Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

20 minutes walking

Krochet Kids

I had the chance to go to a Krochet Kids International party this evening. I bought a beautiful white silky scarf made from bamboo. It was fun to watch the video of the guys who started the Krochet Kids after learning to crochet in high school. The smiling faces of the Ugandan women who made the hats and scarves was contagious.

"Being avid snow sports enthusiasts, we liked the idea of having our own unique headwear on the mountain and, though it was not a normal hobby for high school guys, we reveled in the novelty of it." Dubbed "Krochet Kids" by a hometown newspaper, the boys went to college, discovered the plight of Ugandan people who had been living in camps after the ravages of war. They eventually started a nonprofit that has been helping women support their families. Some of the women have gone on to start their own businesses and the nonprofit is growing rapidly. It was a blessing to see the women's jubilant faces as they are learning a craft and supporting themselves.

"Do not train children to learning by force and harshness, but direct them to it by what amuses their minds." Plato

I saw this quote by Plato and I thought of the high school boys who were able to have so much fun learning and teaching.




20 minutes walking

Brainstorming

In workshops and classes, I love to have everyone brainstorm. In the past I didn't like the idea of brainstorming because anyone can share whether they seem to have a good idea or not. But the point of brainstorming is to come up with as many ideas as possible in a short period of time. One idea leads to another. Brainstorming is an intuitive creative process that I had to learn to appreciate.

As Nobel laureate Linus Pauling said, “The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas.” When writing, problem-solving, or inventing, unproductive ideas can lead to creative designs and failure can lead to success. In her article, Creative Arts and Creative Thinking Are Not the Same Thing! Abby Connors defines creativity as the "ability to generate multiple responses."

When I tap into my intuitive feelings and responses I come up with multiple options and a slew of ideas. I can choose which thoughts and ideas I want to share and how I want to share them, but first I want to be honest with myself. Journaling, blogging, and brainstorming are great ways to delve into finding my true self.

Brainstorming, writing, and walking are great ways to generate ideas. Try a Walk About U! to brainstorm ideas with a LifeWork Coach.

25 minutes walking

Deliberate Practice

We all have a story to tell, and more people than ever are telling their stories, writing fiction, and promoting their businesses through self-publishing. Authors, entrepreneurs, and consultants are joining the publishing craze by learning to publish their own books.

"The DIY ethic (do it yourself ethic) refers to the ethic of being self-reliant by completing tasks oneself as opposed to having others who are more experienced complete them for you. It promotes the idea that an ordinary person can learn to do more than he or she thought was possible." Wikipedia

I am in the process of discovering my story through writing blogs, articles, and a book. I sometimes wonder why it is taking so long. As I read about the DIY's, I realized I have been learning to be a writer and publisher. Setting a goal is the first step, but developing the mastery to accomplish the goal is an even greater leap.

Research by K. Anders Ericsson and others have shown that the right environment, deliberate practice, and study have a greater affect on expert performance than inborn talent or intelligence. In an interview with Fast Company Magazine, Ericsson says,

"Successful people spontaneously do things differently from those individuals who stagnate. They have different practice histories. Elite performers engage in what we call "deliberate practice"--an effortful activity designed to improve individual target performance. There has to be some way they're innovating in the way they do things."

Disciplining myself to walk everyday, practice writing daily, and learn about writing is helping me improve my skill and expertise. Having friends, family, colleagues, and other professionals who give me feedback, publish my articles, and support me in my work gives me an environment to grow my talent. We'll see where it leads me.

70 minutes walking

Take a Comma

"Writing clearly isn’t easy.
 Writing, clearly, isn’t easy."

While I agree with both of these statements, the commas give each a different meaning. In her article, "The Best Use of Commas," Mary Morel shares her advice on how to use, or not use, commas. Commas are like shadows giving pause before the next burst of sunlight. Sentences need commas to give a break, short release, or meaning, just as we need breaks in our energy/work cycles. Take a comma, I mean a break, and I'll try to avoid the run on sentences.

60 minutes

Calories

I was shocked and confused to see an additional pound for the last two days when I stepped on the scale. I walk therefore I lose, or so I thought. Standing on a digital scale makes it easy to forget that scales are a balancing act between weights. The numbers seem to magically get larger or smaller. But the image of the balancing of two scales reminds me that calories consumed on one side of the scale versus calories burned on the other determines the weight on the scale.

I resolved my dilemma when I realized I had been walking less than usual. I pulled something in my hip while bouncing my ever growing grandson. My pace slowed and my walking time was reduced. Burning calories is a balancing act between consumption and energy. I simply got out of balance by burning fewer calories than I was consuming.

 The Walking Site offers interesting information about walking and burning calories:

There are approximately 3500 calories to one pound of body fat.

For most people losing one to two pounds per week is a healthy weight loss goal (more than that can cause loss of bone and muscle mass.

In order to average one pound per week it would be necessary to burn an additional 500 calories per day. (7 days a week X 500 calories per day = 3500 calories.)

This will vary depending on the individual, speed walked, terrain, etc. An average person can lose approximately 100 calories per mile.

An average fitness walking pace is close to a 15 minute mile.

20 minutes walking

The Power of Beauty

"Our world is filled with breathtaking structures of incredible beauty, but mostly, our eyes are closed to them. I suppose it's like the old saying, the fish can't see the water it is in. Today, you will be surrounded by gorgeous, stunning, exquisite, magnificent structures. If you begin to look, your eyes will become open to an aspect of the world most people miss seeing. Something wonderful can happen as this universe within the world opens to you." Robert Fritz

It was time for a walk, so we bundled up and went out. I said I would walk everyday, so I will. I walk the same path several times a week, and occasionally very my destination. It's easy to see the same neighborhood, park, benches, and trees without marveling at their wonders. But then I look again and see a tree that is a brighter shade of red, sunlight sparkling on the grass, or clouds passing over. A smiling face or a dog barking as he enjoys a frolic in the park. Everyday is different even if it is the same. A new adventure is waiting to see what you bring to your day.


45 minutes walking

Fuzzy Warm

Black leather gloves, a fuzzy warm scarf, a jacket, and warm shoes. I’m protected from the weather and ready for a nice walk on a cold day. Storms may pass through my life, but I have the support of family, friends, and colleagues. I have a network of people I can call for warmth and support. I am thankful for having warmth from the outside in.

Being out on a freezing cold day without a sweater and gloves is similar to managing your life without support. There are so many people in the world who have had their family systems shattered. My prayers go out to them that they will find warmth and peace this holiday season.

25 minutes walking

What Are You Saying?

What are you saying about yourself on the internet? I used to hide away my journals, poems, and notes. Some of us even put password protection on our personal thoughts. Now we write, blog, journal and discuss our breakfast choices as we transmit our messages all over the web.

It’s a nice idea to do a search on your name and business to check what is out there about you. Sometimes blogs or comments you made years ago will show up through Google Maps or some other search engine.

Know what your online impression is saying about you. Research yourself and your business online.

This kind of transparency can be very effective in showing us loud and clear where are activities and values are. It also lets everyone else know.

It pays to be tactful, honest and ethical in our communication online in and person. In the show “The Human Face” researchers showed that people are more likely to be courteous when they see someone face-to-face than they are in a car or online. There is something about seeing someone’s face, body language, and reactions that make us more polite.

As an employer, consultant or job seeker, do you check prospective employees or businesses on social networking sites? I check professionals that I may want to work or collaborate with. I want to see how they write and what their writing style is. I check to see if a site is all marketing or if I can get a glimpse of their product and expertise.

The Human Face

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0280262/

20 minutes walking

Eating in Season

Zucchini, basil, lemon balm, garlic chive, red & green peppers plucked straight from the garden mixed with brown rice, cabbage, onion, garlic and carrot mixed with cream of chicken soup and soy sauce made a delicious dinner rice dish.

Wow! I couldn’t believe I ate all of those vegetables. They were colorful and delicious. I used to just eat green beans, now I am aware of the vegetables that are in season. As much as I can, I like to eat locally grown vegetables from our backyard garden or the farmer’s market. They are fresher, healthier, and less travel creates less impact on the environment. Eating in fresh vegetables in season also means eating a variety of vegetables.

I supplement the fresh fruit and vegetables with frozen blueberries and avocados which are my favorite. But fresh produce in season provides the more vitamins and flavor.

30 minutes walking

Apple Hill

Gold, red, bronze and brown leaves flying in every direction. It was a perfect fall day at Apple Hill. A family day in the beautiful California hills with sunshine and a 7-month old’s first trip on a kid’s train, bare toes in the green grass, pumpkins, hugs, and lots of smiles.

Walking through the apple ranches we were met with the smell of fresh apples, the aroma of cinnamon apple pies baking in the ovens, and rich pine trees. The air was fresh and clean. Then coming down the hill we could see the haze hovering over the city. Back home, walking through the neighborhood, I could only reminisce about the cool clear mountain air.

30 minutes walking

Reinvention

Everyday is new and different when I walk outdoors. Each day is a new story in the evolving seasons. Next week it will start getting dark earlier in the day. Birds will migrate, the air will get cooler (I'm hoping.) The days and nights reinvent themselves.

As I work in my office at my computer, it's easy to feel like things are staying the same. There is a certain sense of peace that comes with knowing what to expect, but I also begin to put myself in a box expecting the same thing of myself everyday.

It's great to know what my strengths are and build on them, but it is also exciting to challenge myself in new ways. When one door closes, find another door. I can reinvent myself through the stories I tell about myself and the directions I choose to walk.

I'm excited about the upcoming Reinvention Summit: The World's First Virtual Conference on the Future of Storytelling, Nov 11-22, 2010. "We are gathering a new tribe of storytellers: change-makers, marketers, entrepreneurs, and creatives..." I'm not sure what it is all about, but it sounds interesting. I found Michael Margolis' podcast on storytelling inspiring while taking a walk. I'm always looking for a new story.


Join Nancy J. Miller, LifeworkCoach, for a Walk About U! Tell your story in a new and unique way.

30 minutes walking

Opportunities in the Air

It is the first day of November and a beautiful day for a walk. The windless blue skies are giving us a break in the weather before winter sinks in it’s cold damp teeth. With the holidays approaching this month and next, job seekers often say it’s a bad time to look for a job. Some employers are willing to wait until the new year to begin hiring, while others are busier than ever this time of year.

Shopping, cooking, eating out, and movies are popular in November and December. If you think about all of the different work that goes into entertainment, you will find where the employment is. People often put off elective surgery, glasses, dental work and other necessary but non-urgent needs.

You want to think like an entrepreneur if you want to find a job or business opportunity in uncertain times. As an entrepreneur, think about the products or services that would be popular this time of year. If your field of expertise is in an area other than the thriving businesses, then think about what you would do if you were the employer. If you had work that needed to be done and didn’t want to go through a permanent hiring process right now, you might think about hiring someone temporary. The right temporary person could turn out to be an easy hire in January.

If you own your own business, think about what people need or want during the winter months. Is there something you could add to your portfolio to meet an off season need? There are always opportunities for those of us who have an entrepreneurial spirit.

20 minutes walking

112 days

Trick or Treat?

It’s national eat candy and sweets day. The day we buy treats and hand them out to the neighborhood children. The trick is that now we can start buying all of our favorite candy in black & orange packages beginning in September. I don’t normally buy candy bars, but I couldn’t resist those little tiny chocolate bars in my favorite flavors. There couldn’t be that many calories in a tiny bar. Tricked again!

 A gigantic bag of tiny little candy bars adds up to much more candy available than a large block of chocolate. They look so little, but the snacking quickly adds up.

There are so many good reasons to have a little chocolate, caffeine and sugar. I’ll share some of my reasons with you, and you can use them anytime you want to eat something sweet.

• Helps me think
• Didn’t get enough sleep
• Makes a boring job more interesting
• I saw a mini chocolate bar on the counter
• I found a step stool and was able to climb up to the high cabinet where I hid the chocolate bars so I would forget them until “candy day”
• Add your own if none of these fit for you

The final “trick” is that instead of having more energy, I felt sluggish as I started out on a nice long walk today. I knew I needed a walk, but I didn’t feel the usual spring in my step. I felt like I was wearing all those tiny little candy bars. Maybe all of those excuses didn’t work out very well.

I walked to the drug store and found the isles being stocked with that familiar candy now in green & red wrappers. I won’t be tricked again! Fall is the time of year for green and red apples that don’t even need wrappers. I’ll try to reign in the sugar monster and at least make something if I want a sweet treat. Making cookies for the church welcome boxes took a little effort but I had far fewer treats left to tempt me.

60 minutes walking

Hearty Brain

Walking and Brain Volume

Walking 6 miles or so every week is not only good for the heart, but for the brain, preventing shrinkage and possibly dementia down the road new research indicates. Walking also increases gray matter in the brain.

It's easy to walk 6 miles a week. By walking everyday, I am averaging about 6 miles a week. The recommended 30 minutes everyday or long walks on weekends and 20 minutes a day should do it. Walking is healthful, and walking outdoors brings even more vitality to the mind and body.

One of the hazards of writing is that it is a sedentary task. It's easy to develop unhealthy habits while researching and writing about health. As I focus on writing about publishing, I will plan to have several short posts (sprints) and then the occasional in depth article. Just as a longer walk can take you to new and interesting places, writing deep thoughts or feelings can take you to a higher level of thinking.

Going deeper, finding the underlying meanings, and what people really care about are my interests, but a short sprint is also healthy. Just get up, take a break from reading. Log off of Facebook, take a walk, laugh, call a friend, do something quick, active and fun. Contact Nancy to schedule a Walk About U!

30 minutes walking

Uninspired

Wilted curling turning brown. Fall leaves sprinkle the sidewalk in various stages of vitality. The listless leaves caught my attention. I felt uninspired today.

Walking through the leaves under a cool cloudy evening sky chatting away about the projects I've been working on, I realized I was tired of writing and had nothing to say. This week some things were working, and some were dragging on.

I've been researching the maize of information about self-publishing this week. The low cost of printing and digital technology has birthed a whole new market for publishing. As a writer, I couldn't be happier about the trend, but it took some sleuthing to learn the ins and outs of the industry. It was overwhelming at first, but then the pieces started fitting together. It took some time to understand what self-publishers are really selling under all of the jargon. There are so many choices that it takes diligent research to find the hidden costs. As a writer and entrepreneur, I definitely find it worth the effort.

50 minutes walking

108 days

History of My Own Fictions

“It is not my purpose, in this record, though in all other essentials it is my written memory, to pursue the history of my own fictions. They express themselves, and I leave them to themselves. When I refer to them, incidentally, it is only as a part of my progress.“ David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

David Copperfield tells his story in the book by the same name. Through the walking, dialogues, and character development, Copperfield tells his life story as he remembers it in the early 1800's. As I listen to the audio story, I feel like I am walking with little David as he grows into a man. As I was listening, I was struck by the phrase, “…the history of my own fictions.” Granted the story is a fictitious account of Copperfield’s life, but as I read it, I thought about how my memory of my life story includes reality and fiction. Some of my memories are clear and others are shrouded in mystery.

Memories are clouded by intervening events, emotions, and a deluge of sensory data. Writing fiction sometimes taps into more reality than remembering actual events. Writing fiction, poetry, and journaling taps into the reality of emotions, senses, and the subconscious. Try writing the history of your own fictions and see where it takes you.

30 minutes walking

107 days

A Few Simple Steps

Have you ever watched people as they walk? Everyone has their own stride. There are those who walk straight, fast, and get the job done with little interference from what is going on around them. Others stop to look at birds, geese, and leaves. Our stories unfold as we observe, interpret, and describe our lives. Most of us have a process we go through before going on a walk whether we are walking alone, with children, or pets. I usually collect my keys, phone, sunglasses, and iPod, put on my walking shoes, and lock up the house. I just do it. I don't necessarily think of it as my "process" for taking a walk. In the same way as I started writing articles, blogs, and stories, I didn't think about the process I was going through. In fact, my methods were quite haphazard at times. Now I realize there is a method to the madness, and I am following a few simple steps to get a book written. You can follow my process and find information and links on writing and publishing on my writing blog at: www.yourlifeinwords.blogspot.com.

As I look back at my walking journal, I can see my writing improve. I find it very exciting to spark my senses, find joy everyday, and write about what I see and feel. We each have a different style of walking, writing, and processing. That's what makes life so interesting!

20 minutes walking

106 days

My Walking Journal

This blog is my story. There is so much about my story that I can create and control myself. Characters come in and out of my story. Some characters I keep and develop into deep relationships while other characters pass through my life, and I let them go. I decide what I want to include in my story. Sure there are villains and heroes and people to save. I can choose to be the hero of my story, and what direction to begin my journey. I write things out of my story if they are no longer working for me. I have stories from my past that I file away on an upper shelf where they get dusty and I rarely visit them.

Writing my walking journal is a way of telling my story and developing the “brand” of who I am. It’s easy to read about the value of walking outdoors, being optimistic, and grateful. Walking my story makes it real. Everyday I am more optimistic, I am happier, and healthier regardless of whether my story that day is a comedy or drama. Get outdoors and start your own walking journal.

60 minutes walking 

105 days