Music

I am happily sitting upstairs in Starbucks in Nelson, New Zealand and trying hard not to listen to the Christmas music blaring from the speakers. I am plugged into my i-pod and am connected to WiFi. What could be better? I look out over Trafalgar Street into the bright sunshine and barely remember the cold and damp winter weather I just left behind in Oregon. It is very strange hearing about Rudolph the Shiny Reindeer while it is full summer outside.

Why am I sitting in Starbucks on such a lovely day? It is one of the few places in town that has wireless internet, otherwise known as a “hotspot.” I am happily listening to Joan Baez sing “Diamonds and Rust” in stereo crystal clarity through my ear phones. I am taken back to 1966 when she sat on her stool, guitar in hand, on the stage at Ohio State University hall, and sang this same song about memories, as well as others about freedom and peace.

All of us 19 and 20 year olds looked to her as a leader of the times.
We were invincible with our youth and her music made us feel we could all change the world and make things perfect just by the pure power of our collective will.

Of course the painful reality of life has challenged that belief many times over the years. Being a woman of my time, I have never given up, through the Vietnam War and now the Iraqi War. I still believe in peace as being the only choice.

In the last 40 years we have moved from transistor radios to i-pods and from encyclopedias to wireless internet. What makes it so hard to make that jump from war to peace?
I hear the words of the Youngblood’s, “Everybody get together and try to love one another right now.”

My i-pod is filled with 60’s music. Why? It keeps me feeling the power and will force of my 19 year old, who knows beyond any doubt, that she can still accomplish whatever she wants. It is all about being a leader in my own right, helping others to be successful and enjoying life to its fullest.

On the Way to New Zealand

I am about to fly all the way from my home in Portland Oregon to New Zealand where I will teach for four days in Christchurch and then visit my other home in Nelson and Golden Bay, which by the way is absolute paradise. If you have never been to New Zealand take the first plane to Nelson. I will miss a whole day in the transition and spend countless hours in a plane trying to sleep. I read a blog recently by Bonnie Price who shared that she spends the hours of overseas travel on her lap top writing. I am envious. My fear of flying and general travel fatigue motivate me to take sleeping pills so I can zonk out for most of the 14 hours between Vancouver and Auckland. It is a waste of good writing time but sleep is more important.

Speaking of writing there are some fun New Zealand writers on kiwiboomers.com
Check it out to get a feel for the country. Another is Jane Pujji, one of New Zealand’s wonderful poets who writes to your heart from her heart. Her book Love Followed Me Home is fresh off the press and I am looking forward to getting my signed copy very soon. Go to her website to get a glimpse.

More tidbits from New Zealand will be dribbling in during the next two weeks so stay tuned.

The  Old New

I have made the mental jump. I now think of old as being 95. I used to think it was 60 or 65. I meet more and more people who are just beginning a new business at the ripe young age of 60. Think about it, at 60 your kids are all grown and into their own careers or in some cases traveling the world. You have made heaps of mistakes, had regrets, and many if I only knew then what I know now moments. In fact, you know a lot now at 60 or 55 or 64.

All that wisdom, life experience and knowings all wrapped up in a big ball inside your gut and you have the ability to grow your business now from that foundation. Self esteem is a big piece. I remember when I constantly wondered if people liked me or if I would be accepted. Now, it is a passing thought but not a real concern. It really doesn’t matter so much anymore. What a relief.

By 60 you have overcome many mental blocks and only the real tenacious ones are still hanging on. It is an opportunity to really confront those for once and for all. So if you have a new business at 60, you are fortunate as you have less to overcome and more inner resources.

No matter what your age it is a good time to have your own business. In order to achieve what you want there are constantly mental blocks to move through. Each time you move through one you becoming a little bit wiser and your business vision becomes a little more clearer.

Making Your Goals Bigger Than Your Problems

I remember when I was a little girl ( 50 years ago). Now that’s scary in itself. I sat on the top step and listened in when my mom had her ma jong club at our living room. The ladies talked on and on while they played, and I remember the chinking sound of the tiles and all the topics of all their conversations. From someone’s husband’s gall bladder operation to a scorned bride it was all about problems. The gorier the better. The amount that someone could complain seemed to give status in everyone’s eyes.

I am not sure what makes our culture thrive on the negative so much but I inherited the capacity for worry. I tend to fret and worry about what “could” or “might”happen. It is a fictional story of the future in my mind because whatever I am worrying about has not happened, and may in actuality may never happen.

Isn’t it much better to focus on goals and create a picture of the future based on what I want to have happen. If I am going to be visualizing why not make it positive. Not only do I feel more peaceful and happy, it also helps to create the future I want instead of the one I don’t want. Think about it.