The Social Caterpillar - Latest Comments

Re: Gathering is not Harvesting

Kathryn Hunter — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:34:50 -0000

Yay and thank you!

Sometimes, I like the wandering. It can be a good way to find out what my real goals are, but once that shift happens, then specifics become necessary, or yes, the wandering just becomes circles. Kind of like watching Nascar... and I'm much more of a ballet girl, myself.

Re: Gathering is not Harvesting

Michelle — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 21:03:29 -0000

You know that when you start doing public speaking I'll be happy to show up & cheer you on :)

I agree very much about resolutions/wishes vs. goals - I liken it to wandering around with a blindfold on. That's what happens when you set vague goals and don't get specific. You don't get anywhere and you usually trip in the process!

Re: Open Home, Open Heart

Square-Peg Karen — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:42:44 -0000

You've got me curious now, too! I'm wondering about some of my house boundary issues.

So now I'm wondering how (or if) I want to soften any of my boundaries. I think I might want to - and I think doing this in an experimenting way would work (thank you for putting this out there like it's just a question, not a judgement if I were to decide I liked my house off-limits).

I was recently confronted by just how tight my boundaries are when I had to have a repair guy in a few times (let's not even talk about the time I wasted waiting fret-fully for him to get here) - I have a post half-written called: The Extreme Introvert's Guide to Home-Management - I expect it'll be funny (anyone looking in at my extreme freak-outs would've found it funny, unless they were involved - grin).

Re: Amazing You

Kathryn Hunter — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:34:28 -0000

I'm *so* glad to hear about the central site, much easier to follow.

Looking forward to seeing what you all bring forth. Sounds great!

Re: Amazing You

BirdyD - Roving Robin Reporter — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 22:26:00 -0000

I so hear you about the jewelry aspect. :>

TwOOwls Art (my jewelry site for those who don't know me yet) is an important part of what I do, yes, but, at the end of the day, it's not going to be the biggest part.

But people don't react with fear when I tell them I'm a jewelry-artist.

They do from time to time, do that when I try to tell them about being a channel & a paranormal researcher.

It makes me sad, this fear, so I stop trying to say anything.

But you're right - it's disrespecting me, the wonderful beings I speak with, and the world. :>

Much to ponder upon. :>

What is going on?

Well, next week we are having the first paid 'web-conversation' for 'A2Abundance', our site where, along with Susan T. Blake and FaeNathara, we explore Abundance and how to live an Abundant life.

The week after that, for Solstice, we will be having a free Skype call on Abundance, with a meditation & a Q&A session with our Guides.

On a more personal note, Mike & I have recently bought 'Paranormal Avians.com'.

One thing we realized out of the great Exploding Empire mess was that we need to have just one site.

Niche-ing, while awesome for many, is not for us.

We are planning for that site to go live sometime between Solstice & New Year's.

Happy Hollydays! :-) :>
Thank you for this post. :-) :>

Re: Amazing You

Kathryn Hunter — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 15:09:22 -0000

Gah. I understand completely. I used this: http://unicornsforsocialism.co... to help me get what I've got so far.

It's not completely right, but it makes it make sense when I say it out loud, which is a huge improvement over: Well... I work with shy/introverted/highly sensitive people to create the social lives they want. Boring and also, nonsensical for people who outgoing/extraverted.

Your projects sound wonderful! I'm excited to see when they come out.

Re: Amazing You

Ellie Di — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 07:35:40 -0000

I'm still struggling with the notion (and method) of describing what I do as a headologist rather than identifying with my day job. For me, I want to tell people, but I can't find the right words since my job title is jargon. It gets a little easier every time I choose to try, though, which is reassuring.

Currently, I'm working on a whackload of new projects. One of them is a 30-day journalling course that's an intro to self-awareness building. Another is a collection of plans from A to Z; there'll be one for projects and one for connection. Another is a decluttering program that relates the rooms of your house back to your inner life. And in the middle of all that, I'm coaching. Whew!

Re: One Tiny Thing Thursday #26, Feeeeed Me

Kathryn Hunter — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:19:21 -0000

I can't stand regular grocery stores. It's one of the reasons I shop at Whole Foods. Of course, it's within walking distance, so that helps too.

I tend to go late and it's usually empty enough then too. I used to put off going to the store all the time, hope it's not starting up again.

Re: One Tiny Thing Thursday #26, Feeeeed Me

Susan M Steele — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:40:17 -0000

I needed to go grocery shopping about three weeks ago! I've survived on too much bad food and some Thanksgiving leftovers.

Grocery shopping is my all-time least favorite activity. I just find grocery stores too overwhelming. When I do go, it needs to be early enough in the day so there's no one there. And my chronic insomnia is making it hard to get out of bed early enough.

The good side? Less food in the house so I eat less!

Re: Underwhelmed by Overwhelm

R.M. Koske — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:23:38 -0000

Oh, I agree totally - I think she's in a different place. I read her just enough to see that she is wonderful and not right for me right now. :) That was part of what caught my attention about this - her advice about overwhelm is wonderful and uplifting but your opinion about it felt more natural for me, and unpacking what I thought the distinctions were was fun, so I decided to share. Heh.

Re: Permission

Elisabeth Kauffman — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 14:05:34 -0000

Ahhh... it is ok. We didn't go anywhere this holiday... taking time for ourselves = good.

Re: Permission

Kathryn Hunter — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 20:15:17 -0000

I bowed out of Black Friday too, have done so for several years now. I posted this on the TSC Facebook page as an alternative, it seemed really fitting: http://www.thekitchn.com/theki...

Re: My Emergency Survival Kit

Kathryn Hunter — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 20:13:22 -0000

Especially when a small frivolity would make a huge difference in mindset. I think it will make a big difference from that space of lack.

Re: My Emergency Survival Kit

Kathryn Hunter — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 20:11:58 -0000

Thanks for coming by! The ESK is a great tool, I hope many of us create one and and add a reminder to our Books of Me.

Re: Review: Crash Course in Mediation

Kathryn Hunter — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 20:08:54 -0000

I love the feeling of being in the zone while creating. Haven't really felt like that in a while, thanks for the reminder. Meditation has so many more options than what we generally think of as "true" meditation.

Re: Review: Crash Course in Mediation

Kathryn Hunter — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 20:07:19 -0000

Serendipity abounds, for sure. I'll have to look up Simmons' book, thanks for mentioning it.

Re: Review: Crash Course in Mediation

Kathryn Hunter — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 20:05:53 -0000

I hear you. Meditation makes my eyes water, always has. So, when I'm in a group setting it often looks like I'm crying. *sigh*

Re: Underwhelmed by Overwhelm

Kathryn Hunter — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 20:04:45 -0000

We are precisely where we are and it sounds like you have a good grip on where that is for you. I have a sneaking suspicion that Danielle is, by nature, in a different place than most of the people who stop by here, are.

Re: Permission

Taryn Blake — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 13:51:49 -0000

We actually did come home early. And I've decided that it is okay for us to acknowledge our disappointment that some of our favorite Thanksgiving foods were conspicuously missing from Mother's menu this year and make them for ourselves this weekend.

And years ago, I gave myself permission to bow out of Black Friday. I know tons of people love it and wouldn't miss it, but it's just too much for this HSP.

Re: Review: Crash Course in Mediation

skaja wills — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 14:19:25 -0000

I talk about wanting to meditate a lot, and I think it would certainly help to be still and listen. It's so foreign for me to do that, though, that I often manage to meditate while I'm drawing/painting. It's possible that meditation-while-still could be more beneficial for me than meditation-while-moving.

Re: Review: Crash Course in Mediation

Emilie Wapnick — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 12:17:56 -0000

Hi Kathryn! This feels like serendipitous timing for me. Over the last few weeks, I've been getting signs all over the place that I should be exploring meditation. I just finished both of Russell Simmons' books, in which he accredits the practice for much of his success in life. It just sounds wonderful.

I've tried meditating a few times, only to feel like I was "doing it wrong." It's hard to motivate myself, even though I know that the real rewards only come after you've established the practice and do it regularly. I would love some sort of structured method to guide me through the process. It's also a little hard to pop into a meditation class while I'm traveling, so a digital course would be incredible.

Hope you're doing super well. :)

Re: My Emergency Survival Kit

R.M. Koske — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 10:48:29 -0000

I love the idea of including gift cards - it totally derails any possibility of "oh, no, I can't spend money on something so frivolous right now." The reminders about free or semi-free self-care are great too.

Re: My Emergency Survival Kit

Annie Sisk — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 10:48:06 -0000

Awesome sauce! And thank you SO much for the hat tip. This ESK is Annie-approved! (I LOVE the idea of the reminders of what you already have... totally borrowing that.)

Re: Review: Crash Course in Mediation

Elisabeth Kauffman — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 08:45:42 -0000

Hi (*waves*) so... I don't really meditate, mostly for those reasons listed at the top (focus, still, ADD brain)... but... when I go to yoga class, I try to use Shavasana time to meditate, because someone else is there to keep me accountable to being still in my body, at least. And it's usually really good except that... yoga makes my stomach growl... and so sometimes, in the middle of the peace and stillness that is Shavasana my stomach starts talking to the room! *Mortified*

Re: Underwhelmed by Overwhelm

R.M. Koske — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 09:08:08 -0000

Hm. Danielle's article is great, but it leaves me with the same feeling that such exercise motivation as "pain is fear leaving the body" does. Sort of "that's all right for you, that's nice, but I'm really just not that tough, and I'm not sure I want to be."

Which is partially me missing her point. Because I really love the idea that even at our most overwhelmed, we can pull out the strength to make it through.

I thought about it a little and now I'm thinking of it like the ocean. Danielle seems to me to be saying that if you walk out into the ocean and get knocked over by a wave, you shouldn't call it overwhelmed because that's denying that you can swim, and anyway you walked out there on your own power so you know what you can handle.

But that doesn't feel true to me. I might have *believed* I could handle it, but that doesn't mean I was right. And I can get stronger, but that doesn't mean I can get stronger fast enough to handle it now. Strong swimmers drown sometimes, and even if this wave won't drown me, even if I can swim away and be fine, that doesn't mean I won't panic for a few moments when I'm head over heels and staring up at bubbles from underwater.

I feel like she's denying the possibility of getting knocked off your feet, but maybe her point is that using the word overwhelm is giving in to the panic? My preferred method of escape (both in reality and metaphorically) would be to try to ride back to a point where I can put my feet down or control my movement, but it feels like she wants me to fight my way to the surface. That feels like a recipe for drowning to me.

Hm. Lots to think about.