Tag: Colorado

How God Works

On By LetitgocoachIn Present Moment, Quality of life2 Comments

There is something about getting ready for bed, and purposefully not setting an alarm. I didn’t set my alarm lastnight, and my body woke up when it was ready. It was still early though.

My daughter is coming home today! She has been gone for a week. Her father took her to Denver, CO to see snow. I believe she saw some, and I’m sure she had fun, but she will be glad to be home. Traveling is good for us, but there is no other feeling as walking through the door of your home.

I’ve been listening to Ed Sheeran’s new album, Divide, the entire time she’s been gone. It’s been a healing experience for me, and very nourishing. Listening to it has created a more peaceful space for her to walk into. Not that is wasn’t peaceful before, but now it’s moreso.

I will run the vacuum, and go to the grocery store before she gets here. What used to be mundane chores, I look forward to them today. It’s the people I will meet while out doing what needs to be done. Stopping by a couple of my favorite shops along the way, maybe buying a candle, or some flowers, and spending time with the people that run the shops.

God has used me in the craziest instances while I’m out and about. Once, on my way out of the grocery store, I spotted a lady in front of me. She had a cart full of groceries, and was trying to safely maneuver it to her car, while talking on the phone. She sounded rather stressed, and said to the person on the phone, “I forgot Ziploc bags!”

I rarely buy Ziplock bags, but that day, I had bought two boxes. I swiftly pulled my cart along beside hers, and handed her a box of mine. She almost dropped her phone!

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That is how God works. If we are attentive to what He places in front of us.

My to-do list today, looks much different from years ago. I don’t have things that ‘need’ to be done, or ‘have’ to be completed. I ‘want’ to run the vacuum so my daughter doesn’t see the floors covered in grass from the traffic in and out of the house. It brings me great joy when she walks in and says, “Gosh! The house smells so good!” Candles…lots of candles.

Glancing around at my candle supply, they look pretty sad. Almost all used up, so I have a shop in mind to pick up a new one. It’s not about the candle. God knows how much I love them, so that will get me in the shop. It’s about the lady who works there.

She has a friend that recently had a double mastectomy, and she has been helping her through her journey. There is a lot of negativity in her journey. She is looking at what has been done ‘to’ her, instead of what’s being done ‘for’ her. My friend knows about my Breast Cancer Journey, so I can shed a positive light on it, and lift her spirits.

People need replenishing. John 14:4 says, “But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” Spending quiet time with God, and listening to music replenishes me. I have time, and my friend doesn’t. She may not have time to sit at the well, but I can bring it to her.

Barbara is a Writer, a Mom to her 17-year-old daughter, a recent Breast Cancer survivor, and she loves God. When she started this Blog in 2014 Letitgocoach was the name that stuck. She enjoys helping people Let Go of what is holding them back from having a beautiful life. Her life is beautiful, and an example of Letting Go and Letting God. You may connect with her via email. Letitgocoach@gmail.com

 

 

You Are Sexy

On By LetitgocoachIn Breast Cancer JourneyLeave a comment

I came home from Chemo treatment today, and it wasn’t long, I was ready to rest. It’s important to listen to my body now, more than ever. There is one area I have been struggling with though. The changes on the outside are messing with my sexiness.

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I sent my man this pic today, letting him know I was going to rest. It reminded me of a picture I sent him early on in our relationship. He had gone to Colorado for a week, to a family reunion. The pic was like this one, except I was wearing white.

You can tell by my eyes, I miss him. Even though, I just saw him hours ago. He went to listen to the doctor, and he sat through Chemo with me. He sat across from me, and watched me sleep. How exciting is that? He said I was cute in the chair.

His response to this pic today was one word. “Sexy.”

That is all I needed to hear. He is such a magnificent, “Beholder.” Talking over the weekend, he swears I haven’t changed. He still sees me as the woman he fell in love with.

I see less hair, and I’ve lost a little weight. I now know how men feel about that receding hairline. My hair was grey in front, so when Mr. Smith shaved it super short, the grey patches look very interesting. They are vague, so it looks like nothing is there. Just fuzz.

I have a Blog in mind to tell you what God did in that doctor’s office today, but this has been on my heart and mind. He doesn’t see what I see. Ladies…give your man a break. We are much too hard on ourselves. The Letting Go Lessons has a chapter focused on Negative Sexuality. It is the very last lesson, and it took me months to look at it. Best lesson ever!

The first picture I sent to Mr. Smith, while he was in Colorado, he liked. He liked it so much, I think he sent it to his Mother, and showed everyone at that reunion! I was so embarrassed, but he saw nothing wrong with it. The eye of the Beholder Beauties. It’s not what we see, it’s what they see, even if we think it’s not so pretty. You are still sexy, even during Chemo.

Barbara is a Writer, Certified Letting Go Coach, and Mom to her 16-year-old daughter. She loves dipping cookies in her coffee in the morning and has a pretty healthy obsession for chocolate. When she started this Blog in 2014 Letitgocoach was what stuck. She enjoys helping people Let Go of what is holding them back from having a beautiful life. Her life today is an example of Letting Go and Letting God. You may connect with her via email. Letitgocoach@gmail.com

 

 

Just Go Away

On By LetitgocoachIn Quality of lifeLeave a comment

I spoke with my sister earlier today. Her husband retired January 1st, and it’s been an adjustment. He worked for months at a time in New York, and then came home for a week or so, only to go back for another few months. Time has mellowed him and she is going to enjoy him being home. I encouraged her to do just that and if they get on each others nerves, don’t go in separate directions. Get away together. Make up for lost time.

So, I’m journeying with a group of beautiful souls through SC Louries, Tender To My Soul. She writes about visiting Paris with her family and how everything was out of the norm. She couldn’t find her daily routine, and the things she had grown accustomed to.

mountain (265x340)I felt this way when Mr. Smith took me to Colorado. Not only did I lose cell service, but everything was foreign. The air, elevation, and my surroundings were a huge change, and I couldn’t find things I was used to having. You can read more about that here.

SC, or Samantha as we call her, decided to embrace this uncomfortableness, after the initial shock. She has allowed it to unfold and remained completely aware. Instead of bucking it, she embraced it for what it was. This was the beginning of a beautiful journey for her. Out of it came this spectacular journey she has written and graciously shares.

Looking back, I feel like it might have been best to go with the flow and enjoy the differences more than I did. Not being able to follow my daily routine, this was an opportunity to embrace newness. Unlike Samantha, I came back home and fell back into my daily routine, but I did learn a lot about myself in the process. Changes took place.

When is the last time you went away? Even for a weekend, to just go somewhere to get away from your normal routine. It will open your eyes to what you have, because you’ll miss the little things. While you’re away, try to see where you are and appreciate everything it has to offer in that moment. It’s only temporary, so enjoy it while it lasts. The comforts of home will be waiting at home.

 

 

A Mindful Morning

On By LetitgocoachIn Letting Go, Quality of lifeLeave a comment

I woke up this morning thinking, ‘I need a job.’ That is hilarious to see hours later, but I had to admit it. There are days I wonder what I’m doing and why don’t I just go live a normal life. A job would be reliable, but I’d be miserable.

I have a job assisting a friend in California three and a half days a week. It is done virtually, which gives me the flexibility in schedule and the joy of working from home. I get to write, think of ways to encourage people and work.

My first job, after I left the workforce, was to take care of my daughter during the separation between her father and me. To be perfectly honest, I think we took care of one another that year. Next up was to let go of my past and learn to live. My life began transforming into beauty, which I guess it already was, but I hadn’t stopped long enough to look. Seeing the present moment and noticing everything in it. I started sharing pictures on Facebook of a beautiful life.

flowerGod promises beauty from ashes and here it was. I was living it. Friends started referring to my life as ‘Inbarbsworld.’ I wanted people to see that life after divorce can be beautiful. I enjoyed letting go so much I received my certification in it. It’s a balance of letting go and letting God.

Last year was the year of learning how to live. This year I’m refining it, or it’s refining me. I am grateful to follow God and be sober.

In 2014 this Blog began. It encourages me to see it has reached twice as many people already this year alone, compared to the entire first year. The job I love is paying off! Thank you for reading what I love to write.

That is what I do. I love on people until they can love themselves. Most of it is done virtually, but I do enjoy going out into the real world. The trip to Colorado was an eye opener for me with the loss of technology. If you missed it, you can read it here I got better as the week went on, but it made me ponder if I was addicted to my phone. The notifications make life easy.

My phone also makes life noisy. It’s fun to push myself and see what I can live without. Does the phone make my life that much better? When my phone bill came due, I decided not to pay it. To just skip a week and see what happens. To think of it as a phone fast is what worked for me. The weekend was a fail. It would automatically connect to WiFi if I was visiting a place I had been before and everything would start rolling in. Today, I had to turn it off completely.

My life is quieter. Through my laptop, I can still encourage people virtually, it just may not be so immediate. Without the notifications, I have to remind myself to go in and check email, banking, Facebook, Twitter and everything that used to notify me of activity. My time has more quality. The beauty that surrounds me in more noticeable because I’m not staring at a screen in my hand. I enjoy looking out the truck window during the ride instead of at my phone.

Maybe you gave up your phone a long time ago. I didn’t think I could. If this keeps going like it has today, I’ll be on a new level of simplicity. Dejan Stojanovic says it best, “They blossomed, they did not talk about blossoming.” They just did.

 

blackandwhiteBarbara is a writer and loves being a Mom to her 16 year old daughter. It’s a dream come true for her to be a Letitgocoach and help others enjoy their lives. She hosts Workshops, does one on one Coaching and is writing her first book.  You may connect with her via email. Letitgocoach@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Is Only A Test

On By LetitgocoachIn Present Moment, Quality of lifeLeave a comment

If you read my Blog yesterday, you know, I’ve been on vacation in Colorado with limited Internet. The home we’re staying in didn’t have it, so we would drive into town to find it. This is my last day here and it was installed today.

First and foremost, kudos goes out to Mr. Smith. He has been so patient with me this week. When you consider, everything I do is conducted virtually, it was not pretty the first few days. He is in the kitchen right now, being who he is, a Chef. I’m in the same room I was yesterday, typing this Blog with the windows open, listening to the musical sound of the river. This time, I’m not typing a word document to copy and paste later in town. I am actually online.

We respect one another for who we are and what we do. While he is in the kitchen, no one enters. Oh, it’s tempting, but one look from him and I know better. He plays music very loudly, and it’s a mixture of everything. I can hear it echoing through the house, down the hallway to the room I’m in. He just popped his head in the door, and asked if I was going to stay in here all night. I won’t, but it is a struggle not to stop and close the door on some of that music.

lakeI have spent almost a week in Colorado and it’s been beautiful. When people tell you to drink plenty of water in high altitude, listen to them. I was in a world of pain from dehydration. Drinking my usual, coffee in the morning, hot tea in the evening, and sips of water during the day wasn’t enough. I spent all day yesterday drinking water and my body thanked me today.

I know my body pretty well, but had not felt anything like this before. Once we pinpointed it was the change in elevation, about 6,000 feet, I knew what to do. With no distraction from technology, I was able to hear from God quite often. God gave me insight into the future of my writing, coaching, work, this school year for my daughter, my relationships and Himself.

The repacking process will begin this evening, to head back to Texas. My daughter turns sweet sixteen this Saturday and I wouldn’t miss it. We haven’t seen one another in over a week and that’s been an adjustment as well. We are best friends and she is a light in my life.

This was definitely a week of tiny tests, and I hope I passed them. There were a lot of little things that occurred, too many to list here, that were lessons. Being here placed me in present moment to present moment as I listened and learned. Gratitude is running high, for the friends and family God has given me and the love I have in my life today.

 

blackandwhiteBarbara is a writer and loves being a Mom to her 15 year old daughter. It’s a dream come true for her to be a LetItgocoach and help others enjoy their lives. She hosts Workshops, does one on one Coaching and is working on her first book.  You may connect with her via email. Letitgocoach@gmail.com

 

Do You Like The Person You’ve Become

On By LetitgocoachIn Letting Go, Present Moment, Quality of life2 Comments

Do you like the person you’ve become? A week ago, I would have answered yes to that question, but now I have cause to pause. I am on vacation in the Colorado mountains and there is no Internet.

It was all fine and good, riding toward our destination, looking at my phone with 4G and 5 bars. We hit a threshold in elevation and all these comforting lights on my phone just disappeared. The only light showing up was the battery charge light and this bothered me more than I wanted to admit.

blog12I had lost all communication with civilization. I couldn’t post a Blog, or check my Letitgocoach Facebook page. My daughter is vacationing with her Dad in Florida, but I’m pretty sure Florida has 4G, so she could text me but I couldn’t text her. I didn’t realize how much the connectivity had become a part of who I am. I wasn’t sure I liked who was staring at her phone in utter sadness.

Our car transitioned from pavement onto a dirt road and made it’s way across a wooden bridge. Driving from Texas, the temperature had dropped significantly and to me it felt cold. The movie, “Deliverance’ came to mind as we made our way through the woods as the road came to an end. There stood a lovely, Colorado style home made of wood, rock and windows, nestled alone in the forest. Stepping out of the car, I became aware of a loud, roaring noise.

Behind the house was a rushing river. It was very loud and was making itself known full force. I took a couple of pictures and made a note to post it on Facebook when we were in town. The river was so loud, you could hear it from inside the house with the windows shut. The house had doors that would seal shut upon closing and it blocked some of the noise, but several windows hung open.

It took me a few days to get acclimated to my new surroundings. I was amazed how this natural environment was such a contrast to what I was used to. This was how God made it to be. Cool, crisp air, and the sun pouring into the windows so brightly, you needed sunglasses to walk through the house. Feeling the warmth from a fire in the fireplace, and sleeping underneath a down comforter, in August.

I had become more connected virtually than to nature. For this natural environment to seem like Twilight Zone material is not natural. I shouldn’t feel more comfort looking at a phone screen lit up than the night sky. The sight and sound of a raging river should not be noise, it should be a soothing sound. I find it humorous now, that my first thought was to post a picture of it on Facebook, instead of enjoying it.