My sunny horizon

Tomorrow I will close a chapter in my life. I am so happy to write those words.

I can breathe.

The essence of me is back.

Stay tuned.

The root of obsession

Sometimes the joy of the Internet is doing "quick" research on something and then being led to something else. Don't ask me why this tidbit I ran across on Wikipedia fascinates me, but it does:

While American visitors were largely responsible for making summer the high season on the Riviera, a French fashion designer, Coco Chanel, was responsible for making sunbathing fashionable. She acquired a striking tan during the summer of 1923, and tans immediately became the fashion in Paris.

So that's how it all started ...

Stress-free celebration

My December calendar is starting to take shape and I am eagerly looking for those spots where I can wander a bit and look at holiday windows around Manhattan. And duck into stores to look at pretty or funky things. I love to get lost for an hour here and there and just get my fix of Christmas magic.

It's the stress-free way to celebrate. I highly recommend it.

Flexibility

This morning I was at the gym at 8 a.m. Unfortunately, the person who was supposed to open the gym was not.

After a few minutes I took it as a sign that my plan was supposed to change. I had planned on working out and then going into Manhattan for Sunday service at the Sacred Center for Spiritual Living. Instead I went to a cafe and wrote morning pages that helped me sort out a few things that have been on my mind. Then I went to service feeling clear.

I might have done that clearing on the treadmill.

But then again, I might not have.

Deep breath

I am back in my world after spending time with family. I did a lot of eating and shopping. It was hectic and fun.

Now I am ready to stock up on leafy green vegetables, go to the gym, get my home decorated for the holidays. Touch base with normalcy.

Sometimes I just need that.

My Thanksgiving

Posted my November newsletter and I'm excited about it because it touts the accomplishments of my current clients. It also gave me a chance to pause and be thankful for what I do:

http://nancola.com/pages/newsletter.html

In with the new

There is a clearing out happening in my life.

Literally. Metaphorically.

It is making room for good things.

It feels delightful.

Opening

I went to Sunday service at the Sacred Center for Spiritual Living today and I honestly don't know when I have ever been so joyful in music. I have been to wonderful concerts, of course, and have had fun dancing in clubs.

But today I felt free. I sang, and let me tell you my voice is nothing to brag about. I moved my body freely. I clapped. I snapped. And then when it was time for the gospel choir to do its thing, I sat and watched. The song began and it was nice and then it began to pick up tempo and energy. The room swelled. I jumped to my feet, so caught up in it. The man leading the choir was doing so with his entire body and it was contagious.

People wiped away tears. Later, the woman next to me nodded as we talked about that. She said it's because we come into the service so open. I knew what she meant. I used to go into Sunday service there stiff and self-conscious.

Today I must have been wide open, because so much came in. It was magnificent.

Fresh and posh

My bathroom has been scrubbed.

And so my reward was to turn it from the whimsical Barbie look it had for many years to one with a more sophisticated boudoir feel. A black and white shower curtain with little black dresses and hat boxes and such provides a perfect backdrop. I've accessorized it with a mesh dress form and some pearls. It'll slowly be filled in with art and small odds and ends I already own that I'm psyched about putting to use again.

I love working my creative juices in my home. It's a big part of why I love where I live.

Unwound

I'm having one of those Fridays nights. Crash. Be.

Be.

My weekend

The upcoming weekend is all mine. I'm feeling protective of it. Like it's the calm before the holiday storm.

The storm will be fun in its own way, but right now I'm all over the calm. Organizing, pondering, exercising, nesting.

Yes, yes, yes.

Rest room

Swept through Bed, Bath and Beyond and bought a few items today. The idea is to give my bathroom a more sophisticated feel without going hog wild. I love the new stuff and that some of my existing stuff will feel fresh when I bring them all together.

It's fierce motivation to scrub the bathroom from top to bottom this weekend. Call it the reward system that I use on my life coaching clients sometimes.

Simply walking my talk.

Life and coaching

In the last 24 hours I've received emails from two life coaching clients with detailed progress reports on their goals. I felt like singing. It's so gratifying to take a journey with people who are focused on living full lives.

It's my calling.

Strike a pose

Had my professional photo shoot today. What a hoot.

Got a great lesson in how clothes can look really flattering in person and really unflattering in photos.

Loved having stylist Liliana hovering around me to shoo hair from my face, make sure my makeup was just right and tell me when to relax and smile bigger.

Found out I am most comfortable -- I mean, really comfortable -- in jeans and a black cashmere turtleneck with black boots and silver jewelry.

I'm going to take the photographer's word that it's best to wait a few days before deciding which shots I like best. However, I took a quick peek and think I have shots for my website, personal use, and my (pending) book jacket.

Woohoo.

Drama

Something you don't want to hear the guy behind you say in a dark movie theatre approximately 15 minutes after you've spilled popcorn on the floor:

Was that a rat?

Strollin'

Spent the day strolling and lunching in quaint Red Bank. It was so pleasant and relaxing. I love to linger over lunch with a friend who enjoys it just as much.

It was like a balm under cloudy skies.

Happy muscles

Second day back at the gym after missing it due to headaches last weekend.

My body is thanking me in a thousand ways.

Shoe goal

Overheard in a Manhattan store today as a woman tried on a pair of high-heeled boots:

"The idea is to be tall and not cry."

Yes, indeed. The goal of the chic urban woman.

The big O

Watched Oprah today and cried. I'm aware that I say that a lot. But it's true. Either I'm a sap or she's really good or both.

Today she featured YouTube -- the guys who created it and some people whose videos made them famous or helped them achieve a dream. I can't get enough of watching people reach their goals, it seems.

I've decided. I'm not a sap. Oprah's that good.

Touchstone

Had a reunion tonight with some Knight-Wallace Fellows from the University of Michigan. It was nice to be in a roomful of accomplished journalists, among peers. Sometimes it is good to have reminders of where we've been as we strive to figure out where we're going next.

Makes more things seem possible.

Art form

American Beauty is on and it makes me laugh out loud. Dysfunction in all its glory. Every line. Every scene. So fresh and clever. Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening are brilliant.

I am completely captivated by writer Alan Ball's mind.

Postponed

No photo shoot today. The weather wasn't cooperative and I woke up with a headache. I am fully convinced there's a reason it wasn't supposed to happen today.

So I took the opportunity to do something I almost never do -- read a magazine and laze around in bed.

Now that's what I'm talking about.

Strike a pose

I have a professional photo shoot tomorrow. Hoping for nice weather. Hoping to put my best face forward, so to speak.

What a fun indulgence.

Winner in the making

Had a great coaching session today. One of those that felt like I really reached my client in a meaningful way.

Sometimes in my gut I just know when someone is going to succeed with just the right amount of push from me. This one is a winner. She has put obstacles in her path and she's starting to pick up the speed it will take to clear each of those hurdles. She sees the end in sight.

Me, too.