Am I Walking My Talk?

I love how the universe works. It always blows my mind, makes me laugh, challenges my assumptions and, when I'm listening, delivers me to the next greatest place. Here's my story.

As many of you know, I'm leading a monthly program called Creating A Life You Love which many of you are a part of. When I began the program two months ago, I made the commitment that I too would reinvent myself and go to the next level in each and every area of my life.

The first month, we worked on our relationship with God -- a breeze for me. I love to pray. I love to meditate. I love to find where I'm faithless and work to regain my faith.

Then for the month of March, we took on falling in love with our bodies. I was so excited! I'm always challenged because I'm an over-worker. Most days, I work 14 to 16 hours. I love it and I wouldn't have it any other way. But my dear, sweet, little body often cries for my attention. So here I was, the leader of the program, ready to have a breakthrough.

My body gave me the first signal right before I was going to get on a plane to hang out with some of my friends. It was 11 in the morning and I found myself laying in my bed -- lifeless. I had just led The Shadow Process and the BreakThrough program intensive. My body was saying, "Stop. Go to sleep. Do nothing." But being the trooper I am, after half an hour of rest, I ordered a burger and fries, and twenty minutes later, I was ready to board the plane. As I landed in San Francisco, I could feel my fatigue, but it wasn't until I came home three days later that I started to experience the consequences of overriding the message that my body was sending me. To make a long story short, I got sick and stayed that way for two weeks -- there's still a hint of it in my voice.

So what did I learn? I learned that no matter what, I must listen. I learned that there's nothing more valuable than my sweet little body. I learned that although I can wind myself up and make myself go, which I've done for many years, there's nothing more sacred, holy and valuable than listening to the whispers and the cries of my physical body. I've recommitted. And I've taken on weight training as a result of my son grabbing the flab under my arms. Oh, how mean but how proud I'll feel giving a little extra attention to my body. So ultimately the program has worked yet again. With just one week before we shift our focus to the topic of money, my breakthrough has come.

As I head off on the next adventure, a trip to Turkey and then to New York, I close my eyes and ask, "What does my body need to feel nourished and revitalized?" I realize that I need to get my blankets and the softest travel pillows I can find and then I need to curl up to re-read my very dear friend Scott Blum's book Summer's Path . I loved Waiting for Autumn and I love this prequel. My body is yearning to be filled with the stories, the subtle messages, the heart-opening words and the spiritual nourishment that all of Scott Blum's work offers.

Your body work for this week is to see what you need to do this weekend to have your body transformation. If you want to give yourself a big nourishing hug, read Summer's Path this weekend with me, my friends and my students. If your holy self is ready, you might even win a summer retreat at Canyon Ranch if you order the book this week.

With love and blessings,
Debbie Ford