Update On My New Memoir Plus Exciting Change to My Website

Posted by Barbara Techel
Update On My New Memoir Plus Exciting Change to My Website
The Wise Gidget Photo credit: Lisa A. Lehmann

Thought you might like to hear an update about the new memoir I continue to work on called, I’m Fine Just the Way I Am. And I also want to let you know of an exciting new change to my website.

I find it intriguing and interesting that the title of my new book is in alignment with the change to my website.

First the update on my book. Writing a memoir isn’t always easy, especially moving through the painful experiences which got me to a new level of understanding that I’m now at. It means as I write this book, I’m delving back into moments that were difficult – and in all honesty, brought me to my knees.

But as life coach, Jocelyn Mercado, who recently did a four-week online course called, Learning to Fly, it’s the being brought to our knees, that we are invited to open to the gift of just that, and learning to fly. Because the truth is that throughout our lives we are continually invited to take flight in new and expanded ways.

Working on this memoir, I’ve had my ups and downs, wanting to throw in the towel, but also moments of elation and joy…this is all part of the process. I’m reminded of this each time I write a new book and how far I’ve come. 

My last memoir, Wisdom Found in the Pause – Joie’s Gift I wrote as part one and part two. In many ways I see this book in much the same way, and for that I can say, as I continue to work on the first draft, I’m about a third way into part two.

This is a celebration point for me and why I wanted to share with you too. This point in the book is now about sharing what it is I’ve come to learn, understand and grow from the difficulties, in hopes it will help others.

Over the summer I also had a photo shoot done for a potential book cover. If all goes as planned, the photo I chose which is a shot of Gidget and me, will be the one for the cover. But that will have to wait to be revealed at a later date. 😉 

And now for the change to my website…

As I’ve now expanded my work, and my new service and oracle guidance sessions as an Oracle Guide— to serve as a guide to empower and encourage women who want to step into their best and true selves, I felt it was time for a change.

Because of my own personal growth journey and one I continue to walk, I’ll be sharing the URL to my website going forward as barbaratechel.com. You’ll still be able to access my website via joyfulpaws.com and the site itself remains the same in content. 

I remember years and years ago my first life coach, Diane, asking me why I didn’t like to be called Barbara and instead preferred Barb. It was really about my own insecurity, lack of self-confidence, not feeling worthy or good enough, and the list went on and on.

And while I still often go by Barb, and it’s many that refer to me in this way, it’s the Barbara in me that I’ve come to appreciate and love…and changing my website name is my way of honoring this.

And so it was in realizing during a difficult time of a chronic health issue with Gidget, and a fatal mistake I almost made, but came to trust she was fine just the way she was, that I also came to accept myself as fine the way I was, and am. More about this to come in my new memoir…stay tuned!

XO,

Barb

Tasha Tudor – A Special Oracle of Mine

Posted by Barbara Techel
My “think and tinkle” station in my bathroom

As I began to write this post I thought about calling it “Think and Tinkle” and then thought with a grin, perhaps I could title it “Ponder and…” But as the day has unfolded, alas, the title I chose is much more in alignment with the message I want to share. And don’t mind me, I can have a silly sense of humor.

While I can be downright serious and a deep thinker, perhaps it’s something you don’t know about me, in that I do believe I have a pretty good sense of humor. I feel like I developed it being married to my quick-witted hubby, John, or perhaps I had it in me all along. Who knows? But I guess I kind of digress…

ANYways…seriously. It’s such a beautiful way to start off my day by randomly pulling a card from Mark’s inspirational deck, which sits on a small stand in my bathroom. The deck is The Book of Awakening, which by the way, is the same name of a book he wrote. If you’ve not read it, you might want to check it out if it calls to you. Now I’m wondering what Mark Nepo would think of my private pondering time on the commode with his card deck?  🙂

Today’s pull was, “Be Who You Are” and says, “You do not have to do anything to be loved, and being who you are does not let others down. This needs to be repeated, and often. Simply be who you are, and love what is before you.” 

There was a time when I would have read this and thought, but how do I do that? Missing the whole point that there is nothing to do, but to just be. And it was because I worried so much about judgement from other’s. But now I am so much better at living my life in the way that feels right for me.

But being this spiritual being in a human body with a mind and an ego that tries to sometimes convince me otherwise, the need for reminders through pondering moments such as today and Mark’s gorgeous and thought-provoking cards keeps me walking a journey of embracing all of who I am.

And was I ever tickled about a synchronicity that unveiled itself as the day went on that I saw in relation to this cards message!

Tasha Tudor in my favorite season of Fall

I received an email from Bob, an editor in Brattleboro, VT doing a story for their local newspaper, the Brattleboro Reformer, about author Tasha Tudor’s Advent calendar. As you likely know if you’ve been here with me awhile, I’m a devoted fan of Tasha’s, though she’s been gone since 2008. If you don’t know about her, just Google her name.

In doing some research, Bob came across a blog post I wrote in December 2012 about my dream vacation John and I took to Vermont around that same time. While I wrote many blog posts about our time in Vermont in the Fall, one post I’d shared two month’s later was about the advent calendar with Tasha’s simple, but endearing illustrations. I had purchased it from the museum in Brattleboro that honors Tasha’s memory and I had been truly enjoying opening a new little door of the calendar each day in anticipation of Christmas approaching.

Bob asked if I could chat a few minutes about what it is I love about Tasha and her advent calendar. I don’t know if he was prepared for the enthusiastic, bubbly gal he was going to have on the other end of the phone! But indeed, I was willing to talk to him as I could talk about my love for Tasha ALL. DAY. LONG.

After a delightful conversation sharing my love of all things Tasha with an emphasis on what appealed to me about the Advent calendar and how I loved Tasha’s philosophy of life in living by the beat of her own drum, I hung up the phone and the “Be Who You Are” card popped into my mind again.

Every day there are oracles for us if we pay attention – oracles that act as mirrors or reflections to help us along our path whether we are feeling challenged or as confirmation we are heading in the right direction. And while I continue to make strides forward with writing my third memoir, I’m Fine the Way I Am, I’ve had a few moments wondering how it will all turn out.

But as I was reminded with the card pull and Tasha as my oracle, to keep following the truth of my own heart as that is the only way to truly be.

XO,

Barb

Magic is in the Mess

Posted by Barbara Techel

Magic is in the Mess

If you’d rather listen to the audio version of my latest blog post, just click here. So far, I’m really enjoying doing this!

In continuing to be in awareness and in the months that have followed after a personal pivotal healing this year, thanks in part to my attending Oracle School, what I’ve learned through the wisdom of animals and my wise dachshund Gidget, plus many who have been here for me, honoring my journey and supporting me, this is a message I received yesterday…

and from all places, under a dark chocolate piece of Dove candy and written on the foil wrapper that read, The magic is in the mess.

I used to think that being positive all the time (even when I didn’t feel like it) was the way you dealt with challenges and that was where the magic was. Meaning, you just pushed through and smiled, not letting on what you were truly  feeling. Being positive in the face of challenges, after all, was what I learned years before from Frankie, who was my dear dachshund who was paralyzed and in a wheelchair.

But then it was my dachshund Gidget, with special needs of her own, who recently really helped me to understand that in opening to all my feelings during a difficult time with resentment and anger being at the forefront of my emotions, and was something I felt both shame and guilt for feeling. But I had to accept this and work with them. So in reading this quote yesterday it is yet another step of integration for me in that indeed, there is magic in the mess.

Because when we look straight on at our challenges or our fears, we can begin to see them as a sign that we are being called to grow, and as our perspective shifts, we find that when we come out the other side we have more clarity and grace. And might I add the fact that the name of the candy is Dove and Dove symbolizes peace which we also are granted more of when we face our fears and challenges.

It’s in doing what feels so very hard…that when we step fully into all of that difficulty, feeling ALL of what we are experiencing, that we are able to release, integrate, and let go…thus opening a new channel of understanding…and  experience what true magic is.

Magic is both pain and joy, light and dark.

XO,

Barb