writing

Calming the Restless Butterflies

Posted by Barbara Techel

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The butterflies are restless today. They decided to take up residence the moment I awoke this morning. Fluttering about madly in my stomach.

I could fight back or try to soothe them. So I did my yoga practice with extra deep breathing. I also asked for guidance to do the very best job I can.

Tonight is the first in a three part series workshop I am teaching on Self-Publishing. I’ve never taught a class like this before — but I’ve certainly been through it with publishing my own children’s books and memoir.

I remember clearly trying to swim through the endless sea of information on this subject myself. Having spent countless hours and many e-courses I took on the subject. There is so much to learn.

While I think the workshop will get the participants off on the right foot, I hope it will also help them set a foundation for what is ahead. The publishing world continues to change and keeping up is a job in itself. But the rewards are great.

Most of all I want to encourage them to tell their stories and get their book out into the world. While I don’t know yet if and when I’ll have another book in me to write, I do know that the books I have written have changed my life for the better. I’m so glad I stepped out of my comfort zone to do so.

And so it is with my first session of talking self-publishing tonight. I step out once again, out of that zone of comfort, hoping I can make a difference in encouraging others to do the same.

And if the butterflies want to come along for the ride, well then, so be it. But I have a feeling once I get into talking tonight they will flutter off to sleep and all will be well.

Letting Go.

Posted by Barbara Techel

techel writing cottage inside 7When we follow what moves us, we break open what is possible and the light of the soul spills out of us. -Mark Nepo

Letting go to make room for new things to expand and evolve in your life at first sounds easy, doesn’t it? Though the times I’ve found it hardest to let go is when it is something I enjoy.

As fall is approaching I have some new projects I want to consider, and an adventure I want to explore and take part in. That meant letting go to open space for this to allow to unfold.

Little “signs” were calling out to me, but at times I tried to push them aside. It is sometimes easier to stay with what we know, than push ourselves out of the nest and expand our horizons.

Part of it also is that it is scary. I worry, what if I’ve made the wrong choice?

It can be really easy to let fear take over and go back to what is comfortable, and then never take a leap. But I remind myself of something I decided when I was scared to write my first children’s book — to listen to my heart and let it guide me.

My soul, different than my heart, but the essence of who I am, feels the need to grow again. To learn something new. To hopefully evolve.

Though I’m not ready to share what new adventure I will be taking part in, I can say that I want to continue to write, which I’ll be doing right here on my blog and for my newsletter. My new adventure, I hope, will only serve a greater good for my writing, and encouraging and inspiring others.

So….in regards to my book I was working on, well, that I’ve decided to put on hold for now. It’s not ready to yet be born. This was a very hard decision for me in some aspects, but then in some aspects, not. One tough part for me is that I don’t want to disappoint those who have been waiting to read another book from me. While I can’t promise if this book will ever be born, or it may morph to something else, I remind myself it only means letting go for now, and whatever is next will reveal itself when it is time.

One thing I do know for sure is that if I don’t take this leap then I will always wonder “what if?” I’d rather try, explore, and let it unfold as it is meant to be.

Even when I don’t know what the end result will be and trusting that it has its purpose….I’m going to trust my heart, follow it, and see what happens.

PS:  My writing cottage is featured on Tiny House Talk blog — with lots of photos! It was such an honor. Thought you might like to check it out.

All Creatures Great and Small – Love Them All.

Posted by Barbara Techel

IMG_2104 eCan you spot the small creature on my honeysuckle bloom?

Friday and Saturday I hosted a workshop in my home on animal communication taught by my beautiful friend, Dawn. While I’m still not quite ready to share what I learned, as I’m processing much of it, I feel changed in a way today that I really didn’t expect. A part of me is even finding it hard to express in words what I feel. Much of it is welcome and good. I am simmering in all of it.

In a way I feel myself still coming back into my physical body and feeling my feet firmly planted on the earth. Maybe that sounds rather strange, but again, it is hard to express the energy that transpired over the last two days.

Just a few moments ago I decided to take a photo of the honeysuckle plant that is blooming in all its glorious colors of orange, pink and green outside my writing cottage. As I was doing so, I saw this small green critter through the lens of my camera. I’m not sure I would have spotted him otherwise.

When I sat down to write this post, all the emotions and energy from the last 48 hours still finding there way with me, I thought about this green bug and it came to me, all creatures great and small, love them all.  Each one has something to offer us.

I then chuckled silently to myself because while I understand this message, I know I’m going to get hung up on spiders, snakes, flies and mosquito’s. Okay, I am a work in progress, I told myself. And maybe I’ll never come to love them in the sense of wanting them to be around me, I can love them for their purpose in the world. And maybe that is enough.