PLUMA SNIPPETS NOVEMBER 2019
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The Alchemy of Becoming
Alchemy is defined as the process of taking something ordinary and turning it into something extraordinary, sometimes in a way that cannot be explained.
Years ago, in my thirties, while attending a seven-day intensive workshop led by the late Dr. Sidney Simon, Professor Emeritus from the University of Massachusetts (an authority in the areas of values clarification and self-esteem), I learned a secrete about the alchemy of becoming.
Sixty strangers came together for a workshop on values clarification at the University of San Diego in California. Attending were school teachers, guidance counselors and therapists. I was in the beginning stages of following a course of study in becoming a minister. The days were long and the week was demanding filled with statistics and formulas while reestablishing our personal values, evaluating our confidence and improving our communication skills. The purpose was to transform our ability to better assist those whose lives we served. The daily exercises and activities consisted of exploring our personal beliefs through the stories we had established in our childhood and still held as true in making our adult decisions. As group conversations ensued and sharing of our views and stories came to light, we began to discover our imperfect selves with different eyes. As Mark Nepo states in his book,
The Book of Awakening:
“Ultimately, it is where we are
not
perfect—where we are broken and cracked, where the wind whistles through—that is the stuff of transformation.”
One particular activity, still memorable to this day, began on our first day in class. Each one of us was given a 4 ½” x 9 ½” white mailing envelope to decorate. A table with children’s crayons, markers and stickers was prepared for us to embellish our envelopes making sure our names were boldly printed in our favorite color. On completion of our decorated envelopes we pinned them on a large cork bulletin board in the back of the room, making sure everyone could read our names. The instructions were given then and repeated every morning as the week unfolded: “catch someone doing something that touches your heart’ and write a note and place it inside their envelope.”
As insignificant as this exercise may sound, running into the classroom every morning to check our notes became the highlight of everyone’s day. Within the week, we had each collected a couple hundred notes and our class transformed from a group of strangers into a caring connection whose soul purpose was to make a positive impact in other’s lives. We listened deeply to each other, and expected others to listen to us as well. We learned that first impressions require not only our consideration, but our reconsideration as well. We dropped our mask of who we wanted others to see and exposed ourselves with trusting transparency. We formed relationships.
Here is the secrete revealed: all of life consists of forming relationships. Whether personal or professional, the realization of any idea, effort, decision, discovery, or healing starts with the relationship we have with ourselves. The more of ourselves we uncover, the gift of who we are, through our own exploration and through the eyes of others who care for us, the more we can tap into the fullness of who we are. The transformation from the ordinary to the extraordinary begins in knowing we can’t give what we don’t have. Certainly, the measure of who we have become is in our giving.
“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.”
—Pablo Picasso.
On this Thanksgiving Holiday, let us give thanks for the fullness of who we are continually becoming; for the relationships with our families, friends, co-workers, community, our country and the world. Let us give thanks for what is good and healthy in our lives and write a note to someone when you “catch them doing something that touches your heart!”
With love and gratitude,
Hilda
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A big Thank You to all who attended the 50
th
Celebration. Thank you for taking the time to attend and help me celebrate.
Acknowledgement and gratitude to those who added their magic to the evening:
Patrick Talarico - Musician
Patrick Holcombe – Magician
Cerise Patron – Singer
Donna Wilde – Singer
Arlene Hougland, Sonya Lee Stockhaus, Sharon Ross, Janell Erickson – our gypsy gals!
Eat by Stacey Weber - Catering
Nancy Runyan of Red Tabby Confections - Cookies and Chocolates
Anticus, Fine Arts, Jewelry, Books & Design
Painted Obsession - pedicure gift card
Keith Lester - videography
Lynn Eriksson - photography
A very special thank you to Mark Rosato and Terri Edwards, beverage managers extraordinaire; Hailie Revell and Samantha Nisan, greeters; Mary Beth Stern, organizer; and Juanita Silva in the kitchen and guacamole chef. It took a village!
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And enormous gratitude for the generous contributions to the Dr. Hilda Villaverde Hairstylist Scholarship Endowment.
For those who wish to donate you may do so online or by check:
mcccdf.org/villaverde
or by check payable to Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation. Mail to: GateWay Community College, 108 N. 40th St., Phoenix, AZ 85034
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PLUMA BOOK CLUB RECOMMENDATION
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Book of the month
:
Novel
:
The Four Doors: A Guide to Joy, Freedom, and a Meaningful Life
-
Richard Paul Evans
“the most popular holiday tale since Tiny Tim” (Newsweek), a new holiday novel that sets a classic Christmas story in our time.
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Products of the Month
Elevate and Uplift Finishing Sprays
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SNIP TIP
Elevate and Uplift Finishing Sprays contain pure essential oil fragrances and meet the strictest environmental standards. Cruelty free products. Eufora International guarantees this product only when purchased through authorized retailers.
The 'Hold' Doesn't Mean What You Think It Does
Every single can of hairspray says something along the lines of "light hold," "medium hold," or "freeze hold." But if you think that refers to how well the spray will, well, hold your style, you’re wrong. The hold factor actually correlates with the type of hair you have, says Kathleen Firth, stylist and owner of Focus Salon in Manhattan. Light hold works best for fine hair, medium works best for medium-thick hair, and "freeze hold" works best on thick hair.
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Quote of the Month
We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.
J.K. Rowling
In our soon-to-be-published book,
Living Brave…Finishing Strong
, we asked our contributors this question: What Do You Appreciate and Enjoy in the Second Quarter of Your Life?
Here is Rachel, 36 years old:
It really takes two words to sum up what I appreciate and enjoy in the second quarter of my life - “so” and “much.” There is just SO MUCH to appreciate and enjoy. After a stressful day, when my kids are driving me crazy, and my husband and I seemingly turn on each other as two victims beaten down by our tiny tormentors, we will sometimes end a fight by saying, “this is a hard time in our lives.” And it’s true. But it is also the luckiest, most magical time.
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Needing a Referral?
We have a collection of outstanding professionals in a variety of businesses and services,
and we take pride in our referrals- from window washers to podiatrist to outstanding Real Estate Agents specializing in their area of our city. Do not hesitate to ask us for a referral.
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Thanksgiving Humor:
A lady was picking through the frozen turkeys at the grocery store for Thanksgiving Day, but couldn’t find one big enough for her family. She asked a stock boy, “Do these turkeys get any bigger?”
“No, ma’am. They’re dead.”
Or this one for the dinner table:
What kind of music did the Pilgrims listen to at the first Thanksgiving feast?
What kind?
Plymouth Rock!
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