Courage to Loose Sight of the Shore

courage

comes from the french/latin word for heart

courage vitalizes all other virtues

just like the heart does, courage provides life force

channel fear into excitement, into action

courage its not about getting rid of fear.

it is knowing fear is normal, and continuing into action regardless.

moving through fear gracefully.

Follow Up Message: Warming Hut Hotties Retirement

A private email sent to this year’s Warming Hut Hottie Team Leaders yesterday afternoon was posted to Facebook and was sent to others in the community via bcc email. I am sorry if seeing these messages caused anyone hurt feelings or confusion on top of today’s announcement regarding the retirement of the Warming Hut Hotties team. 

We wanted the announcement to be received with the spirit it was intend

ed. It was written with lots of love and gratitude for 10 amazing years, and it is sad to have that message be undermined. While the email sent to the Team Leaders was certainly not confidential, all of the content is information that would have been posted to the community at a more appropriate time.

Please feel free to email Linda at linda at inourlifetime dot org or Marcia at marcia at inourlifetime dot org if you have questions or concerns regarding this issue or the announcement.

Announcement: Warming Hut Hotties Retirement

Your heart is free. Have the courage to follow it. Braveheart

Dear Warming Hut Hotties, Immediate Impact Walk and In Our Lifetime Community,

It is hard to believe ten years of the Warming Hut Hotties have come and gone! So many people, so many special memories, friendships formed, and a powerful legacy of kindness, compassion, and community. We walked, crewed, volunteered and have fundraised while holding the vision to eradicate breast cancer as a life threatening disease, in our lifetime. 

10 Years of the Warming Hut Hotties

This was another year of amazing accomplishments while we shared the road with old and new friends. If you missed the Reunion Party, here is the 2012 Training Walk-umentary slideshow: Part One and Part Two. Enjoy! 

On behalf of our community and the Board of In Our Lifetime, I would like to thank Marsha, Teresa, Michele and Sandra for their hard work as team leaders for the Avon Walk and 3 Day events this year. 

The Avon Walk team raised $20,002, the 3 Day Team raised $102,999 and the Immediate Impact Breast Cancer Walk raised $109,464 which brings our 2012 Fundraising Total to $232,465! Truly wonderful. CONGRATULATIONS! 

Our ten year fundraising total is a staggering $3,197,675. Three. million. dollars. Wow! There is no other way to say it but thank you! It is gratifying to think of the many, many, many people who have been helped by the funds we raised for breast cancer over all of those years.

I can only express deep gratitude to each and every one of the members of our community, and everyone who has supported us, for being a part of it all. It has been simply magical.

Retiring the Warming Hut Hotties Team

In the summer of 2011, I made the decision that this would be the last year of the Warming Hut Hotties team. As such, the Board of In Our Lifetime has made the decision to not renew the Warming Hut Hottie teams as a project. Respecting the upset the Komen/Planned Parenthood controversy created within the team, we decided to delay this announcement until the completion of this year's events. At the end of this year, the Warming Hut Hotties team will be retired. 

The ten year/$3 million mark is a phenomenal way to close the book on this remarkable once-in-a-lifetime experience and end the Warming Hut Hotties team on a high. For my reflections on the gift of this community, please see this blog post.

Our community is not disbanding. We are taking this opportunity to regroup under the full umbrella of our nonprofit, In Our Lifetime.

We share a sense of ownership of the Warming Hut Hotties team, deep pride in our community and our accomplishments. Saying goodbye to something beloved is always difficult, but even great things come to end. Whether you have been a hottie since 2003, or you joined the team this year, I have always said, "Once a hottie, always a hottie!" Now we can hold that feeling in our hearts. 

Planning for 2013

As people begin to make plans for event participation in 2013, with respect for the hundreds of past team members and our collective history, I ask that the Warming Hut Hotties (or some variation of “hotties") name and traditional "schwag" not be used. Please honor this request with gratitude for the thousands of hours many team members have volunteered in service to the Avon Walk, the 3 Day and the team. 

People continuing to participate in the Avon Walk, Susan G. Komen 3 Day or other breast cancer events can take the strong foundation and positive experience of being a part of the Warming Hut Hotties and use them as seeds for creating the vision for new teams. Take flight into the open space where the Warming Hut Hotties once dwelled. It is full of possibility! 

Moving Forward with In Our Lifetime

As we move into 2013, the Board of In Our Lifetime will be focused on growing the nonprofit, creating meaningful and impactful breast cancer related projects in the Bay Area and growing our event, the Immediate Impact Breast Cancer Walk. This is the path our hearts are leading us on, and we hope to have your support in this decision and the important work we have ahead of us. We invite you to be involved and move forward into the next ten years with In Our Lifetime.

Wishing you all the best on your journey, wherever that road may lead you. With deep respect and gratitude,

Linda Imlay

Founder, Warming Hut Hotties

Board Chair, In Our Lifetime, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit

Giving Feels Good: Adopt a Family Gift Drive

Today we gathered to wrap all of the gifts we collected for the Adopt a Family Gift Drive for our assigned family from La Casa de las Madres. A few months ago I contacted the shelter to ask if our community could participate in their Adopt a Family holiday program. Three weeks ago I was sent a sheet describing our assigned a family: a mom and her two 9 year old kids with sizes of clothing, preferred colors and their gift "wish list." At minimum we were required to provide one family gift, two gifts for the mom and three gifts for each child:

For the family, a full sized sheet set.

The mom asked for a tote bag purse and a large soup pot.

Child #1 asked for a art set, toy train and a model car/train kit.

Child #2 asked for a Thomas the Tank Engine shirt, Thomas the Tank Engine toy and a pair of jeans.

I was informed that Child #2 has some developmental disabilities which is why he asked for the Thomas the Tank engine items, something usually a much younger child would be interested in. We were up for the challenge. 

A sign up list was posted online for anyone in the community to select from, and I added many additional items I thought the family would need. We don't know anything about the family or their circumstances, but I was told all gifts would be appreciated! 

Other items we bought for each family member included PJs, robes, games, socks, underwear, warm hats, warm coats, books and toiletries. And, man oh man, there were probably 25 small stocking suffer gifts per person as well: stickers, pens, makeup, candy, legos and other cool things!

Sports Basement, once again, generously welcomed us to use their Big Room to host the Wrapping Party. I confirmed with those who RSVPd to bring tape, scissors and whatever wrapping paper they wanted to donate to the effort.

Boatloads of wrapping supplies

Sorting the gift haul by recipient before wrapping.

We started by unloading and sorting all of the purchases by recipient - man, here was a LOT! It felt like it was Christmas morning as a kid. 

Little elves wrapping away!

We put on some good music, poured some mimosas at got to work! Each gift was lovingly wrapped, tied with gorgeous ribbon and labeled carefully with the initials of the recipient and the contents of each package. 

Sandy's advanced bow tying maneuver.

We finished by 5:00 pm and loaded most of the gifts into my car.... like Santa's sleigh.

There were so many gifts some went to Trina and Meg's houses for storage. The plan is to deliver all of the gifts to the shelter on Thursday afternoon. I will probably be more excited than the staff at the shelter. 

Many thanks to Marcia P., Marsha S., Catronia, Margo W., Meg, Trina, Sharla, Elena, Sandy, Sandy W. + Frankie + Edie, Tina L., Judy J. for contributing so generously to our family's wish list and all of the other gifts.

The gifts are so perfect. The family is going to be so overwhelmed with this generosity. Here is a list (what I remember!) of the items that will be dropped off at the shelter this week for our family.

Family Wish List: Full Sized Sheet Set (Bed in a Bag)

Family additional gift: a towel set for each member of the family

Family: TONS of stocking stuffers! Like 20 little items for each person in the family. So fun!

Child #1 Wish List: Art/Drawing Set, Model Car, Train Set, Art Supplies

Child  #2 Wish List: Jeans, Thomas the Tank Engine Shirt, Thomas the Tank Engine Toy Train Kids

Additional gifts - each child is getting: maze game, lego set, Bathrobe, PJs, Books, Socks, Undies, Undershirts, Warm Coat and Hat

Mom's Wish List: Tote Bag/Purse, Large Soup Pot Mom

Additional Gifts: Large Stock Pot, PJs, Slippers, Toiletries, Makeup, Warm Coat & Scarf

Many thanks to Tanzeem, Linda E., Marcia, Marsha, Sharla, Sandy, Meg, Tina, for pitching in to tackle wrapping the pile of presents, for donating wrapping supplies and for your infectious positive spirit! Giving feels good.

grateful

Immediate Impact Breast Cancer Walk

Sunday Reflection & Dedication Reading

grateful… by michelle ensminger 

for the power of being fully present to the world around me, the all the bits of pieces of myself

to share this sacred space with you, two beings, slightly broken, overflowing, fragments of the divine

to hold your hand, to carry your burden while you regain your strength

for the questions and the gentle reminders that beg me to look at the truth I am creating in my life

for the grace that holds my becoming in its center

for the horizon, flat and blurry, and beyond that, and still beyond that

for the toes my toes find in the dark

for the delicate scent of jasmine still lingering in the morning air

when two stories intersect, shifting the plot and the characters toward something more brilliant

for honey colored whispers that spin their magic into a new day

for the way the setting sun’s light shimmers off the withering hyacinth

for petals, curled, brittle, colorless, dropping one by one into a pile on the sidewalk

for leaves draped in color and tumbling, a downward, a weightless dance

for a dream being born somewhere, carried through the spiral of time by faith and courage

for the way autumn slips in with her ribbons of red and yellow, orange and gold

for the tears and bravery of others

for prayers, rising like incense to fill the space we hold

for familiar, dog-eared pages that know so well the shape of my hands

for the things that weigh heavy in me waiting to be born

for the way a moment can catch in my throat like a song needing to be sung

when scattered pieces come together, making sense for a moment, then blurring to confusion again

for the softness of breaking open, daring to be tender, daring to love, daring to be seen

for the nervous energy of unknown beginnings

for contradictory thoughts that grapple with each other until they make peace

for the palette of choices at our disposal in each moment

for the invitation to explore what it means to be called woman, mother, human

to the stillness I come back to again and again

for this breath, and this one, and this one

for love, and what else is there, really, besides love?

i am a poem

Image from Mrs. Chow

Immediate Impact Breast Cancer Walk

Saturday Reflection & Dedication Reading

i am a poem by michelle ensminger 

sometimes she held a sliver of the moon in her cupped hands 

and let the light run through her fingers like the sweetest honey 

sometimes the sound of the earth’s quiet breathing 

was enough to make her sigh 

sometimes when she passed under the leaves they shone 

colorful and translucent 

and she knew the world was one large cathedral 

and every step was a prayer 

sometimes she fought against her own living 

and then her mind would give 

and her body would softly surrender 

sometimes her scars seemed like broken paths 

and the lines connecting each one 

formed the silhouette of someone familiar 

sometimes she ignored the promises she made to herself, 

telling herself they weren’t all that important 

but her dreams always told her the truth 

sometimes she remembered who she was 

and the memory was like a dance 

she could follow with her eyes closed 

sometimes when her toes touched the edge of the cool water 

there was the distant memory of thirst 

at the back of her throat 

sometimes she forgot she could save herself 

but the cadence of the rain against the windows 

was a tender song of remembrance 

sometimes she felt the weight of her scattered pieces 

but it was never as heavy as the weight of her wholeness 

sometimes in the early morning hours she swore 

she was the curve of pink on the horizon 

and sometimes the fading color of day told her 

she was right 

sometimes she stood at the window looking in on her life 

sometimes she could touch the fringe of it, 

sometimes she could leap straight into its story, 

but sometimes it felt distant and out of reach 

sometimes her breath caught in her chest 

and in that moment she knew the stillness of nothing 

sometimes the voice singing “now” was louder 

than the temptation of tomorrow 

sometimes a ladder leading nowhere would appear 

sometimes she was brave enough to climb one rickety rung at a time 

sometimes there were enough sometimes to stitch together 

and from that she could create a life 

2012 Immediate Impact Walk - Pre-event Preparations!

After months of planning and preparations, lists, emails and meetings - our event weekend was here!!! It began with Marcia and Sandy picking up the 10' box truck which would haul all of our event supplies and gear bags for the weekend. 

We met at Costco where we shopped for healthy snacks for our route stops. and items for our continental breakfast. I had already shopped for some event supplies and food with some gift cards at Safway and the total spent there was $9.00!

A group of volunteers  meet at East Beach to vehicles and sort our event supplies into the vehicles and make packs of snacks/supplies for each day.

Lots of snacks to keep everyone fueled for our 55 miles of walking!

We applied our new fancy car magnets. Very official looking, yes?

After we finished organizing at the lot, we checked into the hostel for our all crew meeting!

Right after we had started to go to bed the fire alarm went off and we all had to evacuate the building!

See? Firetrucks! An auspicious beginning to our remarkable weekend!

Freedom is where my feet are.

The last walk of the 2012 training season started with the most magical sunrise. 

WEEKEND RECAP 

This 11 mile training walk was the exclamation point on our 5 months of training together for the Immediate Impact Walk. What a spectacular day it was. The sunrise was the harbinger of the day to come. We walked up through the Presidio, along the Ecology Trail, our Lake Street toward Geary and our new favorite break at the Land's End Visitor Center. 

Stone Labyrinth at Land's End Trail

From there, we headed out the Land's End Trail with a detour down some steep sandy stairs toward the Mile Rock Beach the Stone Labyrinth - a secret, somewhat mystical place with wind-swept rocky cliffs and vistas out to the headlands, wide ocean views, and a spectacular view back over the GG Bridge. 

Dophins off China Cove!

As we were walking along the trail we spotted the same pod of dolphins right off the China Cove Beach we had seen on previous training walks! There were close to 20 of them swimming very close to shore. We stopped, oogeled and squealed - to see them so close to the shore was so special. 

From there we made our way to Baker Beach for our last break. The day was warm and sunny.... and on those warm days there is a certain group of people who sunbathe nude at the north end of the beach (sadly, we have no photos of the nude men...) From there we gathered all of our resolve and heeded up the Sand Ladder for a triumphant finish to our final training walk! This day, with these wonderful people was the most magical way to wrap up our training season.

THIS WEEK'S MAP QUOTES 
When you combine a drive to help others with a strong community, great things can happen. Lee Rhodes, glassybay founder

Then, before the dust could settle, CHANGE took her breath within her.  There began to stir the winds that she kept inside herself, folded like linens being stored for a special occasion. Annette Childs-Oroz

WEEKLY INSPIRATION: ON BEING PRESENT

I found these two great articles about "being present", something I try to practice. Be in THIS moment. It's a constant practice. Get off your cell phone, don't update your Facebook status, don't worry about your errands and chores piling up at home. Stop, take a deep breath and be present!

5 Lessons about Being Present: Freedom is Where My Feet Are. by Erin Lanahan Source
As I begin each day, I must remind myself, “Erin, stay where your feet are.” If I keep my attention on the place where my feet reside, I have a better chance of remaining in the here and now. What’s here and now is all there is, so we’re told.

'What is Being Present" by John Kuypers 

(Ignore the Christian focus links, if that isn't your thing... but these descriptions/definitions were very helpful to me.)

Being Present is what you experience when you are completely focused on this very moment.   Your feelings are calm.  Your reflexes are fast.  Your mind is clear.  You are decisive.  You know what you want.  You know what's right for you.  You perform your best - public speaking, sports, music, relating to people.  Your confidence is deep.  You know you're not perfect.  This lets you be real.  You accept you have weaknesses.  So does everyone.

Being present is a time frame you choose to focus on.  There are only three possible time frames - past, present and future.  Once you become aware of the thoughts you are having and the content of those thoughts, you will notice which time-frame you are in at any given time.  You will begin to notice how often your thoughts and feelings are focused on the past or the future.  These thoughts are riddled with judgments, comparing the past or future to your present situation.  Many people spend less than 1% of their time being fully present. The rest of the time, we drift in and out as our attention wanders.  Your mind may even seem to be out of your own control.

Your memory is strong when You are in the present.  Do you recall times that are very clear in your memory?  All of you was in the "here and now" in those moments -  in a first love, on a great vacation, with a trusted friend.  These were moments when you felt safe.  You will be present more often when you learn to feel safe even in difficult, stressful, anxious situations - when people criticize you, when you make mistakes, when you are in a financial jam or in a love life crisis.  Otherwise, outside circumstances will dictate when you are able to be present...or not.

The path to being more real in the present is to stop comparing.  We compare the present with what "should" be happening.  The result of this is judgments.  We judge situations, other people and ourselves.  Judgments make it hard to be present.  Our minds become pre-occupied with thoughts that analyze the past or role-play the future.  We live in the past to lick our wounds or we live in the future because we don't trust ourselves that we'll be okay in the future.

Being present happens in an instant.  So does not being present.  An upsetting thoughts triggers emotions based on the past hurts or future fears.  It happens in an instant and is highly dependent on how good your boundaries are.   Both result in conflict and unhappiness rooted in past and future-based thoughts and feelings. This is the real You that you want to keep hidden.

Being present means learning to live as if you have nothing to hide, nothing to prove and nothing to lose.  This is how your mind, body, heart and soul become unified in that one moment.   Time slows down.  You are connecting with God - the eternal life force.  In fact, the definition of eternity is the present moment.  It has never NOT been the present moment - the only time that is real.  That is merely a logical fact.

Your ability to be present depends on having good boundaries.  That is the reason for the two hands in the Present Living & Learning logo.   If you have weak boundaries, you will either lash out at others unjustly or you will be passive and let others run over you.  When you are you, your focus is on self-control and self-responsibility.  You don't control others, nor do you let others control you.

Being present begins with NOTICING when you are trying to alter the present moment and learning what you can do about it.  You become aware that you use "judgments" to try to control others and yourself. This creates a 'victim' mindset.  You learn to stop being a victim.  You become a more decisive person who makes wiser choices in difficult, uncertain and even scary situations.  Your self-confidence and self-trust grow tremendously, as does your faith and spirituality.  You feel safer, which lets you be present with others. They will soon notice a real and positive change!

UPCOMING TRAINING WALKS

RSVP here: http://groupspaces.com/InOurLifetime/calendar/ 

Saturday 10/13: 9 Miles - 7:00am - Pt Reyes Trail Walk with lunch in Pt Reyes Station

Sunday 10/21: 20 Miles - Tiburon Walk! - 6:00am (with a route support car so we can take turns walking)

Turning an Ending into a Beginning

The light has changed. A season ending. A new season beginning.

As the inaugural Immediate Impact Breast Cancer Walk draws near, I find my time for blogging is severely lacking!  Maybe I will go back and do a re-cap of the missed weekends once this walk season is completed. 

Cheering stations and ceremony location for the Immediate Impact Walk are posted here. We'd love to see some friendly faces during the event weekend!

WEEKEND RECAP 
Saturday's walk was the ever famous Divisadero Hill Butt Burner walk! Here is a screen shot from Trina's phone of the HILLS - 403 feet of climbing! 

On Sunday we met at our new favorite location, the Transit Cafe for a 12 mile walk over the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito and back. It was an easy, moderately paced walk with a break at the Starbucks where we all got yummy treats! It was very apparent that light has changed, the sun is lower in the sky, and all of the sudden it is Fall - the light over the Bay and over the city skyline was spectacular. 

Looking at seals in the harbor. Photo from Judy Janec.

As we walked down to Ft. Baker from the bridge we came across into some pretty tired and rough looking dudes. Turns out they were participating in the Headland's Marathon. It's a trail run/walk of a marathon, 50 or 100 miles! There was an aide station tucked along the road by the pier at Ft Baker. We chatted with the people running it and wow, what an amazing commitment to walk 100 miles non-stop.  I pulled this from the website: 

Time Limits

50 Miles - 15 hours (10 PM Saturday, “22:00”)

75 Miles - 24 hours (7 AM Sunday, “07:00”)

100 Miles - 33 hours (4 PM Sunday, “16:00”) 

That's a 3.0 -3.3 mph pace.... with NO breaks. OH MY! Hard core. 

Gorgeous women! Photo from Peggy.

THIS WEEK'S MAP QUOTES 
The highest reward for a person's toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it. John Ruskin

When you begin to touch your heart or let your heart be touched, you begin to discover that it's bottomless, that it doesn't have any resolution, that this heart is huge, vast, and limitless. You begin to discover how much warmth and gentleness is there, as well as how much space. Pema Chodron

UPCOMING TRAINING WALKS

RSVP here: http://groupspaces.com/InOurLifetime/calendar/ 

Saturday 9/22: 11 Miles - 7:00am - The Warming Hut 

Saturday 10/13: 9 Miles - 7:00am - Pt Reyes Trail Walk with lunch in Pt Reyes Station

Sunday 10/21: 20 Miles - Tiburon Walk! - 6:00am (with a route support car so we can take turns walking)

WEEKLY INSPIRATION 
Reflecting back upon this year and how everyone in our community was faced with a decision to participate, to not participate this year or to move beyond the Komen 3 Day for the Cure event, I have spent a lot of time thinking about the concept that, while the chapter is coming to a close for the Warming Hut Hotties, there is a new beginning for everyone. 

The Komen/Planned Parenthood controversy was a moment to step back and reflect upon your priorities, what you stand for, and take a big picture view of our team and community . What is the deep meaning behind your participation in these events? Why walk to raise money for breast cancer? What is important to you? 

Taking a moment to be grounded in our individual participation choices was, in itself, a gift. Respecting individual choices to participate in the event of your choosing, and supporting those choices is at the heart of this community.

Participating in these breast cancer events has been a gift and to think of it any other way is losing sight of the forest through the trees.

• It is a gift that these walk events exist for us to channel our compassion and desire to affect change in this world.
• It is a gift that we are physically capable of participating by walking, volunteering and crewing.
• It is a gift that we can afford to sign up and pay for fees, shoes and gear to walk.
• It is a gift that there was an open team, a welcoming community and many training walks in which you could participate.
• It is a gift that our donors generously support us and make our participation possible, by funding research and services to people in need.

Some people will continue to participate in the Avon Walk and the 3 Day events next year. Some people will participate in the Immediate Impact Walk. Some people will find new ways and organizations into which to channel their volunteerism in the breast cancer community. As it is every year, some people walk one time and move on to new adventures and new challenges in their lives. 

We will all hold our memories and friendships from the years of the Warming Hut Hotties Team closely in our hearts. Our participation has changed us all; the positivity and kindness of our community will have a lasting effect in our lives. As the ten years of the Warming Hut Hotties as a team is coming to an ending, remember there are possibilities in new beginnings in 2013. Follow where your heart is calling you.

Turning an Ending into a Beginning

By David G Arenson, ND Article source.

Your universe crashes. The world you had constructed in your mind falls like a tower collapsing into the dust of fallen dreams.

Like thunder in the heart, everything seems like it’s capitulated—nothing makes sense in your life any more.

A crisis? When an unexpected stressful event happens to us, do we ever stop to ask why? Or is it too late to ask? We fall into an abyss and ask questions later.

What would it take to accept your life as it is and create a feeling of peace about it? If we redefine what a problem is and call it a challenge, a game, or, better yet, an opportunity or a blessing in disguise, surely that opens up many possibilities. From our attitudes, we create.

The stress response is a complex one. Yet to simplify and get down to its roots: Stress is a response triggered by an event which takes us right back to the fundamental emotions from the past—fear and anger. It is always past-focused. Usually, the core issues that define these emotions are memories of rejection or abandonment, lack or loss of control, helplessness, or hopelessness.

When your life seems to end, it is a great opportunity to start all over again at the beginning and redefine exactly who you are, what you will stand for, and who you are not.

Your life is your statement to the world, representing your values, beliefs, and dreams. Thus an ending is really a beginning.

Your life is yours to create, to enjoy or not enjoy, to fight or be at peace.

When all else is lost, you face yourself directly in the mirror, and from this vantage point of complete nakedness, clarity emerges and a new image starts to form of your future. From this point, you can create something real and meaningful, which will evolve into something beautiful in time.

When does “becoming” end? When you are “being” something. Sometimes “becoming” needs to come to an end (perhaps an abrupt end) for you to realize that you no longer need to become something you already are.

Whatever has appeared in your life is there for a reason. You can either ignore it or learn from it. No circumstance is accidental, though it may be unwanted. Choose what you will be. Choose what shall be. All you have is this moment—the only moment of choice. We cannot control everything.

Life will always change. The only question is, will you change with it? Sometimes getting out of the way is a better move than standing tall and strong.

When the river comes flooding down your driveway, will you survive by standing tall and strong or by attaching yourself to a floating branch and trusting that the flow will take you somewhere safe?

Whatever you’re going through, there’s someone who is going through something worse. Whatever is happening, there is someone who went through worse and didn’t just come out of it, but thrived!

Keep your chin up and believe that everything can get better. You are never alone, although it may feel that way. Believe in yourself.