French Crepes and artwork in San Francisco

My daughter and I found, completely by accident, this most wonderful crepe restaurant in San Francisco.  The restaurant is called Ti Couz.  The crepes are the best I have ever tasted!  They will spoil you to any other crepe.  (hint:  There is butter involved.)  While there I bought a t-shirt with a wonderful piece of artwork on it by French artist Armelle Gourvennec.  Turn on your speaker for the music and Click on the colored drawings of her website to view wonderful imaginative paintings like this.

Three Women by Armelle Gourvennec

About the restaurant. . .

“This Mission staple has three whitewashed, stucco-and-wood dining rooms decorated with photos from old Brittany. There’s seating at serpentine counters, as well as tables. French expatriate and owner Sylvie Lemer bases her menu on classic Breton recipes. Thin buckwheat crepes are folded in big flat squares around dozens of fillings, from a simple butter and cheese to ham and Gruyere. Sweet crepes include fruit, sauce and ice cream combinations.”  –CitySearch staff   
I suggest that two people order one savory and one dessert crepe to share, as they are filling.  Have fun! 

Gail Brokaw
http://www.embracethepossibility.org

Sacred Life Sunday – Patience

Chinese symbol for Patience

 

 

 

“Sometimes I lie awake at night, and I ask, ‘Where have I gone wrong?’  Then a voice says to me.  ‘This is going to take more than one night.’ ” –Charlie Brown

Patience has been eluding me lately.  Try as I may, the anxiety and frustration of some days lead me to a place I’m not feeling good about.  So I guess I need to be more patient with myself in finding patience with the world around me. 

 As James and Constance Messina say in their writing about patience, “Wake up to the realities of life around you.  Everyone with whom you come in contact is busy working through their own struggles, weaknesses, setbacks, relapses, crises, and obstacles to their personal growth and recovery.  All of us are on the path to personal growth.  Their is no one exempt from this journey.  It takes a lifetime to complete.“

Note to self:

This week I will focus on breathing in relaxation, breathing out tension and frustration.  I will breathe in tolerance and understanding and breathe out anger and impatience.

This week I will take one day at a time and make each day more positive by finding at least five things each day which can bring peace, joy and humor into my life.

This week I will look for solutions, remind myself to accept what is, and work toward the goals I have set for myself which always makes me feel more positive and hopeful.  Refocus will be my word for the week.

“I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.”
  - Maya Angelou

“Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance. “
  - Unknown

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.  Attitude, to me is more important than facts.  It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstance, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.  It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.  It will make or break a company…a church…a home.  The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.  We cannot change our past…we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.  We cannot change the inevitable.  The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.  I am convinced that life is 10%  what happened to me and 90% of how I react to it.  And so it is with you…we are in charge of our Attitudes.”  –Charles R Swindoll

This is my goal for the week. 

Gail Brokaw
http://www.embracethepossibility.org

Sacred Sunday at Mill Valley

The Mill Valley Arts Festival is one of my favorite things to do each year.  I went there yesterday to stroll among the talented artists and the gorgeous redwood trees.  The festival is held in the Old Mill Park at the foot of Mt. Tamalpais in the middle of a grove of beautiful redwood trees.  The smell of the trees and the feel of the thick carpet of leaves and bark is soothing and relaxing.  There is even a stream flowing through the end of the park which makes it even more appealing to me.  It’s the perfect setting.  The sound in the park is muffled by the trees and the heavy carpeting of fallen leaves, but during the day there is usually live music played at one end of the park.  The groups they select blend well with the feel of the park; mellow and uplifting. 

2008 Festival Poster

One year we saw Huey Lewis at the festival partaking of festival food with his family.  We were reminiscing about it yesterday when we looked up and there was Albert Brooks sitting with friends and visiting.  It’s such a relaxing place, even actors and musicians can come and relax among the big trees and feel sure they won’t be bothered by cameras and publicity.  How nice is that?! 

Two-time Emmy Award winner Rita Abrams and her Strawberry Point School kids captured hearts and airwaves worldwide with their chartbuster hit song, “Mill Valley.”  For a blast from the past check out this video.  You will have to scroll down on the linked page and look for the video as it is not on YouTube directly anymore.  http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=mill+valley+art+festival&fr=yfp-t-501-s&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8

 Here is a guide to the great outdoors in Marin County.  Enjoy!  http://www.marintrails.com/

Enjoy a walk in nature in the next few weeks and embrace Fall and the transition from one season to another.

Gail Brokaw
http://www.embracethepossibility.org

The Times They Are a Changing

The old message The Times They Are a Changing rings so true today.  Democrats and Republicans, Obama and McCain, Biden and Palin are all talking a good talk about making changes.  And lord knows we certainly need to make changes in this society whether it is in our politics, our global environment, our education system, our healthcare system or individual rights.  This song sung by Peter, Paul and Mary from the past is as relevant as it was when it was first produced and gives me goose bumps just listening to the strength and passion in their voices.  This is one way that they try to inspire others to make positive changes in our world.  It reminds me that I need to continue in my own way to make changes as an individual to make my little corner of the world a better place.  It’s not always an easy task, but it’s something I’m committed to.  We can hope that our political leaders will make good choices that will affect appropriate change, but it’s really up to each one of us to make some change, in whatever way we can, at the individual level to make our world a better place. 

Simple everyday ways to make change are there at your fingertips. 

Support a friend or coworker that needs encouragement.
Make your employer aware of areas that need improvement and do what you can to bring about that needed change.
Do what you can to make your home more environmentally friendly.
Get involved in local politics.
Help build or improve community resources.
Create artwork or music to open people’s minds and start a new thought process.
Educate your children to think creatively to solve problems rather than just wait for adults to give them the answers.

What else can you think of that might inspire the rest of us to take action to create positive change in our lives and in our community?

http://www.wecansolveit.org/    We Can Solve the Environmental Problems

http://www.usaweekend.com/diffday/index.html   October 25 is Make a Difference Day

http://www.voa.org/   Volunteers of America

Gail Brokaw
http://www.embracethepossibility.org
You CAN make the change you want in your life!

Celtic Cross and Life Balance- Sacred Life Sunday

Island of Iona, Scotland

 

Iona is a beautiful, small speck of an Island off the western coast of Scotland 3 miles long and 1 mile wide with 2000 acres in total area. http://www.isle-of-iona.com/  This is where Joan Anderson traveled to connect with the spirit and her heritage.  While there, she visits an artist in his studio.  He is hand carving Celtic Crosses.  She asks him about the significance of the circle in the center of all the Celtic Crosses.  He responds that the circle is where all opposites come together.  It is a stabilizing element for the cross.  He further explains that another thought some have is that the circle “represents mother – the woman – who holds it all together.”  I, like Joan, am interested in crosses, not for their religious significance but for the beauty of the art that can be a representation of crossroads.  Haven’t we all been at a crossroad at least a few times in our lives?  We have had times to make choices, set a new direction or take advantage of a new opportunity.  I see the circle in the cross as a representation of something that holds our life together as we take different directions and new paths.  The circle not only holds together, but brings together different elements in our life.  It’s a powerful symbol.

For me, the four main directions that need connecting and balancing are relationships (family and friends), work, spirit and creativity.  I need to remain aware of each point in my cross (life) and find time to connect each to the other and continue to maintain the balance that feels good to me. 

What is the crossroad you are facing right now?  What helps you hold the major points of your life together? 

Gail Brokaw, MA, CC
http://www.embracethepossibility.org
lifecoach@embracethepossibility.org
You CAN make the change you want in your life!