Wry Vita

To the Brave and Faithful, Nothing is Impossible

I'll start with a confession. 

What I know about the Rugby Union Heineken Cup, the final of which takes place tomorrow between Munster (Ireland) and Biarritz (France) at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, could be written on the back of a match ticket with enough room left over to write my Amazon Wish List.

The event would probably have floated right over my head were it not for Jake telling me the other day that "Friday is 'Red Day' and we all have to go to school wearing red clothes." 

Normally he gives me this sort of Important Information with ten minutes warning so getting three days notice was exhilarating and meant he got to go to school not just in red t-shirt and hoodie but clean red t-shirt and hoodie.

But amazing as that is, I want to talk about something of even more universal interest than the trials of being Jake's mother.

The Aer Lingus Five

You might remember I was singing Ryanair's praises a couple of weeks back for their great customer service, here's the link to that posting.

Today I heard a great story about Aer Lingus.  Well, great if you're Ryanair anyway!

Five law-abiding folk had a family funeral to attend in Manchester.  It would have cost them € 260 to fly Ryanair from Dublin but as two of their party were in their 70s and in poor health, they decided it was a safer bet to pay the €900+ Aer Lingus was looking for as they would be likely to get a superior service.

But there's no such thing as a safe bet, is there?

Getting the Cash Flowing

It was one of those Saturdays when we were at rather a loose end.

The house was as spotless as it's ever going to be with men, cats and dog in residence.

The overnight guest - only a woman ha ha and the reason the house was spotless - had been seduced with freshly squeezed juice (apple, carrot, spinach, lemon, celery, cucumber and pear) and toasted crumpets with melted Boursin but had left anyway...

We'd had a doodad-spendfest the last three weekends and I couldn't face another one.  So what to do with a few spare hours?

My Three Wise Guides

Have you spoken to your wise guides recently?

I tend to keep mine locked up in a soundproof booth much of the time.  While I sit and struggle with Life - relationships, work dilemmas, physical environment, money matters - my three wise guides are jumping up and down, banging on the walls and yelling

"We can help you.  Now.  Just unlock this damn door!"

Measurably Better June

• Are you ready to get serious about achieving the goals that have been knocking around in your head all year but going nowhere fast?
• Do you know it's time to take action but you're not sure where or how to start?
• Are you looking for a completely affordable yet effective coaching programme that will make the next twelve months Measurably Better for you?

This month - May 2006 - has seen the launch of my brand new group coaching programme, Measurably Better Coaching and I'm delighted with, but not surprised by, the excitement and energy of the participants who are now creating their Success Plan for the coming year which includes their ten top goals encompassing all areas of their life:

• Work or business
• Health and fitness
• Fun and laughter
• Relationships
• Money
• Self care
• Home and family
• A bit more fun and laughter

And so I'm launching two brand new groups starting in just a couple of weeks time, at the beginning of June.

Let me share something with you.  The beauty and strength of Measurably Better Coaching is this.  The groups consist of a maximum four 'allies'. 

With my training background and five years working as a personal and business coach, I know this size group is small enough to quickly engender bonding, a shared purpose and support for each individual and large enough to bring a meaningful selection of skills, experience and knowledge to the table - and allow me to do what is so important to me:

Provide an inexpensive way for anyone who wants it to experience working with a trained, professional and experienced coach.

Maria's Gift

Much as I'm growing fond of that morose Swedish cop, Kurt Wallender, I have had to put down Henning Mankell's "The White Lioness" for the time being.

The young mother and estate agent we meet on page 1 is dead by page 6 and a few pages further on, an amputated black-skinned finger is discovered stuck in the ground.

I quite understand that crime thrillers have to have a bit of crime in them but quite by accident I've gone back on the Positive Mental Diet and I figure dead bodies before bedtime is probably on the 'strictly forbidden' list.

Intentions and Expectations

Being three days into my 30 day "Intentional Meditation" experiment, from Joe Vitale's  The Attractor Factor, I wasn't surprised to receive in my inbox this morning this Totally Unique Thought from the Universe:

You know how the wind, no matter how blustery, remains as silent as it is invisible, until it meets with leaves, and kites, and flags, and such?

Well, Mal, it's exactly the same with the manifesting forces that make dreams come true, until they meet with expectation.

And right this second, they're whirling all around you, my little chiquita.

Happy Monday -

     The Universe