Sense Savvy Living

Part II - The Bright Side of Life (and Death)

2011-10-31T09:53:00.001-04:00

It’s Halloween, and styrofoam graveyards have popped up all over the neighborhood. I’m reminded that I’ve had a fascination with cemeteries ever since the 7th grade. My junior high school was located next to an old church, and during cheerleading practice I used to watch the Cross Country team run out from the wooded path that wove through the graveyard. What were they running from – ghosts, ghouls, and goblins – or just a wicked coach?

The Haunted Mansion at Disney World reminds us of our mortality and implores us to find a sense of humor in it. The seemingly endless line into the attraction is made somewhat less painful by the slapstick cemetery leading up to the macabre doors, in which several of the epitaphs were written in honor of famous Disney Imagnineers. The tombstones read like comic book pages:

HERE RESTS WATHEL R. BENDER, HE RODE TO GLORY ON A FENDER

HERE LIES GOOD OLD FRED, A GREAT BIG ROCK FELL ON HIS HEAD

What might mine read? - HERE LIES SENSE SAVVY ME, I STOPPED TO SMELL THE ROSES AND WAS STUNG BY A BEE - I think I have to work on that!

A night-time trip through a real cemetery would definitely creep me out, but a daytime visit has the completely opposite effect on me. In fact, I feel a strong sense of wonder and intrigue upon entering a cemetery, and the older the gravestones are, the more I relish the experience. Isn’t it just like walking into a library, in which each tomb is an abridged book? Only, the graves aren’t as well organized as the Dewey Decimal system. And, there’s seemingly no rhyme or reason to how the stones are laid out. All I know is that the spots are filled on a first come, first serve basis.

Like a book, the gravestones tell us that our lives meant something, and that the time we spent upon this Earth really did make a mark. During the final Oprah Winfrey show, she said, “Just being alive makes worthiness.” Moreover, “everyone wants to be seen and heard,” – this seems to be equally true in both life and death. Each tombstone provides some highlights of its resident: a beginning (the birth date), an ending (date of death), and often a vague, but touching middle, which usually reads something to the effect of “he was a loving son/daughter, father/mother, and grandfather/grandmother.”

Cape May Gravestone

However, there’s so much left unknown. And, that’s what really fascinates me…the missing details - the Who, What, Where, When, and Why that would connect the dots between the “Once Upon a Time” and “The End”. What was each chapter of the person’s life like – what were their mysteries, the fantasies, the romances, the dramas, and the comedies? Did they actually like the family members they’re now buried next to for all eternity? Did they ever figure out and pursue their life purpose?

On a trip to Cape May last year, my husband and I biked to Cold Spring Presbyterian Church. The congregation dates back to 1714, and the headstones in the surrounding cemetery date back just as far. There was a gravestone (pictured to the right), that was so well constructed, that even at nearly 200 years old, I could clearly read the epitaph as follows:

In memory of Reubin Suthard who departed this life August 17, 1813,

Aged 23 years, 10 months, and 26 days

Parents and Friends weep not for me

Tho I was drowned in the sea

It was God’s will it should be so

Some way or other all must go

In the olden days, the life expectancy was about three decades shorter than it is today. And, since life was so fleeting, one’s history was recorded down to the very last day spent alive on Earth. I’m heartbroken at the tiny graves of children whose lives spanned just months or even days. But, death is inevitable, and this is plainly stated on Reubin’s tombstone. It seems to me that Reubin Suthard lived it right. If I had to guess, Reubin was a seaman, who lived out the life he was meant to lead and died doing what he loved to do. Everyone knew it. How else would his family come up with this epitaph?

Who hasn’t thought about their own funeral? Don’t we all wonder how many people will show up, what will they say, and who will come to visit once we’re six feet under? But, why waste our time on such silly questions. If we live our lives authentically, from the heart, and in service to the world, we should have nothing to fear or regret about what our tombstone will read.

Here are Thirteen Halloween-Inspired, Words of Advice About Life and Death:

1. “Everyone has a calling. Figure out what you should be doing and get to the business of doing it – don’t waste another minute.” – Oprah Winfrey

2. You only live once (as far as most of us can remember), so act like it.

3. Make every year, month, day, and second count.

4. Choose a great environment and make it beautiful – you may be there for eternity.

5. Love and appreciate your family – you may end up living together forever.

6. Ask yourself, “Did I live today as if it were my last day?” If not, try again tomorrow.

7. Figure out if you're "living it right".

8. Always accept today, but ask yourself, "What can I change about tomorrow?"

9. Don’t let yourself be bored stiff. You’ll have plenty of time to be stiff as a board.

10. “Do not wait until you are on your deathbed before you start to recognize that no material possession, no job, no status, no thing matters in terms of defining who you are.” - Eckhart Tolle

11. Have a sense of humor about life and death.

12. Live and learn from these songs:

• Live Like We're Dying – Kris Allen
• 100 Years – Five for Fighting
• Love the World You Find – The Flaming Lips
• Why Georgia (Am I Living it Right?)– John Mayer
• Life in One Day - Howard Jones
• Time of Your Life – Green Day
• You Learn – Alanis Morisette

13. Always Look on the Bright side of Life. Watch this video and sing along at the top of your lungs – Always Look on the Bright Side Sing-along

If life seems jolly rotten
There's something you've forgotten
And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing.
When you're feeling in the dumps
Don't be silly chumps
Just purse your lips and whistle - that's the thing.

And...always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the light side of life...

- Lyrics by Eric Idle, Monty Python's Life of Brian

Click here if you missed The Bright Side of Life and Death - Part I

The Bright Side of Life (and Death) – Part I

2011-09-21T16:58:00.000-04:00

It’s sad, but true, that the death of others is meant to teach us to savor our own lives, but the sad truth is that it usually doesn’t.

This past year, my husband lost two friends. And, I mean that both literally and figuratively. One friend committed suicide – he was a lost soul. The other was lost in a rafting accident in Montana, missing amidst the rapidly rising waters, sadly to be found dead two weeks later. My husband attended the funerals for each of these men who were only a smidge older than 40 and left behind wives, children, and loved ones. Though profoundly impacted by those fatalities, I wonder what lasting impressions they might leave on us for the long term. After all, life goes on for the rest of us.

But, what does it really mean to “go on”? Are we merely trudging through our lives, glossing over each moment, busily pursuing our “Shoulds” and “Have Tos”, all the while wishing that our lives were somehow different than what actually is? How many of us are truly living our lives as if it could be the last day, the last hour, or even the last waking breath? Are you embracing the life you have even though it may not look and feel picture-perfect every day?

When will the rain stop?

Over the past 12 months, I personally suffered “death by a thousand cuts.” What do I mean by that? It seemed that a curse of never-ending oddities was cast upon me by some Universal jokester, and once strange things started to happen, the floodgates opened. As I’m hitting 40 years old (this Friday!), I can accept that shit happens. But, it began to feel like I had become Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, sentenced to live a life of getting it wrong, over and over again, until I got it right. While no singular event was a matter of life and death, the compounding effect of each troublesome incident began to take a serious toll on me. Each upsetting nick chipped away at my emotional stability creating a canyon of depression that I had never felt before; hence, “death by a thousand cuts”.

By July of this year, I began to feel somewhat hopeless; wondering when all of this craziness would stop. As a trained life coach, I inherently know that there’s a purpose to all that happens, but being temporarily blinded, as if I had been hit over the head one too many times, I had a hard time seeing that. Then I had a situation at work, which really got me tied up and stressed out. But when I finally delivered my presentation, my worry turned out to be much ado about nothing, and in fact, I came out of it with flying colors.

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone.

I could finally see that for each uncomfortable thing that had happened over the past year, my life had not only gone on, but it had gotten much better in some regard. The more that I accepted “what is” rather than what I wished life should be at every moment, the more I could clearly see that my life would go on for the better – it always does. And, if I took the time to savor the present moments, no matter how odd they seemed, and believe that circumstances could be different (if that’s what I really want), then all would be better in due time. Looking back now, I can confidently say that what didn’t kill me has definitely made me stronger. Here’s just a few of the things that happened, and how I looked at the bright side of life:

Last September, my car broke down on the NJ Turnpike. Thankfully, I didn’t get into an accident. Despite my emotional attachment to the SUV that had carried my infants home from the hospital several years earlier, I had to accept that it was finally time to ditch that clunker, and invest in a much safer, swankier car. Now, I love my new Mazda…Zoom-Zoom!
A few days later, while driving my husband’s car, I got a ticket for going the wrong way on a one-way street (it was a very short street and a much longer story!). I’ve since learned to slow down, and be more mindful of my surroundings (and the law) – a choice which I’m sure will help me avoid future mishaps.
The very next day, a much anticipated four-day getaway to Cape May with my husband turned into a one-nighter when my son ended up in an emergency room three hours away. Fortunately, we had already made the most of our 24 hours down the shore, and more importantly, we were able to make it back in time to comfort our son through an unplanned, Civil War-style surgery. The feel of clenching his tiny hand and knowing that I was there for him, remains with me today.
A month later, my 5-year old got kicked out of his kindergarten after-school program due to bad behavior (seriously?!). We were forced to find a babysitter who turned out to be the angel he needed to help him mature. Now, he’s off to a great start in first grade.
Back in March, my nearly finished basement flooded, but because my contractor was three months behind, the hardwood floor hadn’t been installed yet. Luckily nothing was seriously ruined, and as a future precaution, we installed a back-up hydraulic sump pump. When Hurricane Irene came, despite losing power for two days, we were one of the only houses on the block to emerge with a dry basement and absolutely no damage! And, we had the capacity to help our neighbors recover.
I could have never imagined that my contractor would still be working on both upstairs and downstairs home renovations (9 months off schedule!), which have left every room in my house turned upside down, as well as our daily lives in chaos. However, I’ve learned to me more flexible in all aspects of my life. I now know that the only belongings I really need access to are my mountain bike and my beach chair. And, during the time we had only one TV, which was hooked up in the master bedroom, the whole family loved crowding into bed together to watch movies. Our patience is finally paying off, and, in just a couple of weeks, I’ll have a beautiful, Sense Savvy home to enjoy with family and friends.

The list of maladies goes on and on, but I think you got the picture that this year kind of sucked. But, did it really? I recently watched one of my favorite movies, “Evan Almighty” starring Morgan Freeman as God and Steve Carrell as Congressman Evan Baxter who is chosen by God to act as a modern-day Noah (as in the Ark). Amidst the humorous story, there is a very pertinent message that speaks directly to my recent trials and tribulations. In one scene, God (posing as a waiter in a diner) comforts Evan’s wife Joan who thinks her husband has gone insane as he’s building in Ark in their backyard. He says to her:

“If someone prays for patience, do you think God gives them patience, or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If they pray for courage, does God give them courage, or does he give them the opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm, fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?”

There is a purpose to all that happens.

In some regard I feel that the year-long curse has been lifted, although I’m wise enough to know that bad things will always happen to everyone. However, if we choose to face rough times with a positive attitude, embracing them as opportunities to learn, grow, and teach, we might just get everything we want...and undoubtedly, everything we need. Always look on the bright side of life.

Click to watch the Evan Almighty - Opportunity Clip, and stay tuned for Part II of this blog, “The Bright Side of Life (and Death)”.

Fairy Tales Do Come True

2011-06-23T23:22:00.000-04:00

It’s highly unlikely that you’ll ever live the royal life of Prince William and Princess Kate, and, you know what, that’s lucky for you because, really, who wants to spend one's entire life perfecting the royal wave, appeasing the Queen of England, and being followed by the paparazzi? Instead, most of us will spend our lives living in relative obscurity amongst handfuls of family, friends, community, and coworkers. And, that’s totally okay because we’re highly capable of imagining, pretending, and creating our very own fairy tales.

Disney Royalty

One of the keys to living a fulfilled life is to enrich our everyday experiences with delight, excitement, and the element of surprise. No organization on Earth, at least that I know of, does a better job of creating magic and surprise than Disney. And, the wonderful thing about Disney is that they make you feel like a Prince or Princess no matter what age, race, or socio-economic pedigree you hold.

Look, there’s no doubt that our lives can seem routine, mundane, and down right unfair sometimes, especially, if we allow ourselves to get sucked into the vortex of the daily grind. Really, I know it’s not just me who wakes up on a Monday morning feeling like Cruella De Vil. Come on now…who doesn’t transform into a Disney villain every once in a while…any Captain Hooks, Jafars, or Ursulas out there…go on, raise your hand (or your hook)?

Figment

On a recent trip to Disney, I revisited one of my very favorite attractions called “Journey Into Imagination with Figment” at the Imagination! Pavilion in the Future World area of Epcot theme park. The ride begins with an invitation by Chairman Dr. Nigel Channing to attend an open house event at his prestigious Imagination Institute. Inside his fascinating sensory labs, Dr. Channing sets out to prove how the 5 senses—sound, sight, smell, touch and taste—capture and control the imagination. The playful purple dragon Figment has joined Dr. Channing’s tour, too, and through mischief and music, he sets out to prove that imagination works best when set free.

Both Dr. Channing and Figment are correct! When we combine our five senses with our imagination, we open ourselves up to savoring the present moment, and at the same time, we can see things in a whole new way, which allows us to project what our future could look like. Coincidentally, to prove how powerful our senses are to our experiences and memories, this was the only ride that my 5-year old remembered from a visit two years ago, especially where Figment transforms himself into a skunk in the Smell Lab and sprays the riders with a skunky scent!

To kick off the start of summer, get ready to breakout and be free, just like the kids in your neighborhood will be doing this summer. Use your imagination and your five senses to feel like an everyday Disney Prince or Princess. Reach into your inner Sorcerer Mickey, spark some early July 4th fireworks into your life, and as Disney would say, “Let the Memories Begin”…

Fantasmic! Mickey

Sight and Sound: Go into nature, and have fun with the animals you encounter. Can you imagine them as Disney film and cartoon characters? The wildlife is already in 3D, which is all the rage in movies these days, but you can also pretend that they’re brightly colored with exaggerated cartoon-like features, and imagine what they might say to you or the fellow creatures around them. You’ll have yourself cracking up in no time. Within my own neighborhood and local parks I’ve encountered hundreds of birds ranging from blue birds to robins, blue herons to snowy egrets (think Snow White); deer, bunnies, butterflies and skunks (think Bambi); fish and turtles (think Finding Nemo), frogs and fireflies (think The Princess and the Frog); chipmunks, squirrels, and raccoons; ants, insects, beetles, and spiders (think A Bugs Life); fox, bear, bumblebees, hummingbirds (think Song of the South); dogs and cats (think Aristocrats), and the list goes on and on.

Once you’ve found yourself communing with the animals, don’t be surprised if you find yourself starting to hum this little ditty:

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay
My, oh my, what a wonderful day
Plenty of sunshine headin' my way
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay

Mister Bluebird's on my shoulder
It's the truth, it's actual
Ev'rything is satisfactual
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay
Wonderful feeling, wonderful day, yes sir!

Sing it to yourself, sing it to your kids, hum it on the way to work, and I dare you - sing it on the subway, sing it to your coworkers, and sing it in the grocery store. See what a smile you put on their face (some may be laughing at you, but most will be laughing and singing along with you!) But don’t blame me if you find yourself singing it all day long!

Touch: Feel the heat and get wet this summer! Run underneath the sprinklers, jump in the pools, swim in the lakes and the oceans, and visit the local waterparks and sprayparks. Can you imagine yourself rushing down Disney’s Splash Mountain, getting sprayed by the elephants’ trunks in the Jungle Cruise, and floating through the murky waters of the Pirates of the Carribbean?

Imagination by Disney

Smell: I suppose you could pretend that you’re at Disney’s Animal Kingdom by visiting the smelly, poop-throwing monkeys at your local zoo. Or, let me suggest a much less malodorous idea, which would be to visit the air-conditioned Disney Store at your local mall, and test Disney’s new fragrance, Imagination. The packaging is strikingly beautiful and the scent is absolutely surprising. It’s meant to make you ponder what Never Land might smell like or an enchanted forest of sequoia trees, cool moss, and green leaves. I bought the candle without hesitation, and the very next day I went back to the store for the hand and body lotion. Yes, I smell like a forest, and I love it. Launching in July is the next fragrance – Magic, intended to epitomize the adventure of Disney and all that is Mickey Mouse. And, in the fall, Pixie Dust, a fragrance inspired by Tinker Bell, of course.

Taste: And when you arrive home from the mall, turn your own home into a Disney Castle by lighting your new Imagination candle, then whip up a batch of Shirley Temples (Disney’s staple nonalcoholic drink). Ingredients per drink: 6 liquid ounces lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage, 1 1/2 tablespoons grenadine syrup, and 1 maraschino cherry. Feel the sweet cocktail tickle your taste buds while it teases your childish heart. Are you getting that fairy tale feeling yet?

Now, sit out in your yard, look for your favorite furry, flying, or four-legged Disney friends - look closely at the fireflies, and you just may see Tinker Bell. Then, plop down on the sofa inside, and enjoy your favorite Disney movie (wearing Mickey Ears is optional). Feel the magic in the air, and savor these little moments in your life. Wish upon a star tonight, wake up tomorrow singing "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" and fly to your heart.

"Fairy Tales Do Come True" Video Playlist:
Fly to Your Heart (Selena Gomez from Tinker Bell, the movie)
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah
One Little Spark (Journey into Imagination)

Art Alive

2011-04-13T22:05:00.000-04:00

Have you ever visited a museum with the intention of flexing your cultural muscles, only to end up feeling like a confused rat running through a maze? Perhaps you’ve visited a famous museum, for example, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. And, your plan for optimizing your experience at this cultural Mecca was to run right to the classics (Warhol, Matisse, O’Keefe?), or possibly go straight to the wing that represents a specific time period you’re interested in (Medieval Art?), or a find the gallery that features art from a particular region of the world (Arts of Africa?).

After you’ve seen the museum’s highlights you fly through the rest of the galleries, brushing by several items at a clip, and you say to yourself or your companion, “Oh, that’s pretty.”, or “Gee, isn’t that interesting?”, or “That’s the strangest thing I’ve ever seen!”, or “Don’t you just love that?” And maybe you even stop at something that really catches your eye, and you read the gold-plated description, which tells you the name of the artist, the year in which in the piece was created, the title of the painting, and a ho-hum description of the piece. That’s exactly what I used to do, and in some cases just going with the flow has served me well. (You may recall my previous blog in which I described my discovery of Winged Victory at the Louvre).

Being that you’re smarter than an average rat, if you’ve got a map of the museum, you’ll certainly get to where you want to go. But what about all of the other wonderful sights you might miss along the way – does it seem like a dead end?

BONUS - Stick with me through this article, and I promise you’ll see how my tips and tricks can be applied to your every day surroundings whether you plan to go museum hopping or not.

So, how do you make the most of your visit to a museum, thereby avoiding dead ends and bringing those seemingly random works of art to life?

On a recent girls’ getaway with my mother and my sister, we were blown away by the Delaware Art Museum. The museum was nice, but it was the tour guide that was absolutely spectacular. If there were an Academy Award for “Tour Guide of the Year”, the Oscar would go to Rena Tobey! Who knew that a little museum tucked away in a small neighborhood in Wilmington, DE would house such a brilliant tour guide. This rather unassuming, modest woman literally pulled us right into the art. She had us entertained and intrigued, all the while engaging each of our senses. She was an actress, storyteller, and mystery theater hostess all wrapped into one, and I hung on every word she said. My heart beat with excitement over what I might experience next.

Lady Lilith

Rena took us directly to a collection of paintings by a group of young British artists in the mid-1800s called the PBR, or Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Mostly students at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, these young men opposed the art of the day, which encouraged a style of painting that was based on the art of the Renaissance (i.e., the time of Raphael). The PBR held certain ideas in common:

Love of the Middle Ages, because this art was perceived as authentic, simple and honest.
Modern Life Subjects, because painting scenes of modern issues gave them a way to critique modern society.
Recording Nature, because they painted the natural world in great detail with keen attention to color and texture, in response to the negativity of the Industrial Revolution.
Literary Inspirations – they shared a love of literature and a broad range of literary sources inspired their paintings.

During Rena’s one-hour tour, she dispelled secrets from the artists’ minds beyond our wildest imagination. She divulged the artists’ joys and elations, heartbreaks and suffering, and the deepest, darkest, twisting and turning backstories I’d ever heard. She described in great detail how sensory-inspired these works were.

Two particular paintings that Rena stopped at really showed us the light:

1) Lady Lilith (upper right), 1868 by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882). Lilith looks like an angel, but thanks to Rena’s providing us with an understanding of the symbolic flowers, red sash, mirror, etc., we now know better that the artist really thought of her as a devil. Who would have known?

Isabella and the Basil Plant

2) Isabella and the Basil Plant, Holmer Hunt (right). Do you think there’s soil inside that pot of basil? Think again! What’s inside the pot will astound you. I won’t give it away, but if you read the poem by John Keats with the same title as this painting, you’ll know the secret too.

By the end of the afternoon, we had only viewed a handful of paintings, but it was much better than seeing a few hundred that would have left me senseless.

Ready for your sensational art experience?

Tips and Tricks for Planning a Sensational Museum Visit

Always call ahead to find out about the museum’s latest highlights and special exhibits
Ask if they offer tours – is it live, recorded, and/or self-guided?
Take the tour! There’s a high probability that the museum staff knows a little more than you do, and what you’ll find out might astound you.
If tours aren’t available, and you have to go it alone, ask yourself the following questions:

What are all the sensations that you experience beyond just viewing the works?
What lens are you looking through?
If you were able to touch the things in the painting, what might they feel like? Describe the textures.
What sounds might you hear?
What might you be able to smell and taste?
What’s the backstory – what was the artist really thinking?
What draws you into it?
What’s the artist’s intent?
What makes you want to talk about it?
What does it represent for you?

Now here’s the BONUS I mentioned earlier. I realized that you can have a museum-like experience anywhere – all you have to do is expand your definition of Art. Try this - look at a magazine or billboard advertisement as if it were a famous painting; look outside your window as if it’s a framed drawing; look at your wall calendar that has at least 12 unique images. What do you see in all of this? What are the sensations you experience? What was Mother Nature’s intent? What’s the backstory behind what you see? You may not know all the answers, and the best part is that you don’t have to – one thought will lead to another, and who knows where your curiosity might lead you? One thing’s for sure, the art will come alive, and you’ll come alive too.

My Sense Savvy Wings

2011-02-16T16:07:00.001-05:00

It’s 7:00AM on a cool Monday morning some time in the fall of 1989, and I knock my alarm clock off the makeshift nightstand. I drag myself to the shower, throw on my sweats, and huff it across the University of Virginia grounds. By 8:00AM, I’m in a movie-theater style seat of a small auditorium, and I turn to the student sitting next to me, “If I fall asleep when the lights go out, please wake me up.” By 8:15AM, I’m out cold, and the girl next to me gives me a nudge. I wake up, slightly startled, and I hear the words of my sister a few months earlier as I was registering for my first semester of classes. “Why don’t you take Art History,” she said…”It’s an easy A,” she said...”You’ll have fun,” she said. Sitting in the dark, recovering from a weekend hangover, viewing slides and memorizing details of cave paintings, Mesopotamian figurines, and religious murals, wasn’t exactly my idea of fun. After several weeks of sleeping through the class, I got a B…thanks, Sis. Unfortunately, Art History was slightly lost on me…at least in that year.

And then something phenomenal happened in the summer of 1992. I took an International Finance course in Europe – a four-week trip to Paris, London, Frankfurt, Zurich, and Florence to learn about complex foreign currency transactions and hob-knob with executives at famed business establishments such as Lloyd’s of London. That was all very interesting, but the real enlightenment was in the culture – the food, the drink, the scenery, the architecture, the shopping, the men, and the museums. It’s not like I’d never been to a museum before, but when I stepped into the Louvre in Paris, it was as if I had seen art for the very first time in my life – it literally came alive, and I finally understood what Art History was all about!

Winged Victory - Louvre

I’ll never forget turning a corner of the Louvre, looking down a grand gallery and seeing the most beautiful sculpture I’d ever seen in my life - Winged Victory of Samothrace, a.k.a. Nike. She was perched high above every other statue as if she owned the joint. For me, it was love at first SIGHT. Dating back to the late 4th century B.C., the Greeks represented Victory (Nike) in the form of a winged woman, and its combination with a ship’s prow, indicates the commemoration of a naval victory. According to the Louvre, this monument used to stand on the island of Samothrace, and the figure presents itself on a diagonal, in a three-quarter view on its right side, facing into the wind.

I was captivated, practically to tears, by the splendor of Nike’s strong female form, the movement of the folds in her drapery, and the detail in her expansive wings. I could practically feel the wind blowing all around her, and I was blown away. I felt such a strong connection to this statue, as if she was real, and I didn’t want to leave the gallery. Like a “Night at the Museum” movies, I wished that she’d come alive so that she could tell me all about her conquests and how she keeps so physically fit and mentally strong. Despite her obvious lack of a head, this inanimate object was clearly speaking to me - just not out loud. I left the museum that day feeling as if she had imparted some of her ancient secrets upon me. And, I was extremely fortunate to have future business trips to Paris in which I would visit with her a couple more times – my adoration for her never waning.

To this day, Winged Victory is still the most stunning, awe-inspiring piece of art that I’ve ever seen. And, also landing within my Top 10, is Venus de Milo, a representation of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of Beauty. Both statues feature curvaceous, thick and sturdy, yet very feminine features, like those of a real-life modern woman who’s not afraid to love and reveal her body just the way it is.

Shortly after graduating from college, I happened upon a Museum Store at a local mall, and there, right before my very eyes, were perfect replica statuettes of Winged Victory and Venus de Milo, each about 2 feet tall. Together, they cost $400, which was a huge investment for me at the time, but I just had to have them because they “spoke” to me too.

Exactly two decades after that infamous, sleepy, Art History class, I found myself in the autumn of 2009 developing my Sense Savvy Living (SSL) blog and working with a graphic designer to craft the SSL logo. Now, take a close look at the SSL stick figure…can you see how the silhouette bears a striking resemblance to Winged Victory? But, guess what…it wasn’t planned at all, and I just noticed it myself a few weeks ago. Back when I first developed the logo, my friend Lisa called my free-spirited SSL stick figure, the “Swoosh”. Again, isn’t it strange that I didn’t make the connection to the Nike footwear Swoosh™, which was likely fashioned after a wing? But, it’s definitely all connected and not by chance, although it may seem so. All that Winged Victory represents - her fortitude, courage, strength, confidence, and “joie de vivre” - is naturally woven into the fiber of who I strive to be everyday. So, it’s no surprise that in the early design phases of the logo, I gravitated toward images that represented her. In essence, the SSL logo is my Sense Savvy Wings. My logo hangs on the bulletin board in my home office and serves as a continuous inspiration to me that I can soar to whatever heights I desire.

Winged Victory - My Bathroom

And, the Winged Victory and Venus de Milo statuettes currently reside in my master bathroom. “Where?!” you might exclaim. Yes, you read correctly. My Nike statue is perched on top of a half wall on the side of the soaking tub, in direct view from the toilet (a venue that allows me to visit her frequently throughout the day, in peace, quiet, and contemplation). And, Venus de Milo stands across from Nike on the other side of the tub. These are the striking images that I see first thing in the morning and right before I step into the shower. The imprint of their graceful, victorious images, mixed with the enlivening, steamy shower and the solitude of four walls infuses me with all the power I need to take on the day. Sounds similar to how Clark Kent used to step into a phone booth to morph into Superman, doesn’t it? Okay, perhaps that’s stretching it a bit, but I definitely feel empowered to hit the ground running with a “Just Do It” attitude!

For the record, I Aced that International Finance class, and as far as I’m concerned, I’ve earned an honorary “A” in Art History.

What is the art or symbols that represent you? How do they inspire you? How can you put those objects of beauty in clear view every day to energize your life?

So You Wanna’ Be a Blogger (or Just Share a New Idea)?

2011-01-17T21:41:00.014-05:00

I was a blogger before I was a Life Coach, and now I’m a Life Coach because I was a blogger. I knew in my heart that I had something passionate to share, but how compelled would others be to read it? Curious to find out, I stepped precariously into the vast literary unknown. And, realizing that I hadn’t sunk into quicksand, I took a second little step, and then another one which was bigger, and then yet another one which was faster, until I ultimately ran into my voice. It was the voice that was screaming to get out of my head for my entire life, but no one could hear it, not even me. As I persisted to write and promote my blog, I unleashed more about myself than I could have ever imagined. And better yet, I found MY audience…the audience that was actually looking for me. And because of my writing, my readers have also learned more about themselves, and that’s what coaching’s all about – a synergistic relationship!

So you wanna’ be a blogger, or possibly just share your thoughts about a new endeavor? Just sit down and write, right? Well, if writing or promoting yourself were that easy, everyone would be doing it, wouldn’t they? So how does one go about creatively expressing and promoting themselves through blogging or some other art from? My Top 10 Blog Tips will get you up and running in no time. But, if writing’s not your forte, then consider how to modify these tips to simply talk about your new project, idea, or hobby with others:

Get Uncomfortable. You’ve heard the old adages: “Do one thing every day that scares you,” or “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” Well, this is what blogging’s all about. If the thought of writing or sharing your deepest thoughts scares you to near death, then your head’s in the right place to start.
Get Started. Once you setup your blog account pick a date to write your first post, and then stick to it. Start at square one. Your initial entry should focus on the purpose of your blog – who are you, why are you starting this blog, and what do you plan to write about? Then share your blog address with EVERYONE you know.
Get Personal. Write as if you were having a conversation with a good friend, speak frankly from the heart, and share your own experiences. If you’re naturally funny, then be witty. If you’re naturally serious, then be straightforward. But most importantly, no matter what your style or content is, always be yourself, and offer plenty of real-life examples to support your ideas.
Get to the Point. When talking about yourself it’s very easy to digress and self indulge, which is entertaining for a little while, but eventually you have to get to the main point. What are you really trying to teach your readers (or friends/family), and what do you want them to do with the information? For instance, do you want them to simply ponder your ideas or take a specific action? Make it very clear what the call to action is; for example, do you want them to sign up for something, live a healthier life, be a kinder person, etc.
Get Physical. Have you run out of original blog topics or maybe you're having a hard time achieving clarity in your thoughts? Then go for a run, literally, or engage in some other type of physical activity. The best way to boost your creativity is to get out of your chair, get out of the house, step into nature, clear your mind, and get your blood pumping. How do you think I came up with this Top 10!
Be Open. Ideas are swirling all around you. Interesting things are happening all the time. Connect the dots between your personal perspectives and your daily moments. Start to see the beauty and the element of surprise in your every day life, and suddenly you’ll be bursting at the seams to share your latest endeavors. Be confident that if something’s meaningful to you, then it must be meaningful to a like-minded audience.
Be Sense Savvy. Talk about your passion as if others could actually Touch, Taste, Smell, See and Hear it. Describe your thoughts with the most delectable, descriptive adjectives or adverbs that make others literally want to reach out and grab your words. As you appeal to others' senses, you create a tangible vision of how something new could look, sound, feel, and possibly even taste or smell like.
Be Patient. So you’ve written a handful of blog posts or emails, and you don’t have thousands of readers and hundreds of comments yet? Remember the famous quote from Field of Dreams, “If you build it, he will come.” Just relax and stick to it. Strive to raise the world’s consciousness one person at a time.
Be Amazed. After one year of writing, I’ve acquired a couple hundred readers through various channels, and I’ve been shocked by the demographics of my most loyal fans. In fact, I’ve had to rethink my coaching niche a couple of times based on the feedback I’ve received! And, how about this for a shocker – this past month, my blog was viewed 595 times – 380 times from the US, 102 times from Russia, 23 times from Ukraine, 21 times from Moldova (where on Earth is that?), 15 times from the Netherlands, and over two dozen times from other countries around the world! You never know exactly who’s reading you, and the impact you could have on someone’s life on the other side of the planet!
Be Humble, But Not Too Humble. Maintaining a sense of humility is extremely important if you want others to relate to you; however, you’ve got to know when to toot your own horn. If you’re using your blog to promote your business or a new project, then don’t be shy! Just as you would inform new acquaintances of your day job, also let them know that you’re a blogger (or that you do whatever it is that you’re passionate about), and tell them exactly what you write about, or why you do whatever it is that you do!

Still feeling a little apprehensive? It’s perfectly normal to feel that way when you open yourself up to the Universe, but remember this…by inviting someone into your World, you just might change the World.

Shari’s blog, Sense Savvy Living, offers “Inspiring, Real-Life Ideas to Touch, Taste, Smell, See and Hear Your Sensational Life”. Shari’s articles can be found at http://www.sensesavvyliving.com/, and her daily sensational adventures can be followed on Facebook – just follow this link: SSL on Facebook. Hope you “LIKE” it when you get there!

HEARING 2011 - New Year's Resolutions

2011-01-07T21:58:00.000-05:00

Our last day of this week-long series of Sense Savvy New Year's Resolutions focuses on our sense of Sound. Say with me...

Today, I resolve to ignite my sense of Sound, jumpstart my soul, recharge my sanity, and revive the world.

I will ensure the health of my ears to optimize how I hear the world. I will see a general practitioner or ENT (ear, nose, and throat doctor) at least once per year, or as often as the doctor prescribes.
I will protect my sense of hearing by avoiding excessively loud noises, wearing earplugs in loud settings, wearing protective headgear in risky situations and cold environments, and safely cleaning my ears.
I will sharpen my sense of hearing by listening intently in a conversation, focusing on the sounds that are important, and drowning out those that are not.
I will experiment with new sounds and be open to world music. I will listen to new radio stations, and I will be curious about the music of foreign peoples. I will remember that we are all connected to each other, and I will use this notion to improve my personal interactions.
I will listen to the simple sounds of the world – the rain, the ocean, the birds, the rustling leaves, the buzzing bees – and I will appreciate them.
I will think about sounds and songs from the past that made me feel happy, optimistic, and content. I will listen to those sounds and music more frequently.
I will think about sounds that detract from my positive feelings. I will strive to minimize those sounds in my life.
I will utilize sound and music to heal my mind, body, and soul. I will learn new forms of sound meditation to awaken and relax myself. I will listen to songs and artists that are engaging, insightful, and upbeat. I will support music therapy programs that help children, the disabled, the ill, and the elderly.
I will support music in our children’s schools, be a patron of live concerts, and use music to bind people together toward positive, common goals.
I will keep a journal, and write about new and wonderful sounds. How do they make me feel? How do they empower me? How will I incorporate sound into every aspect of my life? How am I grateful for my sense of hearing?

To wrap up this week of Sense Savvy 2011 New Year's Resolutions, I'd like to leave you with this music video of a random guy lipsynching one of my favorite songs, Let Your Love Flow by the Bellamy Brothers. This pretty much sums up how our senses impact how we feel about ourselves, our relationships, and our world.

Try the video below first, but if you have technical difficulty click here - Let Your Love Flow Video. Sounding off until next week!

Bellamy Brothers- Let Your Love Flow (Lip Sync) - The funniest videos clips are here

SEEING 2011 - New Year's Resolutions

2011-01-06T21:43:00.000-05:00

Day 4 of developing our Sense Savvy New Year's Resolutions focuses on our sense of Sight. Say with me...

Today, I resolve to ignite my sense of Sight, jumpstart my soul, recharge my sanity, and revive the world.

I will ensure the health of my eyesight to optimize how I view the world. I will see an eye doctor at least once per year, or as often as the doctor prescribes.
I will protect my eyes by wearing sunglasses, wearing protective eyewear in risky situations (e.g., sports, construction), and maintaining a healthy eye cleansing regimen.
I will sharpen my eyesight by resting my eyes, playing with optical illusions, and taking nutritional supplements that support eye health.
I will visit museums and art galleries, and travel to new countries and new cities. I will be open to new art forms and appreciate foreign cultures through their visual objects. I will remember that we are all connected to each other, and I will use this notion to improve my personal interactions.
I will close my eyes and imagine a world without sight. I will fully appreciate the simple beauty of the world and be grateful for my ability to see it every day.
I will think about sights from the past that made me feel happy, optimistic, and content. I will re-enact those sights more frequently.
I will think about sights that detract from my positive feelings (e.g., violent movies). I will strive to minimize those sights in my life.
I will utilize color and art therapy to heal my mind, body, and spirit. I will support art programs that help children, the disabled, the ill, and the elderly.
I will utilize my sense of sight to keep the world natural, clean and beautiful. I will invest in national, state, and local parks and help to preserve open spaces and clean water sources. I will support community beautification programs, and I will not tolerate litter. I will reduce, reuse, and recycle.
I will keep a journal, and write about new and wonderful sights. How do they make me feel? How do they empower me? How will I incorporate sight into every aspect of my life? How am I grateful for my sense of sight?

"Hearing 2011" coming soon...

SMELLING 2011 - New Year's Resolutions

2011-01-05T21:45:00.001-05:00

Day 3 of developing our Sense Savvy New Year's Resolutions focuses on our sense of Smell. Say outloud or to yourself...

Today, I resolve to ignite my sense of Smell, jumpstart my soul, recharge my sanity, and revive the world.

I will ensure the health of my nose to optimize how I smell the world. I will see a general practitioner or ENT (ear, nose, and throat doctor) at least once per year, or as often as the doctor prescribes.
I will protect my nose by maintaining a clean home and workspace, thereby avoiding mucus-causing illnesses and allergens, and utilize natural saline sprays and similar techniques to clean my nose.
I will sharpen my sense of smell by experimenting with new fragrances for my body, my home, and my workspace. I will try varieties of floral, citrus, green, spicy, and earthy scents.
I will investigate and question the source of new scents. I will be open to unique scents, and I will not judge strange or ethnic scents until I fully understand them. I will remember that we are all connected to each other, and I will use this notion to improve my personal interactions.
I will smell objects with my eyes closed to have fun, test my ability to differentiate between smells, and determine my favorite smells with complete objectivity.
I will think about scents from the past that made me feel happy, optimistic, and content. I will re-enact those sensations more frequently.
I will think about scents that detract from my positive feelings. I will strive to minimize those sensations from my life.
I will practice aromatherapy techniques to awaken, recharge, relax, and heal myself.
I will utilize my sense of smell to detect danger and toxic materials (e.g., fires, gas leaks). I will use this information to warn and protect others, and also to preserve and maintain our planet’s natural resources.
I will keep a journal, and write about new and wonderful smell sensations. How do they make me feel? How do they empower me? How will I incorporate smell into every aspect of my life? How am I grateful for my sense of smell?

"Seeing 2011" coming soon...

TASTING 2011 - New Year's Resolutions

2011-01-04T21:43:00.001-05:00

Day 2 of developing our Sense Savvy New Year's Resolutions focuses on our sense of Taste. Say outloud or to yourself...

"Today, I resolve to ignite my sense of Taste, jumpstart my soul, recharge my sanity, and revive the world."

I will ensure the health of my mouth, tongue, and teeth to optimize how I taste the world. I will see a dentist at least twice per year, or as often as the doctor prescribes.
I will protect my mouth and prevent disease by maintaining a healthy oral routine, which includes brushing, flossing, and tongue scrubbing at least twice per day.
I will sharpen my sense of taste by experimenting with new foods and exploring sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami tastes.
I will try new herbs and spices, ethnic foods, exotic fruits and vegetables, new methods of cooking, and try international cuisines. I will learn about foreign people and their lands, and contemplate our similarities and unique characteristics. I will remember that we are all connected to each other, and I will use this notion to improve my personal interactions.
I will practice mindful eating. I will slow down to savor all of my meal’s details and practice a calm, focused awareness of what I eat, enjoying all the flavors and appreciating every sensation.
I will think about “taste” sensations in the past that made me feel happy, optimistic, and content. I will re-enact those sensations more frequently.
I will think about “taste” sensations that detract from my positive feelings (e.g., excessively salty, fatty, or sweet foods). I will eliminate those from my life.
I will distinguish between physiological and emotional hunger. I will utilize nutritious food to strengthen my body, heal my physical ailments, and delight my senses with savory foods in moderation. I will not waste food, and I will ensure that others are not hungry.
I will eat more natural, organic, and whole foods to remember that we are all connected to the Earth. I will support sustainable food initiatives.
I will keep a journal, and write about new and wonderful taste sensations. How do they make me feel? How do they empower me? How will I incorporate taste into every aspect of my life? How am I grateful for my sense of taste?

"Smelling 2011" coming soon...

TOUCHING 2011 - New Year's Resolutions

2011-01-03T22:24:00.002-05:00

This year Sense Savvy Living is committed to helping you:

Ignite Your Senses

Jumpstart Your Soul
Recharge Your Sanity
Revive the World

As your Sensory Lifestyle Coach and Consultant, I will continue to bring you new ideas, products, services, and life experience that will enhance your joy, wellbeing, and creativity every day. The ultimate benefit will be a significant improvement in your personal, professional, and social effectiveness, which means that you'll be utilizing your senses to optimize all your skills, talents, and expertise in your home, work, and in your community. Today is focused on New Year’s Resolutions specific to your sense of Touch. Start by saying the following outloud or to yourself:

"I resolve to ignite my sense of Touch, jumpstart my soul, recharge my sanity, and revive the world."

I will ensure the health of my skin to optimize how I feel the world. I will see a dermatologist at least once per year, or as often as the doctor prescribes.
I will protect my skin by wearing sunscreen when I’m going to be outdoors for a long period of time, but I will allow myself short stints of sunshine without sunscreen to absorb Vitamin D, which is great for my immune system.
I will moisturize my hands, body and face daily, and scrub/exfoliate at least three times per week. I will feel the sensation of being alive as I renew and refresh my skin cells.
I will reach out and touch a person or an animal as frequently as possible. I will remember that we are all connected to each other, and I will use this notion to improve my personal interactions.
I will touch objects with my eyes closed – such as statues, sculptures, and trees. I may actually “see” more with my hands than with my eyes.
I will think about “touch” sensations in the past that made me feel happy, optimistic, and content. I will re-enact those feelings more frequently.
I will think about “touch” sensations that detract from my positive feelings. I will eliminate those feelings from my life.
I will utilize healing touch therapies to improve my body ailments and to delight my senses. I will try treatments like Swedish, deep tissue, or hot stone massages. I will try a Vichy shower (most often found in spas, this is several shower heads that run parallel to a cushioned treatment table, so you can get a shower while lying down. It is usually part of a body treatment, like a salt scrub or body wrap). I will try Reiki (while lying down your physical body is lightly touched with various hand positions. You typically will feel a soothing warmth, becoming gradually relaxed, sleepy, calmer and being able to totally leave your daily worries behind). I will try Reflexology (a practitioner stretches and moves the hands and feet, applying pressure on reflex areas that correspond to specific organs and other parts of the body. Endorphins are released throughout the entire body, reducing stress and returning the body to equilibrium).
I will get my hands dirty. Whether it be making food (e.g., kneading dough, slicing vegetables); or playing in the dirt (e.g., planting a garden, hand-picking strawberries); or playing in the sand (e.g., building a sandcastle, collecting shells), I will remember that we are all grounded and connected to this Earth. I will utilize those feelings to protect the environment.
I will keep a journal, and write about new and wonderful TOUCH sensations. How do they make me feel? How do they empower me? How will I incorporate TOUCH into every aspect of my life? How am I grateful for my sense of TOUCH?

Wishing you a very Sense Savvy 2011! "Tasting 2011" coming soon...

A Squirrel Trying to Get a Nut

2010-10-12T22:53:00.000-04:00

I’ve been out biking a couple of days this week, and as I’ve passed beneath a thousand oaks, I’ve been dodging acorns like Chicken Little. The sky is falling, the sky is falling! Is it really, or does it just feel that way sometimes? Well, in one way, yes, the sky really was falling. Those little chipmunks and squirrelly critters were truly knocking nuts out of the trees, scurrying about the ground, and scooping up cheekfulls to stockpile for the winter. I’ve been bonked in the head a few times by acorn bombs, and I see those rascally rodents snickering at me.

I’ve also felt a sense of longing this week, as though I’m a just a squirrel trying to get a nut. I hunger for down time, I hanker to be less hectic, and I ache for more than 24 hours in a day. But as always, after a refreshing, rejuvenating sense-filled bike ride, I quickly snap back to the present moment, which is the Truth. I no longer worry about the past or fret about the future, and I laugh with the squirrels as another acorn nails me in the noggin. I look forward to falling into many more present moments as the season progresses. Read on for another Truth I'm absolutely sure about - Autumn's True Colors.

Pumpkin Passion and Scary Face Pancakes

2010-10-06T22:14:00.000-04:00

Every autumn I fall into pumpkin passion, and I just can't get enough of the spicy, squashy stuff. So to get my fix tonight, I went to IHOP with my kids and indulged myself in two heavenly Pumpkin Pancakes. They were orange tinted, heavily sprinkled in cinnamon, doused with some kind of sticky, syrup sauce, and topped with a whipped cream hat. A pumpkin explosion! My older son, Ryan, ordered the Scary Face Pancake, which is not so spooky, but definitely sweet and complete with candy corn teeth and Oreo cookie eyes. Your little ghouls and goblins can actually go to IHOP's website and name the Scary Face Pancake. This evening's little pumpkin party reminded me of my “Taste the Harvest” post from last year in which I committed a Dunkin Donuts Pumpkin Muffin crime. Read on, and see why I would do it all over again!...Taste the Harvest.

Sensational 24-Hour Trip: Part II

2010-09-21T08:09:00.000-04:00

Day 2 (half day) - Winterthur

After a sensational day at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania (see Part I of Sensational 24-Hour Trip), you’d be remiss if you left the Brandywine area without traveling 10 miles south to Delaware to indulge in Winterthur. There’s a right of passage, however, and that is, you must learn how to pronounce the name of the property correctly. While it appears to be “Winter-thoor” it’s actually pronounced “Winter-Tour”, as in a place to visit and explore. Got it? Okay, now you’re ready to cross over the state line.

Magnificent Mansion

While my visit to Winterthur was much shorter than I would have preferred (I had to get back to Jersey for my neighborhood’s 1st Annual Block Party), my mother, sister, and I still saw plenty of marvelous sights in about 4 hours. The estate has a fascinating history, about which I’m completely unqualified to explain, so if you’re a history buff, I strongly suggest you visit the Winterthur website for all the details. In short, Henry Francis du Pont, son of H.A. du Pont, was born there, and in the early 1900s took over responsibility for managing the estate. As an avid collector and horticulturist, H.F. developed the main house into an astonishing 175-room museum devoted to American antiques and cultivated the property into a 1,000-acre majestic preserve of gardens, meadows, and woodlands.

Strap on your walking shoes and hold on tight because we're going on a quick Sense Savvy excursion of Winterthur:

Stunning Staircase

First, I highly recommend taking an introductory 45-minute tour of the House. This will give you a flavor for H.F. and the immensity of this Du Pont mansion. Each room is completely unique from floor to ceiling, and you’ll get a brief history of the rooms’ use, decor, and knick-knacks. Particularly fascinating is that the family owned over 50 sets of china, each of which was hand-chosen for a particular dining experience and distinctly matched to the floral centerpiece of the week. Sense savvy or eccentric, you decide! The tour also features a room robed in hand-painted 18th-century Chinese wallpaper and a foyer featuring a stunning two-story Montmorenci staircase (just like the one in my house, ha ha).
Next, venture into the Galleries, which feature several collections of furniture and decorative arts in a true museum-like setting. Linger as long as you like and read up on each historical treasure, or simply catch a glimpse of Americana, and then head outside for some fresh air.

Reflecting Pool

Bask in the backyard at the family swimming pool, which has been converted into a Reflecting Pool. I imagined how relaxing or rambunctious it must have been to frolic amongst the uber-rich in the Roaring ‘20s. Great Gatsby!
On the way out of the Garden-of-Eden-like swimming area, pass through the glass encased Dorrance Gallery, where you can't miss the Campbell Collection of Soup Tureens, which was donated to Winterthur in 1996. Feast your eyes on some of the most bizarre soup pots you’ll ever see. Remember from Part I of Sensational 24-Hour Trip how I described the Du Pont family tree as if it were a lesson in alphabet soup? Well, this bizarre collection of soup pots will have you thinking that the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree. But seriously folks, this collection has nothing to do with the Du Ponts, rather the Campbell Collection was moved from the Campbell Soup Company in Camden, NJ to benefit from Winterthur’s upscale museum facilities.
After you’ve had your fill of soup, hurry back to the Visitor’s Center to hop aboard the Garden Tram, which will take you up and down the winding roadways through the estate’s gardens and woods. And, if you’re fortunate enough to have Dunken as your humorous tour guide, stay in the tram till the very end, and then ask him if there’s more to see. He’ll commandeer the tram and take you on “The Real World” version of the Wintherthur estate. You’ll delight in Dunken’s stories from his sixteen-year tenure as a Winterthur employee, and you can't help but fall in love with this young-at-heart senior.

There are several more sense savvy Winterthur attractions that I would loved to have seen, including the award-winning children’s garden, Enchanted Woods, and the Touch-It Room, so I guess I’ll just have to return for another "Tour" at a later date.

Thanks for joining me and my family on our Sensational 24-Hour Trip to Longwood and Winterthur. Where will your Senses take you for the next 24 Sensational Hours?

Sensational 24-Hour Trip

2010-09-14T13:10:00.001-04:00

How Cliche!

Fountains, and flowers, and trees, oh my! Such was my expression as I meandered through two former Du Pont estates that blew my senses away – Longwood Gardens and Winterthur. If I had only one word to describe my 24 hours in Brandywine Valley where Southern Chester County, PA meets Northern Delaware, it would be “OhMyGod!” And, to make this trip all the more memorable, I spent it with my very sense savvy mother, Elaine, and my sister, Ellen. It was a fabulous all-girls’ getaway, but this excursion is equally suited for singles, couples, and families alike.

Learning about each of these glorious Du Pont estates and their wealthy heirs is like a history lesson in alphabet soup as each prominent member of the Du Pont family was often referred to by just his first and middle initials. There was P.S.; H.F.; A.I; S.F., H.A.; E.I., and on it goes. It kind of makes you want to sing “Old McDuPont Had a Farm, E.I., E.I. O.” But seriously folks, the Du Pont family gave us much to be thankful for…magnificent country estates, ornate gardens, fine collections of American antiques, and a legacy of industrial heritage.

While I’m going to share the highlights of this particular sense savvy trip, the main point I want to convey is that sensational vacations await you within a short distance from your home. At just 100 miles from my house, this getaway qualifies as a “staycation” for me. I’ve traveled quite a bit domestically and abroad, and these attractions stand up to some of the most beautiful places on Earth that I’ve seen. While I really hope that you can visit Longwood and Winterthur, my purpose is to inspire you to take advantage of the sensory delights that await you at local arboretums, museums, parks, and natural preserves just over the river and through the woods from your home.

Day 1 (half day) – Longwood Gardens:

We arrived at Longwood Gardens at noon, and departed the grounds at 10:30pm through the gift shop with a hole burning in our wallet and the doors slamming behind us. You could easily spend a couple of days at Longwood’s 1,000+ acres, but all you really need to soak up its spectacular sights is a half a day and a whole lot of stamina. This is just a snip-it of the Sense Savvy stuff you’ll encounter at Longwood:

1. Head out toward the Northeast corner of the property to hike the 1-mile loop around the Meadow where you’ll be greeted by a great open sky, wildflowers, and field-dwelling creatures of all kinds, especially butterflies and birds.

Treehugging at Lookout Loft

2. Next, make your way to the Lookout Loft, one of Longwood’s three fantastic Treehouses, also known as Nature’s Castles. The allure of the grand Loft is its open rooftops, girthy tree-trunk pillars, and beehive centerpiece. Put your ear up to the Lucite hive, and feel yourself vibrate along with the buzzy melody.

3. Take a stroll down the rolling hill to the Italian Water Garden, and you’ll think you’ve just arrived in Florence. The running waters could lull you into a trance, but the striking beauty of the sculptures will shock you back to consciousness.

4. Drift away from “Italy”, and make your way up the Hillside Garden to the Eye of Water, an extraordinary circular fountain which appears to “cry” gallons of tears its “eyeball”. You have to you to see it to believe it.

Ellen, Me, and Mom in the Idea Garden

5. While each garden is magnificent, my personal favorite is the Idea Garden, which is dressed up each season in Mother Nature’s palette. This summer offered bold and vibrant splashes of colorful flowers as well as a delicious-looking vegetable garden that Peter Rabbit would be proud of.

6. Rest for a moment with your Ideas, then venture into the Conservatory - a mini-Universe unto itself. Amongst the many greenhouse environments, you’ll travel to a rainforest, trek through an arid desert, daydream in an orchid-lovers paradise, and voyage into a two-story hall of distinct and towering palm trees – you’ll think you’ve dropped on to the set of Jurassic Park.

7. Making the Conservatory extra Sense Savvy throughout this fall is the exhibit “Making Scents – The Art and Passion of Fragrance”. Prior to your tour, pick up your Scent Seekers journal from the gift shop, and throughout the Conservatory, look for 10 scent adventures where you’ll “meet” a professional from a different time and place. Learn how they used their nose everyday – Explorer, Pharaoh, Rose Rustler, Perfumer, Chemist, Biologist, and more! Sniffing along the way, evoke your own memories of place, emotion, food and taste.

8. Once you’ve earned your Certified Nose, depart the Conservatory out to the Waterlily Display. Prepare yourself to be tickled pink by colorful poufs of flora sprouting from the pond in between the pads. And, if can stay at Longwood beyond sunset, go back to the pond again to delight in the night-blooming tropical water lilies. It is so cool! See the picture at the end of the blog.

Chorizo Slider w/ Tomato Gazpacho

9. After hours of trekking, you’ll undoubtedly work up an appetite deserving of the fabulous fare at 1906 Restaurant on the Longwood grounds. Be sure to call ahead for a reservation, especially if they’re featuring a special dining experience like the one we had. In conjunction with the Making Scents exhibit, Longwood has created Fragrant Fridays, in which you can see, touch, taste, learn and smell everything about one popular fragrance each month through November 2010. Our Friday featured “Spice”, and our dinner menu was entitled “Full-Bodied Flavors” designed by Chef Thomas McMullen. We indulged in a delectable six-course meal, perfectly paired with wines from the Benziger Family Winery. Erinn Benziger Weiswasser, the eldest of the third generation to work at the winery, introduced each wine along with each dish, which included the appetizer pictured above, Tea Smoked Diver Sea Scallops; Frisee, Chanterelle & Corn Salad with Huitlacoche Vinaigrette; and Harissa Scented Kobe Sirloin Steak. I admit that I had to look up several of the ingredients in the dictionary, only to find out that “huitlacoche” is corn fungus. And guess what…it was the tastiest fungus I’ve ever had! But then again, after six glasses of wine, any fungus will taste good!

10. Last, but not least, run off your meal on the way to the Musical Illuminated Fountain Show held on summer weekend evenings at the Main Fountain Garden, featuring classical, patriotic, and popular music. The theme of our evening was “A Night at the Movies”, and for thirty fabulous minutes, we enjoyed vivid jets of colorful water dancing through the air to the soundtracks of Superman, The Empire Strikes Back, E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Star Wars. And, that was the perfect end to the most perfect day as my sister and I felt like Superheroes for taking our mother on such a tremendous trip.

Night-blooming Water Lily

Stay tuned for the second have of our Sensational 24-hour Trip...Day 2 at Winterthur…coming soon!

One Year Anniversary and a Very Special Complimentary Offer!

2010-09-01T06:21:00.000-04:00

One year ago today, September 1, 2009, I embarked on a journey to share my passion for the senses with whomever was ready to listen. While my long-term vision was about as clear as fog rolling over the San Francisco Bay, my heart felt as big as the world, and I knew that clarity would come if I just got started. So, I let my fingers do the thinking as I typed my first Sense Savvy Living (SSL) post. In that first entry, I pledged to:

Bring together all aspects of the five senses to become your one source on all positive sensory experiences for touch, taste, smell, sight and sound;
Provide you with ideas to become robustly alive, awakened to new sensory adventures, and live in the present moment with joy, creativity, and well-being; and
Share products and services that would show you how to integrate touch, taste, smell, sight, and sound into your life in ways that perhaps you’d never thought of.

I also said I would deliver a Sense Savvy Living logo, website, seminar, e-book, consulting services, and perhaps even a television show. Wow, that was an awful lot to promise given a vague vision!

Twelve months later I’ve written 108 posts on “sense savvy” stuff from A-Z (check!); co-designed a logo (check!); published my first 100 posts into a PDF and a hardcover book (check!); and I’m about 80% of the way toward becoming a Certified Professional Coach, which could lead to seminars and consulting services (half-check!). And, as for a television show, well, let’s just take one step at a time.

Speaking of television shows, I guest blogged for my coaching school (iPEC) this morning, and I shared my perspective on how Kermit the Frog is like a coach. My fascination with the Muppets began when my Mom made me a Miss Piggy costume for Halloween, and I proudly paraded around the Lake Hiawatha Elementary School parking lot in my feather boa, pig ears, and cardboard snout. I aspired to be just like Miss Piggy as she epitomized the ultimate balance of glamour and feminine power. As I matured, however, I also became akin to Kermit the Frog’s disposition, which is really that of his creator, Jim Henson.

Jim Henson said, “When I was young, my ambition was to be one of the people who made a difference in this world. My hope is to leave the world a little better for my having been there.” There’s no doubt that Henson accomplished his goal by masterfully educating and entertaining people of all ages through his unique interaction between puppets and humans. His brilliant legacy will live on for generations to come.

There’s a deeply introspective scene in “The Muppet Movie”, in which Kermit and friends become stranded in the desert on route to Hollywood, possibly missing their big chance to become movie stars. In a conversation with himself, Kermit wonders why all of the Muppets have entrusted him with their dream. After all, he never promised them anything. In his dialogue, he ultimately realizes that everyone came along because they believed in the dream too, and the only one to whom he made a promise was himself.

Like Kermit, I’m so humbled when I think about everyone who has believed in this dream along with me. I am equally ecstatic to know that my writing has possibly uplifted your hour, day, week, or even your entire year. You need to know that I’ve cut and pasted nearly every word of feedback from my readers who follow me via the Sense Savvy Living Blog, Facebook Fanpage, or the Feedblitz eMail Service (click to Subscribe and receive my new posts via eMail). And, in making my pledge to you in my very first post, I made the strongest promise to myself. Thanks to you, the fog lifts higher each day, and I keep getting closer to my “Rainbow Connection”.

So, what’s next for Sense Savvy Living? As a coach, it’s my aspiration to help the Dreamer’s dreams come true, so here’s what I’m going to do for you in this upcoming year:

Keep writing more blog entries to inspire and motivate you!
Post frequent, short updates on my Sense Savvy Living Facebook Fanpage to share the sense savvy things I’m up to on a daily basis;
Launch an “Interview with Shari’s iPod” Series…more on that to come in the next several weeks;
Soak up as much sensory knowledge as I can, incorporate it into a pilot coaching program, and then survey my audience for feedback and ideas on that program.

And last, but definitely not least, to thank you for your continued support and encouragement, here's the Very Special Complimentary Offer! I’m offering all of my readers “One Complimentary 30-minute Coaching Session” via phone between September 1 and December 31, 2010. During this session, we’ll do the follow:

Discuss what life coaching is and how you can benefit from it.
Identify three dreams/wishes/goals that you’d like to achieve.
Demonstrate how coaching can help you achieve those dreams.

“Life’s like a movie. Write your own ending. Keep believing, keep pretending. We’ve done just what we’ve set out to do, thanks to the lovers, the dreamers, and you.” ~ Kermit the Frog and “The Muppet Movie” cast

Are you ready to “Write Your Own Ending?” Of course you are! So don’t hesitate to email me right away at shari@sensesavvyliving.com to schedule your Complimentary Coaching Session!

Looking forward to hearing from you soon!

It's a Mad World, but It Could be Worse

2010-08-21T19:07:00.017-04:00

On a monotonous day back in the spring of 2009, I distinctly remember sitting in my office feeling like I was going to keel over and die from discontent and boredom. Layoffs were coming, and I was expecting the big storm to hit any day. Feeling like the Vice President of a sinking ship, I stared out my window wondering when the hell I’d be freed from this Titanic. Iceberg, straight ahead! Should I just jump now? Already drowning in my thoughts, I picked up the phone and rang my colleague Lisa who was one floor down. She suggested, “Grab your cup of coffee, come to my desk, and let’s watch a few videos from American Idol.” I wondered…just as the Titanic band had played through the night providing the ship’s anguished passengers with a sense of false security, would the music sooth my soul?

As Lisa began playing the highly acclaimed video of contestant, Adam Lambert performing “Mad World” I became completely fixated on the screen, literally drawn into the computer, and obsessed with what I was hearing. The music was soul stirring and beautiful, yet strangely haunting all at the same time, and the lyrics managed to acknowledge and validate my feelings at that moment. I realized that it can be a very, very mad world, but while I felt the pain, the song had the most incredible effect of making me feel normal. Read the lyrics below or listen to the link, and see what I mean - Mad World with Lyrics, Performed by Adam Lambert.

All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Goin' nowhere, goin' nowhere

Their tears are fillin' up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow

And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dyin'
Are the best I've ever had

I find it hard to tell you
'Cause I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad world, mad world
Mad world, mad world

I couldn’t believe I’d never heard this song before, and I just HAD to know more about it. No longer sinking, but rather surfing the Net, I was shocked to learn that it was a song by one of my favorite 80’s bands, “Tears for Fears”. I also found out that two decades later, the song became popular again when it was covered by composers Michael Andrews and Gary Jules for the soundtrack to the movie Donnie Darko in 2003. I proceeded to spend the rest of that day up in my office watching as many “Mad World” videos on You Tube that I could find. And, several weeks later the ship did go down for several hundred of us. But, Lisa and I were two of the lucky ones…we made it into a life raft and set sail on a brave, new adventure toward a beacon of hope.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago as the 7th Season of Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance" (SYTYCD) ended with the crowning of “America’s Favorite Dancer”. There were dozens of outstanding numbers this season, but one in particular stands out for me as the shining accomplishment of the entire repertoire, which featured the song “Mad World”, performed this time by Gary Jules. As you know, I was already riveted by the song, but I was equally captivated by choreographer Stacey Tookey’s interpretation of the music through dance. In the rehearsal trailer, Ms. Tookey explains that contestant Billy Bell plays the role of a homeless man, while All-Star dancer Ade acts as a business man who passes Billy’s character on the street. At a pivotal point within their interaction, they realize that they used to be college friends. Can you imagine? This dance piece brought me to tears and kicked me in the stomach like any great piece of art should. Once you watch this video, contemplate what a Mad World it is for you sometimes, but realize, it could be worse - Mad World on SYTYCD (may not be viewable on mobile technology).

I’m eagerly anticipating the So You Think You Can Dance Live Tour hitting venues all over the country this fall. I’ll be catching the tour at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall this October with my friend Lisa. And, as we look over the horizon of the Atlantic Ocean, we surely won’t be thinking about that sinking ship we once sailed upon; rather, we’ll be contemplating the waves of promise yet to come.

To get your SYTYCD tickets and experience a sensory extravaganza, visit - So You Think You Can Dance Live Tour Tickets.

Going Full Throttle, Thriving, and Surviving

2010-08-12T20:15:00.000-04:00

SCREEEECH…CRASHHHH!!!…BURRRRN…. Can you smell the burning rubber as my tires skid across the pavement? Do you hear the sound of glass shattering into a million tiny pieces all around me? Can you feel the intense heat pouring out from the wreckage? That’s what I experienced when I crashed into a brick wall at 100 miles/hour a few weeks ago…metaphorically speaking, that is.

In the last couple of months, I piled a ton on my back, and I was absolutely convinced that I could carry it all. I was working full time, engaged in life coach training, planning my children’s birthday parties, scheduling vacations, going to summer soirees and happy hours, training for a marathon, being all that a wife and mother does, and figuring out how to create a unique life coaching program by the end of this year. I began feverishly plotting out my course as if I could actually see, and then ultimately reach, the finish line. The usual thoughts raced through my head:

First I'll do this, then I'll do that, and last but not least, I'll conquer the world.

The most amazing thing that can happen to a human being is to discover one’s authentic passions and become so completely clear on how you want to show up in the world. In many ways, I continue to get closer and closer to that vision everyday. However, in the past few weeks I allowed myself to get so revved up about who I should be and just how fast I should get there. I went into overdrive, charting out every destination I wanted to get to next, and then rushed through life’s little moments just to get there. It’s like I was texting while driving, which can only lead to a disaster…and it did.

And, while I was busy filling up my trunk with all the amazing things I would accomplish, I actually left one of my most valuable possessions behind…that is, my authentic passion for writing. I thought about writing a lot, which was emotionally exhausting, but I didn't write a word because I was too mentally and physically spent - it became a vicious cycle. And as a result, I became unbalanced, out-of-synch, cranky, cloudy, dazed, and confused. Naturally, I began losing sight of everything I was striving for, not to mention that I started to lose my senses and my sensibility; in other words, I crashed and burned.

Thank goodness the Universe is on my side (as it is for all of us), and a very special emergency crew came to my rescue. This past weekend during a three-day intensive coach training session, I realized that my strong desire to be an artist, and to motivate and inspire others, had become a picture in my mind of what I would DO in the FUTURE. I had forgotten, and thankfully was reminded by my fabulous fellow life coaches, that I’m already BEING an artist, an inspirer, and a motivator just by showing up for my life every day and serving others at home, at work, and every where I happen to be. Pulled out from the wreckage, I survived the crash.

My mentor, Tama Kieves, a life/career coach and author of This Time I Dance!, just wrote in her latest ezine:

An unused gift is a keg of dynamite. It can blow up your life. But if you use it wisely, it can blast through limitations. It can blast through dimensions and galaxies. It can blast through resistance, guilt, doubts, fears, and the sad illusion that you ever had to struggle or be adrift in any way. It can be a blast.

Last night, my neighbors invited us over for dinner, which was a really pleasant surprise. They cranked up the sound system, and for no reason at all on a week night, we had a dance party in the backyard. I tasted the tangy white wine as it tickled my tongue and then my brain cells. I heard the music resonate through my ears and reverberate through my body. I smelled my sexy Kimono Rose perfume mixing with my sweat as it trickled down my neck. And then, I could see that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, which is MY vibrant, glowing ray of light, and there’s an open road that lies ahead. There is no finish line.

I’m back to my senses now, and I know it’s okay for me to move fast (I perform well at that speed). But, I have to pull over to the side of the road once in a while and check my diagnostics on a regular basis. Slamming into a brick wall isn’t going to get me to my goals any faster, but expressing myself creatively and passionately in everything I do, certainly will. I have everything I need right now. We all do. I can go full throttle, but I can also thrive and survive. We all can. Last night while I danced to the song in this link - Taio Cruz - Dynamite - I really “let it go”, and I blasted through my limitations just like Tama said I would.

For more about Tama Kieves, as well as her book "This Time I Dance!" and her latest ezine article on discovering your life passions, please visit: Awakening Artistry.

Top 10 Sense Savvy Lessons from our Four-Legged Friends

2010-06-23T06:46:00.000-04:00

I recently read a fabulous blog post by my friend, Alan Cohen, President of the executive coaching firm Acts of Balance, entitled Top 10 Leadership Lessons I Learned from My Wheaten Terrier, Bueller. I was so inspired by the leadership prowess that Alan picked up from his pooch that I immediately began to think about what other lessons we could learn from our four-legged friends. And, of course, I quickly realized that dogs instinctively utilize their five senses for fun, enjoyment, and personal well-being all the time. In other words, dogs are naturally Sense Savvy!

Let’s think about the word “instinct” for a moment. It’s funny how we often associate “instincts” with pure animal behavior. How quickly we forget that we too are animals that are hardwired to follow our inner compass! Unlike dogs, however, we frequently ignore our instinctive impulses in favor of socially-accepted behaviors, which can leave us feeling, well, chained to a fencepost. And, if you look up the word “instinct” in the thesaurus you find synonyms including “sense”, “impulse”, and “natural feeling”. I grew up with two Boxers, and I know firsthand that a dog can teach us a few lessons about experiencing the world holistically through our senses and without inhibition. Are you ready to let loose and unleash your inner Canine?

Don’t be Afraid to Get Your Hair Wet – Do dogs worry about messing up their fur coat? No way! Go ahead, and jump into a lake, ocean, or pool with all fours this summer. I recently dove under the water at a pool party and then double-dog dared all the kids to a swimming race. Yes, I looked like a wet dog, but who cares…the cool water felt amazing on that hot day, and the little pups and I had a blast!
Hang Your Head Out the Window and Stick Your Tongue Out – Feeling the breeze sweep across your face and rustle through your hair is one of the most exhilarating feelings in the world. If you’re concerned about looking crazy then consider replicating the feeling by biking downhill, taking a speed boat ride, cruising in a convertible along the beach, or maybe even hang gliding.
Pounce and Nuzzle – Do you ever worry about hugging someone you don’t know too well, perhaps thinking to yourself, “what if the other person’s not the hugger type?” If it feels right to you, then just go ahead and do it – you might be surprised at the warm response you receive back. I’ve never seen a dog apologize for leaping on top of someone he was excited to see, and often times he gets rewarded with a tummy tickle and a good scratch behind the ears.
Smother Someone with Smooches – After pouncing and nuzzling, a dog loves to slap sloppy wet kisses all over your face. I’ve read that a dog will lick human faces as a way of displaying its status and feelings and to find out more about the human whom the dog is licking. Is there someone you’re craving to find out more about? Pucker up like a pooch, and find out what those other person’s lips are trying to tell you.
Lick Your Chops – Remember those hysterical Beggin’ Strips commercials, in which the dog goes crazy yelling, “It’s Bacon!”? When’s the last time you had an absolutely delectable dessert, in which you actually allowed yourself to devour it without guilt? Give yourself a well-deserved treat once in while, and savor it with sheer gusto – lick your plate clean, and enjoy every last morsel.
Mark Your Turf – Why do dogs walk down the street and stop every few feet to sniff their surroundings and mark their territory? To a dog, pee is just a way of communicating. With just a little bit of a scent, other dogs will know what kind of dog it is, its age, and even the sex. The smells in your environment should be personal and pleasing, and also say something about you. What’s your signature scent that you want others to remember – is it spicy, floral, fresh, earthy, or citrus?
Sniff Out What’s Good For You - Dogs naturally rely on their keen sense of smell to interpret their world, and we should too. Through smelling they get all the information they need. Give it a try…the scent compounds produced in many fabulous spices are associated with health properties that are good for you. For example, curcumin, which is present in tumeric, is reported to have anti-inflammatory properties, compounds in ginger have antioxidants, and there are antimicrobial chemicals that contribute to the scent of onions, garlic, rosemary, sage, clove, mustard, chili peppers and thyme.
Howl at the Moon - Upon hearing one animal howling, other pack members gather together and join in. I just read that canines participating in group howling seem to like it, which is probably why humans imagine that a group of howling dogs or wolves feel that they are engaging in the canine equivalent of a spontaneous jam session. Just for fun, bark along with a few friends at a Karaoke bar.
Seek Out and Socialize with Others - Were dog parks invented for the benefit of the dogs or their humans? For both, of course. Playing with others is a surefire way to stay healthy, balanced, and happy. Be a party animal, and make time for a “Girls Night Out” or a golf outing with the guys.
See Spot Run. Go Fetch, Go! - Given the chance, a dog will bolt the second his leash is removed. Humans, on the other hand, often stay too long in one place because it’s what their used to, despite an innate feeling to run. Is there somewhere else you yearn to be – in a new job, on a fabulous vacation, or in a new relationship? Chew off your leash, run with great abandon, and fetch want you really want.

Gain more canine inspiration from this music video: "Barking at the Moon" from Disney's Bolt. Lyrics below:

I have got so much to give, I swear I do.
I may not have nine lives, this one feels brand new.
Yes I've lived a good one.
I have tried to be true.
There are some things I've never realized, till I met you.
How the wind feels on my cheeks, when I'm barking at the moon.

There is no home like the one you've got, cuz that home belongs to you.
Woo Woo! Here I come.
Woo Woo! Back to you.
There is no home like the one you've got, cuz that home belongs to you.

Well, I was in trouble, bad.
I was so confused.
I may not see in color babe, but I sure can feel blue.
I have been a lot of things, they may not all be true.
My experience was so mysterious, till I met you.
Now the sun will rise in the East, but I'm barking at the moon.

There is no home like the one you've got, cuz that home belongs to you
Woo Woo! Here I come.
Woo Woo! Back to you.
There is no home like the one you've got, cuz that home belongs to you.
There is no home like the one you've got, cuz that home belongs to you.
There is no home like the one you've got, cuz that home belongs to you...

Living my Vision Quest - Feeling Like I'm 20 Again

2010-06-11T16:10:00.001-04:00

I walked into the gym yesterday and was greeted by my chipper 22-year old personal trainer who was looking forward to kicking my ass (as usual). After a warm up of blood pumping jumping jacks, glute-squeezing lunges, and crazy hard crunches, he quickly moved on to the real stuff. I should have been crying mercy, but instead, in the middle of a weighty dumbbell lateral raise, a big smirk crossed my face, and my trainer knew exactly why. In between breaths, I mustered out, “This is one of the best songs ever!” He laughed because I say that every five songs or so. This time pouring out of Sirius Satellite Radio’s Classic Rock station is “Lunatic Fringe” by Red Rider from the 80s movie soundtrack Vision Quest about a high school underdog wrestler, Louden Swain.

My heart was beating profusely, and my pulse was racing off the chart as I was thrown back 20 years ago to my days as a cheerleader pounding on the mat during a high school wrestling match. I taste, feel, and smell the sweat rolling down my face. The music’s vibrating through my veins, and I'm drifting between reality and the movie reel. I hear the underdog main character utter, “My name's Louden, Louden Swain. Last week I turned 18. I wasn't ready for it. I haven't done anything yet. So I made this deal with myself. This is the year I make my mark.” Louden was worried about making his mark at 18? Holy crap, I’m almost 40. Have I made my mark yet? Turn the volume way up as you click on this link because it’s best appreciated really loud - Lunatic Fringe - Red Rider - Vision Quest.

Many people my age are about to embark on a Mid-Life Crisis. But not me. I’m actually in the beginning stage of what I’m calling a Tri-Life Revival (yes, I just made that up). My theory is that humans are capable of living to the ripe age of 120, and since I’m approaching 40 next year, that means I’m only about a third of the way through my life, which is a huge relief. And, I’m far from having a crisis; in fact, I feel more assured of myself than ever. I feel like I’m 20 again. I remember how naively empowered I felt at that age, as if anything was possible. Now, I actually KNOW it to be TRUE.

There’s no doubt that being at the gym once a week is bringing out the 20-Something in me, but what else is going on? I think the key is that I’ve been surrounded by lots of 20-Somethings this year, and they’re unencumbered insight is rubbing off on me in a big way. My hairstylist-extraordinaire is in her early 20’s, but if you believe in reincarnation, she’s been around the block a few times. Several of my friends have 20-year old college kids that are hanging out with us at parties and sharing their hopes for the future. I just spent a couple of days at a work function with two Newbies right out of college. I can feel their excitement as they embrace their whole lives ahead of them. And unlike Louden Swain in Vision Quest, or myself at 20, I now KNOW and SENSE that I’m making a mark everyday just by living out who I am - I'm living my Vision Quest.

I, Shari, hear, see, feel and know that the purpose of my life is to be a wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend; to be a vibrant, glowing ray of light in the presence of everyone I meet; to enjoy every breathing moment; and to inspire myself and others to share our gifts everyday.

What makes you feel like you’re 20 again? What makes you feel excited, fresh, and ready to take on your Vision Quest? Listen to another great Vision Quest track as you think about that - Only the Young - Journey - Vision Quest. Also, rent the movie...it will inspire you. "Only the Young" lyrics below:

Another night in any town
You can hear the thunder of their cry
Ahead of their time
They wonder why

In the shadows of a golden age
A generation waits for dawn
Brave carry on
Bold and the strong

Only the young can say
They're free to fly away
Sharing the same desires
Burnin' like wildfire

They're seein' through the promises
And all the lies they dare to tell
Is it heaven or hell?
They know very well
Only the young can say

Musical Ties That Bind

2010-05-28T12:44:00.000-04:00

Music is the one art we all have inside. We may not be able to play an instrument, but we can sing along or clap or tap our feet. Have you ever seen a baby bouncing up and down in the crib in time to some music? When you think of it, some of that baby’s first messages from his or her parents may have been lullabies, or at least the music of their speaking voices. All of us have had the experience of hearing a tune from childhood and having that melody evoke a memory or a feeling. The music we hear early on tends to stay with us all our lives.

- The World According to Mister Rogers

Music Turns Strangers into Lovers
Music resides deep within our brains and our souls throughout our whole lives, and in many instances, it creates an intimate tie that binds people together. Sharing your passion for a particular song, or genre of music, can create an instant magnetic connection with someone you already know or even with someone you just met. Did you ever notice how everyone at a concert seems to love each other? Okay, let’s be honest, the alcohol and other substances ingested at a pre-concert tailgate party may have a little something to do with the groovy feeling in the air, but at the end of the day, it’s the music that brought everyone together. It’s no wonder that Woodstock was a love fest.

Music Ties Generations Together
What’s most amazing to me is that music ties generations together, which has been incredibly helpful to me as a parent. Nearly every PG movie I watch with my kids has a song dating back through the decades. It cracks me up when I belt out Queen’s “We Are the Champions” while watching Chicken Little, and my kids look at me like, “how the heck do you know that song?” Then my little guy tells me, “Mommy stop singing, you’re hurting my ears.” I frequently remind him that he used to love when I sang to him as a baby – he’d stare deeply into my eyes, and I could feel his love (although now I’m thinking that he may have just been glazed over). Okay, so I’m no American Idol, but that’s never stopped me from singing out loud – in the car, at work, and especially in the shower where I sound absolutely fabulous.

Speaking of American Idol, what an incredible job the show does of tying generations together with music! Several weeks ago the music of Frank Sinatra was featured, and this past week, the producers really out did themselves with the show’s season finale. It was really cool to see Alice Cooper, the Bee Gees, Michael McDonald, Alanis Morissette, Hall & Oates, Chicago, Christina Aguilera, Janet Jackson, Bret Michaels, and Joe Cocker all performing on the same show for an audience spanning the generations of Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y/Millennials, and Teeny-Boppers (or whatever the heck they’re called today). Albeit, I’m pretty sure that Joe Cocker forgot the lines to his own song, but you’ve got to give him credit for getting up there. And, up until now, my sons were pretty convinced that the Bee Gees were a group of girls - just listen to "Stayin’ Alive"...can you blame them? But now, thanks to American Idol I was able to prove that the Bee Gees really are men (brothers, in fact), and they’ve still got what it takes to arouse an audience.

Music Stops the World and Melts with You
And, there’s no doubt that music soothes the savage beast. Mornings in my household are a far cry from “Leave it to Beaver”, and I usually find myself prodding the kids out the door, literally kicking and screaming. The first thing I do when this happens is take a really, really deep breath, and then I reach for the iPod. Within seconds of tuning in to one of our favorite Playlists, we all reach a higher state of calm and consciousness. It’s like the world stops, and we all become one. My six-year old frequently requests Dave Matthews, Seal, and 10,000 Maniacs, among many artists of the 80s and 90s that I grew up with. Some our favorite music also includes the following movie soundtracks:

“Axel F” from Beverly Hills Cop, also featured in Monsters vs. Aliens
The Cars Movie Soundtrack, which features songs from James Taylor, John Mayer, Brad Paisley, and Randy Newman
“Kung Fu Fighting” from Cee Lo & Jack Black, featured in Kung Fu Panda
Songs from Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium featuring Cat Stevens “Don’t Be Shy” and The Flaming Lips “Love the World You Find”
Miley Cirus’ “The Climb” from Hannah Montana: The Movie
“Upside Down” from Jack Johnson featured in the Curious George movie
Rob Thomas' "Little Wonders" from Meet the Robinsons

So, as we come upon Memorial Day Weekend, during which time you're sure to hear several Countdowns of the Top Songs of the Year, the Decade, or even of All Time, listen up closely. What songs tie you to the people in your life, and how does that make you feel? Let music stop the world - then melt with someone. Have a great long weekend as Sense Savvy sounds you off to Modern English - I Melt With You.

Wish You Were Here…Postcards from Space

2010-05-21T16:30:00.001-04:00

Check this out! Last Friday, the Space Shuttle Atlantis hurled into space, and a few days later I got a postcard with the STS-132 mission insignia pictured on the front of it, along with a handwritten message exclaiming, “I sure wish you guys were here this time!” How many people can say that they’ve actually gotten a postcard from space?

Okay, well maybe I’m exaggerating a bit, because I didn’t actually get a postcard from space. Rather, I got a postcard from my best friend, Lainie. She mailed it from the Kennedy Space Center on Friday, May 14, 2010 as her brother, Astronaut Garrett Reisman, launched into space on the Space Shuttle Atlantis. I’m so grateful to Lainie for sending me that note because it really made me feel like a part of the launch, especially since I was partially responsible for the design of the shuttle mission’s insignia (pictured right). I swear, it's true.

Last summer, Garrett was tasked to lead the design of the crew’s patch, and like any great leader, he delegated this assignment to his friends and family in the form of a contest. I immediately reeled in a colleague and graphic artist, Owen Evans, who came through with flying colors (pun intended)! Several months after we submitted Owen’s design, Garrett announced that the final patch became a hybrid combination of two designs that were submitted as part of the unofficial design contest. Per Garrett, “The two patch contest winners who provided the inspiration for the final design were the teams of Shari Ciapka and Owen Evans and Jorges Cartes and Tim Gagnon.” I quickly informed Garrett that I had absolutely nothing to do with the design itself, but I took full credit for bringing Owen to the table.

This year I opted not to attend the launch of STS-132 in favor of a life coaching weekend, at which I had my own personal blast, and I have no regrets! At the same time, the postcard from Lainie conjured up awesome memories of the space shuttle launch I had attended two years ago at 2:26AM on March 11 when Garrett hitched a ride on the Space Shuttle Endeavour for a 3-month tour of duty aboard the International Space Station.

I clearly remember Mission Control’s calm voices streaming from the Causeway speakers as they called the pre-launch events; the sight of the massive space ship and its steamy O-ring swirling above the shuttle nose; the methodic countdown aligned to our heartbeats of anticipation - we had waited for this day since Garrett was chosen as an astronaut ten years earlier; the forceful roaring of the engines; the smell of the unearthly explosion; the angelic rise of Endeavour as it lit up the Florida sky; and the sweet taste of victory as Garrett fulfilled his life long dream of flying into space. The picture below is Garrett taking a photo of himself during his 7-hour spacewalk.

Back to this current mission, I heard on the news that Mission Control awakened Garrett and his fellow rocket men this past Wednesday to the Rolling Stones Start Me Up. So, it got me thinking…maybe I didn’t actually get a postcard from space, but I sure got the message...No matter where I am, I can have a blast! How will you Start Up, Ignite Your Senses, and BLAST OFF today? Whatever you do, make it out of this world.

For more info on Space Shuttle Mission STS-132/Atlantis, which is scheduled to return to earth on May 26, go to NASA Mission Pages.

What Makes Your Heart Race

2010-05-14T07:52:00.000-04:00

As I read the email for the second, and then the third time, my heart was racing, and I could hardly contain myself. Could it be true? Am I reading this correctly? I just have to tell someone…I think I’m going to bust. I twinkle-toed down the hallway to tell my husband, but his office door was closed…shoot, he must be on a business call. What could possibly be more important than this? I floated back to my office and read the email again, to which I responded as follows:

From: Shari Ciapka
To: 'oprahshowNYC'
Re: Have any questions for Nate, Suze, Dr. Oz or Dr. Phil?

Hello! I'm assuming that as a recipient of this email, my reservation has been confirmed; I’m aware that someone in my party must pick up the tickets at Radio City's 'Will Call' on either Wednesday, May 5th or Thursday May 6th. Is there any additional information that I need? Thank you so much...we are sooo excited!

Within minutes, I received the following response:

To: Shari Ciapka
From: ‘oprahshowNYC’
Re: Have any questions for Nate, Suze, Dr. Oz or Dr. Phil?

Hello! Attached is the confirmation information. Thank you!

-Nicole
Audience Team

It was true…I officially had tickets to “Oprah Fridays–Live: From Radio City Music Hall” in New York City on Friday, May 7, 2010. And, at that moment, I realized that I’m absolutely capable of making anything happen in my life that I really, really want to.

Readers, do you remember on February 23, 2010, when I wrote the following closing to one of my posts... "don’t think I’ve given up on Oprah just yet! I still plan to get on The Oprah Show one day, and whether I’ll be sitting in the audience or on the stage, it doesn't really matter - either scenario is a good place to be!”

From that day on, I made it my business to get on The Oprah Show, and I was absolutely willing to fly to Chicago where Oprah’s usually taped. After all, Oprah’s been a role model for me since I was in high school, and her aura has significantly impacted my life and millions of others across the globe. For months, I checked the Oprah.com website every single day for a chance to get audience tickets, and I never gave up. And then, I finally got my big break…the heaven’s opened up, and the angels began to sing…Oprah’s actually coming to me…she’s going to be in NYC. I submitted my plea online, along with thousands of others, and as you know by now, I actually got tickets!

Last Friday, on a beautiful spring day, one of my life-long dreams came true as I ventured into NYC with my husband (Mark), my sister (Ellen), and dear friend (Lisa) to be an audience member of The Oprah Show. In disbelief, we joined a never ending line of ticketholders that spanned for blocks and blocks and blocks. And, one hour later, we were in the door and seated. Within minutes, we would be a part of Oprah’s power packed 10th Anniversary celebration for “O Magazine” featuring her experts, Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, Nate Berkus, and Suze Orman - whose careers have launched to superstardom since their first appearances on Oprah; next would be a celebrity mother-daughter fashion show featuring Vanessa Williams, Jane Seymour, Cybill Sheperd, and Susan Lucci; and finally, Christina Aguilera would be performing live on stage.

The lights went out, and the 5,300-person crowd went wild as Oprah came on stage in a sparkling pink sequin skirt. My heart raced with excitement as I felt the mezzanine floor shake beneath me, and I knew that we were a part of something really big. As everyone settled in, Oprah began her interviews with her experts, and one by one, each revealed sense savvy advice as follows:

Dr. Phil - Do one thing for yourself every day that shakes up your life.

Dr. Oz – You’ve got to show up for your life. If there’s something on your wish list for life, make plans today to do it.

Nate Berkus – Your home should tell the story of your life, your family, and your values through photos, personal collections, art, and other personal items.

Suze Orman – Take an oath of financial honesty…stay honest with who you are, and don’t let your things define you.

The rest of the hour swept by like lightening. Before I knew it, Oprah was waving goodbye to her Radio City audience, and I can check one more thing off my bucket list.

How about you…what makes your heart race? What do you yearn to touch, taste, smell, see and hear today, or this year, or in this lifetime? Don’t wait to do it. Show up for your life, and you’ll be amazed by what, and who, shows up for you!

Philadelphia Freedom

2010-04-27T09:20:00.001-04:00

Sometimes we need to stop to see where we have been.

Several days before starting my new job, I received a list of “new hire” requirements, one of which was to show my proof of citizenship. Okay, this should be no problem, but where the heck is my U.S. Passport? After a few minutes of searching, I found it tucked away in a safe place where it had remained dormant since the birth of my children. I realized that I’d been virtually grounded for the past seven years, at least in regard to international travel. It was just due to expire too, and I couldn’t believe that ten years had already gone by since I got married and obtained a new passport with my married name. And, look at that picture! I had long, straight, shoulder length hair…a far cry from the choppy, pixie cut that I’m sporting now.

I began to flip through this passport, a visual record my life’s travels, and I reminisced through the pages of vibrantly colored stamps. Those foreign impressions proved that I had “been there” and “done that” just as I had planned to, and they were all fantastic experiences…December 2000 – Bermuda…January 2001 – London…March 2001 – Toronto, Canada…April 2003 – Dominican Republic…September 2004 – Republic of the Philippines…uh, wait a minute, the Philippines! Whose life is this anyway? I never went to the Philippines. Why the heck is there a Republic of the Philippines Visa in my passport? I was seriously freaked out by this, but after a few moments of contemplation, I remembered that my company had outsourced several job functions to the Philippines, and I had planned to visit this operation. But, why hadn’t I gone on the trip? I’m sure at one point it seemed very important for me to visit the Philippines, but I guess it just wasn’t meant to be.

Sometimes we plan to go somewhere, but we never get there.

Now it was the Friday night before I would be starting my new job in Philadelphia, and while it’s only 60 miles away from my home, it may as well have been across the Atlantic. As far as I was concerned, the “City” was New York City, and Philadelphia was just the Birthplace of America – a tourist destination you visit when you’re a kid with the hopes of illegally reaching over the red velvet rope to touch the crack in the Liberty Bell. I had virtually no idea what it was going to be like to work in this “Other City”. And, I was also considering how I would make the Corporate World in to a Sense Savvy World, and how would I continue writing when the Real World gets too Crazy?

It was too late in the evening to phone a friend for comfort, so I tuned into my old standby, Rachael Ray, at the Food Network. And, of all the places in the world that she could have been featuring that evening on “Rachael’s Vacations”, she was visiting Philadelphia! Can you believe it! This seemed to be a very good sign. I whipped out my notebook and began following along with Rachael’s tour of the city. She pointed out over a dozen mouthwatering, hip and trendy eateries to “See and Be Seen.” I was really getting excited about venturing into this new territory. And then, right in the middle of this episode, there was a five minute commercial for Philadelphia Cream Cheese featuring Paula Dean. I swear, Paula must have said the word Philadelphia about a hundred times. Okay, Paula, I get it…I’m going to Philadelphia on Monday, and it’s going to be alright!

So, fast forward to Monday morning…I made it into Philadelphia with no problems, and I quickly got setup in my new workspace. Within a couple of days I found a few moments to venture forth from the building to Rittenhouse Square, which is a charming historic park just blocks from the hustle and bustle of business. It was an absolutely gorgeous early spring day. I sat on a bench just across from Rouge, a swanky, park-side Parisian Bistro, which is one of Rachael’s “Must Go-to Places”. There I was, exactly where I’d planned to be, and before I knew it, I was mulling over how I had gotten there. What am I doing here? Where is this job going? How does this fit into the grand scheme of my life? But, before I would allow my mind to race any further, I forced myself into my senses. I heard a woman say, “The sun feels nice.” I smelled the vendor food wafting across the park. I heard little girls giggling amongst the tulips.

I turned my head and looked up at the beautiful glass skyscraper, which was now my new Corporate home, sparkling against the bright blue sky. Shari, you know exactly where you’ve been, and you know where you are right now…there’s no need to put any boundaries around it. I reminded myself that Sense Savvy Living is all about finding the gaps in between the “Crazy”, and I can never be too busy to be alive.

Sometimes we are exactly where we should be.

Oh Philadelphia Freedom shine on me, I love you
Shine a light, through the eyes of the ones left behind
Shine a light, shine a light
Shine a light, won't you shine a light
Philadelphia Freedom I love you, yes I do
- Music by Elton John, Lyrics by Bernie Taupin

How will you live and breath your “Philadelphia Freedom” today? Shout it out with Elton John - Philadelphia Freedom.

P.S. – I just found out that my Sense Savvy Living trademark has been published in the US Trademark Official Gazette - it's all mine!

SSL Celebrates Its 100th Post - Top 100 Sensational Experiences

2010-04-09T17:38:00.000-04:00

Life is a journey through time, and happiness is what happens when we make that journey together. – PBS Documentary, This Emotional Life

Note: In order to keep this post to the point, I didn’t mention specific names of the wonderful people with whom I’ve shared these sense savvy moments over the past year, but you know who you are, and I'm so grateful for this time with you. I hope this list inspires all SSL readers to view every day as a sensational experience:

My Top 100 Sensational Experiences:

1. Getting-away with the Girls in Dewey Beach, DE

2. Hiking in Rocky Creek National Park, Washington, DC

3. Meandering in the American Museum of National History in NYC

4. Strolling through Central Park, NYC

5. Gazing at My Butterfly Bushes all Summer Long

6. Taking Long Walks in Princeton

7. Window Shopping at the Mall

8. Spending Summer Nights on a Rooftop in Gramercy Park, NYC

9. Learning New Technology All By Myself

10. Pumping Iron while Listening to Classic Rock

11. Running in My Neighborhood and Discovering Where I Live

12. Finding My Senses at the Library

13. Heating up in Hot Yoga

14. Enjoying the Jersey Shore

15. Getting Dirty at the Farm

16. Acting Like a Preschooler at Back-to-School Night

17. Being a Teacher’s Assistant and Giving Out Stars

18. Watching “So You Think You Can Dance”

19. “Meeting” Jim Henson and Kermit the Frog at the James Michener Art Museum

20. Dining at a Sidewalk Café in Doylestown, PA

21. Bike Riding in the Rain and Splashing through the Puddles

22. Searching “You Tube” for the Perfect Blog Videos

23. Smelling Dozens of Products from Deodorant to Fabric Softener

24. Introducing My Audience to the Benefits of a Tongue Scraper

25. Holding my Kids’ Hands as Often as Possible

26. Striking a Bird of Paradise Pose in Yoga

27. Reading Jigsaw Jones to My Son After Picking Him Up at the Bus-stop

28. Learning How to Practice Primordial Sound Meditation

29. Experimenting with Herbs and Spices

30. Watching the “Show Case Showdown” on The Price Is Right

31. Watching Oprah as Often as Possible

32. Switching from a Blackberry to a Touchpad iPhone

33. Volunteering with my town’s Cultural Arts Commission

34. Volunteering with my town’s Environmental Commission

35. Taste-testing Lots of Yummy Food Products

36. Folding Laundry in the Sun on the Deck

37. Learning How to Cook (sort of)

38. Sitting 15-feet from Deepak Chopra and Absorbing His Wisdom

39. Getting in Touch with Me at a Retreat in Phoenix, Arizona

40. Meeting Amazing People at all Kinds of Networking Forums

41. Holding My Neighbor’s Chihuahua in My Lap

42. Drinking A Lot of Red Wine

43. Celebrating Holidays with a New Sensory Perspective

44. Watching My Boys Build a Giant Snowman

45. Cuddling with My Kids on Weekday Mornings

46. Observing and Learning from the Elders in My Neighborhood

47. Devouring Dunkin’ Donuts with My Son After School

48. Rethinking about 9/11 from a Sensory Perspective

49. Watching My Son Learn How to Do a Cartwheel

50. Seeing My High School Friends at Our 20-Year Reunion

51. Playing With My Kids on the Playground and Sliding Down the Slide

52. Sharing the Health Benefits of Colorful Food

53. Learning About Ayurveda – the Science of Life

54. Looking Out My Home Office Window A Lot

55. Paying Attention to Autumn’s Colors

56. Observing the Movement of Clouds

57. Rejoicing in a Rainbow

58. Seeing a VW Beetle Decked Out Like Herbie the Love Bug in My Town

59. Watching a Groundhog Waddle Across a Field

60. Watching a Herd of Deer Leap Across My Front Yard

61. Witnessing the Renaissance of Asbury Park, NJ

62. Watching My Boys Learn to Boogie Board in Wildwood, NJ

63. Developing My Sense Savvy Logo

64. Trying Out All Tastes – Sour, Sweet, Salty, Bitter, Pungent, Astringent, Umami

65. Rockin’ at the Rob Thomas Concert at the Beacon Theater in NYC

66. Melting Away in Monthly Massages

67. Observing a New Moon Ritual

68. Watching UP

69. Trying Out Lots of Holiday Gift Ideas for My Readers

70. Catching Up with Coworkers from My First Real Job

71. Learning How to Make Gnocchi From Scratch

72. Playing Like a Kid at Chuck-E-Cheese

73. Wearing My Dalmatian Pajamas to a New Year’s Eve Party

74. Spreading the Word About Good Sensory Health

75. Striving to "Walk My Talk"

76. Falling in Love with “Under the Tuscan Sun”

77. Falling in Love with My Husband Again

78. Seeing a Blue Heron in My Neighborhood

79. Developing a Daily Dinner Dilemma Solution

80. Developing the “Savor, Succeed, Be Happy” Report

81. Waking Up to the Sound of Harps instead of Alarms

82. Creating a Sense Savvy Vision Board

83. Being Inspired by the Vancouver Olympics (especially Canada vs. USA)

84. Admiring Great Art at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ

85. Reading My Friend’s Sensory Bucket List

86. Seeing Life’s Transitions through Rose Colored Glasses

87. Attempting Bollywood Dancing

88. Remembering My Wedding Day

89. Spreading the Word About Local Arts Programs

90. Spring Cleaning My Body, Mind, and Soul

91. Inviting My In-Laws to a Ukrainian Dance Show

92. Food Shopping in the Middle of the Day

93. Enjoying a Cup of Coffee at My Friend’s Café

94. Giving My Home Office a Feng Shui Overhaul

95. Playing at the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia, PA

96. Cleaning Up My Neighborhood

97. Watching My Son Learn How to Ride a Bike on 2 Wheels

98. Embracing a Life of Creativity

99. Spending a Spring Break Staycation at My Parent’s House in North Jersey

100. Getting Feedback from SSL Readers that Keeps Me Going

Well, I certainly had the time of my life, and there's only more to come! I hope you're having the Time of Your Life too! Rock out to Green Day's Time of Your Life.