Back to BC

I've procrastinated too long.

Baguio City was my solace from stress, the haven of my heart-stirrings, the "cave" of consolation. Last year, I spent more time in BC than any other place outside Manila, for rest, rejuvenation, and, or so I thought, eventual residence. I'd actually started to move up to BC in the summer of 2006, and I was all set to start life anew in my favorite city in the mountains.

However, such was not my "fate." I found myself back in Manila on request from a friend, but still shuttling back and forth as I held on to my dream of living BC. Little did I know that I would be leaving BC, to embark on the adventure of a whole new life in Manila...and beyond. And so I left Baguio City, always meaning to return one day, someday. The chalkboard sign in the living room says, "Welcome Home!" - and yet I haven't done so in months. Almost a year now, if I remember correctly.

But that's to change in a few weeks. I've been traveling high and low and near and far over the last many months, but nowhere near BC. One probable reason is that I no longer need a "cave" to retreat to; another is that the house was broken into a few months ago and I'd be heartbroken to see for myself what was taken. But, as circumstances would have it, the mandatory Continuing Legal Education program I'm missing a few hours of will be held in BC in October, and there's no earlier offering in Manila. And so, I'm going back to BC - with a new frame of mind. I'm no longer in search of a new perspective...but I do miss the peace and the pine trees. So BC, here I come.

Lost Links

I lost my old templates (go figure) and had to replace them...in the process, I lost all my links to friends' blogs and pages. Will reconstitute them as soon as I find the time to tinker with the template settings. Sigh.

Big Promises

One of the biggest things I got in the Bangkok Intensive was to make BIG promises. A particularly compelling conversation was about not being afraid to give your word to a big promise - after all, the value of a promise is to pull one into action. Then, during a brief informal discussion over lunch, Nui told me, "create a big quota!"

Playing safe isn't really my style, but I've still been a little too cautious to really risk too much. After Bangkok, I began to promise BIG-ger...with amazing results. I've taken the "big promise" game into certain areas of my life (in my leading, for instance - I promised 50% effectiveness where I used to promise 30%, and I got 67%!!), and so far it's produced breakthrough results - bigger than I expected!! I expect it to work wonders in the new game we created for the practice (it's already yielding amazing returns with all the new openings for action - and to think the game plan commences in October!), and I'm going to take it into all areas of my professional life (and perhaps even into my personal life, as soon as I determine what "quotas" are appropriate in that domain!).

Promise BIG. This life's too magnificently blessed to play in the minor leagues.

Butterfly

Biologists studying the caterpillar and the butterfly were amazed to find that the dissimilarity between one and the other: there was nothing in the biological make-up of either one that remotely related it to the other. It was as if they were two distinct organisms. Upon closer study of the caterpillar, however, it was discovered that a new kind of cell starts to appear - a cell that carries with it the image and possibility of "butterfly."

"The caterpillars new cells are called "imaginal cells". They resonate at a different frequency. They are so totally different from the caterpillar cells that his immune system thinks they are enemies . . . and gobbles them up - Chomp! Gulp! But these new imaginal cells continue to appear. More and more of them! Pretty soon, the caterpillar's immune system cannot destroy them fast enough. More and more of the imaginal cells survive. And then an amazing thing happens! The little, tiny, lonely imaginal cells start to clump together, into friendly little groups. They all resonate together at the same frequency, passing information from one to another. Then, after a while, another amazing thing happens! The clumps of imaginal cells start to cluster together! . . . A long string of clumping and clustering imaginal cells, all resonating at the same frequency, all passing information from one to another there inside the chrysalis.

A wave of Good News travels throughout the system - Lurches and heaves . . . but not yet a butterfly.

Then at some point, the entire long string of imaginal cells suddenly realizes all together that it is Something Different from the caterpillar. Something New! Something Wonderful!! . . . And in that realization is the shout of the birth of the butterfly!

Since the butterfly now 'knows' that it is a butterfly, the little tiny imaginal cells no longer have to do all those things individual cells have to do. Now they are part of a multi-celled organism - A FAMILY who can share the work. Each new butterfly cell can take on a different job. There is something for everyone to do. And everyone is important. And each cell begins to do just that very thing it is most drawn to do. And every other cell encourages it to do just that.

A great way to organize a butterfly!"

- Norie Huddle, Butterfly

Send Me To The Nations

It's kind of funny how things went full circle.

A year ago, I remember giving my friend Alan all sorts of excuses for not registering into the Landmark Forum. One favorite was, "but Alan, this is the money for my US trip!"

And he said, very sagely, "You can have the Landmark Forum AND your US trip. And even more." I wanted to slap the smile off his face, but I'd seen something I wanted badly to resolve, so I paid up.

Fast forward to a year later. Over dinner at a new Foundation I'd been invited to join, my seatmate engages me in conversation. She says she's been to an Introduction to the Landmark Forum but hasn't registered. I ask, why not? She's going to the US, she says, and to Japan soon after, and won't have any money left over afterwards.

So I take off on my share.

I was in the very same space in mid-August of 2006 - plus I was seeking direction (while not letting anyone on to it). And, miracles of miracles, not only did I get my family, my practice, and my LIFE back during my Landmark Forum, but I also got my US trip last July (more than three weeks of pure R & R), AND got to travel more in less than 12 months than I'd ever traveled in my life: China, twice! Japan. Palawan. Singapore. And, next week, Bangkok; Cebu in October; and the US again in December. Plus, opportunities have opened up in business and the practice that will have me once again traveling abroad, more often than I ever expected.

The Landmark Forum was the best-ever adventure I'd ever taken on - so good that I took on completing the whole Curriculum for Living, through which I found and now am able to live my purpose in life - God's purpose for me all along. The fringe benefit is that I get to satisfy my wanderlust, in a surprisingly effortless manner.

Once upon a time, I prayed to God in song, "send me to the nations." And He has. :-) I'm assured He will continue to do so. Amen!