Happy New Year, 2014

I love this time of year. It's quite a "Christmas miracle" that we are able to collectively, for the most part, close up shop and allow the time and space for families to get together and share food, drink and gifts. In our world of hustle and bustle, it truly is a rare gift.

We look at the ending of the calendar as the beginning of new chances.  It's symbolic of all the possibilities that we may desire.  I've often wondered why the calendar begins in January, when it's cold and the land is in its dormant stage, instead of the Spring, when the new shoots of life are emerging from a still-frosty ground. And so I researched it, as any smart modern person would do, by "Googling". What I learned is that Julius Caesar, back in the day as he led the Roman armies into battle, conquering land and people alike, decided to create the Julian Calendar. He chose January 1st to be the start of the new year in honor of the Roman god Janus, the god of doors and gates. He had two faces, one facing backward and the other forward, which Caesar thought important and symbolic as we leave the past behind and move into the future.

Although I believe that Caesar's motives were ego based, and obviously there were many more reasons that he chose January 1st as the start of the new year, I do actually really appreciate the sentiment and metaphor of Janus. It's good to have a time that we can, collectively in humanity, leave the past behind us and start over. It's good to let go and free yourself of beliefs and patterns that bring you down or hold you back from your potential.

And, we are but potential. Every day of every year, we have the opportunity to learn something new, meet someone interesting, explore a new idea, forgive someone who wronged us, ask for forgiveness when we have wronged, tell someone they are special, live like there is no tomorrow and cross exciting things off of our bucket lists! We are OPPORTUNITY. Sometimes we may get into a funk where the visor is pulled down low over our eyes, so we can't see the path we are intended, but trust me... the path is there, right in front of you. Make your choices thoughtfully, as each choice carves out new opportunities. Don't be afraid to shift gears and make different choices, if the original choices aren't panning out as expected. When you realize that you aren't on your best path, you CAN do it over, systematically, but making better, more ecological choices again and again.

Align yourself this new year with opportunities that help you live your best life. Peace my friends.

Essential Space!!

Hi Everyone!

I am currently updating the Essential Space website!  Please contact me at mysargent@gmail.com or (831) 345-2233 if you have any questions about renting our space.  Thank you!

Warmly,
Melanie

Breast Massage; Potentially a Life Saver

I've been a certified breast massage therapist for over a decade now.  Several times a year, I will work with some of my female clients manually and share with them about positive breast health.  The sessions are always positive and healing.

However, the majority of my female clients I've never even broached the subject with before.

I have been remiss.

I learned recently that one of my treasured, regular clients is likely being diagnosed with breast cancer. It appears that the markers are looking good for a lumpectomy, which would be minimally invasive, thankfully.  I feel that I have done her, and my many other female clients (and maybe male too), such a disservice by being shy about my skill.  And, in withholding the potential for early detection in the least, complete prevention at best.

After my clients diagnosis, when she told her husband, he reflected that a few weeks prior he had thought he had felt a little lump while they were in the throws of passion and forgot to tell her or examine it later.  Often this is the case... Or, it creates a fear that subconsciously your brain takes and stores in the back recess of your brain, much like hiding under the covers so the boogeyman won't get you.  If you conveniently don't remember, then it must not be true, and therefore, your beloved is safe and healthy.

Unfortunately, cancer doesn't go away typically just by denial.  Or ignorance.  Or fear.  In fact, it thrives in that environment.

Certainly, in the case of my client, and most of us, we aren't purposefully ignorant.  We just, well... are.

I was ignorant for not sharing how important breast massage is.  Potentially, I would have felt the discrepancy in her breast tissue if I had been treating her therapeutically on a regular basis.  I still could have missed it, of course, it isn't foolproof and it's not an infallible practice, but there is certainly the greater chance of early detection with therapeutic breast massage.

And so, I'm letting all of you know the importance of regular breast massage.  If your practitioner doesn't offer the service, find one who is trained in it.  Ask.  Have your partner massage your breasts regularly.  Enjoy it as a loving practice, perhaps even foreplay (just remember to further explore later if anything questionable is noted).

The breasts are a gateway to intimacy.  Whether breastfeeding your child or opening the feminine pole of arousal, our breasts create bonds that are beautiful and profound.  They deserve daily attention and reverence, by our personal touch and relationship to them, and by our partners.

Nurture them, touch them, love them, and massage them!

The View From Here

I was hanging a light fixture yesterday and kept dropping the screws.  You know how it goes, you're all alone, wanting this beautiful new fixture to be hung properly in a timely manner, and the damn screws keep slipping from your fingers!  Probably due to your arms shaking from having them overhead for so long, or is that just me?  At any rate, the screws were falling and I wasn't sure where they went.  I was getting frustrated because I had to get to work soon, but I had to finish putting up the light first...  I looked all around the carpet, into the kitchen and living room too.  I found one screw fairly easily, but the other was elusive.  I felt myself twitching in agitation.  I had to give myself a time out.

I went for a little walk around the parking lot outside and gave myself a little pep talk.

Decided that I needed to change my perspective.  Maybe, just maybe, if I shifted my reality a little the screws would appear as my reward for being flexible.

The first thing I noticed when I entered my home again was my little dog, Turner.  He tilted his head to the side and lifted his big, floppy ear towards me.  I could almost hear him saying, "Eh? You want to check it out my way?"  Ah, yes, Turner, be flexible like a puppy, brilliant!  "I think that would be a good idea, thanks," I psychically told him.

So I dropped to all fours, snuffled and made dog-like gestures (Yep, I'm pretty aware that if I were spied upon they would like think I was nuts!).  Alas, I was down on the carpet, crawling around for no more than 30 seconds when I spotted the missing screw!  It was tucked rather discreetly behind a large begonia.  It was completely out of site from a topical viewing.  But, in my dog-like stance I was able to spy it immediately!  I grabbed the screw and gave my pup a high five!

Change your perspective, change your life!  Well, sometimes your whole life may not shift immediately, but nevertheless, the incremental change of seeing something or someone from a different, often more compassionate, vantage point can be monumental to the karma that you attract in your life.  And, you just may find your missing screw!

As you reflect back on your life, the choices you've made, and the outcomes that have resulted from your choices, how often do you think you would have achieved a more desirable outcome had you taken the time to shift your perspective and look at alternative angles (of thinking, behaving, sharing, etc..).  I wonder how many times you can, in both your present and in your future, you can take a moment (even when you know you are right) to look at alternative perspectives, and make choices that bring forth the best and most positive win-win solutions.  I think that you will find it quite rewarding.  And, the more you practice, the easier it will get and the results will continue to enrich your life, and others'!