Fear and Resistance

Q. Thank you Grace for your video and your sincere and true way of coming across to us. I want to start tapping regularly. Can you please guide me as to how many times I should_ tap at a stretch? And should I focus on one thing at a time because as I am tapping on one thing, another thing pops up in my mind. Sometimes I want to continue tapping and not stop. I feel I might go insane or get addicted to tapping. Don't know what to do. I need to heal a lot of issues inside of me. I also noticed that I start crying as I am tapping. Is that okay? —Helen A.

A. Dear Helen,
I am honored by your affirmations and I’m glad you appreciate my videos. Thanks for watching. If you watch videos 7, 28 & 46 you will notice there are many ways to approach tapping as a daily coping skill. However, if you want to do deep, long-lasting healing, you must go back into your past emotional traumas, from birth through childhood and your whole life, to address and release the negative emotional aspects of each one. For this deeper healing, I suggest one or two hour sessions per week, or as often as possible. If I can’t sleep, I sometimes lie in bed and tap longer.


Your unconscious may present a different memory before you completely clear the one you are working on. When that happens, make a note of the memory and push it to the side while you go back and finish the one you started. Then pull back in the one from the side and heal it completely. There may be some exceptions to this rule. If the memory that pops up is stronger and happened before the one you are on, it may be an emotional reference for the one you started with. Then it is best to go to the oldest, strongest memory and clear it. Then go back to the one you started with.

The most powerful healing comes with crying as you tap, as long as you are releasing the emotions you are crying about. Robert Smith says, “Big tears mean big changes.” If you get too deep into crying and you are not releasing it but going deeper into the negative emotions, then you need to pull yourself out into the present moment with some kind of distraction. You must remember that the memory is not real, it is not happening now. It is all made up in your mind now and you are creating it. It is a trance, but you feel as if it is real, because of your body’s reaction to the thoughts and emotions. You must tap it to zero and flip it to a positive. If you don’t, you still have supporting references for the problem and it will still have power over you. That’s why Robert says, “Tap till it’s gone or till you pass out and when you wake up it will be a new world for you.”

I don’t believe it is possible to become addicted to tapping. Tap on your fears of going insane and becoming addicted to tapping. Tap on your resistance to tapping. Aim at however you know you have these fears and whatever memories may support them. It is a powerful coping skill. In the beginning you will naturally need to tap more, because there is so much past emotional baggage to clear up. As you clear more of it away, you will find that you naturally don’t tap as much, because you are not getting triggered as often. You have healed a lot. Life will always present new challenges and relationships, so you will continue to use FasterEFT as a highly effective coping skill the rest of your life, even on your deathbed.

Thank you for your questions. I hope this helps. I’m sure there are many others who have the same ones. Keep me posted on your progress.

Love & Peace, Grace

Q & A: Fear of becoming dependent on FasterEFT

Q: Dear Grace,

first of all, thank you!
For the way you explain and precise things and you open up and disclosure your story.

It was April when I "came across" Robert Smith's work on Youtube. I ordered my first dvd set (Mind Of A Healer) with some difficulties (which got me into contact with your friend Linda Esser, who was extremely helpfull) due to some problems on the webpage and I finally have the dvds here with me. But ..

Even though one hour or so ago I found a clip on your channel on how (technical) exactly to do the tapping, there is a "but". I also heard it from Robert in his videos that this is a livelong technique. And here is my "but": I am somehow afraid to be dependent on something to do for my lifetime - on a deeper level one could say it is a fear of making a commitment.
I know, we are dependent on breathing and eating and sleeping and other activities we have to do our lifetime through. It is not a logical plea, it is diffus and emotional. I realy hope, no I am sure you understand what I mean. From the experience with your clients. Can you give me a hint?

Thank you again,
yours sincerely, Elsa

A: Dear Elsa,

You are most welcome and thank you for your kind words and your question. It is a very good question and I am sure many people have the same feeling.

First of all, you don't have to tap the rest of your life. It is a choice. If you start with just tapping one day at a time and see how it works, you can then freely choose to continue or not. I suggest you start by tapping on the resistance. It seems you may be resisting the commitment to tap because you don't want to create a lifelong dependency on anything. I can certainly appreciate that, because that is why I didn't want to take drugs, supplements or use expensive equipment. But I did do all of those things temporarily, until I found FasterEFT, which enabled me to wean myself off all those things completely. (Have you read my story yet?)

I suggest that you may be feeling the resistance to tap the rest of your life, based on a dependency to an old belief and/or a past reference of your "fear of making a commitment." Explore that belief/fear. Where did it come from, what are the past references, the memories, associations or relationships that support it? That is how the unconscious mind works to protect you and keep you safe. Some of the past unconscious programs, which continue to run automatically in the background, are no longer serving you. What FasterEFT does is give you the skills to choose which programs, beliefs, behaviors and emotions to keep and which ones to release. It enables your conscious and unconscious mind to communicate with each other and the body, to empower you to release the stress and whatever else you don't want. It gives you the power to control your thoughts and emotions, therefore your behaviors and your life. That completely opens up the future for you to create the life of your dreams.

The big question is, if I let go of what I am doing now, "Who will I be?" We are so invested in who we think we have become, because it is familiar and makes us feel safe, even if what we produce is not good for us. We create an identity out of our beliefs and all the unconscious programming that is really running the show. But we did not really choose it. We learned it from our parents, family, teachers, etc. as we grew up. The unconscious mind did an excellent job of recording it to enable us to survive in our environment at that time. But we are not there anymore and it's time to tell the unconscious mind to let go of those childish programs. It is not who we truly are. We are a dynamic being who is constantly learning and changing.

If you just tap for a time, you get changes for the time you tap. That is good. But life will always present challenges and new relationships. If you don't tap and do continue to use your old coping skills, (like running away, burying it in the back of your mind, overeating, drinking & drugging, over sleeping, procrastinating, escaping into TV & movies, etc.) your emotions and behavior may revert to what they were before you began tapping. More unconscious programs will be installed. Some may build on past issues with lots of supporting references that were never fully released. You will get out of it exactly what you put into it. That's why I choose to tap every day to heal every area of my life. My goal is personal control and freedom.

I hope this helps you understand why we suggest it as a life-long process. If you choose to take control of your thoughts, emotions and life, FasterEFT is an excellent set of coping skills, the best I have found to enable that process.

I wish you the best in your personal journey. Please let me know if I can be of service in any way.

Love & Peace,
Grace

Dragonflies That Cross Oceans

Denali Dragonfly will be crossing oceans around the world. Here's a great example of the power of nature. The metaphor today is: my son in Japan sent this link in the same message where he said that when they buy their new house/cafe in the town known for Aka Tombo, "Red Dragonfly," there will be space for me to do my seminars there. How AWESOME is that!? G:-)

Charles Anderson discovers dragonflies that cross oceans | Video on TED.com

Healed To Become A Healer

by B. Grace Jones

Moving to Alaska began as a spectacular adventure. My life reached a peak I had never imagined possible. After my 40-hour work-weeks in Anchorage, I explored Alaska on weekends and holidays. I built a tight network of wonderful friends and was literally “On Top of the World.” Six years later my world came crashing down, dragging me into three years of total disability in the isolated, great white north. Ultimately, that led me to something even more spectacular.

For two decades I worked full time in Oklahoma by regularly pushing through waves of muscle pain, fatigue and a myriad of other symptoms. The only diagnosis was a heart condition, Mitral Valve Prolapse. Numerous medications were prescribed, and frequent physical therapy treatments.

I raised a family, divorced, and fell in love with Alaska during a vacation. Increasing job stress and burnout in my graphic design career signaled new physical symptoms layered on top of old. Seeking a less stressful job and disinterested in making a local career change, I packed and headed north. My 16-year-old daughter, Alain reluctantly joined me.

My new graphic design job in Anchorage was much less stressful than previous jobs and it went well for three years. I got updated medical tests that confirmed I had NO heart condition. Concerned about the toxins, side effects and expense of medications, I began to phase them out completely. My confidence in Western Medicine had diminished and I looked for other options. I used physical therapy and heat to manage pain. I exercised regularly, improved my diet and began to use essential oils. I sought ways to live a more holistic life by studying personal growth, spirituality and healing. I thought I was on the right path to gaining more health and independence.

Menopause signaled depression and insomnia which began to affect my work performance. Personnel changes at work created incomparable stress. I desperately wanted out, but was powerless to make a change. I had done my best to adapt, but I was compromising my personal values in the process. I wanted to change my career to the Healing Arts. I visited two career counselors, who advised against it and suggested finding a different job in graphic design. I was stuck trying to survive at work and make the best of a deteriorating situation.

A decade from retirement I knew I was not financially prepared, according to the standards of our society and my family. A driving fear began to rule my life. I kept my full time job and started a home-based business to create supplemental and future income. I rented the spare room, was a vendor at two fairs and took two trips outside Alaska, all within four months. It was a great recipe for stress overload.

During the second fair, I came down with a terrible sore throat and within a week was too ill to work. Completely baffled by waves of debilitating fatigue, I pleaded with God. “What is happening to me? What did I do wrong?” It simply came to me. “This is not all about you.” I knew then, whatever this experience was, somehow it would help me to help others.

Diagnosed with Mononucleosis, I did not recover within several months. After numerous tests and two medical consultations, the diagnosis was Chronic Mono and Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (FM/CFS). Western medicine had little to offer, but I was locked into that system by medical insurance. Payment for alternative therapies had to come from my disability benefits of 60% of my previous income. Even with that brutal scenario, I was determined to find a way to recover.

It felt like the worst flu I had ever had plus a 200 pound weight on my chest and a plethora of other symptoms swirling about. I could not read one paragraph without having to rest 20 minutes. Even listening to music would drain my energy. Bathing was an infrequent, elongated chore punctuated by rest periods. The hardest thing I ever had to learn was how to do nothing. It was mandatory that I find solace in stillness and silence as my muscle tone wasted away. The second hardest thing I had to learn was how to ask for help. I had to call on family and friends to grocery shop, clean house or give me rides. I was often too fatigued to answer the phone, but just hearing the message would lift my spirit. “Somebody cares.”

Repetitive relapse cycles had proven that any forward progression had to be made in micro-units. After six months I began to try the treadmill a friend had given me. The first day I walked for two minutes after which I had shin splints. When I could walk outside briefly, it was a tentative blend of toddler and elder. My brother, Gordon, reported that our 90-year-old mother could walk faster than me.

My body felt as if I was moving through wet concrete as I did my best to research alternative therapies. I could barely sit at the computer, but I sometimes pushed beyond what was safe to seek salvation from a living death. I learned Feldenkrais Functional Integration, bought an expensive CeraGem thermal acupressure massage bed and used specialized heat packs and cushions. I used more essential oils and nutritional supplements, made major diet changes and received Johrei, a Japanese spiritual healing energy practice. These methods offered minimal symptom management, but I was grateful for any relief I could get. My total disability had created an intense desire to find something to heal me, not just manage symptoms.

One theory is that Fibromyalgia is triggered by a trauma. I reviewed my life to determine the onset of symptoms and when they increased. I identified the possible traumas, but didn’t know what to do about it. My previous experience with traditional psychotherapy had not provided any effective solution. I had done much personal inventory in 12-step work, which enabled me to deal with much of it on a conscious level. I had done my best to own my part and clear away the wreckage of my past.

The first two years disabled, there was no possible way for me to travel in my condition. I longed to see my mother, who had ceased Alaska trips after age 90. I wanted to meet Kenji, my new grandson, when he came to America from Japan, with my son Josh, and wife, Naho. When I finally gained enough recovery to attempt it, I required wheel chair assistance, pillows, heat packs, blankets, essential oils and much meditation practice to survive it. During a four-hour airline delay, the heavy fatigue required I lie on the floor at the gate until we could board.

That two-week trip was entirely too much for me. I lost two months worth of gain in the process. I returned home to Alaska to discover the shock of financial devastation by the loss of disability insurance benefits with no prior notice. I had to make a desperate and heart-breaking decision to leave Alaska. The doctor had said Alaskan winters were too hard for people in my condition. Keeping my condo would be too much financial drain for only being there six months out of the year. I had to move before winter’s impending arrival in less than two months. I was powerless to do much of anything myself.

Thank God for Gordon; daughter Alain; friend Eden, the moving manager; cousin Janet, who flew to Alaska to sort and pack, and countless faithful fellowship friends. Again, I had to ask a lot of them to do really huge things. I could barely make decisions of what to keep and what give away. I was totally overwhelmed. I made a plane reservation and lots of lists with instructions. My previously perfect home was disintegrating into chaos beyond my control. That was my perception anyway. Upon entry to the central packing area, previously known as the living room, friend Twilah exclaimed “Oh! Everything is in Divine Order.” Alas, all I could do was walk away from the mess with no sense of emotional closure. My tears were abundant as my plane took off and I watched my Anchorage home disappear below me.

My dear mother had opened her heart and her home to me, but made it clear she wanted us to live independently. This was the home in Kansas where I grew up, and the first time I had spent any length of time there since Dad died. My grief was doubly magnified. I missed my Alaskan home and I missed my Dad in this home. Mom and I were just beginning to adjust when my oldest sister, Elinor, was dismissed from the hospital and needed to join us for a month. There we sat on Mom’s couch like two invalid bookends. I was not a happy camper. It was difficult for everyone, but we struggled through it with as much love and tolerance as possible.

The plan was to remodel the basement into an apartment for me, but I stayed with Mom upstairs until that could be managed. Bless Jamaica, my oldest daughter, who spent a week re-organizing and redecorating The Great Room in the basement (where I now sit writing my story). Finally, I had a space again that I felt was my own, even though I was still sleeping upstairs in the guest room. Gratefully the stairs are equipped with a chair lift.

I unpacked with indescribable difficulty, since any storage space for my things first had to be cleared of my parent’s decades of accumulation. It was months before I was able to resume my micro-units of attempt at recovery.

My dear friend in Oklahoma, Linda Esser, had called and told me about a powerful healing technique that she was practicing. She was sure it would help and said it had healed people from Fibromyalgia. I thought, “It might work for those who are still able to function, but she doesn’t know how sick I really am.” It sounded strange, but I did my best to search online for the demo videos to try it. I watched testimonials, but the fatigue would overcome me before I could find the “how to” videos. I was not able to travel by car to Oklahoma City for her to show me. The four-hour trip would have required three days of follow-up rest, each way, plus someone to drive me there.

I hoped to keep ties to Alaska. Gratefully I had arranged with my friend, Dale, to inhabit his duplex in Anchorage the next summer, while he worked in Denali Park. With minimal energy recoup I headed north. As usual, I made the trip in two segments with a one or two night layover in Denver allowing me to rest with family. My ability to be a passenger in a car required my seat to be reclined, my eyes closed, plus the radio and driver had to be silent. Even that was exhausting.

Once again in Anchorage, I unpacked and sorted my things left behind stored at Gordon’s. Then I resumed micro-unit attempts of recovery progress. I reported my return to Linda, who suggested I start making a list of my entire life’s hurts and traumas in order for her to teach me the healing technique. I slowly and reluctantly began to work on it.

Faithfully seeking a way to completely heal, I studied spiritual and healing masters. I listened to audio books as I continued my massage bed treatments and essential oils. I practiced many types of meditation, but still struggled with practical application of concepts. Desperately, I inquired of God, “What would I do if there were an earthquake, if I had no electricity for the massage bed and my supplements fell into a crevasse? How would I manage to survive?” I knew there must be a way to be healthy without the aid of equipment or consumable products, and I was determined to find it.

After two years and ten months I had slowly regained limited energy when I realized I was spiraling down into relapse again. My pain and fatigue increased and my digestive system was tolerating less food. I cried out in desperation to God. “Where is my teacher? This student is ready.” I knew if the student is truly ready, the teacher has already appeared, so I began to inventory my recent life to discern who it might be.

I called Linda, who had recently completed certification as a practitioner of the healing protocol she had suggested. It’s called Faster EFT, Emotionally Focused Transformations, developed by Robert G. Smith. I didn’t have my list complete yet, so I called to ask if she knew anything about fasting. She immediately began teaching me Faster EFT over the phone. I was still skeptical, but desperate enough to try it. During the first phone session half my pain vanished and the release of fatigue was dramatically significant.

When Faster EFT worked immediately, I was gratefully amazed and had an immediate, synchronous revelation. “This will work on anything, if I use it. This will be the healing wave that carries me out of the sea of disability. I will do this as my new career in healing arts.” Enthusiastically I practiced the techniques daily. I visited Robert’s YouTube channel to study and practice more. Linda continued phone sessions for several weeks to address and release the emotional charge of past traumas. I purchased Faster EFT training DVDs to learn and heal more.

Within ten days of daily practice, I was able to grocery shop without the motor cart, stand in line without extreme fatigue or pain, and sleep without a pill. I noted in my journal: “As I walked outside, I could feel the big difference in my muscles . . . so much more relaxed and fluid, kind of like pudding. My jaws were not in spasm, but relaxed and springy . . . I have not had any flicker of depression, nor felt lonely . . . I even did some bending and reaching . . . some of my leg aches are now the good kind, from rebuilding muscle. I am really getting my life back and way better than before. This is stellar spectacular!”

My healing progressed daily as I practiced Faster EFT. In six weeks, at the suggestion of both Linda and Robert, I began to share the skills with others and help them change their lives. I was impressed that every one I worked with experienced a positive effect on some level. It didn’t take their belief, only willingness. It’s just a simple system that works if you use it.

Physical strength and stamina increased with regularity as I practiced healing daily. After four months I left Alaska and returned to Kansas for winter. I supervised the completion of the basement apartment remodel and again had a place to call my home. Two months later I began driving weekly to Oklahoma City to take the Faster EFT practitioner course. Classes met every Monday and Tuesday evening for six months. At first I paced myself slowly, making it a three-to-four day trip. By the end of the course I was able to make it an overnight trip.

Today I am highly energetic and building my business as a Faster EFT practitioner. When symptoms arise I use the techniques to heal every area of my life. Faster EFT enables my conscious and unconscious mind to communicate with each other and my body. It releases stress, clears away the negative emotional charge of past traumas, changes unconscious automatic behaviors and replaces them with a deep inner peace and joy. These skills enable me to change my perception of my past and the world around me. I experience the freedom to change how I feel. This enables me to be free from pain and fatigue — free to live longer, be happier, feel more love and make more money. Faster EFT gives me the power to control my thoughts and emotions. Any time, any place, I can effectively use these simple skills to practice the spiritual concepts that were previously beyond my reach. I continue to heal my life and teach others how to heal their lives. Thank God it’s not all about me.

When I returned to Alaska the second summer, one year after I began daily practice of Faster EFT, my M.D. was very impressed with my recovery progress. After examining me, he stated, “Well, you can’t argue with success!”

BIOGRAPHY
In 2008, Grace created Denali Dragonfly Options, a worldwide healing arts practice, where she is primarily a Faster EFT Practitioner and Life Skills Coach. She presents seminars and does private client sessions over the phone, Skype (internet) and in person. She is also writing two books, one is her story, the other about how Robert Smith developed Faster EFT, with the techniques. Grace is her own best testimony to the power of practicing daily Faster EFT.

For more information, contact Grace at (405) 443-4086, www.DenaliDragonfly.com or Email: DenaliDragonfly@gmail.com

© B. Grace Jones 2010

NOTE: A short version of this story in September 2010 in a book of womens personal stories. For more information on the book, join the "Speaking Your Truth" FaceBook Fan Page.

Blog! What is that?

In 2000, before it was called “blogging,” or at least before I knew it was, my youngest daughter, Alain, was the first in our family to go public with LiveJournal. She was still in high school in Anchorage and wanted out of both. I couldn’t imagine what she was eternally tap, tap, tapping on the keyboard about. When she explained, I thought it must be a younger generation thing. I began to follow her and it seemed fairly benign. Eventually she found a roommate and arranged to move to Denver. She fulfilled her part of our bargain and graduated. I fulfilled mine by paying to move her back to The Lower 48.

In 2005 when my son, Josh, said he had started a blog, I asked, “What’s a blog?” He explained it as an abbreviation of “web log,” where people make journal entries online. OH! I was familiar with the concept from Alain, but still could not understand why anyone would actually want to do that. I certainly didn’t. Of course, I have been following his blog, Pi Po Pa, but didn’t imagined I’d be interested in any others.

Is any journal really private?

Since 1996 I have kept private journals regularly. It was prompted by The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, an independent course to assist the discovery of your authentic self. (Not just for artists.) The first assignment is to write “Morning Pages,” three letter-size pages, stream-of-consciousness in longhand to help get clarity about myself. It did, when I finally got with the program as described. But it was always very protected information, rarely anything to share.

About that time, I noticed Alain was keeping some written longhand journals of her own. I sneaked a peak a couple times when she left it in the living room. That’s how I discovered she had been peeking at my journals, too. She wrote down some of my entries in hers. I didn’t tell her but what was most interesting was I didn’t feel angry or violated.

Why am I blogging now?

Life presented me with a story that needs to be shared and blogging was suggested, but first follow other blogs and find out what people like to write and read. I was soon reading blogs by people of all ages and widely varied topics. I found myself faithfully following Expat From Hell’s rigorous honesty interlaced with creative humor and stunning metaphors. I like blogs where the personal struggles are unveiled. I want to identify and feel the emotional triggers signaling another opportunity for me to heal on MY journey out of hell. My greatest uncertainty about blogs is the very thing that now attracts me most. As I read Expat and others I gained the courage to forge ahead through my own fears of the blogosphere. Less reluctantly I entered cyberspace vulnerability.

My life has been transformed, first by three years of total disability and now by My Amazing Recovery. I could not blog before recovery, but I did continue my daily longhand journals as best I could, because I knew from the beginning that my healing journey needed to be shared in order to help others heal. I was willing most days to trudge through the wet concrete of constant fatigue and pain because of this belief. When I become healed and a healer I will know what someone is feeling, because I’ve lived it. They will know that if I can heal, they can too.

Recovery rendered me less fearful and more willing to be vulnerable. Willing to be rigorously honest with whoever shows up, to pass it forward and spread more healing into a world of fear and need.

Note: I also hope to sprinkle some humor along the way, because laughter truly is magical medicine. I like stupid humor, so feel free to share some here.

Answers to Questions from YouTube Friend

All Qs: Have you really recovered from Fibromyalgia? Can you lead a normal life without flaring up whatsoever? How long have you been Fibro-free? Is there a way of doing EFT for free?


Q: Have you really recovered from Fibromyalgia? How long have you been Fibro-free?
A: When disabled I tried many things with minuscule improvements. Faster EFT is the only thing that has RELEASED symptoms completely. I no longer have daily chronic fatigue, pain, insomnia or IBS. I no longer need expensive supplements, drugs, medical equipment or a special diet.

I started tapping on July 6, 2008. The widespread pain was gone within 6 mos. of daily tapping, but it took 13 mos. before my energy stabilized. I have not yet worked full time, nor climbed a mountain, both things I did with Fibro and before disability. Recovery is subjective. I cannot say I have recovered 100% until I do those things.


Q: Can you lead a normal life without flaring up whatsoever?
A: Compared to total disability, my life is now fairly normal. I am not house bound like before. I can bathe regularly and my daily routine is not punctuated by frequent rest periods. I work part time, travel, socialize and walk outside daily. If I push myself too hard, I may need to adjust my pace, but that happens to other people, too. Self-employment allows me to choose my pace and load. When I push too hard symptoms arise. My energy is great, but I don’t compare myself to others, only to what I was like before.

Is a “flare-up” symptom the return of Fibro or is it normal stuff like everybody else has? Am I so super sensitive to every twinge that maybe I jump to conclusions? Beware of labels that keep us stuck in old beliefs and patterns. A symptom is merely a signal that there is some issue to clear. As soon as it is released the symptoms are GONE. If I get too (normally) tired, or if I resist working on an emotional issue or past behavior pattern, I may get a localized pain or minor symptoms. It is NOT the widespread pain or fatigue of Fibro. I use Faster EFT to RELEASE whatever shows up.

Q: Is there a way of doing EFT for free?
A: Yes! I know disabled people cannot afford much. To begin healing yourself for FREE: Start with this video. Do what it says. Study everything you can find in my playlists, favorites and online about Faster EFT. Follow along and tap with the videos. Tap on YOUR stuff no matter what the demo is about. Tap every day on everything that comes up.

ASK ME QUESTIONS. The more answers I give you, the more I help you and others. If you use the Faster EFT style of tapping the process is fairly simple (classic EFT not so much). If you don’t get results, ask questions. NEVER GIVE UP.

As you begin to heal and become able to stop using expensive supplements, etc. you will have more resources to buy DVDs, books or personalized sessions to help speed your recovery. BE PERSISTENT. ASK QUESTIONS.

My disability was like a living death. I found many of you online and became your friend because I want to help whoever I can to recover like I have. Faster EFT has given me a new world and a new life. My recovery through daily practice of Faster EFT proves it as my hope of complete recovery. I want to spread that hope worldwide.
Copyright B. Grace Jones 2010

HERE IT IS!

Growing up in the 1950s, family travel was a real trip. Hot summer vacations with six of us packed into a 4-door sedan with no air conditioning, no seat belts and no entertainment (unless you count the white noise of an AM radio). No cell phones, game players, iPods or electronic devices of any kind. We quickly tired of the few toys and travel games we could pack into the crevices of space limited by the essentials for the length of the trip. That included an ice chest and picnic basket full of food, since eating out was virtually nonexistent. Our amusement was dependent on our own creative imagination. We passed the time with mind games like 20 Questions and Button, Button, Who’s Got The Button? The latter was not much of a mind game, but my mind has now forgotten the others except for Here It Is!

So why did this memory pop into my head now? I had worked on another post (now gathering dust) for the official launch of my blog. I posted a teaser on my FaceBook page. That got me to thinking about how to proceed, since this is actually the third post. That was the trigger.

I remember playing Here It Is! Someone chose an object outside the car in the distance. The kids hid their eyes and waited until they thought we had reached it. One would yell “Here It Is!” and open their eyes to check. If you guessed too soon, you could try again in the same round. Whoever got the closest was the winner and got to choose the next object. We actually enjoyed this.

As the youngest, I had the least developed sense of time and space. I would frequently pop up too early with “Here It Is!” only to see the object still far in the distance, go down again and wait until surely it must be past us by now. But my second “Here It Is!” would again baffle me. A sibling was the closest with the final “Here It Is!”

Here I am, repeating an old pattern. My first actual blog post was in 2008, a placeholder for some dream of the future, since I was totally disabled. A very weak and timid “here it is” with no idea when or even if it would arrive. My second post was in 2009. I needed a place to post My Amazing Recovery story online linked to my YouTube channel. That was certainly a stronger “Here It Is.” But, I still wasn’t sure what kind of blog, if any, I wanted to do.

I surrendered my resistance to blogging when I realized I have a story to share and I am the one to tell it. My first post was to be my resistance revealed. Why blog, what do I write, who wants to tell their secrets publicly, who will read it, etc.? Before that, I needed a visual space I could tolerate inhabiting. After decades in graphic design, I couldn’t stomach the canned blog templates, but design career burnout left me resistant to design it myself.

My son, Josh, has my favorite blog design, Pi Po Pa. I asked him for help. He was generously willing in spite of working full-time teaching English in Japan, raising a family of babies with his wife while living traditional Japanese style with her mother, brother and sometimes her sister. I gave him general ideas like “I want it just like yours but different,” and “I won’t be too picky, anything you do will be better than the templates.” Then I had to admit my unintentional lie and start working out some designs of my own. Josh is responsible for the wonderful red and black dragonfly texture of the sidebar frames, which became my jumping off point for the background. He also did all the html coding, which I could or would not have done. Kudos to Josh!

Finally, HERE IT IS!



BTW check out Josh’s great design and content at Pi Po Pa.
Copyright B. Grace Jones 2010