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THE GATHERING
A Celebration of Tao and
Defiant Women Everywhere
October 2007
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Dear Tao and defiant women,
The story behind the photo above is the reason for the October Gathering coming to you on the 6th of this month rather than the 1st.
Joe and I have just come home after the most remarkable experience hiking through Bryce, Zion and Capitol Reef National Parks in Utah where we climbed up - and then descended - slick rock, narrow ledges and magnificent canyons. We walked on sandstone cliffs, through a canyon river and under mudstone. Along the way we saw petroglyphs, hoodoos, bristle pines and wild life.
Here you see us in the middle row, far left, surrounded by the nine friends (well, ten, including Minnie the pooch) with whom we shared this amazing experience. Together the eleven of us cheered each other on as we achieved new heights - both topographical and personal, and created memories that will last a lifetime.
And these folks with whom we spent six days in Utah had all been strangers to each other prior to the first meeting on Sunday morning, September 30th. By that afternoon we felt as though we had been friends for years and were eagerly planning our next trip together.
I don't know if a future excursion will, indeed, take place. Returning home we retreat back into our own personal worlds and even the best of intentions may keep us from staying in contact as we promised each other over good-bye hugs on that last day in Utah.
I sincerely hope there is another group trip and I know we will all try to make it happen.
But if we don't all meet again on some other fantastic tour, I know that these friends will stay with me always in mind and heart and soul. After all, we laughed together, encouraged each other and shared an experience of a lifetime - and that, to me, is the true definition of friendship.
This month’s Gathering will also feature:
- The Wisdom of the month
- Tah Dah!
- The Dream Team
- A listing of my October travels – I would so love to meet you when I’m in your part of the world
- Let's link
- A few final words
Spread the word – please remember to forward this issue of THE GATHERING to your friends!
"You can't see anything from a car;
you've got to get out...and walk"
Edward Abbey
October 1st saw the release of the new edition of
TAO OF THE DEFIANT WOMAN
and I am very excited to share with you that the sales have been amazing.
You can find it at all retail bookstores and on-line at
Amazon.com
amazon.com Tao of the Defiant Woman Books CJ Golden
and Barnes&Noble.com
Barnes & Noble.com - Books Tao of the Defiant Woman, by C. J. Golden, Paperback
Last month I introduced you to The Dream
Team, five women (myself included) who share our insights on how we have made
their dreams come true. This month's podcast "How do you discover your
passion" can be heard at:
http://bloomonline.com/?page_id=159
OCTOBER TRAVELS
October:
Friday, October
12, from 2-3:00
I’ll be speaking about TAO OF THE DEFIANT WOMAN
Wednesday,
October 17, all day event
I’ll be meeting with the Girl Scouts of the Pines of Carolina Council
Spring Lake Middle School,
Thursday, October
18, from 12-2:00
Bernard’s of
I’ll be speaking about TAO OF THE DEFIANT WOMAN
Friday, October
19 – Sunday October 21
I’ll be meeting with the girls of the Girl Scout Council of Southeastern
Massachusetts
at their Great Escape Weekend
Middleboro, MA
Monday, October
22 , from 5-7
Ann's Place, the Home of I Can
19 Old Ridgebury Road, Danbury, CT
I'll be speaking about Tao and defiance to their Bridges Group
Saturday, October
28
I’ll be meeting with the girls of the Patriot’s Trail Girl Scout Council
Keep checking the Travels Around the Country page of this website for current updates.
If you know of, or have a website that you think Tao and defiant women would enjoy seeing, let me know and I’ll be happy to set up a hyperlink from this newsletter to that site. Conversely, if you would like to do the same from your site to this newsletter, please contact me to do so.
It is in this manner that we can support each other as we all strive to support women everywhere!
Prill Boyle… Like the women she writes about in her book, Defying Gravity, Prill Boyle is a late bloomer. After graduating from college at 38, she became an English teacher. Then in January of 2000 she read an article in The New York Times about a 65-year old Kentucky woman named Wini Yunker who had waited 39 years to join the Peace Corps. Inspired by this woman's persistence and courage, Prill decided to write a book about late bloomers. Her book recounts the stories of 12 "ordinary" women who've done extraordinary things later in life. It is a delightful and inspiring book to read and all the more so as Prill connects these first-person accounts together with her own story. Prill is also very active on the speaking and workshop circuit.
CHECK OUT PRILL’S NEW BLOG!!!!!!!!!!
Visit Prill at: http://defyinggravitynow.blogspot.com
Barbara Scala… Founder of Bloom After Divorce, Barbara is also editor and creator of Bloom Online Magazine for "Women Who Want to Grow" at http://www.bloomonline.com and writes her ongoing column Divorce Ain’t So Bad After All.
Trained as a mediator and collaborative divorce attorney, Barbara draws from her legal background in her life coaching practice to understand your divorced situation and to add insight into creating a life beyond divorce. She also uses her experience as a realtor to help with issues of relocation, downsizing, investing or moving on to a home to call your own. Barbara’s personable style, energy, holistic approach and ability to empathize are what make her a dynamic coach.
Visit Barbara at: http://www.bloomafterdivorce.com and make sure to read Bloom Online Magazine http://www.bloomonline.com
Esteemed Woman Foundation… This amazing and important organization was founded in 2000 by filmmaker Suzie Galler who began conducting research about women and self-esteem which led to the making of the highly acclaimed documentary film I Am Beautiful. The film then became the cornerstone of an outreach program designed to help women explore and strengthen their self-image. It now includes ongoing workshops, resource materials and an outreach network that provides support nationwide. The foundation's primary focus has been to develop comprehensive programs for women of all ages and backgrounds. The programs teach that self-esteem is not a destination, but a life long journey--one that requires recognition of the sources of self-esteem, and a willingness to address those areas that impede a positive self-image.
Visit the Suzie and the Esteemed Woman Foundation at: http://esteemedwoman.com
Connecticut Muse… This seasonally published newsletter is the brain child of Patricia D’Ascoli, columnist, essayist and author of Home Is Where the Humor Is. The Connecticut Muse is a celebration of contemporary Connecticut authors featured in a quarterly newsletter. Each issue focuses on a different literary genre and includes book reviews, author interviews, a listing of upcoming author appearances and information on new releases. You Taogirls who do not reside in Connecticut will also enjoy reading the Muse to discover what new books are out there for us all to enjoy.
Visit Patricia and The Connecticut Muse at: http://connecticutmuse.com/aboutus.html
Donna Ferber… is the author of the wonderfully supportive and encouraging book, From Ex-wife to Exceptional Life: A Woman’s Journey through Divorce. Donna is a licensed professional counselor and licensed alcohol and drug counselor. She is also a psychotherapist and experienced speaker who has drawn on her twenty years of experience counseling women through this difficult process to create a comprehensive guide comprised of 365 one page essays that offer inspiration, insight and information.
Visit Donna at: http://www.donnaferber.com/index.htm
Alignment With Life… Andrea D. Klein, the guiding light behind this California based coaching service, is a professional life coach who is continuously moving onward and upward by saying “yes” to life and by having fun with the evolving process. “Since I am in the 2nd half of life,” says Andrea, “I have a yearning desire to help women embrace the 2nd half of life by exploring new possibilities and passions.”
If you’re ready to: embrace the 2nd half of life; explore the opportunity of truly having fun; tap into your creative juices; move into possibilities, potential and passions then you will want to “meet” Andrea via her website. And you don’t have to live in California – she’ll work with you via phone and/or email.
Visit Andrea and Alignment With Life at: http://www.alignmentwithlife.com/contact.htm
The wisdom this month was chosen specifically to reflect the wonders I was able to see because I did, indeed, get out of my car and hiked through three gorgeous national parks in Utah.
Along the way, my friends and I saw tourists who rode in their cars, busses and vans, popped out at various spots along the route, snapped several quick photos and then continued on their way.
I'm sure they had fun and will enjoy remembering their trip via the photos. As for me, well, I would rather have truly experienced these wonders rather than merely seeing them through a camera's lens.
As the wisdom says: You can't see anything from a car; you've got to get out and walk.
And this, dear Tao and defiant women, pretty much sums up my philosophy of life.
How about you? Are you "sightseeing" your way through life or are you actively participating?
CJ