Costa Women Blogs

  24 years ago today Tom and I got together… a great reason to celebrate a few days in a lovely golf resort, Desert Springs, Almanzora, Spain…  The weather is warm but a little overcast, never mind… Tom and I have an early afternoon start time today to enjoy a nice game of golf and enjoy the beautiful scenery here in Almanzora… We’ve been here before, but I didn’t remember just how beautiful it was.. Desert Springs, like the name reveals is a golf course right in the middle of Mediterranean desert land… It is nature at its very best… wild, colourful, prickly and raw…               Golf is where Tom and I come together and enjoy some quality time together…. we used to enjoy ballroom and latin dancing together, but since being in Spain we have spent more time outside walking on the many different golf courses… they are our walks in Spain’s nature… We both vote desert springs as being one of the best golf courses in this region….      Vibrant colours sway in the breeze, bringing sensual, visual and aromatic experiences of wonder to the heart and soul… all adding to our happy golfing day…  It’s never mattered to us whether we win or lose… from our own individual handicap… not that we don’t always play our very best… but we understand that how we are inside, how busy or peaceful we feel, always reflects on our golf game… We practice and perfect our swing and just enjoy… especially being out in the sunshine and warmth…  (We hung up our rain clothes, warm gloves and hats when we left Holland)…       The game of golf has wonderful stories to tell the person who pays attention… about where the ball finds to lie, the long route it often takes to get to the hole, playing straight or curving right or left, how we focus and have patience on the green and even the people who join our game…  Each game we play shares some wisdom about our self and life… Golf helps us to grow…in wisdom… We see the most interesting things… this beautiful unique ‘coloured pencil fence’ is such fun… I love colour… this says so much about the people living here… After the long 18 holes, we enjoy a refreshing drink and delicious meal at the restaurant on the 19th hole… our celebration day is complete… we look forward to celebrating our 25th anniversary next year… somewhere outside of Spain… exotic in a natural way… Barbara Franken.. www.costacalidaonline.com If you would like to come on a golfing holiday here on the Costa Calida, I would only be to happy to arrange it… we have beautiful accommodation on Mazarron Country Club, a short distance away from many good golf courses in the area… 

Unnecessary criticism, verbal cruelty, sarcasm and malicious gossip demeans the speaker, making him less, darkening his aura and encourages a habit to form… but even his unspoken words travel through the ‘song of the universe’ to find the recipient… Do we choose to accept these feelings of wickedness that cloud our aura and reinforce the nasty comment we had heard from a neighbour, friend or dear one? Do we allow it to overwrite who we truly are… and believe we are terrible and that people are against us? Do we allow the words and thoughts to hit our heart like an arrow, sending us into a panic attack and a journey of self-pity? Or do we choose not to accept these feelings of wickedness, knowing our own magnificence, our confidence and self-worth and like a boomerang the words and thoughts are immediately ‘returned to speaker’… Sometimes we turn on ourself though and with a destructive attitude and words of doom there is hardly any resistance and within a short time we find ourself wallowing in self-pity… Until we find the time to feel our feelings, explore the energy, connect and listen to our inner guidance and understand that to love ourself means taking responsibility for ourself, for our attitudes and choose a journey that strengthens us, makes us feel good and shine brightly… We have to understand that the sorrier we feel for ourself, the worse our life becomes…  Self-pity makes our life worse, but in every moment we always have a choice whether to make our life better or worse…  Barbara Franken… Inspiring New Energy Consciousness…

Oftentimes the road you are taking feels all uphill.  In fact, it feels like a battle you cannot win.  You are exhausted, confused, and want to be left alone.  Does this sound familiar? Is it time to rest? Is it time to reflect? Is it time to analyze? Is it time to talk it out? Or is it simply time to quit? There is NO wrong answer, you know.  All the answers are right for you and they are meant to guide you as to what to do next. In a perfect world you would have all the answers, but then, where is the challenge?  Would you be bored? CONSIDER: Are you feeling resistance in doing something you used to love doing? Is getting-up from bed more of a chore than a joy. Are you no longer counting your blessings? Do you seem to forget what all is right with your life? Do you tend to focus more on what you don’t have than what you do have? Are you complaining more than usual, even if to self, only? Do you feel in “lack” rather than “abundance?” The good news is that this is all perfectly normal because after all, you are human.  If you felt completely satisfied all the time, there will be no contrast to your life, therefore, there will be no appreciation; and without appreciation, you would be existing, not living; and you are here to live a life well-lived. I want to make the distinction that quitting is very different from giving-up. Quitting may simply signal that it is time for a major shift; while giving-up means walking away from it all; which also sometimes you have to do.  Isn’t it fun this thing we call Life?  Contrary to popular belief, quitting is an option, and not necessarily a bad one.  Quitting a bad marriage or an abusive relationship is a great option, and the results better for you than the alternative. Understand that this is a normal process calling for you to make immediate changes.  Do not ignore it.  The little voice inside of you won’t go away, and that is a good thing.  Your instincts are looking out for you.  Learn to TRUST your instincts and by all means, follow your Intuition.  It is your best friend because it knows you like no other. OPTIONS: Clarify area of discontent. Pinpoint it until it is crystal clear in your mind the specific area that is moving you to want to quit.  Sometimes it may be a “something” sometimes it may be a “someone” and sometimes it may be both! Evaluate how deep your dissatisfaction is. Consider the pros and the cons of the present situation. Remember you are always in charge about how you feel towards situations, circumstances and people.  Feelings CAN be changed. ACTION PLAN: ·        Make a list of your alternatives before you make a final decision. ·        Be sure there are more pros than cons at the end of your list. Create a plan B, and a C, and a D. and an E for Exit!  You get the idea. Remember quitting is an option towards something better. Act only when you are cool, calm and collected. Think about the lessons learned from all of this and yes, write them down. Think about what you are about to gain once you move in a different direction. Consider who all will be affected by your decision; however, put yourself up-front and center above all things.  This life is about YOU. Talk to trusted advisors and close friends to help you identify issues, and be supportive during this transition period. Remember you are NOT ALONE.  This is not the time to be shy about asking for HELP friends, family, and your group of life-lines Be mindful that you are in TRANSITION, and as such, it is a process.  Once you’ve made-up your mind to move forward with your plans, stick to it, and do not look back. And no matter what, ALWAYS BE GRATEFUL! Much love and success, Ali R. RodriguezInternational Business coach, Passionista Leader and Intuitive Activist

  Hi,   This interview may be interesting particularly for those ´Dreaming Spain´ members I was asked to talk about Life in Spain, speaking Spanish and working abroad.   You can listen online whenever you like: http://www.piccavey.com/expat-life-in-spain/ Rgds Molly

I used to hate Cynthia Lennon. A lot of us teenage girls were a bit psycho, that way, in the psychedelic Sixties. Pinning Beatles to our bedroom walls like crazed etymologists. Insanely jealous of wives and girlfriends. Fantasising about John/George/Paul/Ringo – take your pick – Eight Days A Week. Cynthia was married to MY John. It was MY hand he wanted to hold. That was Yesterday. The Fab Four dropped to the bottom of my album collection and Cynthia didn’t cross my mind again for the next 40 years. And then, last week, she did. I went to see Julian Lennon’s Beatles Memorabilia Exhibition in Gibraltar (where John married Yoko Ono) and there was his Mum, Cynthia, … looking good (for her age) with a warm smile and thick (bottled) blonde hair, sharing intimate moments of her life with John from a TV screen. Imagine!  As it turned out, not quite as I’d imagined… Being the wife of a Beatle was not such A Taste of Honey … more of A Hard Day’s Night, as you may discover if you visit this extraordinarily personal exhibition and read between Cynthia’s poignant lines. Among the platinum discs and treasured belongings that talk of fame and fortune there’s another story not doing too much struggling to get out about the husband and father known to the world as John Lennon. A bit of a selfish sod, our John, despite his amazing talent! Too much Lucy in the Sky, perhaps… Well, how would you feel? Your kid is involved in a car crash with your ex and his new bird and you hear it from the TV news! Cynthia freaks. No one has bothered to call. Not John, not Yoko. But, hey, Julian’s fine.Let it Be, woman! Like a paper trail, the story unfolds through a timeline of albums and news cuttings, (and a line of white feathers stuck to the floor – but that’s Julian’s story, a child of five when he lost his Dad to divorce, and 17 when he lost him forever). This is Cynthia’s story, told to music. To hear the songs and read the rest of the story see http://belindabeckett.com/cynthia-lennon/

Back in 2002 at the concept of 1230 TWC we were the first businesswomen’s network; now not only are there many more face:to:face networks but we also have social media, that is, on-line networking. So let’s have a look at face:to:face network versus on-line networking. Do we need both, are they in competition? In my opinion and many others, this is a resounding – Yes, followed by No! By the way, run a mile if anyone tells you that they are experts in social media. This market is developing so fast that people can only be “specialists” they cannot possibly be an expert. Face:to:face networking and social media complement each other and are essential to any business growth. Note the word “social”. Let’s just look at Twitter firstly with a couple of tips • Don’t be an egg – people (or in Twitter speak, peeps) are talking to YOU, so your photo needs to be there.• Always thank someone if they have RT (that is ReTweeted, bit like Forwarding an email) something you have posted. Face:to:face networking• Most meetings enable you to give a brief talk (1230 TWC is 1 minute) – give this plenty of thought, success is all in the planning, and whatever you do, don’t run over time – practice in the bathroom!• Dress for success – that is – wear to the networking meetings what you would wear to meet your most important client – because you could be, couldn’t you? Something with pockets makes the storing of your business cards in one pocket and those received in another pocket, very much easier.