This audio is a confession as well as the story of a transformation on the subject of my first grandchild being born with Down Syndrome.

I refer in the audio to a friend whose brother has Downs.  This is part of the email she sent me:

“People with Downs Syndrome are all heart! They are so loving. Yes there will be many challenges but they can be overcome. I just started reading a book called The Shape of the Eye by Corvallis author and parent of a daughter with Downs Syndrome, George Estreich. Even reading the first few chapters could help in acknowledging the grief, confusion, loss and uncertainty that is so common  for parents of Downs children.”

Here is video where an author reads his story about his daughter with Down.  I found it enlightening and comforting.

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Happy Birthday, Carter!

Happy Birthday,Carter!  Click here for a terrific rendition of the dirge known as Happy Birthday.  They even use this melody in Bali.  Sigh.

Carter James Culbert, born Sunday, November 13, 2011 to two fabulous human beings, Keith and Katie Culbert.  Six pounds, thirteen ounces, born three weeks early, whisked out by emergency C section.  Mom and son recovering nicely.

Carter is a blessing in my world and a blessing to the world.  Congratulations Keith and Katie!

Here is an  audio of me singing Happy Birthday to the gift known as Carter.

Guess who is optimistic and who is pessimistic.  Cheerful Murray?  Sometimes too earnest Vicki?

Click HERE to find out how to Get Optimistic About Pessimism.

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Murray and I are starting a blog as soon as we can figure out how to do it with simplicity and grace. Here is my first contribution in audio form:

Murray Gets Stupid, Vicki Micromanages

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Daily Life in Bali

This audio is a short description of one lovely day in Ubud, Bali.

Dewa, the Healer, I mention this person in the above audio, but I go into more detail here. We have both felt much better after visiting him.

Details of overseas life interest me, so if you want to peek into a piece of daily life, listen here:

A Snapshot of Daily Life – Lunch

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What happens when you’re following Yes and you get what you’ve been working for? The answer: Life. Of course you get Life. What else would you get?

Murray and I are getting our sea legs, learning to live in paradise. Here’s a quick update about how it’s going:

Housing

We looked at many villas, entertained the idea of leasing a villa for 19 years, and then came to our senses. We decided rent something for the first 5 months so we can get used to living in Bali.

I’ve stayed at Melati Cottages 5 different times now, and I love it here. We’ve rented a little house that is a few steps down the hill from the main hotel. We get breakfast, housecleaning, and access to the pool and Wi-Fi for about $550 a month. Just a year or so ago it was about $330 a month. We still feel were getting a great deal. The staff is so sweet here.

We moved in this morning, so we’re still getting used to things. It is not air-conditioned, but there are fans and a cool breeze, so we’re hoping we’ll be okay. I would rather get used to the weather and not live in air-conditioning anyway.
Read the rest of this entry »

People have asked my husband and me why we are taking a sabbatical in Bali. Well, here is one answer to that question.

Click here to hear all about a magical birthday in Bali.

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Murray and I are in Bali! We’ve been here a week and have decided where we want to live for the next six months. Meanwhile we can learn more about whether we want to make this our fall, winter, or spring home and keep Corvallis as our summer home. How posh does that sound?

Each day we’ve had a mantra. Day one: Easy. Day two: Go Slowly. Day 3: Gratitude. Day Four: Hope and Day Five: Fun.

These mantras are serving us well as we take care of the details of extended overseas living. It’s amazing how this simple idea can make such a profound difference in moment to moment decision-making. Too many choices needing to be made too quickly can quickly suck the joy right out of any moment. Our intention is to stay mindful, and notice all the sweet things of daily Bali living, and not get overwhelmed by bunches of decisions. This is our intention on any day, anywhere.

For example, that first day our mantra was Easy. When we went to get our cell phones, we didn’t worry too much about trying to get the best deal. Instead we did what was easy. We thought to ourselves what will make our life easy here. We bought a blackberry for Murray, so he can always be on the Internet. He is delighted, although there is a learning curve, as with everything, but we are taking it easy.

We bought a device that will keep my computer connected to the Internet 24/7 for a modest amount of money for a month. This makes our lives easier. Our mantra was not frugal; it was Easy. Thanks to “Easy” for making these two decisions, and our lives easy as well.

The next day we focused on Go Slowly. There are so many things to be done, so many details to be taken care of, and demanding to be attended to immediately. This is how my perfectionism reveals itself under stress. Go slowly helps take care of that problem. Go slowly reduces any sense of urgency. All the little details waving their hands in the air get to wait their turn.

Why Bali? This week’s article will help explain that, plus I’ve already been asked to sing at an Ubud Rotary meeting, teach Nia at Campauhan College, and perhaps sing at the Ubud Writer’s Festival in October. We are following our YES and it is scary and yummy. We know we are alive.

I’d love to hear your thoughts about this week’s article or anything else. And we are collecting places to land as we world hop. So far we have Sedona, AZ, New York, Seoul, South Korea, southern France, Croatia, Santa Barbara, CA, and we are looking for more. Let us know if you would like us to visit sometime.