Those Pesky Inner Voices

During the Paying Attention course I took last month I noticed how often I didn't. Sometimes the consequences were unfortunate.  

Let me explain.
We all harbor (at least) two inner voices--one of which needs shushing, and the other we should heed.


1) The Constant Commenter. This voice runs nonstop in the background, narrating and judging everything we see, think and do--the "yama-yama," as Werner Erhard used to say, when I took the est training back in 1972.  Occasionally the voice is quite pleased with us, but more frequently it frets, and way too often it reminds us of all the ways we fall short. (I write about this voice in my forthcoming book, The Cherry Pie Paradox: The Surprising Path to Diet Freedom and Lasting Weight Loss, because it is a central character. (Illustration by Kim Murton, above). This voice is not helpful, and is a good reason to consider a meditation practice.

2) The Wakey-Wakey Voice. This is the voice of your wiser self, trying to convey an important message that you should pay attention to. You know...it says "That guy is bad news..." "Don't put that plate so near the edge of the counter... Uhh... !@#*%!"

My wakey-wakey voice has been wanting me to pull the gorgeous Tibetan rug out from behind the couch, where it's been rolled since I moved in (2014). Even though it's 100% in my colors, I need to sell it, because worth about $1,000 and it's never going to fit here. Besides, it would be tragic if a moth discovered it while I dither.

Then, a few weeks ago I saw a moth. And a week later another. I washed all my wool sweaters by hand, just in case... Did not want to check the rug.

When my son and girlfriend visited recently I asked for their help getting it out. They plunked it in the center of the room, unrolled it about a foot... and OMG! Mess Hall for Moths! So infested, a cancer surgeon would call it inoperable. They slammed the rug shut and marched it right down to my condo's large trash bin, where they stuffed it in like the mafia might a body. 

So...this may gross you out--when I swept under the couch my dustpan collected hundreds of tiny round jewel-toned moth-poop pellets (I'll spare you the photo I took). Last week I bought a BugMD pheromone trap, and already have caught a dozen of the lingering evil-doers. But the question remains: how many times do I need to ignore my wakey-wakey voice before I recognize it knows something important?

Back in Bidness Again
The good news is that as we emerge from our sweatpants year, people are looking in their closets and realizing it's time for a refresh. I've been super busy catching up with the pent-up demand. I love that moment when the client sees how great they look with their completed palette. Here's one. She's almost a Jeweltone Summer, but her dazzling white smile (high contrast) and refined features move her into Winter territory. 


If you're looking for a graduation gift that would reap benefits for decades, may I suggest a color consult?

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Bonus #1: The "Extra Life" series on PBS.org. Even though in grad school I took courses in the history of public health, epidemiology and biostatistics, there is so much in this fascinating four-part series I didn't know. Literally hundreds of millions of lives have been saved in the past century by these public health heroes. I'd like to think that even an ardent anti-vaxxer would have to rethink their stance after watching the first episode on the miracle of vaccines.
Bonus #2: Cat Music. This guy samples a cat's plaintive yowl and turns it into an extremely catchy tune. Make sure to turn up the sound, and click to make it full screen. It's mesmerizing.  

Did you miss our Zoom call last week? I loved seeing your faces and hearing your stories, and I think many found it comforting to connect, even though most of us were strangers to each other. I'm happy to do another in awhile.