Let’s clean up!!

And clear out whatever we no longer need, whether they be things or ideas!

As we approach spring, I find myself a little feverish about this subject….

I am already working on giving away clothes and shoes that I haven’t worn and that no longer fit me. I’m amazed at how my body shape has changed! Instead of being upset about it, I’m rolling with it. I’ve given away tops I thought would fit once I lost a few pounds. That idea is from an era I no longer feel a part of: the how you look matters more than how you feel era.

Do you remember that? It’s how I grew up! My mother died 7 years ago still caring more about what others thought about her than how she felt about herself. I don’t want that for me. I want to feel comfortable in my clothes and comfortable being myself!!!!

So, I don’t wear belts, I love loose fitting clothes and I appreciate that I still have a sturdy, functional body even with wrinkles and that lumpiness that accompanies aging. I’m sort of glad that I am allergic to chlorine, because I don’t have to wear a bathing suit!!!

Another de-cluttering I’m doing is also from the way I grew up. I talk about breaking down old, outdated patriarchal concepts and ideas, and I am hyper aware of how much they affected my early years. I realize that a lot of men are feeling uncomfortable and uneasy in the wake of the MeToo movement and the rise of women speaking out and taking action. I have some empathy for them because I know first hand what it is like to be undervalued and discounted.

I was born in 1947. Men ran the world. Women were accessories. Yes, we all know that women were actually behind the scenes, supporting, informing and contributing to the accomplishments of men. Left alone, there is no way a CEO could function without a competent Executive Assistant who did all the coordinating and managing that made him look good. But it was assumed that the men were the stars. Women were doing what was expected, just as they managed the households and raised the children (far more difficult and complicated tasks than running a company!!!) and got little if any credit for it and certainly were only rewarded financially if their husbands made enough money. There were also the countless multitudes of women working in underpaid and dead-end jobs of cleaning, cooking, child-care, even teaching and being secretaries–back when the typing pool was a true entity–where they often didn’t have any husband or family to support them. So they remained in low-wage positions through out their lives.

When I talk about de-cluttering my mind from that upbringing, I mean this:

• It was assumed that even if the man wasn’t actually smarter than women, he was treated as if he were.
• Having a husband was considered the pinnacle of success for women.
• If a women wasn’t married or had any prospects of being taken care of by a man, she was pitied, derided, called a “Spinster” or “Old Maid” and rarely included in social occasions.
• Day-working women who cooked, cleaned, ended up in assembly line factory jobs or some sort of office worker were looked at as “less than” by the men who ran businesses. Many of them were women of color, and if not, they came from what were considered the lower classes.
• Class structure was reinforced by these designations. We have not ever had a society run by commerce that was not built on class structures.
• Women who did succeed in the business world were regularly considered tough bitches, difficult, overbearing and bossy. Their counter-parts, men, with the exact same attributes were promoted, awarded, and glorified.
• As children, we were fed so many fairy tales about Prince Charming, that even those of us who knew better had a really hard time letting go of the fantasy that we would someday meet the perfect partner. (Watch Jennifer Lopez in This Is Me Now on Amazon Prime where she chronicles her addiction to being in love…. I realized I could identify the same thing in myself and it took feeling beyond devastated about my neediness to finally break that pattern.)
• Every day I realize one more thing I was utterly naïve about growing up that insidiously got carried into my adult life.

I could go on, but you get the picture. No one had 100% wise parents. No one had a perfect childhood. We are all products of our upbringing and environments until we leave the herd and choose our own path. Until we empty out the nooks and crannies of our thinking and unravel the crap we thought was true that actually isn’t.

Assumptions, fantasies, expectations, attachments to outcomes–these are in the way of our ability to be Human Adults.

I’m committed to breaking them apart and discarding them. Anyone who comes to me for help as a coach gets to go on that same journey for herself. It is liberating! It is so invigorating that the creakiness and accompanying pains of being older are superseded by the joy of awareness that I, with my own thoughts, can live a life that flows, that works for me in the best way.

I hope this inspires you to do your own deep cleaning, mentally, emotionally and in your physical life. It is actually fun!!!

Member Notes

GGN Member Jane Baldwin has a new podcast!

Jane Baldwin is a mindfulness coach whose Unwinding Compass method helps people think more clearly by focusing on their breathing.

Jane discovered early in her career that she loved to travel and to be outdoors. This led her on the path to working as an archeologist and anthropologist, working in Central America and studying Mayan culture. Through this work, she became fascinated by what you cannot see in the jungles at first glance, and that led her to apply the same method to people: helping them find the gifts, talents and treasures that lie within each one of us.

It began in her 20s when she was diagnosed with cancer. Through that journey, she began to ask herself what was most important?

You can learn more about Jane and the Unwinding Compass on her Website

Listen to Jane’s full interview

Thank you to Toni Portmann for sharing these inspiring messages….

Track Meetings

We still ask for $5 to cover costs. And yes, you can register at the last minute…. but it would be GREAT if you let us know a couple of days before so we can plan our refreshments!!!

Our Track meetings are designed to give us a sacred space to have meaningful, purposeful conversations without fear of being judged or competed with. Only Members can attend. They are amazing experiences, unlike any ‘networking meeting’ you have ever attended!

GGN members MUST REGISTER to attend these meetings, so just follow the links below! And if you want to learn about us, go ahead and join GGN~~if you decide it isn’t for you, we will refund your membership fee!

Currently we meet the 2nd Monday morning and 3rd Wednesday evening of each month (see below).

Each one is an event or happening in itself. Some members come frequently, some come only once in a while. Whenever you attend one, you will find out things you didn’t know, connect with women who will challenge and inspire you, and you will leave with some new perspectives.

Monday Morning Magic Track

• March 11, 2024
• 10 to 12 noon CT
• I want to hear about YOUR de-cluttering! And be inspired!! Join us!!

Click here to join us for Monday Morning Magic!

Growth & Transitions

• Wednesday, March 20, 2024
• 7 to 9 pm CT
• Spring into more of who you want to be! Join the conversation!!

Click here to join us for Growth & Transitions!