The Tortoise and the Hare. As children we just thought we were being read a fun little story. The teacher just thought she was keeping us entertained and hopefully teaching us a little lesson in perseverance. However, in light of what I have been learning about Emotional Intelligence, I now realize how the story of ‘The Tortoise and the Hare’ goes much deeper. The tortoise challenges the hare to the race. Was this just a knee-jerk emotional reaction to the hare’s taunts? Or was this his response after pausing to consider the environment and what he had observed about the hare’s character and general behavior? The story doesn’t directly say. But we do get to observe the tortoise’s character. The tortoise was steadfast in his intention; he was mentally clear about his goal. Even when all the external signals told him he was behind, he didn’t panic; he didn’t rush; he simply pressed on. He didn’t get distracted by any external noise. He simply held the signal. The hare, on the other hand, wasn’t focused on winning the race. He was focused on the tortoise. But since the tortoise was moving at such a slow methodical pace, the hare got so bored he fell asleep. As a result of the hare’s lack of clarity, the tortoise quietly passed him by. And the rest is fictional history! “Slow and steady wins the race!” wasn’t just a lesson about perseverance. It was one of our first lessons in Emotional Intelligence. Look at how far we’ve come!

One thing I haven't promoted much inside Sacred Writing is my 31 years of experience in traditional book publishing and almost eight years helping authors and writers self-publish through SourceCode Publishing. That became very clear to me yesterday when I met with a Sacred Writing member who had no idea I was a publisher. I laughed, but it also made me realize I've done such a good job concentrating on the writing experience here that some of you may not know about the other half of my work. One of my most valuable gifts is holding space for clients to write while accessing The Language Portal, which opens the doorway to the Field of Infinite Intelligence. That's why I've concentrated primarily on writing in this community. But about a month ago, I realized many of you might want to know about self-publishing. Rather than muddy the waters here, I created a separate community: Self-Publishing Skool. For $11/month, you have access to almost 40 years of publishing expertise, a growing database of publishing resources, and a weekly one-hour coaching conversation where you can bring your questions about writing, manuscripts, book production, KDP, and self-publishing. Here's what you can access now: 🖊️ Sacred Writing: Two complimentary 30-minute Sacred Writing Sessions each week. Sacred Writing VIP: Three one-hour co-writing sessions + one hour of coaching each week. 📖 Self-Publishing Skool Publishing resources + weekly one-hour coaching conversation Tuesdays at 3:00 PM PDT You don't have to figure out where to begin. If you're trying to find the words, write with us. If you're trying to figure out what to do with the words once you've written them, find me in Self-Publishing Skool

What a blessing to be off-grid, especially to be out of the smoky air in the Okanagan. What is one thing you are grateful for today?

Portal Pals, I'm cancelling our Tuesday 6:00 PM PDT co-writing session this week. Our regular Wednesday 9:00 AM PDT Sacred Writing Session is still happening, so I'll see you there if you can join us. Wednesday is a special day for another reason. At 6:00 PM PDT, I'll be speaking at Elizabeth Ocean's Catalyst event and bringing some of what we practice here in The Language Portal into that room. My session is "Your Authority Doesn't Start With the Right Words," and I'll be guiding everyone through a short Sacred Writing experience to quiet the overthinking, listen with intention, and recognize what emerges. I'd love to have some Portal Pals in the room with me. If you'd like to join Catalyst, drop CATALYST below and I'll send you the link. See you Wednesday morning. 💜

The smoke is as heavy as our hearts here in the Okanagan. I've been quiet these past few days as friends, family of friends, and 20,000 people have been evacuated on the west side of Okanagan Lake. There is a provincial state of emergency in BC. Please take a moment to pray with me for all the people, homes, and animals affected by the wildfires in BC and in the Okanagan, and just south of us in Washington and Oregon. I pray no more homes and properties are lost ... 230 in the Quilpituk Creek Wildfire (west side of Vernon), and they are not yet able to access the loss in Summerland due to the Bald Range wildfire. I pray stillness in the air remains and rain falls gently. My family is safe and while life is uncertain and our hearts are sad, life does goes on even amidst the chaos. I was able to spend time with my son and granddaughter yesterday, go shopping and attend a baby shower for one of my best friend's daughter. And since I was in West Kelowna, I visited another best friend. (West Kelowna is directly across the lake from me, and the fire storms are raging out of control North and South of the their community). The lay of the land is hard to wrap your head around. Before I moved to Kelowna and worked in the Toronto office, I was so confused by all the colleges in the Okanagan. They were all named Okanagan College ... Kelowna Campus, Vernon Campus, Penticton Campus, and Salmon Arm Campus. The Okanagan Valley is a region in South Central BC where Okanagan Lake is surrounded by mountains. It is a four hour drive from Kelowna to Vancouver with two high mountain passes between us. Thank you for your prayers and thoughts. Praying your Sunday is peaceful. Some of our smoke is from the wildfires in Washington and Oregon. Where are you in the world? Are you safe? Let us bring you into our awareness and prayers.