On California Condors

Condors Soaring & Prophetic Dreams

Oftentimes things in our Lives stress us, and make us feel out of control.

Big things — or small — they can throw us for an emotional loop.

I was experiencing one of these stressed-out pockets, several years back, when I received my clear, peaceful, answer in the form of two dreams.

As I recall them now, they still ring true.

And they still help me overcome the temptation to live my life in anger or fear, which ruins so many aspects of my much preferred, much appreciated, Peaceful Life.

But what does this have to do with Condors?

I’m pairing this Post with photos I shot of soaring Juvenile California Condors. (Info about Condors at bottom of Post.) 

I know you’ll enjoy :)) :))  DawnSeeker

The Easy Solution and the Pilot Dream

The following two dreams arrived together, side by side, one night.

At the time I was struggling with some pressing issues. I went to bed, asking the Divine for an answer to come in my dreams.

After awaking in the wee hours, I prayed again, and fell back asleep.

Here is what I recall —

From my Journal:

I asked for dreams, and I got them.

These were very vivid, lucid dreams, the prophetic types, not the every-night ordinary.

In recent days I had been praying to be shown God’s EASY SOLUTION to my troubles, rather than struggle on in difficulty, like I had been.

The Easy Solution Dream

There was a waterway channel. I was walking in the water. It lead me inside a large industrial-type multi-level room, also filled with water. I knew I had to get out.

I saw a window and struggled to open it — impossible. A lady tried to help. But no matter what I did, it appeared I was stuck there in the building.

Looking around, I figured I could trudge down and across another deep, watery area, but I knew it would be very difficult. And it probably wouldn’t work.

Then, I saw a little button, off to the side. It contained the answer!

It turned out to be easily pushed. I did, and a door opened to a girl in a room (like an elevator operator) — and somehow, from there, I was able to just walk out.

My Interpretation

God ALWAYS has an Easy Solution to our problems. (A type of button, nearby, that we can push — rather than continue fretting and struggling on our own).

He is a very present help in our times of need.

Rest in Him. Don’t wear myself out trying to solve everything by my own energies.

Look to the Easy Solution God provides.

Putting the Easy Solution to work

And I was able to put this to work, again, just the other day.

On my precious weekend-day-off, I had offered a favor to a family, with a visit to my horses. It meant days of planning and prep work, which I did. Getting horses out and ready. Nailing on shoes. Driving my horse in his cart . . .

All was set and confirmed. At the appointed time, I was booted up and ready to go.

Yet, right then, I found out — they were running late. Our time would be delayed by two hours. Maybe more.

I was upset. It threw off all my plans for the day.

But, I couldn’t change it.

So I decided to look for the Easy Solution :))

The Easy Solution

First, I got out my handwritten journal and wrote a good rant. All about flakes (it seemed to be the theme of the week — people who made appointments with me and just disappeared, with no further mention!)

Then, I laid down on the couch with some uplifting reading material — and drifted off into a beautiful, out-of-this-world, time-traveling, supernatural nap.

It worked!

• It stopped the anger cycle
• I woke up calm, refreshed
• The later time frame actually worked out really well — probably better than earlier would have
• We created a special day with meaningful memories and insights
• And Magic occurred between horses, humans :))

Pretty cool results, really. Pretty easy button to push.

Rather than get mad. Chill out — take a nap!

And enjoy :))

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The Pilot Dream

Then came the airplane. We were on a boardwalk. Lots of people were there. I had joined up with some people I didn’t really know. There were people giving out cups of juice because something that was scheduled didn’t happen.

I walked up and asked them what was going on. There were a couple of military guys, one in pilot headgear. He was in a small booth, like a ticket booth, with his flight helmet on.

I asked if he was a pilot. He said, “Yes.”

Grandfather Conway Ulyate, U.S. Army Air Service, Fort Sill, Oklahoma (@1918) — wearing  similar leather flight helmet to the one in my dream.

Then I asked him if he prayed?

Suddenly, as if in response to my question, I was up on his plane with him. It was like the dragon in the movie, Eregon — a blow-up type vinyl airplane. And we rode astride, on its back, he in front, me behind — like you would on a horse or a motorcycle.

He directed the craft into all kinds of high-tech flying maneuvers. Loop-the-loops. Stalls. Showing off for me. For the crowd. I wondered how it was possible that we even stayed on?

Then, in response to my question of whether he prayed, he put the thing into a DIRECT NOSEDIVE.

I was terrified.

It became apparent that he wasn’t pulling out. We were headed straight down.

I literally clung to the flapping tail, hanging on for dear life. I wondered what the people on the ground would think – we were going to crash and die, right in front of them.

Then I heard a voice inside my head say: “Look what God can do!”

Suddenly I became absolutely calm. Crashing, dying, didn’t matter.

And right when we should have hit, right when we would have perished — in the gentlest of manners, he landed his plane PERFECTLY, flaring at the very last moment, touching down softly on the grassy ground!

We were not hurt!

I was so grateful, and praised and thanked God, repeatedly, for saving us!

My Interpretation

No matter how bad it looks, The Divine is in control — and there are NO WORRIES. (Even though I must constantly remind myself of this!)

For, even in the nosedive, God sorted it — gentled it, and saved it.

With this dream, He lead me to a higher level of understanding. A deep inner knowing. “With God, ALL things do work together for good.”

Prayer is the key. And calm trust.

~~~~

How these dreams have helped me

Over the years, these two dreams have profoundly influenced my day-to-day Life.

When frightening things happen, when it seems all chaos is breaking out — I look for the Easy Solution God has for me. And no matter how bad it appears, I know that He is in control.

Calm down. Chill out. Rather than fight and fume — Enjoy the Ride of Life.

Ride the airplane. Ride the dragon.

Trust. Breathe.

And be Grateful :))

~~~~

Copyright 2019

Photos:  Dawn Jenkins — Juvenile Condors flying near Bitter Sweet National Wildlife Refuge Hudson Ranch Road, west of Bakersfield, California, Spring 2019

Condors are so rare, I’ve seen them only once before, about fifteen years ago, soaring high overhead — and I’ve lived here in Condor territory for 25 years, and spent countless  hours, out and about, on foot and on horse. I photographed these on 4/22/19, Earth Day, on my way driving home from horse hoof work :))

Condor Habitat — near Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge, and Pine Mountain Club

They were young, happy, on the wing — soaring as if just for fun, in the end of day light, over a great expanse. An amazing bird sighting — especially since fewer than 500 birds exist in the world. What a day!!!

I was most amazed by the long, dangling feet. Maybe the young ones just don’t know how to retract their landing gear yet :))

Juvenile Condor in flight, feet down :))

I watched four birds, soaring over an area of about a quarter mile. Some going up, others dipping down. Very difficult to focus my camera. Stunning. Breath-taking. Inspiring!

One flew right overhead to check me out — making me think that they must have had some positive interaction with humans from the release program at Bitter Creek.

Note dark head, indicating Juvenile Condor, and red marker tag on wing

Enjoy this Traditional folk music from Peru — El Condor Pasa

 

 

Interesting California Condor Facts

Cornell Lab of Ornithology — Condor Life History:

• Condors glide and soar when foraging, so they depend on reliable air movements and terrain that enables extended soaring flight. They are so heavy that they can have trouble taking off, so they often use open, windy areas where they can run downhill or launch themselves from a cliff edge or exposed branch to get airborne.
• California Condors can cover hundreds of miles in one flight as they soar for hours at a time, looking for carrion. Pairs are monogamous. Because their crop (an enlarged part of the esophagus) can hold 3 pounds of food, they may only have to eat every 2–3 days.
• California Condors have been reintroduced to mountains of southern and central California, Arizona, Utah, and Baja California. Nesting habitats range from scrubby chaparral to forested mountain regions up to about 6,000 feet elevation. Foraging areas are in open grasslands and can be far from primary nesting sites, requiring substantial daily commutes.

• All of the more than 400 condors now alive are descended from 27 birds that were brought into captivity in 1987, in a controversial but successful captive breeding program. As of 2013, there were more than 230 individuals in the wild in California, Arizona, and Baja California. According to Partners in Flight, about 95% live in the U.S., and 5% in Mexico. The number has been rising steadily each year, as captive-bred birds are released and wild pairs fledge young from their own nests.
• Condor recovery has been slow because of their slow reproductive rate: they produce only 1 egg every 1–2 years and do not achieve sexual maturity until age 6-8 years.

California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife:

• Condors can soar and glide for hours without beating their wings.
• After rising thousands of feet overhead on air currents, California condors will glide long distances, sometimes at more than 55 miles per hour.

Looks like an airplane with gear down, and winglets (also known as a wingtip device)

Wikipedia:

• California condors have the largest wingspan of any North American bird — from 2.49 to 3 m (8.2 to 9.8 ft). Their weight can range from 7 to 14.1 kg (15 to 31 lbs) [Weight of a toddler]
• Condors are so large that they can be mistaken for a small, distant airplane, which possibly occurs more often than they are mistaken for other species of bird.
• It is one of the world’s longest-living birds, with a lifespan of up to 60 years.
• Individual birds have a huge range and have been known to travel up to 250 km (160 mi) in search of carrion.
• The middle toe of the California condor’s foot is greatly elongated, and the hind one is only slightly developed. The talons of all the toes are straight and blunt, and are thus more adapted to walking than gripping.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

• Immatures (juveniles) have dark heads, grayer necks, and mottled grayish instead of clear white patches under the wings.
• Adults are black with striking white patches under the wings. The naked head and neck are yellowish orange.
• Adult coloration is reached at 6-8 years of age.

More Condor

• More info on Condors from Bitter Creek here.
• For Condor population stats:  California Condor Recovery Program
• This post, The Sacred Condor, will give further food for thought about the vast, strange world we live in.
• This blog, by Andrew J. Parks, is from a California Condor field worker, and explains how the color-coded tagging system works, as well as inside the scene photos and cool observations :))

Please comment, and let me know about your Condor or wildlife encounters :))

 ~~ Leaving Condor Habitat now. Thanks for visiting ~~

DawnSeeker

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Like what you’ve read here? Visit Dawn’s sister blog:  Soul Horse Ride

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Join Dawn for a Soul Horse Ride! Experience the thrill of becoming one with your horse. Join Dawn and her homegrown herd for a Soul Horse Ride in the Frazier Park Outback!

Call to book your Life-Changing Adventure today:  (661) 703-6283

~~~~

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Will it All Work Out???

One of the BIG questions we have in our journey in Life:  “Will it ALL work out???”

Will I be able to:

• Pay the rent?
• Buy gas?
• EAT?
• Engage in a meaningful career?
• Find a mate?
• Raise the kids?
• _____________________ ?
• (and so on . . . )

The questions change as Life goes on. But the questions still persist.

And it’s up to each one of us to find the answers.

Not so much from the outside, as we are tempted. But rather from the inside — from deep inside our souls.

Symptoms vs. Cause

It’s easy to think, “If only I had more money . . . If only I had a mate . . . If only I could loose weight . . . ”

But these are merely symptoms, not the cause.

These are modern-day Sirens luring us out to sea, beguiling us off our steady course. Making us think that if we just had this one extra element, Life would be Bliss.

Yet, the Purpose of Life seems to be found in learning how to take control of our thoughts — our fears, our needs — and turning those very obstacles into the generators of solutions.

Flipping them into opportunity:  For growth. Wisdom. Depth of character.

Rather than excuses for anxiety, worry, depression, doubt.

Test Run . . .

I remember, years ago, sitting with my brother and his wife. I was losing my rental; they were losing theirs. Neither of us knew where we would move, or what would happen next.

I had two small girls, four horses and a milk goat. They had a household of belongings, as well as a recording studio full of specialized sound equipment. Not easy rentals to find.

As much as I was tempted to freak out, I knew from previous demonstrations, that fear and panic wouldn’t work. Not only wouldn’t it help me find my next rental, it would likely assure my homelessness.

So in that moment, twentysomething years ago, I remember receiving a fresh inspiration. With the three of us, sitting on the floor — I spoke these words:

“Looking back on our Lives, everything has worked out perfectly, bringing us right here, to where we’re at right now. (We’ve made it though other times of uncertainty!)

And right now, we’re fine.

“So, I’m going to trust that the same energy that has brought us this far will continue. I’m going to throw that energy that’s carried me here, out in front of me.

“I’m going to say ‘Thank you!’, rather than worry.

“And I’m going to know that ALL things will work out, just as they have, up until now.

“Let’s each of us make this an experiment, and see how that works!”

Results:

All three of us put that philosophy to the test that day, and beyond. And I’m happy to report:  It’s worked — and still working :))

As I look back on my Life from my current vantage point, things have worked out. For all of us.

Why? Because there’s always a solution :))

Always a way to bring us through Life’s challenges.

It seems to come when:

• I take control of my thoughts.
• Shift from fear to gratitude.
• And listen to, and follow, my intuition.

From when I look up, and align with the Divine.

Crossroads

So if you’re at a crossroads, if you’re struggling — know that your solutions are at hand. (May I remind myself, as well.)

Know that you have the ability shift your attention from worry and doubt — into calm and peace.

Like an athlete, controlling the temptation to fumble.

Like a pilot, knowing her ability to land that plane!

Like a surfer, melding with the ocean, and riding that swift, tumbling wave.

Throwing that same energy out in front of you that’s carried you here, today.

On-Going

And the demonstrations don’t stop.

As long as we’re here on this Earthly plane, we battle the tug-a-war:  Our inner demons vs. our outer needs.

So take your deep breath.

Shine bright in living your skills.

Trust in that energy that guides you.

And know — It really will ALL work out :))

For more evidence of this philosophy see:  My Yoda Story.

Other Related Posts:

Action ~ Inaction

Intuition . . . Speaks

Self-Talk

Gratitude Is . . .

My Miracle Book :))

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Like what you’ve read here? Visit Dawn’s sister blog:  Soul Horse Ride

~~___(\ ~~___(\ ~~___(\
…/< >\ …/< >\ …/< >\

Join Dawn for a Soul Horse Ride! Experience the thrill of becoming one with your horse. Join Dawn and her homegrown herd for a Soul Horse Ride in the Frazier Park Outback!

Call to book your Life-Changing Adventure today:  (661) 703-6283

~~~~

Copyright 2019

Photos:  Dawn Jenkins (Malibu, Point Dume — Whale migration and Superbloom)

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Splinter — A Stitch in Time . . . Travel

Lessons in Life abound.

The smallest experiences stitch us back in Time.

I found myself recently returning — from the tiniest splinter, stuck in my finger — back to my Malibu beachfront childhood. Gone, but not lost.

To Mom, Dad, Grandparents, Uncles and Aunties — so many years ago. Preserved in my memories. Preserved in my Soul . . .  DawnSeeker

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The Splinter

I somehow got a slender splinter embedded in the outside edge of my index finger. Right hand. Near the joint.

It must have come from feeding my horses’ their hay (sometimes prickly weeds find their way into the bales).

When it first happened, I  tried to remove it with tweezers, but it seemed to go straight in, and the tweezers just made it worse.

So just leave it alone. Surely it will work its way out.

Wrong.

Over a couple days, a knobby, hard, painful welt appeared. It hurt every time my hand touched anything. Which is, basically, all day long.

Hand in gloves to do my horseshoeing work. OUCH.

Hold the reins to drive my horse and carriage. YIKES!

Something has to be done!

So I put on some wet clay and a Bandaid, as a poultice to draw it out.

Nope.

Still hard. Still hurt.

Darn! I gotta dig it out. I gotta get out the sewing needle . . .

~~~~

I go to my sewing kit. Open the folded tan-colored linen needle holder my Aunt Dorothea, now in her 90’s, made for me, decades ago.

Painted on the outer fabric:  Small red hearts, seven in total, surrounded by the words, “A stitch in time saves nine . . .  Dorothea”.

And now the Time Travel begins . . .

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Malibu Childhood

I remember, growing up, it was Dad who had the hand with the needle for splinter removal.

(Perhaps Mom just didn’t have the stomach for it. “We’ll have Dad get it out. He has such a steady hand when it comes to these things . . . “ )

Yes. Dad had a steady hand and a sturdy stomach for whatever needed to get done.

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Disneyland Dad

His steady hands knit together the fabric of our family, until his heart attach one night, when I was 16, leaving us to proceed on in Life without him . . .

My Dad, Bill Ulyate (Disneyland show name: Bill Elliott), top studio musician. His steady hand fingered his saxophones, his clarinets — Fox Orchestra — on the leading Hollywood TV shows and movies of the day.

(Dad played on the original TV show, Batman! South Pacific, The King and I, The Dick Van Dyke Show, and countless more.)

But not only that. After he got done with his day job at Fox, he booked gigs with his own Big Band, The Elliott Brothers Orchestra, with his brother, my Uncle — famous life-long studio trombonist, Lloyd Ulyate.

After the Park opened, Walt Disney searched for a hometown band to play at end of Main Street, at the then Carnation Plaza Gardens, in sight of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle :)) Walt hired The Elliott Brothers Orchestra, also known as the Date Niters, as the signature band at Disneyland!

View from Dad’s Disneyland Bandstand

My Dad (foreground, Saxophone) and my Uncle Lloyd (Trombone ) on the Carnation Plaza Gardens Bandstand at Disneyland.

Dad’s Disneyland Date Niters Patch

So Dad’s steady hands entertained nightly, live at the Magic Kingdom, for more than a decade, until after Walt died.

Dad also fulfilled his love of flying and became a private pilot. His steady hands flew his own small airplane between those two jobs, escaping the torturous L.A. traffic below.

Dad lived at the top. Top of his field. Top of the world!

Dad’s famous line: “Just be the BEST at what you do and you can’t help but make good. There’s always room at the top.”

On one of those special days Dad was home — he worked constantly, and we rarely saw him — he’d pat me on the back and say:  “That a girl, honey, you can do anything!”

How great and wonderful is that!!!

Listen to Dad’ music here – Date Night At Disneyland, The Elliott Brothers Orchestra

(Read more about Dad, Disneyland in my following posts: You Can Do ANYTHING!, and It’s OK to Scream!. Read more about our family’s history of flying here: Family of Flying.)

Dad next to Walt Disney, and Uncle Lloyd, also in white coat.

Childhood Memories of my Bigger-than-Life Dad:

Mom, shushing:  “Dad’s sleeping. Quiet!”

Dad eating breakfast, always late, after sleeping in.

Dad’s awesome way of asking a favor: “Honey,” (Dad called everyone honey) “I sure would like something to eat. What have we got in there? Do you think you could make your old Dad a sandwich?”

(Which always involved mayonnaise. I hate it, to this day. Dad LOVED it!)

Dad with his boat. With his friends.

Laughing!!!

With Grandma and Grandfather and my Uncles, his brothers. All the Aunties and cousins. Big extended family gatherings . . . musical instruments and flashlights and parading down the street Christmas caroling at the holidays.

Dad’s make-believe “Frankenstein” with us kids in the Garden Room at the beach house, a coat hanger turned upside down, making his shoulders square . . . arms outstretched, moaning . . . big stiff footsteps . . . all us kids screeching and hiding and running — afraid of the “monster”, yet coming back into its range . . .

Dad taking me to the Bike shop in Malibu for my my new, shinny Schwinn Bicycle,  silver and white.

. . . the only time he ever spanked me when I “got lost” and wandered off. It hurt more to have let him down, than the actual spank . . . and I never did that again . . .

Dad’s music room, filled with saxophones of all sizes. Boxes of reeds. His banged up red bongo drum. The framed picture on the wall of Dad playing his Sax, with Elvis on drums, at a studio wrap party.

Dad on Sax, Elvis on Drums!!!

Dad taking me with him to pick up his Band coat at Disneyland’s Wardrobe . . . all the costumes, endless rows of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and every kind of character heads.

The time he enthusiastically introduced me to the original Tinker Bell, Tiny Cline, a circus performer and the first one to “fly” from the Matterhorn during the firework event.

~~~~

Yet before Dad died, Disneyland was done. Studio work at Fox had shifted to more solo groups than big orchestras. And Dad, picking me up at Junior Achievement in Culver City one night, said these prophetic words:  “Honey, things are always changing. The sooner you get used to that, the better off you’ll be.” (See my post: Ch-Ch-Changes!)

Waking to the sounds of Mom sobbing, 3 am, to the phone call from the hospital:  “We lost him.” And the shocking changes that event threw us all into . . .

~~~~

Splinter Removal Ritual

Now, back to the problem at hand — my little annoying painful splinter had to be removed!

And I flashed back to how it would go when Dad, and his steady hand, was called to remove my childhood splinters . . .

Location was always important:  We have to be somewhere in the light, where Dad could see:  Near a window. By a lamp.

Dad puts on his reading glasses, takes my hand, and inspects the job.

Mom goes off to find her sewing kit and brings a sharp needle.

For some reason, the needle always has a thread attached.

I remember wondering about this as a kid. We’re taking out a little splinter from a foot, from a finger. Why the thread? We’re not really sewing things, are we????

Then comes the match.

To sanitize the tip of the needle, Dad lights a match, holds the tip into the flame, turning  it a bit, tarnishing it from silver to black.

He then waits a few seconds for the needle to cool.

~~~~

I remember it all now as if watching a movie . . .

In the living room at the beach house. On the little table under the lamp.

My arm extended. My hand in Dad’s.

The warmth, the feel of his huge hands. Holding me gently, but firmly, with that calm “I’ve got a job to do” look.

Like a doctor. Like a pilot. Like a bandleader, setting the beat.

~~~~

My job:  Acceptance. No resistance.

This has to be done.

The anticipation of pain — This is going to hurt!

But I must not move. Must not squirm.

I can’t let Dad down.

After all, I am the one in trouble, and Dad is helping me out.

~~~~

Prick. Prick.

Ouch!!!!

The initial pokes, the needle going across the top to break the skin.

Slowly. Methodically. Skillfully.

Dad’s steady hand.

Mom’s confidence in him.

MY confidence in him.

I try not to watch the operation, turning my head. Closing my eyes.

Doing my best to not pull away.

Yelp!

Twitch!

Sharp twinges of pain now as Dad deftly digs under the offending matter, gently,  carefully coercing it up, out of my flesh.

~~~~

“Got it!”

“Got it?”

Phew!

It’s out!

Thank you, Dad!

A quick wash, a Bandaid, and I run back out to play . . .

~~~~

Today’s Splinter

So when I extracted my own splinter today, I got to re-live all this.

And since I was home alone, I got to play all the roles:  Mom. Dad. Little-kid-Dawn.

Location:  By the kitchen sink, lots of light, near the window.

Reading glasses, check.

(Times have changed since the 1950s and 60s . No thread on my needle. No match — just soap and water, then rubbing alcohol to sanitize my needle tip :))

Extend my arm.

My job:  Acceptance. No resistance.

This has to be done.

I watch the steady hand of Dad’s daughter, Dawn, with that calm pilot’s “I’ve got a job to do” look.

~~~~

Prick. Prick.

Take off the top skin. Not too bad. Doesn’t really hurt.

Dig. Gently. Under.

Not bad — no real stabs of pain . . .

Get it! Go under. Try again . . .

There it is! Tiny, reddish-brown.

Amazing something so small can cause so much trouble!

Yes!!! I got it!

It’s out!

~~~~

Dad, construction site of our Trancas Beach house, Malibu 1950s

Inheritance :))

And I realize, once again, my gratitude to Dad.

I may have only had 16 years with him, but Dad still flows through my blood. My being.

Thank you, Dad!

Thank you for the confidence you instilled in me.

Thank you for the example you lived.

Even though I lost you young, I HAVE you. In my attitude. In my thought process. In my very DNA.

You shine through me. Through my daughters — and now my grand-daughters.

You instilled confidence in all of us. The ability to pony up and get a tough job done.

You gave us a work ethic. A sense of humor. A love for Life!

Beyond just the ordinary. Beyond just getting by.

You found your Passion — for music, airplanes, entertainment, the family you loved . . .

You got me my first horse, and made sure I fulfilled mine.

You left us all with so much.

It’s like you’re patting me on the back again, laughing and saying:  “That a girl, honey, you can do anything!”

Yes!

Perhaps I truly can :))

And just think — all of this Life re-lived, on the count of a dumb little splinter!

~ Childhood Dreaming ~

EllaHarp

Here’s the next musical generation in Dad’s lineage — my daughter, EllaHarp, and one of her musical compositions.

Dad, you must be so proud!!!!

Yes — I hear your laughter now :))

“That a girl, honey!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

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For insights into the lives of horses, please visit Dawn’s sister blog: Soul Horse Ride

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Copyright 2019

Crazy-Drama Syndrome

Ah, the Crazies in our lives . . . are there Strategies that can help us deal with them?

I’m sure you know who I’m talking about here. The people who blow up over little things, and turn them into really dramatic BIG things.

Those who like to fan the fire of tiny angst-filled emotional sparks — into all-consuming conflagration!

How do we protect ourselves from being sucked in and devoured by their ever-recurring dramas?

(And they seem to abound in the greater horse/human work-related community! :))

My Hawaii horse-trainer-daughter, Angela, and I, set out to conquer this one evening: Poster board in hand. Colorful marker pens. Mind-Map begun . . .

After working our solutions for the past five years, our Strategies remain sound, and really do seem to help:))

              Example of a Mind Map

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Drama Queen/Control Freaks

Here’s what we came up with — and here’s how we did it.

We started by writing an ever-growing list of the people we know who seem to always be caught in the midst of drama — losing it, causing chaos, blowing stuff up and out of proportion.

Then we looked at their individual traits, habits and behaviors, and began listing some of what they would regularly indulge in:

• Flip flop — constant change and unnecessary upheaval. When things work, they STOP doing what works.
• Ask random EVERYBODY for advice. Get confused. Believe the most random/far-fetched answer/person (the internet contributes to this).
• They make the mistake — but blame others for it (projection).
• Lack accountability. They seem to have no consequences — yet hold you accountable (even though they are not :))
• Manipulative. Come with their own agendas.
• They cause (concoct) the problem/disaster . . . in order to “solve” the problem (to make themselves look/feel good?).
• Appear as rescuers.
• No memory/distorted memory of timelines, facts, reality.
• Lie. Exaggerate. Delusional. Twist. Facade.
• Bossy/bully, yet insecure.
• Defensive. Ultra protective of “turf”.

You get the picture . . .

• Ever stirring the pot. Creating turmoil.
• Always trying to “prove” themselves
• Incessant talkers. Gossip. Critical. Yet can appear overly “sugary sweet” . . .
• Words and actions quite the opposite.
• Obsessive/Compulsive.
• Non-problem solvers — they are the problem.
• Weasel. Downers. Unpredictable.
• Know-it-all. Accusatory.
• Make bad decisions.
• Spoiled — used to getting their way.
• Not respectful.
• Volatile. Explosive.

Possible Horse Solutions

Next, as horse trainers, we looked to the one topic we knew the best: Horses.

We made a list of the horses we’d known through the years with similar traits. (Difficult horses. The ones you can count on to blow up, spook, dump their riders and cause problems.)

Then, we listed how we would deal with those horses to better manage them, hoping to find a correlation between the ill-tempered horse, and the human . . .

(After all, we work with our horses to “desensitize” them. Can we do this with people???)

And we came up with a list of Horse Strategies:

• WORK! Putting a hot/spooky/high-energy horse to consistent work is better than having them stand around idle. (Keep them busy, directed. No extra time.)
• Cut the feed/carbs. Managing the diet of volatile horses helps curb the problems.
• Dominance. Horses work off of a pecking order. Who ever moves the other guy wins. Establishing dominance with these horses is essential. I need to be the one who moves the horse in order to gain his/her respect.
• Exposure. Exposing them to different situations. Habituate them to new and changing environments . . .
• Apply boundaries — no holes in the fence. If a horse pushes against a fence, a gate, and it moves, he will keep pushing, keep moving the boundary. My job is to reinforce the boundaries . . . keep it solid!
• Shake up the mix. Change the set-up, the routine. Keep it interesting (Don’t do everything exactly the same every day.)
• Bribes!! Food. Cookies. Rewards. Cooing. Scratches :))
• Cool them out. Spray them off. Turn them out. And let them roll . . .

Dependable Horses and Humans

In contrast, we listed the good horses, and the reliable people we know — and listed out some of their positive traits.

• Logical.
• Grounded.
• Problem solvers.
• Pleasant.
• Predictable.
• Good instincts.
• Uplifting.

And we wondered, comparing these calming folks to those on our Crazy-Drama list, would it be possible to “train” the others to be more positive, to embrace more of these reliable traits?

Human/Horse Comparisons

So we looked at possible Strategies for desensitizing, managing the energy, and coping with our overly dramatic, Crazy-Drama humans.

How do we protect ourselves from them? Prepare for them? Train them?

Can we learn to see these people coming before they get here, before they explode? What can we do to ward off their tirades and keep them from upsetting us???

And we realized, communication is at the core of the issue.

For them, dramatic outbursts and behaviors are their pattern of communication . . .

“Don’t Show Up for the Pain”

Years ago I worked for a gal, trained in psychology, and I remember her poignant statement to me one day: “We have a saying in the mental health field: ‘Don’t show up for the pain.’ “

As in: If someone is abusive to you, don’t keep going back for more. Cut the cycle.                STOP participating. Go away. Don’t show!

And in looking for our solutions, Angela and I wondered: By reducing communications with our Crazy-Drama people, by not showing up for their pain, can we protect ourselves         from them?

Limit Communications

Rather than answer their calls, can we let them leave a message?

Rather than get angry, upset at their behaviors or tirades, can we train ourselves to put on emotional earplugs?

Train ourselves to stop repeating their annoying behaviors and hurtful words in our own minds, and to others?

Stand Up — Enforce Boundaries

Can we learn to diffuse their energy?

Deal with what needs dealing with, but not dwell on it. Stand up to them, as needed.      Stand our ground. Then let them go!

Ignore their actions, their tirades. Pray for them. Love them. But enforce our                boundaries with them.

Putting our Theory into Action

I got to test the theory out one day, when a certain woman confronted me while I was working, shoeing a horse in a barn — for someone else. (Yes, turns out this woman was on our original Crazy-Drama Mind-Map list!)

This lady barged up to me, invading my space, and began talking at me about a close-to-home, emotionally charged topic of her gossip-driven obsession.

~~~~

My immediate thoughts:

Are you kidding??? I don’t want to hear what she has to say. I cannot let this person interrupt my concentration — emotionally, she’ll ruin me!

If I take my mind off of my work right now, I can really mess up what I’m doing on this other lady’s horse.

I can’t afford to hear what she has to say. Not here — not now!

So I decided to stand my ground. To put our theory on limiting communications into action.

Standing Ground

Bent over and holding the rear hoof of the lovely mare I was working on, I looked up and told her:

I cannot talk now. Please, go away.

This is my workplace, my office . . . 

Right now, I need all my concentration to work on this horse.

Call me on the phone later, if you want.

This is not the time or the place to talk.

~~~~

With that, she walked away.

Ruffled, I began calming my nervous system (with deep breaths), and focused on one thing:  Working on the hooves of that lovely mare.

Success!

I would never have known how successful this approach would turn out to be.

She never called. She never confronted me again.

Every time I saw her after that, she politely said hello.

That was it — end of drama!

Nipped in the bud.

Cut off at the beginning of the gossip cycle.

Lessons from the Animal World

It seems we can learn from the animal world around us.

Stand our ground, and set our boundaries.

Become more aloof, like a cat . . .

Apply some of the same strategies with difficult humans as we do with our spooky, difficult horses.

We don’t have to show up for the pain.

In many instances, we can walk away — and surround ourselves in a more pleasant circumstance . . .

More Ease, Less Tension

Since Angela and I have been working these strategies, we’ve seen some refreshing results.

We seem to be managing our work and life with more ease, less tension.

We seem to be surrounding ourselves with more reliable, grounded individuals.

And that makes our work, and our Lives, happier :))

We have learned to: 

Reward good behavior.

Nip bad behavior in the bud.

Work on calming our own nervous systems.

Look for joy and dependability in ourselves, and in those we work with.

Focus on the positive.

And be ever on the lookout for, and protecting against, the Crazy Drama symptoms — not only in those around us, but within ourselves — being aware of and reining in, our own personal flaws and weaknesses :))

(Turns out our Strategy even helps with our own behaviors — see my Post, Ride Life :))

Dawn

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Like what you’ve read here? Visit Dawn’s horse blog: Soul Horse Ride

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Copyright 2018

Photo credits: Dawn Jenkins, Dawnhoof working: T. Turner

 

 

 

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Lonely . . .

It seems an epidemic:  Loneliness!

For in a world with so much connectivity, we find ourselves living in our own little islands. Isolated. Alone.

The once-loved sound of a telephone ring, who could it be? Now replaced with dread — a telemarketer.

The warm timbre of a loved one’s voice, now replaced (if at all!) by texts and emails, icons and hashtags.

It’s like within so much humanity . . . we’ve lost our humanity.

We’ve become test-tube humans. Sterile. Cold.

Remember the poor little experimental monkeys researchers deprived of a mother, instead feeding through cold tubes. And the life-long psychological damage this lack of touch and love inflict.

It’s like we have become the monkeys. Untouched. Unloved.

Fed with our cold plug-in gadgets, but deprived of the warm hands-on interactions that our human spirits and souls so deeply crave.

~~~~

So what can fill that emptiness?

What’s the remedy?

How do we heal a society that’s grown so cold to human interaction?

It must begin with each one of us. In baby steps.

Who can I visit today? Who can I call?

Who can I banter with, here at Starbucks, at the store . . . that stranger there, in line next to me. That member of my big, human, planet-sharing-family, here in the same space/time as me. Breathing the same air . . .

What can I say in attempt to connect?

(See my post, Deep Philosophical Three Minute Conversations)

Some will accept. Smile. Even hug.

Some will shun. Saunter off, unphased.

And yet, I feel, it’s worth the try.

Worth feeling awkward.

Because, sometimes, I manage to get through. To connect.

Sometimes a tender nerve is touched. Kind words are exchanged. Tears flow between our eyes.

Sometimes I make a new friend — some lasting.

And sometimes I seem to shatter the loneliness each one of us silently hides.

And break through to feeling warm.

Human. Again.

~~~~

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Copyright 2018

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Dawn’s a Life-long Horse Girl — Please visit Dawn’s Horse Blog: Soul Horse Ride :))

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Entrepreneur — Lessons Learned over 40 Years — Part II

2018 — Forty years into my personal Journey of Self-Employment . . . let me share further reflections and lessons learned from Living my Entrepreneurial Dream.

(Please see my previous post, Entrepreneur — Lessons Learned over 40 Years — Part I)

Fast Forward to Today

As explained in my previous post, my personal Entrepreneurial story involves following my passion into: Flight. Fashion. Family . . .

And Horses — with a successful, thirty-year Farrier (horseshoeing and hoof trimming) career (HoofCare Services), as well as custom Trail Rides, Carriage Rides, and instruction (Soul Horse Rides).

(Also interspersed throughout these years: Entrepreneurial, Business, and Life Coaching/Consulting; Magazine articles published; and most recently, Buffalo sales!!! :))

Through all this I’ve learned to work HARD, and I’ve made many Self-Discoveries.

~~~~

“Be True to You” (For me: Small is Beautiful :))

As explained in my previous post, with my Fashion Accessory Venture, Blossoms of Dawn, I did the “Wanting to get BIG” thing. Fancy big accounts. Employees. Trademark Registration. Patent Pending . . .

Expand. Expand. Expand!

But in the long haul, I discovered, that’s not me.

I don’t like managing people — it’s hard enough to manage me!

They say in the investment world that you need to figure out your “tolerance for risk”. Oh, it’s easy to say, “I’m all in! Go for it!” Until you lose the $1,000-plus investment you made. As in, poof! All gone! And you find out, you really don’t have a high tolerance for risk. For loss.

So, I discovered: Limit my risk, my loss, by limiting my hiring — to just me!

Sole-Proprietor: No employees:))

Sole-responsibility: Mine.

Sanity restored :))

Me with my Horseshoeing gear :))

(I know there are many who say: “Unless a venture can run without you (the founder), it won’t last.” Yet this simple approach of Self-Reliance has worked out well for me :))

~~~~

Energy ~ Intuition

I’ve found Self-Employment to be far more than just Business-like stuff: Find a product. Create a Business Plan. Marketing. Sales. Profit and Loss . . .

Rather: Find the Energetic Driving Force of something Stronger, Higher, Deeper, than just making money.

Energy. Intuition. Pizzazz!

Think about the Entrepreneurs we all know: Jobs. Zuckerman. Musk. Certainly, there has been more to their success than just following a well-thought-out business plan.

Passion. Spark. Desire.

Coupled with: Hard Work!!!!

Making their mistakes, and learning from them . . . (see my Working The Assignment: Welcome Failure and But . . . do you ever feel like a Fake? )

When I’ve attempted business ventures from a purely technical, flat-line formula, they’ve seemed to flop!

(I’ve had a few of these — usually when I tried to push something that sounded good in my head, but felt bad in my gut.)

Beware!

The energy surrounding the project/product has to have its own Spark.

~~~~

Invest in YOU

Turns out, on my Entrepreneurial Path, I discovered: I am the product: My skills. My persona. My expertise. So I better spend what it takes to get me up to top speed. In my industry, and beyond.  ~ DawnSeeker

Chase down what you need to know. To learn. To be the very best at what you do. Conferences. Workshops. Classes. Conventions.

Jump in. Take the risk. Invest in YOU.

And . . . then follow through. Put what you learned to ACTION.

Nose to grindstone. Late hours. Lack of sleep.

Whatever it takes.

Brainstorm! Seek out Mentors. Read. Study. Listen. Learn. Apply.

And never, ever stop.

Shift. Adjust. But not stop.

~~~~

“Winging It”– Self-Motivation

In Part I of my Entrepreneurial Lessons, I relate how learning to FLY helped fuel my successful Self-Employment Ventures.

In flying, I learned to TRUST: My good airplane. My good training. My good sense of timing, and knowing that I’ll know how to handle whatever comes up.

Literally, as I learned to wing it in Flight with a very real airplane, I learned to wing it in Business with very real dollars and cents.

“Winging it” is an Art Form in itself. And it requires a good deal of Self-Discipline.

When my Intuitive inner voice tells me to DO something — to call someone, or attend to a particular task or detail — I’ve learned to listen, and do! Follow through.

Cease to resist. Stop arguing, and just get it done!

(Sometimes, it tells me NOT to do, and I’ve learned to honor that, too :))

This listen and DO, Self-Starter skill set, has been a successful part of my personal journey.

(And like the skills of a seasoned pilot, in certain instances, I believe that listening and following through has actually saved my Life!)

~~~~

On Selecting a Product or Service

How do you know when you have a good, viable business idea?

Like a good landing in an airplane, things have to be aligned in order to work out well.

If you have to PUSH too hard to get something going, that’s not a good sign.

If it’s too hard to explain — if you have a sick or sinking feeling about an endeavor when you start talking about it, if you feel you have to “convince”  them, that’s not good either.

Look for the item, thing or service that has a Life/Momentum of its own, a Buzz surrounding it.

A feeling of “Wow!!!! That’s awesome!!”

The item itself, has to generate its own Good Vibes.

~~~~

On Expanding Too Soon

“Don’t expand until you’re bursting at the seams!” — Blossoms of Dawn lesson

Don’t jump into that perfect (expensive!) office, thinking that will attract the work. Stay small, make due, wait to expand.

Stick with the old car, the old wardrobe. Upgrade only when you really can.

Better to stick it out in a limited situation than move into a payment you cannot afford.

~~~~

Connect with your Clients

This has proved to be a big one for me. Not only for success in my career path, but for happiness and satisfaction in my Life.

Cut the clients out who cause you strife. Angst.

If there isn’t mutual joy, it won’t really work, anyway.

Seek out the happy face in the crowd. The ones who resonate with you, and your message.

My Mom had a saying: “Just do your BEST.” That’s all that you can do. (I have a sign by my kitchen door stating just that, as a reminder.)

Do what you’re best at. Take your best care of the job at hand.

The rest will take care of itself :))

~~~~

“Give Me Something!”

This famous quote in our family came from a former boss of my brother. (A separate post on this topic to follow :))

Bottom line: We all like to feel special — to be recognized and given a little something extra in exchange for our loyalty.

So when performing our product or service, look for ways to add appreciation and value, and perhaps a bit of fun.

I like giving little helpful things that cheer my client’s day.

A jar of local honey.

Trader Joe’s Belgium Chocolate :))

Hawaiian coffee.

It’s often the little, happy things that get remembered.

~~~~

On Communication

When you make a commitment, keep it.

If you’re running late, call.

If you haven’t spoken to a client in a while, check in.

Be proactive in your communications! Don’t wait for them to call you.

When you feel a client think about you, when it just seems like “time to check in” — take  action. Call!

They will appreciate the psychic connection, that you think and care about them.

~~~~

Don’t Fret over the Competition

We tend to worry over losing a client or job. We worry about the competition. That’s human nature.

Yet I’ve (eventually) learned to celebrate the lost work. Roll down the window and cheer!!!

~ The late Bob Skradzio, horseshoer for more than 60 years, had this to say about getting fired:

“I’ve been fired by more fourteen-year-old girls than you can shake a stick at. ‘Mr. Skradzio’, they tell me, ‘You don’t know anything about shoeing horses.'”

(A well-respected East Coast farrier, Bob started shoeing horses at age 12 ~ he certainly did know all about shoeing horses :))

I’ve learned over the years, when I lose an account, something better is coming to fill its place.

Nothing lasts forever. Change is part of the ebb and flow of Life.

Bless it. Love it. Embrace the change. (See: Ch-Ch-Changes!)

~~~~

Metaphysics of Money

I’ve learned that money isn’t what it appears.

It’s energy!

Plain and simple.

If I hang out in fear or angst, I shove the energy, the money, away.

If I mellow into “All is well . . . ” it comes my way, like a magnet.

Like breath . . . In, out. In, out.

When I give, release . . . it shows. Grows. Takes care of my needs.

When I hoard, it shrivels.

So I’ve learned to keep giving. Breathing.

Stay Grateful for all I have, and all that is.

(See Gratitude is . . .)

~~~~

On Borrowing $$

I’ve also learned that sometimes, financially, you have to ask for help.

Like a few years ago when my Jeep engine blew.

Who to ask? What to say? How to be sure I can repay?

Borrowing money works as long as you promptly pay everyone back — with interest. (Some people will refuse the interest.)

Brainstorm all the possible off-the-wall options to solve the problem at hand . . . think outside of your everyday box.

Communicate. Keep good records. Keep your agreements. Send thank you notes!!!!

And when you get the genuine inner tug to give or loan to someone who needs your help, go for it!

Creative solutions always exist!

(Right now I’ve done a trade deal with a client and dear friend, swapping out a horse carriage for several loads of hay, solving both of our problems :))

Remember — there are people who don’t have issues with lack of money, and, thank God, they are genuinely happy to help!

~~~~

Health and Scheduling

I’ve found staying healthy to be similar to finances — it’s all about energy.

Managing and maintaining my energy.

Because I cannot work when I’m sick. Broken. Injured. (See my post, Overcoming Injury ~ Life Lessons.)

Nor when I’m worried over scheduling, timing, running late, or how to get everything done . . .

If I hang out in fear or angst, I shove my energy, my health, away.

If I mellow into “All is well . . . ” it all works out.

Like breath . . . In, out. In, out.

So again, I’ve learned to draw on my Pilot skills, calm my nerves and systematically go through the steps I know that will accomplish the task at hand.

And if I do need to take a few days off to preserve my energy, or recuperate from a difficult job, I’ve learned to listen and follow that leading, as well.

(In recent years I’ve made changes to my diet, vitamin and herb supplements, and come up with strategies that have helped me maintain my weight, increase my energy and ward off sickness and flu. Hurray! It truly can be done :))

~~~~

Everything is Good. Always!

Important in calming the nervous system and overcoming obsessive negativity is the attitude: “Everything is Good. Always! Both the Good, and the Bad.”

Ultimately. Always. Good.

No matter what it is . . .

(Sometimes I need a reminder on this! See My Yoda Story)

When a problem or situation arises, rather than get uptight — what a temptation, I’ve learned to do my best to:

• Remain calm
• Search for a solution
• Bless it
• Love it
• Journal it
• Breathe into it

Rather than act out of fear:

• Know — there is an answer
• Know that everything always works out . . .

And, somehow, it always does :))

Like Magic!

(See My Miracle Book)

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Kinda/Sorta Guarantee :))

I remember freaking out during the first year of Blossoms of Dawn, and calling my   Entrepreneur-Uncle (Dad’s brother, Conway), for business advice. Things were going well, but how could I know if they would continue? How could I be sure that it would all work out?????

“Ha!” Uncle Conway gave a big chuckle. “That’s the thing about working for yourself. There are no guarantees. But after a while, you sorta figure, you can kinda count on it.”

That was the only guarantee I ever got! But somehow, it kinda/sorta has, and still is, all working out.  ~ DawnSeeker

And there you have it. My only kinda/sorta guarantee! And it’s seen me all the way through forty years.

So that’s my Entrepreneurial Wisdom —

Straight from the Horse(shoer’s) mouth :))

Distilled from Forty-something years of Self-Employment.

Perhaps Unconventional.

Perhaps a type of Spiritual/Metaphysical Entrepreneurship.

But it’s worked well for me :))

It’s Easy, really

Nothing to it!

• Set your course toward your Passion
• Climb to get there
• Chase after it
• Master it
• Wrap it in Goodness
• Breathe Love into it

Pure Metaphysical Alchemy.

Like landing an airplane.

Like shoeing a horse . . .

Like spinning straw into Gold :))

~~~~

Today:

I still fly airplanes. Usually on my birthday, and since I’m no longer current, always with an instructor. (See Aviation, Family of Flying)

I still trim and shoe Horse Hooves, as well as take people out on Trail Rides and Carriage Rides with my herd of well-behaved, homebred horses :))

(Please join me on a Soul Horse Ride when you’re in Southern California, or a Virtual Ride from the comfort of your computer :))

And I am still passionate about Entrepreneurship and Self-Employment.

I enjoy: Brainstorming new products or gizmos or gadgets; Helping others Map out a path to solve their Entrepreneurial roadblocks; and helping People and Horses experience the Fulfillment of their Dreams.

Best to you in all your Entrepreneurial Endeavors!!!!

Keep it Passionate! Keep it Fresh :))

Ever-Seeking-Dawn

Dawn with Starboy and Aria — note the size relationship between human bones (note wrist!) and horse!

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Like what you’ve read here? Visit Dawn’s sister blog: Soul Horse Ride

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Copyright 2018

Photos by Dawn Jenkins

Additional photo credits: R. Trento, E. Jenkins, S. Curry

 

 

 

 

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Here I am, third generation pilot, with  (rented) Piper Tomahawk. (My Mom shot this pic.)

Entrepreneur — Lessons Learned over 40 Years — Part I

2018! As I write this date, I realize that my Self-Employment Journey began in earnest, forty years ago!

In my mid-twenty’s, ready for all that Life could offer . . . (see bio in About DawnSeeker), I started an arts and craft Business Venture: Blossoms of Dawn — Silk-Flower fashion and hair accessories.

Initial investment, a whopping $40 bucks!

It began as a solo act. Just me, hot gluing flowers onto hair combs, selling them out of baskets in beach towns to tourists and shop keepers . . .

Then, that same year, I drove to the local beachside airport, and looked into learning how to FLY!!!!!

~~~~

1978 — Palomar Airport, near San Diego, California

I had a dream. An underlying wish that fluttered in and out of my Life — (and almost died when Dad died).

I wanted to learn to fly — like my Dad, and my Grandfather before me. (See my Family of Flying)

An unlikely dream for a girl back in those days . . . but I learned from Dad not to let that stop me!

And although we lost Dad to a heart attack when I was just 16, his legacy of Entrepreneurship and Self-Determination runs through my veins.

Still.

Dad — at the construction site of our Trancas Beach house, Malibu 1950s (Cousin Andy photo collection)

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Role Models

I feel for those of us who lack a role model in Entrepreneurial areas — the areas of Self-Sufficiency and Grit.

I learned all this from Dad.

I watched him perform on the Stage of his Life — from enthusiastically answering phone calls from his office in our Malibu beach home (booking Hollywood film and TV music gigs), to flying his airplane . . . to entertaining the crowds, nightly (and quite literally), on Stage at Disneyland.

Upbeat. Self-Motivated. Ready to take on whatever Life had to offer him.

(Read more about my Studio Musician Dad in You Can Do ANYTHING!)

My Dad (foreground, Saxophone) and my Uncle Lloyd (Trombone ) on the Carnation Plaza Gardens Bandstand at Disneyland.

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Nature vs. Nurture

I often wonder about Nature vs. Nurture.

Would I have learned to be Self-Employed without him?

Would I have known how to branch out and make it on my own?

Even after losing Dad at a young age, the lessons I learned from him have survived in me — even thrived.

So I figured I’d share a bit of that Magic Alchemy with you. Forty years in. Forty-eight years since his passing (at age 48!!!).

OOOOOOhhhhhh!!! Chills!!!!

View from Dad’s Disneyland Bandstand

~~~~

Find your PASSION !!! :))

What do you LOVE, more than anything else????

What sings to your Soul, inspires you — makes you hop, skip, and want to jump out of bed in the morning????

Driving.

Thriving.

Not just surviving.

“Just be the BEST at what you do and you can’t help but make good. There’s always room at the top!”  ~  Dad’s famous quote :))

When you find that Passion:

Nurture it.

Study it.

Develop it.

Master it!

That’s me with my Breyer plastic horses in Grandma’s back yard

So I loved HORSES. And I also wanted to learn how to fly.

And I loved the idea of Self-Employment. Entrepreneurship. Working for myself.

It started with “Dawncy’s Lemonade Stand” at our Beach House in Malibu the summer after the 5th grade, with friend, Nancy Carter (mostly thanks to her mom, Adelle, who did more work on the project than Nancy did :)) We sold lemonade and sandwiches and chips — I guess I just liked that I could do something to get both a few grown-up praises, and a little cash in exchange, because from then on, I was hooked. I kept searching for fresh ideas with which to generate my own income :))

Early ventures included: Dog-walking; House-cleaning; Arts and crafts (making and selling macrame choker necklaces); Baking and selling chocolate chip cookies at the  college dorms to students with the munchies (Sunday nights when the cafeteria closed early); Traveling the California Coast selling art prints, crystal necklaces; fashion items; Picking lemons (with permission) from mini-estates and selling them to health food stores; Roadside apple sales; Packaging and selling mistletoe for Christmas . . . in addition to odd jobs like milking cows, horse wrangling, and waiting tables.

I also wanted to be a Singer . . . but my daughter, Ella, ended up fulfilling that! (Ella inherited the musical genes — watch her YouTube music video here: EllaHarp) :))

~~~~

Back to 1978 . . . and my Dream to FLY!

In order to get my pilot’s license, I had to get through Ground School first.

That means brainy stuff: Physics; Flight theory; Navigation; MATH! (These were the days before laptops and apps and cell phones.) So I muscled through, rose up and got it done!!!!!

Next, the actual flight lessons — as in “Here we go!!!!!!”

Take offs (easy!) Landings (hard!)

Exhilarated.

Terrified.

But I knuckled in. Stretched my brain/hand/eye coordination.

Frustrated.

Overjoyed!!!!

By concentrating my lessons over three consecutive months, I accelerated my progress, growing my skills from one flight to the next.

First, like a drunk. Searching for the necessary light touch just to fly straight and level.

Then turns and banks.

LANDINGS!!!!!! Ever working on landings!

Growing my skills. With patience. With time. And with the help of my wonderful flight instructor (Dr. Backart).

Solo. Yahoo!!!!!!

Free as a bird — hooting and hollering. HIGH as a high ever gets!!!!!!

(My first solo flight, I did about six landings in a row, my instructor standing on the tarmac, fearful I’d forgotten him!)

Then cross country.

And finally, that nerve-wracking flight with the stodgy FAA Examiner.

“Congratulations! You’ve just PASSED your exam and you are now a Private Pilot, Single Engine, Land.”

Yahoo!!!!!

I now had my wings, and was ready for the next chapter of my new Entrepreneurial Life!

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Stretching, Soaring, Expanding

I’m including the airplane aspect of this story, because I think it factored into my Entrepreneurial success.

Here, forty years later, I’m finally concluding . . . I don’t think I could have soared in Business if I hadn’t soared first in that airplane.

If I hadn’t overcome the fears and frustrations of flight, I don’t know that I could have succeeded in long-term Self-Employment.

Exhilarated.

Terrified.

Branching out into Business on my own was actually a very similar process to learning how to fly.

Frustrated.

Overjoyed!!!!

I knuckled in, trusting my brain/hand/eye coordination in learning how to take up the yoke of Self-Employment without freezing up, stalling out, or crashing, out of control!

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The BIG BREAK

While learning to fly, I had decided to go back to school at Cal Poly University in San Luis Obispo, as a Communications Major. (By that time, I had already completed my two-year, Associate in Arts degree.)

So after completing my Private Pilot training, I moved to the Central Coast of California and started back to school. Studied hard, and went to classes . . . still working my newly fledged Blossoms of Dawn fashion venture in order to pay my bills.

It was Springtime now, in a new region — and like my flying, my Business started taking off!

My flowers sold. And sold. And SOLD!!!

Then came the BIG BREAK!

I got in an order from a family-owned fashion chain store — for twelve dozen of my product!!!

Business Game On!

So I dropped out of school. (With my Grandma’s blessing! Read: You Gotta Wanna:))

Hired workers. Filled order(s).

Thus beginning my Real Business Education — as an Entrepreneur!

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The Sky’s the Limit :))

Sales. Orders. Manufacturing. Shipping.

Hiring and overseeing employees: Bookkeeper. Production manager. Production crew.

Updating and creating new designs . . .

Working — expanding — traveling.

Most of the time out of town, on the road, rather than “safe at home”.

Flying my rented airplane on sales trips to both Northern and Southern California.

Logging nearly 300 flight hours, most flown in a tiny aircraft filled with flowers, lifting off from the bounds of Earth above twinkling runway and taxi lights, in the inky dark of night . . .

(As a pilot, they let me rent an airplane, but because I had no credit card — a more difficult thing to get back then — they wouldn’t let me rent a car!)

So I parked an extra car at Van Nuys Airport in order to get around when I would fly in.

A very busy time.

Long hours. Little sleep.

In my mid-twenty’s — lots of energy for all this.

Craft Fairs. Wholesale accounts. Retail stores.

Westwood Village. Newport Beach. Carmel. San Francisco.

Sales Reps across the country.

Commercial flights to service accounts outside of my region.

First-ever trip to Hawaii :)) (I ended up moving there a decade later!)

Boutique Show in NYC.

And, while I’m out of town: Doing my best to manage the employees . . . ever keeping up with the employees.

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As I expand, competition invades my sales, so I develop a unique clasp design.

Hire Palo Alto patent attorney.

Apply for Federal Trademark Registration. (Blossoms of Dawn)

Apply for design patent (Patent Pending).

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Burn Out . . .

After a couple years, I’m beginning to burn out . . . there has to be more to Life than just WORK! (And managing the employees!)

So, in attempt to realize my Horse Dreams, I take a day off and attend a Horse Sale at the Paso Robes Fairgrounds. I bid on (and buy) a sturdy Appaloosa yearling — my mare Fanta, matron of my current 4-generation homebred herd, and jump-start to my next Entrepreneurial career. (For more on my horses, see my Soul Horse Ride blog.)

You see, I realize in all this, that I really want to be working with Horses . . . not Fickle Fashion! (Hint: follow your Passion!)

Seasons and fashions, always change — “What do you have that’s new????”

Shifting styles, trends, colors, themes . . .

And so eventually, I land my airplane for the last time.

Shift my Life and Business out of fashion . . . into marriage, motherhood, kids. And Horses!!!

My New Venture includes:

• Vacation horse care and feeding.
• Scenic trail rides and lessons.
• Swift-moving horse and carriage rides.
• And learning the art and craft of Hoof Trimming and Horseshoeing (Farrier)!!!

Fast Forward to Today

Now that I’ve “Been there and done all that”, not only with: Flight. Fashion. Family. But a successful, thirty-year, Horse and Farrier career, I’ve plenty of insights to share.

My next post, Entrepreneur — Lessons Learned over 40 Years — Part II, contains more specific reflections and lessons from forty years of being an Entrepreneur :))

Dawn

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Like what you’ve read here? Visit Dawn’s sister blog: Soul Horse Ride

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Copyright 2018