They just don't get it....

There are a number of things I could write about in this entry....the amazing women's retreat I led last weekend (Gift of the Sea, which I'll write about tomorrow - I promise!), my retreat coach certification (which happened in Colorado in March), the horrible Nor'easter we experienced here in Maine two weeks ago tomorrow...but this is what I'm writing about today:

We need a new refrigerator, and so while at Home Depot to get a couple of adaptor plugs, I wandered over to their appliance department to check out their fridges. There were quite a few: this is Home Depot, after all. While walking past the absolutely huge double door fridges, I happened to put my hand on one. It felt cold. I stopped and opened it, to find that it was in fact plugged in and running. I went to another refrigerator...same thing. I didn't check every single refrigerator there, but the 6 or 7 that I checked were all plugged in...nice and cold, as a refrigerator would be in one's home. I was incredulous. I couldn't believe that these refrigerators - all of them empty - were plugged in and running. Can it be that Home Depot has not heard about global warming? Do they know where electricity comes from? Are they unaware of the concept "carbon footprint"?

When I told my husband I was going to find the store manager to register my complaint and request that they sell their refrigerators at room temperature, he decided to pay for our purchases and wait by the door. He was, in a word, embarrassed. Undeterred, I went to the customer service desk and requested to speak with the manager. When she arrived, I politely told her about the refrigerators and that I thought this blatant waste of electricity was insanity. As far as I knew, millions of refrigerators had been sold without being plugged in and using electricity unnecessarily, and that I thought this practice was irresponsible on their part. She told me that many customers like to see how cold a refrigerator is before they purchased it.

I can't add anything to this statement. I think it speaks for itself - and the consumers who need to have a refrigerator plugged in to see how cold it is before they buy it.

This is only one Home Depot store, but, tonight I'm wondering - is this common practice? So, this is my challenge to you readers: go to your Home Depot, or some other big box store, and see if they have their empty refrigerators plugged in. See if they have them plugged in and running for the consumer who has to see how cold a refrigerator is before they purchase it. And, if they are (senselessly) running all 20 - 30 models, 12 hours a day, 7 days a week - perhaps you could complain to the manager or the district manager or the regional manager or whomever it is that thinks this makes sense, or is justified by the profit from selling a refrigerator.

While the rest of us are shutting off lights in rooms as we leave, reading from the cold orange or green light that comes from energy saving bulbs, driving low mileage cars, recycling and generally trying to reduce our carbon footprint...isn't it great to know there's enough electricity being generated to chill empty refrigerators and freezers for endless American consumerism? Isn't it just great to know that our finite, non-renewable fossil fuels are being used so judiciously?

P.S. The store manager I spoke to said she agreed with me and would pass my complaint on to the regional manager. We'll see what happens.

You've got to accent-uate the positive...

No bars hold - springtime in the city

Dublin, 4:30 p.m.

I am, it would seem, an inconsistent blogger. However, as I note the consistency with which I am inconsistent, it would appear that I am perhaps more consistent than I give myself credit for!

That, my friends, is a re-frame. Go ahead and laugh, but re-frames actually serve a valuable purpose. By re-framing, I begin writing with a smile on my face and feeling pretty good about the information I want to share with you. If I didn't re-frame, at the very least I might have entertained some thoughts that were negative like: I just can't seem to organize myself very well to find time to write; all the other coaches, retreat coaches, writers - in fact the whole human race manages to find time to make regular blog entries; I should probably give up blogging altogether.

All that negativity would have zapped my energy, and left me feeling inadequate about my organizational skills. NOT good motivation for change. Accentuating the positive isn't putting your head in the sand...it's acknowledging the other part of reality - the light side to the shadow side - which allows us to move forward rather than staying stuck in a puddle of low self-esteem. Try it! A little positive attitude will go a very long way!

A lot has been happening in my world over the past few months. New Year's in Dallas with my amazing GrandBaby (can anyone imagine they could possible feel this way about another human being?), and at the end of January I led a fabulous retreat here in Ireland called "2007, Your Best Year".

Eight women from Ireland and the U.S. gathered to dream bold dreams, create visions and intentions and commit to supporting each other in achieving those intentions throughout the coming year. They learned, exchanged ideas, did some creative artwork around their intentions and came up with action plans that will act as beacons guiding them toward their goals. It was an amazing group of creative women: a photographer, a jewelry designer, a fashion designer, a very special administrative and marketing woman whose passion is to support the work of other women (and when I'm ready to hire a Virtual Assistant, she's my first choice!), two tax consultants and a reflexologist/reiki/Indian head massage practitioner. There was a lot of talent and creative energy there!

In terms of my own professional development, I was in Colorado a few weeks ago for a 5 day Retreat Coach training, and also received my certification as a Retreat Coach from Mountain Coaching in Beulah, Colorado.

I was there with 14 other retreat coaches, to learn, grow, share resources, have fun and restore my balance - exactly what a retreat is for! The Colorado blue sky and and air were both crisp and clear. I'm sure the B&B where we were staying was just glowing or emanating some kind of energetic waves out into the universe because 14 retreat coaches gathered together under one roof was one powerful experience.

I've returned energized, positive and full of ideas and enthusiasm for my April retreat Gift of the Sea, to be held on the coast of Maine April 20 - 22. Check out my website for more information. If you love retreating, if you love Maine....this is the place for you! This retreat is based on Anne Morrow Lindbergh's book Gift from the Sea, and is an opportunity to nourish yourself in order to truly enjoy and sustain your relationships with others. Bottom line? We can't give what we don't have. This isn't being selfish with our resources - time, money, etc. It's being self-caring. Take a look and see what you think. The retreat centre, sitting right on the ocean, and near an Audobon Sanctuary, is a former convent that hosts multi-and non-denominational retreats.

Next post I'll include some pics of my Colorado retreat and I'll write about vision boards, sometimes called dream boards. They're a wonderful and powerful tool for focusing on your intentions. I'm also gathering some resources from some talented women that I'll post here as well.

Be well,

Maggie