cupcakes.

At 6:33pm on Thursday night, I decided I needed to take a shower to clear my head. And so I did. And it did. It reminded me of my friend Jodi Cohen’s note to me just before the Livestream broadcast I was doing at 7pm that night: “Put down the technology and pick up your heart.” 

That’s all we need: heart.

A video that my husband John put together for me started the evening’s broadcast, and the chat on Livestream and Facebook and Twitter began. It was beautiful to see a stream of conversation fly by, and then I shared my thoughts and my new website (this one) and my heart.

And so my new writing space has opened. I am looking forward to being here as a writer in this coming year. With heart.

My thanks

My thanks to a whole community of people who have helped make this space a reality for me, and who are supporting me in ways I didn’t know I needed and wanted. The “M” team is core to that–the amazing Megan Everett, who is running my new business like a well-oiled machine; Melissa Martin-Costa, who is providing a level of support that completely buoys me; Mary Campbell, a designer whose work I adore and who somehow figures out exactly what I will love; and Meredith Matthews who is our magical tech guru with a heart. It is purely coincidental that their names all start with “M” and that in some cases, they are MMs. Or is it? Smile.

Add to that team of Ms my friend Missy Butler Reed who walks at Low Blood Pressure Lake with me and stopped by on Thursday night with 37 beautiful cupcakes.

One of the features of this site that I adore is “Your Daily Rock,” a meditation and writing prompt that changes every day. The “Rock Fairy” Kim Mailhot is the artist behind all those gorgeous rocks. And my dear daughter, Emma Ptak, used her Photoshop magic to cut each rock out of its background. Soon a free mobile app for Your Daily Rock will allow you take this daily inspiration with you. Susie Riley is the brains behind that magic.

To Robin Plemmons whose wonderful poster, “Your Dream Has a Heartbeat: Listen to It” was the motif for the party.

And to the web team that made this site so aligned with who I am: Tim Grahl, Brian Morykon, and Joseph Hinson along with the rest of the team at Out:think. My thanks for translating what was inside my head in such a beautiful way.

To Pam Slim who introduced me to both Megan and Out:think and who has opened my eyes to many things, my deepest gratitude. Add coaches Michele Woodward and Laurie Foley who have helped me along this path in such beautiful ways.

To Tamara Bailie, Michelle Currie, and Stu Zonder who contributed music to the party that in my technology daze, I forgot to play!

And to so many more.

And to all those who attended the online party on Thursday night with such heart and honesty and truth. And to those who lit a candle in their cupcake at their homes around the world to celebrate, some of which are pictured above, my deepest thanks and love. That really felt like a party of powerful souls connected in tangible and also ineffable ways.

Let’s live fully our 37 days. Your dream has a heartbeat–listen to it.