Memories & Music Connecting the Generations
I sat in the 10th row center. By the second set, the Beachboys had everyone on their feet, stomping, hooting, hollering, singing, and passing the beachball around. Down a few rows to my left I could clearly see a fuzzy white head of permed hair bouncing in perfect time to the beat. As the person in front of me moved, I saw a woman who had to be in her 90′s. She would have been a 40 year old mom when the Beachboys first came out. She didn’t miss one song, one beat, or even one beachball headed her way. It was heartwarming and life affirming to watch her.
This was the first stop on their 50th Anniversary Reunion Tour. They played for 2 hours and 42 minutes. We got 42 songs with only a short break between sets. The air was electric and felt like family. It also felt a little like home to me: most of the men were wearing Aloha shirts.
When Brian Wilson was spotlighted, the crowd went wild. He has had challenges his entire life. Some of the self-induced. But there he was, at his piano, hanging in with the other 14 musicians on stage. God Bless him.
There was also a magical moment when the band sang backup to two videos of their departed brothers: Dennis and Carl Wilson. Mike Love later teared up when I told him how meaningful that was. He said, “You can’t imagine how hard it was to introduce those pieces. Maybe it will get easier by the end of the tour.”
Video taken by Doc Rock and Amy right next to me.
This 50th Anniversary Reunion Tour of the Beachboys was a gift for my birthday from a very good friend who also happened to be related to one of the original Beachboys. I was privileged to sit in on rehearsals, then in a posh seat near the front for the concert. Afterwards, we had dinner with Mike Love and Al Jardine and all their families. It’s a memory I will cherish forever.
What sticks with me are two magical moments:
- At one point during the second set, I had to sit for a spell. We had been on our feet for two hours by then. In the cocoon of my chair, surrounded by 5 thousand fans, I could hear everyone singing along, in perfect harmony with the Beachboys up on stage. It sounded like the audience were the singers and the band was backing them up.
- Later I wandered over to the concession stand during the break. An enthusiastic 23 year old girl started raving to me about her new “find” – the aging, 70-something Beachboys! Her find! I’ve been listening to them since, well, since they actually WERE boys. And here, reaching across the generations we have a 90 year old grandma, an aging baby boomer, and a 20-something girl, all appreciating the same music. It’s the essence of connectivity and the resilience of the human spirit.
We were all one for just a tiny blip on the screen. Music does connect us all.
If the Beachboys come to your area. make an effort to go. It’s magical.
May today be a day at the beach for you!
Beth
Married to Pain
We are so attached to our wounds. Many years ago I read a Discover Magazine article that said we tend to be proud of our wounds. We drag them out and show them to each other as badges of honor and proof we’ve fought the good fight. The articles are squirreled away somewhere. I was reminded of that article as I explained the concept of Emotional Freedom Technique to a friend.
EFT is marvelous. I first heard of it from Gary Craig 20 years ago. I keep forgetting I know how to do this. When I use it I’m astounded by it’s simplicity and profound power. Gary wanted everyone to have this, so he gave it away. Unfortunately, people think if it’s free it can’t be any good, so it didn’t take off the way it should have. Now the folks from The Secret are pushing it forward, so more people are learning about it, and science is backing up the original theories.
Bottom line? You tap on specific meridians on your forehead and torso while first thinking about painful events, then as you repeat the painful events and forgive yourself, you begin to release the pain and allow yourself to move forward. There are many levels to it, but if you learn the basics, it’s enough to free you from a whole host of issues that hold you back. Click on the links above to find out more.
As I talked with my friend about Tapping and how it has helped me, she began to pull back. First, “It can’t work.” Then, “it sounds too hard.” Then the real issue: “Who will I be if I let go of my pain?” Who indeed?
So many of us are tied into our STORY that we don’t really know who we are. We only know who we say we are to others. Of course, the people who love us know us beyond the story. In order to prevent a “relationship ending
conversation” our friends may keep that knowledge to themselves. Yet our real friends are not surprised when we make what we think is a profound shift in our lives? They’ve been standing by patiently waiting for us to “get it.”
I was aware of my friend’s issues and I wanted so badly to help her. But she wasn’t ready. None of us can/will heal until we are ready to let go of the pain — to divorce it and start to come home to who we are. I resist Tapping sometimes because I’m afraid. I don’t know what I’m afraid of till I start Tapping. Then I remember.
I’m afraid to feel. I’m afraid of the emotion that overwhelms me sometimes as I release. I’m afraid of feeling the grief and sense of betrayal once again. I was tapping about the recent loss of my sweet little Chihuahuas, and the grief was too much to handle in the moment. Yet when I Tapped it out, that pain subsided and a sense of gratitude for their contribution to my life replaced the grief.
Then I remember why I believe so strongly in the process, and why I’m enthusiastic about helping people divorce their pain.
You don’t need to hold on so tight, you know. You don’t need to go through 20 years of psychiatric care to release much of the pain in your life. (Yes, I hear my psychologist friends yelling at me – after you’ve gotten rid of all you can, then go see some professionals. You’ll be much clearer with your coach or psychologist if you’ve done some work on yourself first.)
Full disclosure. I have no affiliation to either of the EFT groups I’ve linked to above. I’m just relieved and happy to remember I have the power to heal myself. I’m delighted I can divorce myself from pain and create meaning and joy in my life.
You can too. Onward and Upward!
Blessings,
Beth
© 2012 Beth Terry, CSP, Phoenix and Honolulu, USA All Rights Reserved
Secrets to Getting Where You Want to Go
Yesterday we talked about “Today is Someday” and I promised some secrets for making things happen in your life. Here are the first three:
Secret One:
Hang out with people who do what you want to learn. If you have children you’ve told them, “Be careful who you hang out with. Some day you’ll be just like them.”
This works on grownups, too. I hung out at the airport after college and became the air-to-ground radio operator. Eventually I got my pilot’s license. Not because I‘d said for years that I wanted a license… but because everyone else had one. “You mean you DON’T have your license? Why not?” I got
busy and got a license so I would fit in. I’m so grateful for that experience. Not only do I know how to fly, I know how to learn new things – find the people who do those things and associate with them.
Secret Two:
Talk to the right people about your dreams.
I named my first company Pacific Rim Seminars, because Hawaii is in the Pacific Rim and I wanted to travel internationally. One day after starting my company I got a call. “Your company name is similar to our association. What do you do?” When I told her, she said, well, we need a person to go to a conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and represent us. If you join our organization, we’ll pay your airfare and conference fee. You’ll have to cover your own hotel. Interested? (Watch my YouTube video to see what happened when I said “yes” to that!)
Secret Three
Just Say YES. You’ve heard that before. Say Yes to life. Say YES to the Miracles that show up. Opportunities are waiting by your side. They’re waiting for you to see them – jumping up and down to get your attention. Stop arguing with yourself and accept the opportunities. Say YES!
I watched “Grumpy Old Men” recently. In the movie, Jack Lemmon’s dad just celebrated his 94th birthday. He tells his son, “You know, the first 90 years just fly by. And you know all you got left? Experiences!”
That’s what saying YES to Someday is all about – Experiencing Life. Make a list of 7 things you have always said you wanted to do, SOMEDAY. Don’t do anything with it yet. Just let it sit there on your dresser, or hide it in your wallet or under your pillow overnight. Then, when you go to sleep tonight, instruct your brain to pick ONE thing from that list that can be started soon. Instruct your brain to tell you upon awakening which one thing you can do now. Tell your brain to start working on a way to make it happen.
Tomorrow we’ll talk about Secrets 5 and 6
Write out your list and tell your brain to work on them while you sleep.
Pleasant Dreams!
Beth
© 2012 Beth Terry, CSP Phoenix, AZ USA All Rights Reserved
Today IS “Some Day”
Everyone has struggles. Life is process. Life is suffering. Life is untold joy and immeasurable agony… sometimes all tied up into one. You love your children enough to let them make choices, and you die a thousand deaths when they make the wrong ones. You take risks and you screw up and sometimes you make incredible strides because of those risks.
All of us at some time in our lives fear being unlovable, we fear losing credibility, fear being a nothing. We all want to matter. We all want to know we are visible to someone. In some movie or another, Susan Sarandon’s character said, “We want a witness to our lives.”
Yet, we let fear stop us. It stops us from saying “I love you.” Stops us from pushing a little harder for that seemingly unreachable goal. We stop in our tracks – paralyzed. We don’t see Fear and Confusion are the real obstacles. Our brains are stopping us. When we were kids and fearless, we just went ahead and did things. Now as adults we go through a checklist of reasons why things won’t and can’t work. And we stop.
Most of us are our own worst critics. “Oh, I could never do that.” “Oh, she has so much more talent than I do… that’s why she is successful and I’m poor.” “Oh, I’d have to get [a degree, a secretary, a raise, a life] to do that, I don’t have enough right now.” Or, worse, “I’m not good enough.”
Michelangelo wasn’t born painting. Shakespeare was laughed out of the theaters when he started. Einstein flunked math. And Michael Jordan was cut from the High School Basketball team when he was a freshman. I fainted the first time I gave a speech (it was in the first grade when we were reciting Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.). The staff at Hearst Castle told me my voice was too soft to be a tour guide. But they hired me anyway. Then scolded me a few months later for talking too loud on tour…
We all suffer from the Someday Syndrome. Someday I would like to… learn to knit, interview my grandmother, take flying lessons, hang glide, take up stained glass, try my hand at painting, read all of Shakespeare’s writings, publish a book. Someday…
Today is “Some Day.”
Tomorrow I’ll give you five secrets for making your dreams come alive!
Till then,
Just do ONE little thing that scares you.
Beth
© 2012 Beth Terry, CSP Phoenix and Honolulu, USA All Rights Reserved
On Grief ~ Renewal ~ Resurrection
For two months I have slogged through life. Some days brighter than others. Still doing my job. Still able to “show up” on stage and be present for others. But my heart hasn’t been in it. I wouldn’t say I’ve been depressed. To me, that happens when you don’t know what’s wrong. I know.
Since October, I’ve had to put down my two beloved Chihuahuas. If you’ve never been owned by a four-legged furball. You can probably stop reading right here. Pet owners are in on a secret that non-pet owners simply don’t “get.” One of my neighbors voiced that particular point of view, “They’re just dogs. Geez! Get over it!”
No. Not really. Not just dogs…
And not easy. But life goes on and we must deal with the real world. And I’m great at that. I got things done. I was there. I smiled in appropriate places. And I gave one of the best speeches of my life in Appleton, Wisconsin two days after I put my little Xena to sleep.
I’ll post the video of that one shortly on my YouTube Channel. I took all the emotion I was feeling about my dogs and folded it into my presentation. And that works.
But it wasn’t until today, 2 months after I took Xena to the Vet for the last time, that I began to feel human again.
Why? Because I finally got it all down on paper and was able to express it. After her death, I started a blog called “Love From the Bridge,” a nod to the legend that all dogs to to a place called The Rainbow Bridge where they wait for us to come and get them. Then we walk through the gates of Heaven together. I don’t know if that really exists. And I don’t really care. If it helps us deal with the grief, it’s a good thing.
So this morning I awoke with a fully formed blog post for the Bridge site. Without any delay, I sat in my jammies and got it all down on paper and then into the blog. As I wrote, I felt my shoulders finally relax, my heart overflowed with love and release. And I finally, after months of grieving, feel whole again.
Isn’t that REALLY what the whole Easter story is about? I’ve studied religion and language my whole life. Our ancient ancestors were all about metaphors and allegory. We literal-minded 21st century techies miss wonderfully subtle messages.
All of us go into dark places in our souls from time to time. It’s how we change and grow, how we deal with life’s challenges. We may or may not be self-actualized enough to know that’s what’s going on, but we do step back from time to time and regroup. The symbolism of death becoming life again is so powerful in the Easter story. We go into the tomb of ourselves. We work things out. We grieve. We look in the mirror and decide we need to change or grow. We struggle like the caterpillar in the cocoon.
Then we emerge. If we are conscious, we emerge stronger, healthier, resolved to do better. We are renewed and able to look at our path with clearer eyes and greater courage.
Those who use these “dark nights of the soul” to find communion with their higher self and higher purpose will emerge with greater hope, more focused energy, and a renewal of the spirit. That’s the real meaning of resurrection.
For months I have known I was “off.” I’ve always been good about bouncing back, finding the lesson and joy in even bad moments. But this time I wasn’t pulling myself back up. I started muttering my “gratitudes” all day long. Those are the ten things I come up with every morning that I’m thankful for: a roof over my head, indoor plumbing, streetlights that keep my street safe, paved roads, hummingbirds in my yard… like that. These keep me grounded and aware that all of life is a blessing.
The gratitudes didn’t work. Nothing did. I isolated myself, meditating, watching birds. Then I spent time with neighbors watching kids at play — always a source of joy. Still nothing.
What worked? Writing down the pain. Owning the grief. Being present with the loss. Accepting the circle of Life.
I will always miss these little furballs.
But now I can add to my gratitudes that I’m thankful for all the gifts they gave me while they were in my life.
Will there be more dogs? Absolutely. The rescue shelters are full of angels in fur coats looking for someone who will love them. In time. I’m not there yet. But I am ever grateful for the privilege of taking care of these two for 13 years. My life is better because they were in it.
My goal now is to be the kind of person that will inspire others to say that about me when I die.
Have a Blessed Easter.
Peace,
Beth
© 2012 Beth Terry, CSP, Phoenix, AZ. All rights reserved
Just One More…
We all did it. We all pulled ourselves up on the nearest piece of furniture and tried to walk. Some of us didn’t bother to crawl first. We got around by rolling. Wheeee!
But, barring early childhood issues, the one common denominator for humans is we took daring, gravity-defying, brave first steps. And we laughed the whole time. Splat! We fell down, and we may have cried, then giggled, but we got back up and with great determination – we tried again.
You have it in you. You know you do. We learned to walk by taking ONE More Step.
Over the past month I’ve seen numerous posts reminding us to take one more step, encouraging us to keep going. Why so many posts around the world about Keep On Keepin’ On’? It tells me we are all a bit weary. This has been a challenging decade for most of us. Change has been swift, unrelenting, and not always kind.
With the loss of my two sweet canine roommates over the past four months, I have wanted to crawl back into bed some mornings instead of jumping out excited about the day. Little things – a dust bunny in a corner the color of Xena’s fur, a toy forgotten under the bed, scratch marks on the carpet where she tried to dig to China - each little sign of their presence stops me in my tracks.
One more step.
Just keep going.
Whether you are looking for work, trying to pay that mortgage, rewriting your resume for the 5th time, trying to quit smoking, trying to drop a size - take one more step.
You don’t have to do it all at once. You won’t change habits in a week that took a decade to form. One more ounce, one more pound, one more pushup, one more push-away (from the table, from the smokes, from the chocolate.)
Life happens one breath at a time. Even our broken hearts beat one beat at a time. One choice. One step. You can do it.
Eventually we get where we are going. And we look back sometimes and wonder how we did it. The sense of achievement and accomplishment is worth the effort. The peace of knowing we still have some control over our destiny is worth the time.
If you slip backwards, that’s OK. Just take one more step in the right direction and things will work out. Discouragement and the desire to quit are the enemy. One foot in front of the other will save you.
You are worth the effort. We need you healthy. So work on that. Make that your goal… and…
Take care of yourself,
We need you!
Beth
© 2012 Beth Terry, CSP, Phoenix, AZ and Honolulu, HI
All rights reserved.
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Fall seven times, stand up eight. ~ Japanese Saying
When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.
~ Franklin D. Roosevelt
When you get to your wits end, you will find, God lives there.
~ Anonymous
It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves. ~ Edmund Hillary
Friends ARE Benefits
Friends are good for us. You know that. A friend is someone who just accepts you the way you are. And when you aren’t being yourself, they let you know.
Friends are important for survival. They improve our immune system and provide us with biological benefits. Not only do they keep us sane, they boost important chemicals in our bodies that may ward off colds, depression, anxiety, and stress.
A friendship can be romantic, platonic, canine or feline. No matter, here are some of the benefits of keeping that relationship on good footing:
- We know who we are by being in relationship with others. it’s easy to believe all your own press releases and outlandish statements in a vacuum. But friends serve as sounding boards and reality checks. They help us work through our thoughts and feelings. Good friends love us enough to give us feedback when what we say or do is out of line. And in accepting their love, we learn to love ourselves better.
- It’s Chemical: Oxytocin levels increase around good friends. Oxytocin is the feel good bonding neuropeptide. Yes, that’s a mouthful. Oxytocin increases in mothers to help them bond with their infants and children. It increases in women when we gather and helps strengthen our friendship bond. (Ladies, that’s why you feel so great when you’ve been out with the girls. Your oxytocin levels are through the roof! And guys – that’s why you want to encourage your lady to go out with the girls. In the long run, you win, too!)
- Oxytocin also increases in men and women during sex and is part of the cocktail that helps romance and then love bloom in the passion-crazy first months together. People with low oxytocin receptors have difficulty bonding with their children and friends, and low doses have been found in persons with narcissism and other sociopathic conditions. (for more information on this send me an email and I’ll send you several reports. Or start here)
- Hugging and touching do heal us! It’s true – that hug from mom or dad when you were little and those hugs from friends help us get better. Touching relieves stress, improves immune functions, and lowers blood pressure. More on that in this article.
- Friends help us laugh. Norman Cousins’ research from many decades ago proved laughter is one of the best healers. It not only raises our oxytocin, it also raises dopamine levels: these are part of the wonderful feel-good internal first aid kit we all carry within us. Friendship and laughter help us access these natural substances and increase our overall feelings of well being. So go hang out with your friends!
“Seek belly laughs that release those pain-killing endorphins which make you feel good as well as more stress-proof. The pioneering work of Norman Cousins demonstrated the value of laughter in stress-reduction. Friends who make you laugh are one of life’s greatest blessings.” John D. MacArthur in Your Relaxation Response.
Celebrate Your Friends!
Put something in the “friend bank” every day by sharing love and laughter.
You never know when you’ll need it.
Take care of yourself,
We need you!
Beth
Quote This
“They come, they go, they never know what they do. But they do change you.”
Laurence Craig Green, from a book of poems given to me by my first love in 1971“Ah, how good it feels! The hand of an old friend.”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow“Until one has loved an animal a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” Anatole France
Excerpted From my Recent ezine, “A Moment For You.”
Sign up here: http://www.bethterry.com/Beth-Terry-Newsletter-Archive
and visit Xena’s Blog, too
© 2012 Beth Terry Seminars, Inc. All Rights Reserved
A New Blog for Animal Lovers Who Have Lost a Pet
Greetings readers. If you also get my newsletter, you know that I recently lost my sweet Chihuahua Xena Princess Warrior. She was a pistol and an amazing character. It became important for me to understand the process of grieving for a lost pet, and I decided to share that journey with others who also miss their special pet friends.
So, in that spirit, I created a new blog just for that: Love From the Bridge
Please share it with anyone you know who might be grieving the loss of their “angels in fur coats”. It’s a lighthearted and loving view of their contributions to our lives.
I am also interested in adding Rescue sites and any other Rainbow Bridge sites to my blogroll on that site. Please let me know if you have recommendations.
thanks,
Beth
© 2012 Beth Terry Seminars, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Mom 3.0 ~ Aging Gracefully
Most women deal with the hidden fear we will turn into our mothers. Even if we get along with our moms and think they’re great, we still want to avoid it at all costs.
This is the hidden driver behind much of the plastic surgery and heroic efforts to stave off aging, lose weight, color away the gray, and stay in shape. Contrary to popular belief, all that isn’t vanity or insecurity, and it’s not advertising that dropkicks us into wide-eyed panic. We look down at our hands one day and say, “OMG! How did my mom’s hands wind up at the ends of my arms!” Then we lift up those arms and gasp at the wrinkley glob hanging from what used to be a perfectly toned muscle. And off to the store we go.
Age gracefully? My ass. That’s what 30-something little darlings say. “Oh, I don’t think I’ll EVER care about crows feet.” Yeah, well I don’t either. I actually LIKE my crows feet. They’re cool and they say I’ve lived. It’s that turkey neck and that deep crease between my eyes that says I scowl waaaaay too much.
Unfortunately, the industry that caters to our insecurities knows this all too well. I was at a women’s luncheon recently. The sponsor was a plastic surgery office. One of the docs came up and said, “Nice chin. Who did it?” I said, “God.” Thinking I was out of the woods, I started eyeing my escape. Then he reached out his hand and waggled it under my chin, moving some skin very perceptibly and said, “I can get rid of that in my office in just a couple of hours!” (Oh No He DIDN’T! – Oh yes he did!) I mustered a smile and lurched away towards the bar. I don’t drink at lunch, mind you. Except in cases of dire need. And this was one of them. “I can get rid of that in my office… how DARE HE?”
I spent the rest of the afternoon looking at recent pictures and trying to see myself in different angles in the mirror. I found if I stand a certain way the turkey neck goes away. That will have to do for now. I’ve avoided looking at mom’s pictures next to mine just in case they look a little too much like each other.
But then, in a sane moment, I realized it is not mandatory to become my mother. Perhaps I can be an updated, improved, healthier, more conscious, and happier version of her. Perhaps I can take all her great qualities: her spunk and wisdom, and turn those into a better version of both of us. Then I don’t need to be bugged by the creeping realization that I’m turning into her. I’m the new version. I’m Mom 3.0!
I feel much better now.
How about you?
Cheers,
Beth
© 2012 Beth Terry Seminars, Inc. All Rights Reserved.





