Consider this your grown-up roll call…. Are you paying attention? Are you here, ready to declare “present,” when your name is called in life?

When your mind worries about the future, when your guilt hangs in the past, you’re not paying attention. And you’re going to miss your name being called repeatedly by life’s opportunities because you aren’t paying attention in class (class = life, I know, deep huh?). But it’s true!

From A Course In Miracles.

You can’t change the past, so why would you choose to re-live it?

You can only apologize for the wrongs you’ve committed and attempt to right them. You can only forgive the people you feel have wronged you and move forward so they can, too. Just like yesterday’s post, you can’t hope for forgiveness without you too forgiving. You can’t heal with guilt or hate or judgment. Forgive others to heal yourself. It’s the only thing that works.

What are some old ways of thinking you can let go of today? What’s a mean ‘ol story you keep repeating in your head? How (or with whom) are you reliving the same lesson, over and over again, but not learning anything from? Don’t keep yourself on the repeat button, change everything and move on from your history repeating. Break the cycle. Stop repeating lessons you are ready to evolve from.

Put your faith in you. Put your faith in moving to new lessons.

Change your future, here in the present moment, by letting go of your past.

What are you putting out there? How do you see the world? How are you treating others? Yourself?

Looking out to the Inside Passage of Alaska, on the Alaska Marine Highway System.

You simply can’t do harm to others without harming yourself. It’s something I’ve learned for myself time and time again until the message finally clicked this year. I still make mistakes, I still screw up all the time.

But at least now I’m aware. Are you?

But when you’re just getting into the angling game, what do you wear?

Well in my case, you press upon your friend for all the essential stuff like your Ugly Stick fishing rod, tackle, Mustang Survival float coat and of course, his Willie Boat. But you can still “juje” it up a little with your own touches. I always use my lightweight blue Marmot rain shell and big sunglasses to protect my eyes.

Friday Fashion: Fishing for Trout

If you’re interested in what’s involved in some basic Alaskan Fishing Fashion, it’s things like:

• Your friend’s custom built Willie Boat (with a cover for those southeast showers)
• Some trout lures to snag some Cutthroat
• A sunny self portrait of the Duchess in my blue Marmot rain shell (love this coat!)
• A nice selection of your friend’s Ugly Stick rods (I think he was trying to tell me something)
• A bright Mustang Float Coat in case you get tossed over the edge (I had a nice spill, but managed to stay inside the boat)
• And of course a nice catch & release Cutthroat Trout is pretty cool, too! (his, not mine)

No reason you can’t be you out on the water. Dress warm, have fun, make yourself laugh – and go fishing!

Anchorage is a commercial airline flight and layover away from Petersburg, located in southeast Alaska.

We spent all day Saturday out exploring the river and fishing (and in his case, even catching! Sadly, not for me). If my gentleman friend is truly right that this day on the river just outside of Petersburg is the “real Alaska,” then I’m sold; hook, line and sinker.

Bonfire lunches on sandbars with not a soul in sight.

Sand bar on the river.

Plenty of driftwood to make a fire for lunch.

Ready for lunch and loving the sunshine on the river’s sandy shore.

Wandering along the river, deep and shallow, trying to find the perfect spot to cast both onboard the boat and wandering the shoreline.

Catch and release. A cutthroat.

The bushes in bloom along the riverside.

Blue skies and shallow water.

And after a full day of angling and exploring the river water of “real Alaska” (and even an international sidebar stopover in Canada) it was time to navigate the ocean tidal flats to get back to the launch point and return home. If the day of fishing wasn’t quite enough to convince me Alaska is the most beautiful place on earth, the sunset navigating the shallow silted water to get home sealed the deal.

Whatever the “real Alaska” really is, wherever it exists, I love exploring this state.

The sun starts to dip below the horizon as we returned home.

The rewards of the day? A real Alaskan sunset.

I love this beautiful, amazing state where I live. 

I can’t wait to see where the next Alaskan adventure presents itself and allows me to go.

The sound of their jubilee was so shrill it raised every hair on the back of my neck as high as the cackles raised on Betty’s back. It was eerie. A chill went through me even from inside the obvious protection of my condo walls. We were safe, but life just outside the sliding glass door was doing what life does. It destroys and breaks down. It nourishes and sustains. It’s life. Something must go so that others may stay.

Everlong.

And so it is with all of us. Some things must go so that others have room to appear. Everything always evolving and changing as every moment lived changes the next moment. Life, love, the ocean, the river and the landscape … always changing, never quite the same as the last time you were there.

Embrace the movement. Love the change and go with it. Be as moldable as the shoreline, as strong as the tides and as beautiful as the destruction.

It’s life. It’s love. It’s yours. 

What a waste.

Around and around you go in your hamster wheel, analyzing and over analyzing what might have been, or what could possibly be ahead for you.

“We human beings have enormous difficulty in focusing on the present; we’re always thinking about what we did, about how we could have done it better, about the consequences of our actions, and about why we didn’t act as we should have. Or else we think about the future, about what we’re going to do tomorrow, what precautions we should take, what dangers await us around the next corner, how to avoid what we don’t want and how to get what we have always dreamed of. You think you exist because you’re unhappy. Other people exist merely as a function of their problems and spend all their time talking compulsively about them. They never stop to think, I am the result of everything that happened and will happen, but I’m here. If I did something wrong, I can put it right or at least ask forgiveness. If I did something right, that leaves me happier and more connected with the now.” – Paulo Coehlo, ALEPH

I have learned that the most important thing in the world is to do your absolute best at being kind right now. To everyone. All the time. You won’t be, of course, you’ll fall a little short some days, while other days you’ll fall far short. But the important thing is to keep trying and to keep being kind. It is only in loving other people, in being kind to others, that you heal all the broken places in you that need kindness. You can’t expect and want others to go out of their way for you, if you aren’t willing to go out of your way for them. So be the proactive party and go out of your way in this present moment to forgive, to help and to encourage before expecting it from others.

Stick with love.

Wherever you go today, whatever happens that tries to pry you from the present moment, kindly say to yourself, “no, I am not going to relive that moment from the past, and I’m not too concerned with obsessing about the future, I’m going to be here, now. What’s happened has happened, what’s coming is already on it’s way.” Allow yourself to come gently into the present, while being kind to all those you encounter in your day.

It may not always be the easiest way to live, but it’s always the simplest and certainly the best way.

Learning to be present. From A Course In Miracles and a photo I took over the weekend fishing in southeast Alaska.

Last weekend I had the opportunity to go out on a boat for an entire Saturday, exploring the wilds of southeast Alaska. It was awesome, in the true, original sense of the word that only Alaska seems capable of inspiring in me anymore.

Full of awe.

And without cell service or technology available to distract me, it was a rare day of being present and enjoying the day.

Whenever you get the chance, I highly suggest you seize the opportunity to disconnect and be present.

So today’s Alaska Friday Fashion is a little more interior decorating than usual, but important nonetheless if you’re thinking of visiting our state in the summer. Muster up your inner Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany’s and remember your sleep mask!

These are a few of my favorite summer sleep time necessities.

Thinking of recreating some of the midnight sun sleep essentials for yourself?

1. I’m an interesting mix of girly and masculine. I don’t particularly like foo-foo colors like pink, so this grey headboard was a perfect addition to my room. There are lots of options to find your own including Costco (yep!) and Restoration Hardware – depending on your wants and budget.
2. Silk Slips are a must for me. I may not like girly colors, but I love girly sleepwear. It’s comfortable, soft and I don’t get hot or bunched up like wearing pj’s. I have a collection of slips, mostly from Nieman Marcus, but even Target has some cute ones. Again – it’s your budget so find what works for you. This one is a $400+ La Perla from Nieman Marcus, and no, I don’t own it! That’s crazy talk! But I do shop sales and keep an eye out for ultra soft, feminine slips year round. 
3. Fresh flowers are always in my house. Recently, I bought a bud vase to keep on my writing desk and nightstand because I love to look at and smell fresh flowers when I write and wake up. I got mine at a very fancy store called Target. You just might have a local Target of your own, they’re back in the home decor section and they fit a rose or two very nicely for a pop of color and good scent.
4. At my home, Labrador Retrievers are a must! This is a picture of my baby, Betty, being naughty and sleeping on my bed. Caught her in the act! No you can’t have my Lab, but I thought it was a nice reflection of colors and my favorite thing in the world (Betty) and that moon decal on my wall… More on that in a moment.
5. Mirror Nightstand. I love this thing. Just got one and it was a light, cute touch to a room that was getting very grey and blue (the colors I like). I stack my favorite books and my bud vase full of fresh roses and voila!
6. Sleep mask. Wear it on the plane. Then when you get to Alaska, you can wear it in the hotel. Most places have blackout curtains – keeping your room nice and dark. But if you go camping or you’re moving and have your black out curtains down (like me!) then a sleep mask helps keep the midnight sun out of your eyes.
7. My prized possession is my Blik full moon decal. The one in the photo with Betty is the actual one I owned and I loved that thing! It was easy to apply and cheerful. I have a lunar fascination, so sleeping below that cheerful man in the moon put my mind into a deep sleep every night. Sadly, Blik no longer makes this guy but maybe if you like it enough, like I do, they’ll bring it back. Visit WhatIsBlik.com for more info and selection on their wall graphics. They go up and come down easily and without damage. Just wish I had my moon back!
8. Finally, perfectly soft sheets. I love white sheets myself. Crisp, classic, soft to the touch – but any sheets that are soft, high thread count in this variety of cool hues would be perfect for my room!

Just a few sleep essentials to consider when decorating your own neck of the woods, or considering what to pack to sleep well in a land where you need to wear your sunglasses at night.

Sweet dreams!

Why you’d don your rainboots, naturally!

When competing in the rainboot race, you really only need one thing… A sense of adventure. Okay, and the rainboots. I saw all manner of rainboots as over twelve hundred locals assembled on a hill to start the race off right. There was all manner of rain apparel, too.

Ketchikan broke the Guinness Book of World Records for most participants in a Rainboot Race on Saturday, May 18th, 2013.

The starting gun blasted and the herds of Ketchikans marched forward; left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot in our quest to victory. And the sun gods smiled on us for those forty-five minutes as the clouds miraculously parted and the sun shone across the southeast. It was beautiful. And I was lucky I was able to help Ketchikan, Alaska beat the Guinness Book of World Records for most participants in a Rainboot race at 1,976. Way to go, Ketchikan!

You can read about travel to Alaska by sea here.

Holland America cruise ship gently, silently leaving the town of Ketchikan to continue cruising the Inside Passage.

Also, there are a variety of cruise options. Last week when I was visiting Ketchikan, Alaska on business, there were numerous Holland-America ships, Celebrity Cruise lines and Carnival cruise lines all lining the docks of the city. These boats are MASSIVE and pretty spectacular to see. I got some amazing shots of the majestic Holland-America ship departing the Ketchikan waterfront during a dinner appointment. It was pretty special to see.

Heading out into the Inside Passage.

You have options, so explore which option is right for you. But if you ever have the chance, I can’t recommend cruising the Inside Passage of Alaska enough. There are truly magical channels of water and sights of glaciers. You may even have the opportunity to see a whale …