Never say never. I’ve heard that phrase throughout my life and mostly blown it off. These days, it’s the mantra by which I’ve been living. I’ll never leave the ranch. I’ll never move away from California. I’ll never be in another romantic relationship. These are things I said. Out loud and in the presence of other humans who remember that I said them. In fact, my own mother even wrote one down after I told her to mark my words and she even saved the piece of paper with my extreme declarations of never.

And now, as I write these words, I am in awe of the unexpected, the way life unfolds and reveals things we never imagined or dreamt were possible. 

The most powerful development and growth in my life has resulted from hundreds of leaps of faith. My mentor, Jim, used to say that we don’t get to know ahead of time how life is going to go. We can only know ourselves and those trusted others around us to support us as we take one step at a time into uncertainty. Our stable self leadership and our chosen human herd. Our skills and capacities. Our resilience and resourcefulness. These are the things we know. Everything else is a beautiful (sometimes terrifying and frustrating) adventure. 

So with Jim’s wisdom whispering in my ear and a loving herd encouraging me, I am taking another leap. This one is 3500 miles! In just a few weeks, we will be moving from our beloved ranch in California to an unbelievably beautiful farm in mid-coast Maine. Yes, Emma and ALL animals are moving too!

This has been a thoughtful process and has involved several months of conversation, counsel, and reflection. Ultimately, I’m taking an important lesson from nature, one Jim talked about and I observe with the animals and with the land. All living things move forward in some way or another. Expansion and movement are a part of our life force. When we resist this out of fear or stubbornness, we can become sick, both in mind and body. The other day I stood at the creek here at our ranch and listened to the water flowing, forcing the rocks and dirt to expand around it, to change. The culvert bridge had washed out (again!)  and there was a thick layer of mud everywhere. There’s no fighting this. We have to adjust and move with it. Adjust. Grow. Develop. Evolve. Change. 

As I considered how to work with the water, I looked up and noticed Emma’s cat, Sheila, rolling on the warm rocks, the sun heating her belly, her body stretching toward the sky. I was inspired to close my eyes, stretch my arms, take a breath, and to expand into the moment, to expand into my life. To let my life expand me.

As we embark on this new path, we will have plenty of updates along the way. This new adventure will unfold and we will share photos and news as we go. Circle Up will continue to thrive and offer extraordinary leadership and wellness programs in San Francisco (Bay Area), California; Wisconsin; Portland, Oregon; Boise, Idaho; and Austin, Texas. The Circle Up team has been working hard to update our website with information about our growth and our new offerings. Please stay tuned and reach out anytime! We love to hear from our herd.