Courage to Complete

Update photo from neighbor of Minou refusing a treat.

Home now, unpacked and showered.  The kitty ate 3 meals a day and only threw up twice while I was gone.  I was reminded that when I left for the workshop I thought it was possible that I would talk about my cat a lot; I was really making myself nervous about if that would be a good use of my time.  You see, cats turn you into a crazy cat person! They do it slowly so by the time they’re 13 or 14 you didn’t even notice anything changed and people roll their eyes right in front of you as you talk about your cat and you keep talking!  I don’t think I mentioned her once during the workshop. My worrying about her refusing to eat was, of course, a complete waste of energy.  I do feel validated that one of the days my neighbor went through three different kinds of food kitty refused  and then her boyfriend fed the kitty the same food and she ate it!  I’m imagining it’s proof that cats will go to great lengths to play mind games with humans, even risking their lives for a laugh.

Expressing my vulnerability. Cred: Genevieve Shouff

I feel much better being home than I thought I would.  I was dreading coming home because 1) I started having such a grand ‘ol time and enjoying my new honest friends I just wanted to keep being around them –and- 2) It would mark the beginning of the completions I promised to initiate and the completions I know I need to make.  Completions are conversations with people I have unfinished business with.  It might seem big or small, but the point is that I still think about it and so it festers and poisons my mind; Brad Blanton says “Get over shit and be happy!”.  One man from the workshop has already initiated a completion with his father and posted the early report of the conversation on our secret Facebook group.  I both scare and inspire myself with his post. I know I will likely have similar results with people in my life as I did with people in the workshop.  After all, someone once resented me for my face –all the time— I survived and am over it: and it has nothing to do with me. (Side note: I resent hyperlinks for high-jacking underlining; I imagine it will never be quite the same and we’ll be forever waving the little hand cursor over it trying to “go” somewhere else.  Sigh…)  

I welcome anyone who knows me and wants to engage me in resentments or appreciations, to get a copy of Radical Honesty, read the chapter on anger (if not the whole book), and let me know you’d like to talk.  Ideally a completion happens in person, but face time or skype works in a pinch.  If you are a relative of mine you will likely eventually hear from me, and I’m pacing myself, so if you have something pressing, call me up!  I am aware I am using this blog to keep me from chickening out on this part of the work, and what the heck!  So what?!  If you are making yourself nervous like me, just remember I happily survived people resenting me for my face and for how I breathe and for crying and for talking…. And they survived me resenting them for their face, for crying, for laughing, even for standing in a doorway once.  And then there were really wonderful appreciations and ones I didn't care about and ones I resented... we're keepin' it human here!  It’s really much much better on the other side of the communication!  Whether you have a beef or some love for me or someone else, the book helps a lot.  Here’s a real link (not just an underline) to the book and others by Brad Blanton http://radicalhonesty.com/store/books/

One of my fav pics from One Tree Yoga Studio by Meredith Rom

I am presently reading Practicing Radical Honesty, which has a guide on how to start a Radical Honesty group.  I imagine I will start a group in the North Bay, so if you’re interested drop me a line at sarahdomke@gmail.com.  I do not promise any timeline on this aspiration, but it is a start.  We also have Taber, the main trainer other than Brad, in Oakland CA, so it’s quite a treat to have such wonderful support nearby!

Also: I am going to continue to post pictures of myself on this blog for now because Sarah Domke, the playboy bunny, has considerably increased her real estate on our google image search.  If you really want to help me out, google us and click on my pictures first  and more often…  though I wouldn’t ask you to not look at hers ;) 

I am still accepting donations to my Radical Honesty fund & offering 10 more Yoga or Energy Work sessions at 50% off.  Energy work available via Skype.  For more info or to contribute go to http://www.sarahdomke.com/#!radical-honesty/c1b2i