What Snapping Turtles Can Do to You

Connecting with Nature, Personal Development, Philosophy
Life has been a bit challenging recently, due to ____ (please feel in the blank). Today is a sunny late summer day. As I took a break from work and went outside to sit in the grass for a few minutes, my gaze fell upon a little snapping turtle, no bigger than two inches. He (?) was sitting 1 foot away from me, staring me “down”. I had to smile, and I thanked that little creature for making me smile. Then I realized that the world had not changed, but my attitude had shifted: from my problems to the possibilities life holds. My name is Manuela. I am a Professional Life Coach. Contact me when you are ready to shift your focus from the backwards look at your problem to…
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Doktor Wald (German)

Connecting with Nature, Philosophy
(This is a simple and slightly provocative poem by a German forest ranger that seems to address what I coach by: The power of nature!) Doktor Wald Wenn ich an Kopfweh leide und Neurosen,mich unverstanden fühle oder alt,und mich die holden Musen nicht liebkosen,dann konsultiere ich den Doktor Wald.Er ist mein Augenarzt und Psychiater,mein Orthopäde und mein Internist.Er hilft mir sicher über jeden Kater,ob er von Kummer oder Cognac ist.Er hält nicht viel von Pülverchen und Pille,doch umso mehr von Luft und Sonnenschein.Und kaum umfängt mich angenehme Stille,raunt er mir zu: "Nun atme mal tief ein!"Ist seine Praxis oft auch überlaufen,in seiner Obhut läuft man sich gesund.Und Kreislaufkranke, die noch heute schnaufen,sind morgen ohne klinischen Befund.Er bringt uns immer wieder auf die Beine,das Seelische ins Gleichgewicht,verhindert Fettansatz und Gallensteine.nur -…
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The Beauty of Weeds

Connecting with Nature, Philosophy
I found those beautiful flowers by the side of our house. They are tough in many ways: tough to pull out, tough to give up during a drought, tough to give up in a dry location, tough to walk on, tough to mow over with the lawnmower. Yesterday, I walked around the house to find some of them in full bloom. That made me think of the (often) hidden beauty of things we label as undesirable. What was the last thing, plant or animal in nature that astonished YOU?
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Nurture with Intention

About your Coach, Connecting with Nature, Philosophy, Self-Reliance
I love my house. And I love my garden. My property is surrounded by wilderness, I have started o draw a line of where my endeavors end and the freedom of the wild space around me begins. In some way, that is also where my freedom (the freedom to enjoy instead of trying to control and modify for example) begins. I cannot help it. I pull out the grass from the well-fertilized garden beds, and I start grass on the less fertilized and sandy soil around. “Of course”, I thought yesterday, “the grass wants to grow in my garden beds – that’s what I nurture. I have to nurture the grass where I want it to grow.” What do you want to nurture in your life? And do you do…
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