Sharbot Lake Wellness Fair

Nov 15, 2012

When Tracie Goodberry, the organiser of the recent Health and Wellness Fair in Sharbot Lake, was thinking about bringing the event back to life after a one year hiatus, she decided that she would onlyh do it if she could get funding in order to bring the event to a new level. And when she did receive funding support to bring in a guest speaker, she was off and running.

But it was not easy. Here's how she describes her experience in setting up the event:

“The insanity of the entire situation was in the timing. The application process for the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation may have begun on September 1st, but final approval wasn’t confirmed until the first week into October. With over sixty hours already volunteered toward the project and both the FCFDC and the Central Frontenac Economic Development Committee on Board, stepping up was the only option.

“Here is where I must borrow a wonderful terminology from Nancy Browman and the GPS Group (Gathering of Peaceful Souls). This one, made-up term was the underlying tone of the whole Wellness Weekend. “Blurssings” describes well, the theory that all curses in life are, indeed, Blessings. Our keynote speaker, Jeremy Bennett, projected just this message in sharing his life journey. His struggle with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder gave him the exact tools needed to overcome this huge challenge. This curse brought him right to the edge, where the answers became obvious and clear. All he had to do was to embrace it and accept it… not fight it. Jeremy utilized the same energy it took to fight it, to face the ‘fear’ of what was happening to him and then, to move past it. In turn, he is now able to share his experience with thousands, in the hope of bettering the lives of others.”

In order to make the fair a success, Tracie had to bring a lot of other people on board. This was not always easy since, like her, people are already busy.

“Entrepreneurs learn quickly that for every three times you get the answer “no”, one “yes” will surface. That “yes” will be exactly what is needed; the perfect fit. Abraham Lincoln said it well, 'We must try for there is absolutely no chance of success without trying.'”

In the end, the Fair surpassed Tracie's expectations.

“A classic sense of small town community was displayed on the weekend of November 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in Sharbot Lake. All involved need be commended. If what was given freely indeed comes back ‘tenfold’, the Natural Wellness and Better Living Weekend of 2012 can definitely be deemed a true success,” she said.

(This article is based on a longer set of reflections by Tracie Goodberry. The entire text can be found below)

LIFE IS ABOUT CHOICE

As I build a fire tonight to take the chill from the air, and continue to ‘process’ the whole Weekend of Wellness, I have a multitude of snippets coming back to me as I revisit the Natural Wellness Weekend of 2012 in Sharbot Lake, Ontario. Each and every person involved in this recent event, reminded me of the many aspects of my belief system as it stands today… the very ideals that will help move me, and many others, through the next few months of transition. The New Year is just around the corner.

My work has taught me well, to let go of any perception of what one might expect any given situation to look like; to keep an open mind and expect nothing. From an organizers’ point of view, this event shifted and changed somewhat like the clouds in the sky above. It was my choice to allow it to happen just as it should, or struggle to mould it to my perception. I chose to accept every person and every situation exactly as they came to me, leaving judgment out completely. In doing so, what I know to be true was confirmed over and over again.

If you come from the heart, life just happens, exactly as it should.

We are all equal; inter-connected as one. We are all of the same height and the same light.

The balance and flow of life relies heavily on our ability to stay in the moment. The ‘present’ truly is our gift; our key to finding the silence, the peace, the love and the joy that we all so desire.

Therein we discover our ‘true self’.

In commencing this project, it was necessary to step away from the ‘thinking’ mind in order to get a real sense of what it felt like. It simply ‘felt’ like the right thing to do. As Sharbot Lake it outside the area in which I traditionally do business, it was in no manner a sound business decision on my part. In fact, my world took a back seat as SLNWW consumed me.

The insanity of the entire situation was in the timing. The application process for the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation may have begun on September 1st, but final approval wasn’t confirmed until the first week into October. With over sixty hours already volunteered toward the project and both the FCFDC and the Central Frontenac Economic Development Committee on Board, stepping up was the only option.

Here is where I must borrow a wonderful terminology from Nancy Browman and the GPS Group (Gathering of Peaceful Souls). This one, made-up term was the underlying tone of the whole Wellness Weekend. “Blurssings” describes well, the theory that all curses in life are, indeed, Blessings. Our keynote speaker, Jeremy Bennett, projected just this message in sharing his life journey. His struggle with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder gave him the exact tools needed to overcome this huge challenge. This curse brought him right to the edge, where the answers became obvious and clear. All he had to do was to embrace it and accept it… not fight it. Jeremy utilized the same energy it took to fight it, to face the ‘fear’ of what was happening to him and then, to move past it. In turn, he is now able to share his experience with thousands, in the hope of bettering the lives of others.

FEAR

Forget Everything And Run

or

Face Everything And Rise

or

False Evidence Appearing Real

Stepping up to the challenge of running my businesses while pulling together an Event of this magnitude in less than a month, left me questioning my own sanity. I too had to embrace and accept the situation. Twenty three years in business certainly proved beneficial. “Build it and they will come”, kept surfacing as I confronted each situation. Challenges presented themselves on a daily basis and the participants changed like the weather. Entrepreneurs learn quickly that for every three times you get the answer “no”, one “yes” will surface. That “yes” will be exactly what is needed; the perfect fit. Abraham Lincoln said it well, “We must try for there is absolutely no chance of Success without trying.”

As I pushed the boundaries of what I perceived to be my limits, I found myself doing the same to others. Each detail presented itself in perfect order. As long as I stayed in the moment, dealt with each as it came and did not worry about the next, it all took perfect form. At regular intervals, it was necessary to go into the silence of meditation to regain my sense of balance; to take a moment and notice the beauty of the day.

In all of this, I learned much about my ‘true self’… and about computers and such! I now fully understand that my perception is the only thing that has any bearing on my limits. I am capable of so much more than I allow. It is my heartfelt wish that any whose boundaries I touched, might receive at least some of what I gained in this experience. I thank each and every one of you for your time and energies. A ‘classic’ sense of small town Community was displayed on the weekend of November 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in Sharbot Lake. All involved need be commended. If what was given freely indeed comes back ‘tenfold’, the Natural Wellness and Better Living Weekend of 2012 can definitely be deemed a true “Success.”

As we continue to raise our own personal vibration we are, in turn, raising our personal level of Health and Well Being, and that of any and all with which we connect. It is as simple as placing our awareness on what we think, what we see, what we feel and what we eat. Small change can affect huge change if everyone does their part. Move through your day with an “Attitude of Gratitude”; enjoy a home-cooked meal with friends and family; languish in the colours of the setting sun; share a hug… laugh a little… play a little. If there is a need in your life, focus on something which makes you happy and from that space, ask for what is needed; letting go of any perceived expectations.

“Life is magic… do you choose to engage?”