Your scars are your tapestry, poetry written on your soul, each cell, each hair, each wrinkle beside the eyes, a tale to tell. How you rise, walk forward and reinvent yourself, a possibility. Cast fear to the wind, to dissipate and float like ash. Invite the sunlight in your heart, to trickle down through your bones, to let the rich earth within sprout, and grow the next story of your wondrous life.
Believe…. Xoxox Vanessa Plimley
I started beading when traveling through Mexico on annual surf trips, in my twenties.
I would drag around a bag of beads, pulling them out at a table in a restaurant, knowing that within a short period of time, local women would begin to hover at a distance, to check out all the pretty colors.
I would invite them to sit and make something. It was such a great way to meet people and learn Spanish at the time.
Decades later not much has changed. I love to pull out the bead bag and make a little something for me, that I inevitably seem to give away, but watch what other’s create as we chat around a table.
Summer at the lake has stepped it up a notch. Every week I now stock up the bracelet stash, with the hope I will meet someone lovely to give one to.
It is a way for me to give a random joyful gift that might make someone feel happy or special. They are conversation starters and small twinkling reminders of time well spent laughing, having heart talks, or being present to the special moments together.
With each bracelet I make, I wonder who will claim it, who I made it for? What future conversations will come from it?
It is a way for me to share connection, friendship and love.
You never know who will come into your life at any given moment. If you come into mine, know I’m ready and waiting with anticipation.
Xoxox V
Covid was an interesting time for some and devastating for others, but some gifts came out of it too. More time with loved ones, changes of routine and ways of working and communicating. And thank goodness for FaceTime.
My husband and I would have such great FaceTime coffee or happy hour chats with friends all over the world. And this has become a wonderful way of connecting still.
It puts such a huge smile on my face when random friends video call out of the blue. The planet seems smaller and friendships and family connections thrive.
I know I can be a big part of my family’s life, to see what they are doing and share their life even though we are countries away.
Who will you FaceTime this weekend?
Xoxox Vanessa
The perception versus reality.
We all have life challenges. In times of social media, sometimes we forget that below all the pictures of people doing fun things or looking healthy, there is another story unfolding.
Sometimes they are small speed bumps, other times a complete shift of reality.
Severe chronic migraines are my current life challenge, that remind me to always have empathy for what other people are going through.
This winter was one of the hardest in my life with 75% of my days in bed due to crazy weather.
With more stable weather in the summer months, I have some reprieve, to play and do the things I love.
My life has changed significantly of the things I can and cannot do.
For all of you out there going through a hard time, I’m sending a massive hug and a gentle reminder that this too shall pass and if it does not, you have to power to adapt and make the new reality one that fills your heart and soul.
Thankfully, life is full of wonderful surprises waiting for us just around the corner.
Xoxox Vanessa
2 days until launch day for a new book collaboration I am in – Ordinary Oneness – The simplicity of everyday love, grace, and hope. I feel so honored to be a part of these books sharing stories of life in all its craziness. My story is on page 240- “Fog Rising Off Water”
Check it out 
xoxoxogetbook.at/OrdinaryOneness
My mantra of 2021 is “Just Try.”
We all go through the wild ride of life with unforeseen ups and downs, which can be short bumps in the road or life changing ones.
I have returned to the coaching and personal training world, with a new challenge.
4 years ago, a mosquito disease took an unforeseen turn in my system, giving me encephalitis and leaving me with severe chronic migraines with weather pressure changes. Normally we are running to our southern home of Nicaragua, for sunshine and warm seas in between work contracts, during winter months.
There, I feel in my power with a clear mind and fired up pain-free body. North American winters are tough for me, with 50-75 % of my days and months in bed.
Yet when I rise out of the migraine fog, I am so excited for everything life has to offer. I want so deeply to move, connect, share, to write, work and to go fly fishing.
I have a list of things I want to get done in a day, week or month. Sometimes I can do one and not the five others. I cycle through them, focusing on ticking off what I can, rather than not. Somehow, it all keeps moving forward, albeit slowly.
With Covid, we are hunkered down and feeling very thankful for my husband’s work. For myself, it was the first year I thought, “Just Try.” The pull to return to my career specialties as well as writing, were tugging on my soul.
For most of my adult life I worked for myself, creating my brand and voice. When younger, I thought I had to conform to the mold dictated by society. As the years passed, I realized that I had the amazing ability and choice to do things my way. With heart, authenticity, and pure stoke.
With speaking my current health challenge, having a clear conversation of expectations, and giving my 100% when at full capacity, I have had glowing support. What I thought would deter clients, has instead shown them that we all have stumbling blocks. How we navigate them and create a new path, is what counts.
So here I am showing up with a fueled heart, ready to share the joy. I am so thankful that it still overflows through tough times.
Big love to you all going through mega life challenges. The sun will rise, the seasons will change, and a new horizon is waiting. Just try.
Finding a personal coach is like finding a hairdresser or massage therapist that rocks your world. It is an individual fit. I am certainly not everyone’s cup of tea, but those that can appreciate whacky humor, a lively spirit, and shoot from the hip communication, might be a good match.
Well, I have a gift for two motivated individuals.
2020 has been quite a year so far.
I love the cartoon that is floating around the internet, of a group of people hiding behind a corner, and trying to use a broom to open the door to July. What the heck will be next? What if you could use this time as a pivot point into the best year of your life?
Many people are experiencing deep personal change or upheaval in their lives. Perhaps you have realized it’s time to take a new direction, but are not sure where to start? Maybe it’s time to add more thought to leadership or how to shift your business to adapt to this blooming change of society?
I have two spots available for bi-monthly coaching that I want to offer someone in need, that is seeking growth in personal, business, or relationship development. I want to offer these free of charge as a gift for up to 4 sessions. I know so many people are financially strained during this pandemic and it is my way to give back. The only catch is you have to be somewhat flexible with meeting times as I deal with severe chronic migraines, and get hit at random times. If you think you are ready to do the work, fire me an email and tell me what you are looking for. Not ready but know someone that is? Please share. For more about me or what the heck is life coaching – www.stokeyourfire.com
Please note: I am currently EST zone for booking sessions and most weekends away with limited cell service. I will get back to you as soon as I am in range 🙂
A Toast To Three-Legged Dogs By Vanessa Plimley
From the book – The Grateful Soul.
I fumble into my bikini in the dark, feeling for the tags, so I don’t wear it inside out again. Quietly, so as not to wake my husband, I fill my shoulder bag with a laptop and a phone, draping a long-sleeved shirt around the strap before adjusting my crutches. I clop out into the twinkling dark.
Hop, clop, hop, clop. I light some candles and cautiously inspect my shirt for scorpions.
I grin at the quickly fading stars, climb into my rocking chair with one foot propped on a stack of pillows and enjoy my tea, as night recedes and the quick tropical change to a new day begins.
Dawn is my favorite hour, especially in our heart-home of northern Nicaragua.
Life can be a bit wild here in the campo, and it’s certainly not for everyone. We live in a place that is open-air except for the bedrooms. Bats sleep in the palm-frond roof, a resident skunk occasionally cruises through the kitchen, and opossums race each other in the ceiling of our spare room.
As dawn light sweeps across the sky, I see my dog finishing her perimeter check of our property. She stops and spends a moment hanging out with the rooster, Bartolito, and the cat, Mousing. They must have called a truce for the morning.
A swath of ants moves their eggs to a new location. Normally, this would not be weird, but they’re coming from under our couch, moving through the kitchen and out beneath a rock by the BBQ. I cheer them on and snort at how stupid I must look, my mouth agape at the wonder of their efficiency. An industrial half-hour of work and they are gone without a trace.
My attention is drawn outward, and I notice our neighbors’ pig as she ambles down to the water’s edge and rolls around happily in the tropical sea. A herd of escaped horses cruise the beach.
From the field behind us, grackles and turtledoves stop on the edge of our pool to wash their peanuts or worms. They fluff their feathers and bathe thoroughly before taking off to their secret home.
I notice and cherish all of these things. I’ve achieved one of my biggest life goals: to live in the tropics for chunks of the year. A simple life of flip flops, few clothes, and time to enjoy the special moments that are sometimes missed when living a busy life elsewhere.
This year, that lifestyle is somewhat different than expected. Three weeks ago, I badly sprained my ankle and have been in a cast ever since. Rehab will take months. My intention this trip was to build a new website, write more, and learn more songs on my ukulele, but the surf has been exceptionally good, and knowing myself, I would have let my goals slide if the Universe didn’t have such an ironic sense of humor. Now I turn my focus to non-sport activities and shift my life into a more balanced rhythm.
My husband recently called me “Lucky.” I’ve been plagued by health issues over the years, both illness and injury. I’m partially deaf, I’ve spent years on the floor with back injuries, I suffer from severe chronic migraines, and now there’s a cast up to my knee. He jokingly describes me as his old one-eyed, ripped-ear blue heeler.
If I could describe myself, I’m like that truly stoked three-legged dog. Playing with her toys, hopping around, and still pumped about everything life has to offer: cheese, play, cuddles, repeat.
Our place is on a cliff, overlooking a beach where I can spy on everyone from my chair. A friend asked if I was losing my mind, watching everyone surf below me.
I replied with a contemplative no. Every morning, I list all the things I am thankful for: my supportive husband who’s off work, and makes me belly-laugh often, to be in a country where I can get cheap healthcare, to live in a one-level house, and to have friends who stop by to draw on my cast, play music, and drink beer. I focus on only the things I can do and not let anything else in.
There’s a Native American legend of the two wolves within: one light, one dark, good and evil. They fight in every person, every day. The question, “Which one will win?” is answered, “The one you feed.”
Like yoga or meditation, running, or playing an instrument, choosing which wolf will win is a great practice. With every choice, you decide which way to turn. Feed the light or feed the dark.
I still have a good cry on occasion as I watch the future I’d planned vaporize in front of me. I feel blessed that my reactions are increasingly rare or short-lived. I quickly reassess and come up with a new plan.
I got into life coaching to help others find perspective while facing deep challenges, to help them create a space where they can take a good look at their current situation, and hopefully clarify the steps that will move them in a direction that excites them and feels attainable.
I encourage my clients to create a practice of joy. Perhaps it’s taking an extra five minutes in the morning, sipping coffee as the world wakens around them. Maybe it’s a long walk in the fresh air with a dog trotting alongside. Maybe it’s listing things to be thankful for, as they embark on their daily commute. It’s amazing how one’s perspective can shift toward the light with little time or effort.
So, as I rock happily in my chair, I honor this learned philosophy. I wiggle my toes, decorate my cast with paint pens, and with twinkling eyes and a glowing heart, I wonder what other gifts this new day will bring.
Bio
Vanessa Plimley is a surfer, angler, and soul on a holiday. When not playing in the outdoors, she is a life coach, writer, and personal trainer specializing in post-rehab exercise. She splits her time between North America and Nicaragua. http://www.stokeyourfire.com.
I am so thankful to be a part of this book collaboration compiled by Kyra Schaefer and As You Wish Publishing, especially during times like these.
Available now!
Its “Pink Hour” at the beach, one of my favorite times of the day.
I sit in the silent pre-dawn, listening to the bugs buzz and the watch the bats swoop the last meal before sunrise.
Within the deep twinkling dark, seeps pale light like an oncoming tide. Greys begin to wash the landscape, as greens of the land slowly come into focus. The turtle doves coo good morning, along with the occasional rooster.
Peach, pale blue and rose of a smoky horizon reflect off the sea, creating an opalescent gunmetal shimmer of beach, ocean, and sky.
My heart contracts with the beauty as I smile, feeling a puff of cool offshore breeze. As the land sighs, I wonder what gifts this day will bring?
The turn of the wheel
By the hand of time
Tiny notches clicking forward
The circle of life
Forever renewing
Birth and death and brilliance between
Here we cling
With hands and tears
Loss of a love
Dagger in heart
Memories whisper
Unknown future
New reality, unknown path
Through strength of family
Friendships unfolding
Savoring brilliant
Moments unknown
Courage blooms like sprouts unfolding
Walking forward, listening to the wind.
Vanessa P. 27/09/18
Stoke Your Fire 