Joy Junket

Bill Hamilton, Sava and me- photo Susan Honnell

From Sarah ~  The Jazz the Glass Retreat in Kauai Hawaii that I created with Susan Honnell and Tami McCall turned out to be an absolutely amazing experience for me!  We set out to take visionary Women-   Mavericks, the Bad Asses and Honey Badgers on this trip to connect to Nature, Spirit and (of course)  to bend the rules,  and play outsde of the fences of our ordinary lives.   Boy did it deliver, for me.

To be in Hanalei on Kauai is to be in a Bohemian Wonderland where the most clothes that people seem to be sporting are a bathing suit and maybe a shirt or sundress.  We even spotted a guy pumping gas on the highway in his Speedo.   Shoes are optional, tattoos are def. recommended.    Breakfast consisted of green smoothies at the local co-op and we packed up lunch in the cooler and headed for the beach.

We had planned to do Stand up Paddle boarding-  which we did up the Hanalei River and it was fabulous.  One of the unexpected (those are the best, right?) peaks, for me,  was learning to surf.

That very first day, it seemed daunting to paddle out on these large long boards to the place where the waves were breaking.  One of my co-hosts, Susan Honnell,  was an awesome guide and assured me that I could handle it.  Once we got out there were these small waves breaking perfect for a novice.  So I got into position as Susan had taught me and waited for the waves.  The first one I decided to go for I threw myself on the board and then (as instructed) paddled like a bat out of hell-  but missed it.  Then Susan pushed me onto the next one.  It felt different.   Instead of  feeling the wave sink and crumble beneath me….all of a sudden it was like this huge surge of power right under me and I stopped paddling and was hurtling along with no effort at all.  The, I leaped up,  into my karate stance,  (again- thanks Susan!) and I was up – flying along the water and I cannot even really explain how fun it was.  When it petered out-  I flopped into the water and could not wait to get back in the line up to catch another.

I surfed and tried to surf so many waves in the ensuing  6 days.    My leg and hip got so badly bruised (from slamming myself onto the board to get ready) that I looked a bit of a wreck.   I could not have cared less.  I even had a heck of a hematoma going on my right hand.  It was so much fun,  I was not going to let it stop me.  My body (at night) was like-  oh wow-  all over body workout and exhaustion-  yet as soon as I had stretched and had a cup of coffee I was like-  gotta get out and Jazz some glass!

What I noticed was the second day its started getting more difficult to catch a wave. It think beginners luck has something to do with “non-attachment’  because I didn’t really know if I would ever be able to catch a wave on that first day.  By the second day (knowing what it felt like to “catch” a wave) I was greedy for waves.   I wanted to CATCH them all.  When I tried to do that what I found out is my “paddling arms” got so exhausted and I didn’t catch as many.

By the third day, I had an awesome chance to hang out and surf with Sava (see her vid below) , queen of the waves who’s owner Bill Hamilton (Yes-  Laird is his son, lol!) taught me a few things.  I told him my dilemma— it seems like I am not getting up on as many.  He said-  “you gotta cherry pick”.  Bill explained that you have to be patient and wait for the cherry to grow on the tree  and then only pick the ones that are ripe and sweet.  I was laughing out loud at the sexual and surfing metaphor in all of this.

Sure enough, as I began to really wait for the waves that looked ideal….I sort of thought they looked “crispy fried” and seemed to have a bit of a CRACKLE to them….if I got into position and paddled like a mad woman into it-  I caught them and oh man what a feeling it was.  There is nothing quite like catching a wave, we all agreed and now, I know I am not the only one who is addicted.

What a great metaphor for my business, my life (sexual and otherwise, lol) and  in general….to wait for the best wave- the one that is ripe for my picking .  That way, I conserve energy and if I do succeed-  WOW what a treat I am in for.    You don’t catch every opportunity you paddle out to but, looking for the crispy delicious ones sure increases your chances.  What does your ideal wave look like in your life?

**We plan to Jazz the Glass Again in 2012-  so send me an email if you would like to hear more when we launch!  ~Sarah

From Sarah:
I wrote this as a submission for This American Life on National Public Radio’s Fathers Day Show-  it wasn’t accepted yet I wanted to share it with you guys.  My Dad taught us the value of play early and often and here is just one story that illustrates his gift for irreverence:

My Dad Joel Thomas Mitchell Bamford taught me the value of ignoring the rules.  At least some of the time.  While on a trip to Yellowstone the family destination of Legend, my Mother dearly wanted us to dine formally in the Grand old lodge.  My Mother pleaded and tried to get us to understand why the lodge would be fabulous.  But, alas, my sister Maria and I were not interested- we had been pent up in the car too long already.  My Dad agreed to take us on a leisurely stroll around the main Geysers while my Mom enjoyed the formal side of life.

Well,  the geyser area was well marked and it started out ok.   We were reading the signs of this geyser and that geyser and admiring their highly inactive qualities.  There were many signs posted stating “do not put anything in the geyser”.  My dad was armed with a newspaper and a old bag of his beloved ginger snaps.  He would then scuttle ahead in front of us – running at full speed to quickly park himself at a park bench and then speedily hide behind his newspaper while we looked around baffled searching madly for him.  He had away of making this rawwwwther boring stroll the height of excitement.  It was PLAY-  the game was “on”!

But, the best park was when – in front of a large crowd he flung a few gingersnaps boldly and maverick-ishly into the largest and arguably the most important geyser.  Good gawwwd what would happen to us??  It was clearly marked “DO NOT THROW ANYTHING IN THE GEYSER”  Horrors would the rangers find him out? The crowd was like “whaaaaa????” and all turned to stare at the three of us and then my dad took off like a bohemian bat out of Hell and of course we were 20 feet behind!    We stopped later to gasp for sir and laugh hysterically.  We were pretty proud of his outlaw act.  Every time I think of that story it brings me delight and JOY.   Thanks Dad.
Sarah Bamford Seidelmann

“Start living your dream right now.  Baby steps count.  Forward motion motivates.”  JJ Manifesto

What does the Joy Junket Manifesto have to do with fishing you may ask?  Well, following your dream, no matter what it is, or following your FEEL GOOD as Sarah would say, is what we believe in.  And how does all of this result in THE Holy Grail of my lifetime fishing experiences?  Several ways… … More

“The world cannot be discovered by a journey of miles…only by a spiritual journey…by which we arrive at the ground at our feet, and learn to be at home.”  –Wendell Berry

I love this picture because it’s a desk in my living room filled with things that mean something to me.  It also perfectly demonstrates the quote above.  Who knew that the little girl in the picture would someday go to Paris and return with the tattered books that now sit next to the image of her and her brother? 

I remember reading about the Leaning Tower of Pisa when I was in second grade and saying to myself, “I’m going to go there someday.”  Even though nothing seemed further out of reach at the time!  My family didn’t really travel, they certainly didn’t travel overseas and under no circumstances to Italy!  Maybe someday Norway or Sweden, after all, that’s where our families were from.  So when Sarah and I found ourselves in Italy imagine her surprise when I insisted of all places, we had to go to the leaning tower.  For me it was a way of keeping a promise to the girl in that picture. 

Hey, I’m still that girl.  Travel has changed my perspective on some things and certainly opened up the world to me in ways I hadn’t thought of before.  But so has my spiritual journey of recovery.  Conducting a fearless moral and spiritual inventory of myself seemed as far away as Africa just a few years ago!  Who knew I would live to see both journeys completed?  I am finally comfortable with the ground at my feet.  I love that travel, both in the physical and spiritual sense has brought me back to myself.  The fearless girl who dreamed of going to Italy in second grade.  

Where do you dream of traveling?  What has travel done for you?  –Suzi

“Inspiration Is Everywhere, around the corner or the world.  In the palm of your hand.”  JJ Manifesto

“Everything is Possible. Not even the sky is the limit.  Crave infinity…  JJ Manifesto African sunrise in Krueger National Park–  South Africa

I still can’t believe I actually went to Africa. Talk about something I never thought I’d ever do.   But in the end, it was easier than I could have ever thought.  Put one foot in front of the other.  Save some money, get online and book a ticket, put one foot on the plane (ok, and then the other…), a mere 15 hours later.. and I was there!  Now a new Disney movie is coming out.  African Cats.  I watched the trailer in amazement and thought to myself, I’ve been there.  … More

Photos from the air upon arriving on the African Coast.  I would be in luck if I could remember to take and use my camera as dilligently as I did on this trip!  You never know what amazing sight may befall you at any moment!

Hi!  It’s Sarah here, the Life Coach half of Joy Junket!  Yesterday,  on our second call we did on our Trip to South Africa in 2010 we had a ball talking with Coach Tami McCall about “how’ we were able to take this incredible trip and then, once we were there, how we enjoyed it so immensely and it was truly magical.  The call (download recording here!)was great fun because savoring happy memories is one of the quickest tickets to some instant joy.  When thinking about HOW the trip came into being,  Suzi and I both realized that we both decided (about 6 months prior to the trip)  … More

Coach Tami McCall will be interviewing us (Suzi Vandersteen and Sarah Seidelmann) about our recent trip—everything from how the trip manifested,  life lessons learned and,  the incredible Nature and Animals they were able to witness at Londolozi Private Game Reserve.      Shamans, Black Rhino near misses and becoming Spiritually Bulletproof will all be included in these 2 calls.   In addition to negotiating a bride’s price in a remote village (as if that were not enough, lol!) and having their bones thrown by a Sangoma,  we  had a Justin Bieber Dance party out in the “Bush”.  Please join this party and OF COURSE-  Come as You Are!!

First Call January 13 (Thursday) at 1:00 PM Eastern/10 AM Pacific  and  Second Call on January 27th (Thursday ) at 1:00 PM Eastern/10AM Pacific.  Dial in Phone Number: (724) 444-7444 Call ID: 89334- use 1# for a PIN if asked.  Use link to call above to stream the call on your computer.

Sarah Seidelmann and Suzi Vandersteen of Joy Junket on the Veld at Londolozi Private Game Reserve

Joy Junket Manifesto#3 JOY IS CONTAGIOUS.

Expose as many people as you can. Start an epidemic.

We know now, thanks rigorous research on the Science of Happiness, that happiness is truly contagious (as is a lack of it!). As a Pathologist in a large community based hospital, I took part in some drills and planning for the dreaded BIRD FLU in our large Hospital Complex. It was thrilling and a bit scary to be part of those meetings, knowing that we had an important role in taking actions to contain a potentially very destructive outbreak. While I am eternally grateful for our enthusiastic Public Health endeavors, it got me thinking. What would happen if we had drills and dedicated Planning Committees at our hospitals to ensure that AN OUTBREAK OF JOY not only SPREAD BUT CREATED A WORLD WIDE EPIDEMIC?

GOOD TIMES IN THE PATHOLOGY LAB

At times, our own lab could use a tad more joy. I mean we do cut up the dead (as my sister like to remind me) and deal with some pretty heavy stuff like- oh I don’t know CANCER, disease, Bone Marrow Biopsies, BRAIN SURGEONS. We could stand for an outbreak of FUN FEVER right? A tech in our Microbiology laboratory must have been thinking the same thing when she launched a self-funded program to do just that! On her breaks, she would bring little trinkets and treats (a grown-up’s treasure chest) to people in their offices on a gleefully … More

Nature at it’s best…

Africa is one place where Mother Nature always gets to be the star of the show.  It’s the stunning sunrises and sunsets, the intricacies seen in the coat of the leopard, the texture in the landscape, and beauty of it’s people.  … More

I grew up in a family that placed a high value on intellect.    I am a 4^th generation physician.    My Mom’s Father was a professor and,  we read a lot and put those in academics on a bit of a pedestal at my house growing up.   What I now realize is that intellect is wonderful BUT,  its not necessarily the best place to go when you are trying to solve puzzles of the heart.    In fact, sometimes I have to stop being so darn  smart-  so I can really look at how I am feeling and what my thoughts are causing me to feel.  I learned this only recently and its POWERFUL stuff.      There are any ways to look at your THOUGHTS-  and one of the most simple ways is a process called “the work” of Byron Katie . I cannot say ENOUGH about the work of Byron Katie.     Simple process- although it takes a bit of practice to do it-  but the results are well worth it.   What I have learned is that our intellect (brain-  whatever you wan to call it) creates thoughts-  and some of those thoughts are NOT HELPING US!!  For example-  “There is something wrong with me”  is a very common one I have discovered (for myself and with clients).  Yes-  in our Western Culture-  we glorify the mind-  but frankly … More

“Sometimes I go about pitying myself, and all the while I am being carried across the sky by beautiful clouds.  –Ojibway Indian saying

One of the many wonderful things I love about my business partner Sarah is that she reminds me that to do more of what we love just makes us more creative, inspiring, passionate people.  Which is how it comes to pass that I feel like totally ripping apart my bedroom/tv sitting area and making over my home office after a week long fishing trip in Canada!  … More

“She needed wide open spaces….. room to make a big mistake”

—Dixie Chicks

Last week I talked about my to do list for my home, this week, I am working on the to do list for my LIFE.  I started a “bucket list” a few weeks ago, listing some of the things I wanted to accomplish before how shall we say it????  Nature takes it’s course.. … More

Well, this is Sarah,  its time for me to do a bit of Q and A about Life Coaching.   (No that is not me floating in the pool- but more on that later…)    Just to set the record straight and clarify what it is and what it is not.   I first hired a life coach when I was in my late 30’s and feeling like- “wow I thought I would do my one job and be a doctor for 40 years and then retire”-  and then one day , I realized I felt extremely trapped.  Now, I am a doctor … More

A xylophone is my new best friend.    A  limiting belief that once tortured me became a playful colorful musical instrument on that day.   Ok this is an obscure one-  I will get to the xylophone in a bit.   I am a Life Coach (and part time interior designer, part time MD-  I know it might seem odd but its perfect for me) – and to me there is absolutely nothing better than working with my coaching clients!  They are some of the most amazing, courageous, smart and … More

 Hey-  its Sarah here.  Many of you may already  know that I was coached for several years and then myself got trained and certified as a Life Coach.   Being coached MYSELF helped me to transform my own life and look at myself in a whole new light.   I began to feel a huge new world of possibility.    The transformation began to take place WITHIN me-  I began … More

Everywhere we go there’s inspiration… We often say it’s around the corner or around the world.  It just depends on what  your comfort level is!  … More

 White Hot Truth’s Danielle LaPorte
We frequently tell clients who are looking to dig out their own personal style to check out one of our favorite books,  Style Statement by Danielle LaPorte.  Not only is the book visually a feast-  the discoveries you make will resonate throughout your life and dare we say change it?  You may accept and understand parts of yourself that you never have…anyhoo enough about the book.
Danielle is an ass-kicking … More

We have learned through our experiences to pay attention to WHAT FEELS RIGHT…One of the benefits of having a website is to host a fabulous website launch party!  However, everytime we started to talk about the idea of walking the proverbial website launch RED CARPET we became overwhelmed and exhausted.  … More