Issue 5                  Solutionary Press             Almost Fall 2007                                                                                                                                                    Welcome to the Solutionary Press! Welcome new readers and thank you to  the folks who wrote in asking after me since the last issue in December 2006.   It's been quite a ride... As always you are welcome to forward this email or unsubscribe using the links listed below. The Solutionary Press is dedicated to giving voice and celebrating all of our stories. In this way we can offer a note of encouragement and inspiration for one another.  The next issue will be in March/April 2008, and if all goes as intended, it will be in English and Spanish. If you are interested in contributing, please email for more information solutions@whatarelief.net     At this point, one might be asking, "so what's up with the boat and where have you been?" A  big deep breath is appropriate here. I have tried to write the zine several times over and it just wasn't time. The muse can only be encouraged, not forced so I waited...I hope you will enjoy the story of my evolution these past nine months in the Spotlight of this issue. SPOTLIGHT As the last issue was being produced in December I was in a period of reflection and concerned about some nagging health issues that seemed to be getting worse. It turned out my flat, that I loved so much, was full of mold and I was having a violent reaction in my lungs and skin which forced me to move abruptly. I left in April to try a new path to expand my business and my chances of emotional fulfillment -- relocating to a possibly gentler social climate, while still in proximity to my established base here in Boston. I moved house to Providence, RI. Immediately following, on April 29, I was with my close friend of 10 years, Richie Goldstein, when he left this planet. It was a first for me. He and I shared the last year and a half of his life quite intimately as he faced his demons in the manifestation of cancer and died peacefully. The night he died, another very close person to me, Stanley Kingston, went into the ICU and he died peacefully on June 18 of natural causes at 88. Both of these people were tremendous inspirations for me in their lives and in their subsequent deaths. They had a lot in common and, needless to say, it sent me on an inner odyssey like none I have experienced before. I couldn't really talk to anybody for a solid month after Richie left, which was very bad for business, but very good for my soul. Now, I would like to introduce you to the boat. About a year ago I saw this boat in the Boston Harbor after a concert. It is the Spanish tall ship, Juan Sebastian de Elcano, named after the Spanish explorer Juan Sebastian. He is credited with the first circumnavigation in 1522 under dire conditions. It is 370 feet long and boasts a steel hull. It was set to sail in 1927 and trains the Spanish navy. It continues to sail the globe in his honor. I learned from one of the sailors on board that it takes 28 days to sail from Boston to the northwest coast of Spain. At the time I met her in the harbor I was contemplating going to Barcelona, Spain to fulfill a long-standing dream of mine to study Spanish and deepen my bond with the Mediterranean Sea. As a result of this encounter, I made my decision to go. I signed up for a language course in Barcelona for a month stay beginning March '07 and sent away a handsome payment; that was in October '06. Here comes the fun part. As my plans turned to ash before my eyes, the phone rang. It was my close friend and guardian angel, Michael, and he was ringing to tell me he wanted to get my ticket to Barcelona with his frequent flyer miles. At the exact moment of his call I happened to be with Richie's sister, Barb -- our having just left the funeral home. His offer was surreal -- like the experience I was in the middle of. He kept after me and asked me many times for the dates I wanted to go. Finally, I heard him and got to thinking, really thinking. In June '07 I was offered a little tiny apartment in Boston for $400 per month inclusive. I originally took it thinking I would use it as a base in my expansion, but the math became a critical piece in this question of whether to go or not to go, and for how long. Do you see it? To relocate to this little place would save me a lot of money and actually make this trip feasible. Basically, it would require me to let go of 50% or more of my stuff and make this place my primary residence for several months. The more I pondered the sacrifice involved, the more I became determined to make it work. This is my dream: to travel and study in Spain; to finally become fluent in Spanish; to be able to write this zine and all my materials and website in Spanish; to build What A Relief! and my personal life in English and Spanish! How could I not do it? The question answered itself and I decided to travel for 10 weeks leaving on November 17, 2007 returning on February 1, 2008. I have booked and finished paying for my schooling for the first four weeks and will travel spontaneously the remaining six weeks. Wow! I am really going!   SERVICES What A Relief! offers Life Coaching and Organizing services. Small Steps -- Organizing Small Steps -- Life Coaching These programs focus on the small steps we can do right now. All too often we paralyze ourselves by the sheer magnitude of our goals and never get started. If we break things into small steps and learn to appreciate the progress for the sake of doing what we can, we are well on our way to becoming our own best friends in the process of fulfilling our dreams. For more information or a complimentary consultation email solutions@whatarelief.net or visit the website www.whatarelief.net "What great things would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?"                                                                      Chinese fortune cookie I have also started a blog! 2bgr8.blogspot.com In Closing This trip to Spain is made possible by miracles, including financial. Learning to receive is a key lesson for me in all areas in my life. If you are so inspired to offer a gift or would like to explore how you can become a What A Relief! 'shareholder', I would be happy to receive your offering. I have a Pay Pal account or you can send a check/money order to the address listed below. If you would like to receive a postcard from Spain, please let me know. My 44th birthday is Sunday, September 16 and my wish is to be surrounded by people who love me, and to make this trip all it can be! Thank you all for sharing this time in my life and for reading this zine. I look forward to next one! This issue of the Solutionary Press is dedicated to the memory of Richie and Stanley. Onward and upward, DJamil Graham   Cell 617.359.7323 solutions@whatarelief.net www.whatarelief.net   The ship is stretching on a cloudy morn after a long night of the sky pouring tears. This ship is heading out for the new day dawning to catch the wind and fill her sails once more with the dreams of all the sailors like you and me.