“I still get wildly enthusiastic about little things… I play with leaves. I skip down the street and run against the wind.” – Leo Buscaglia, author Today I was wildly enthusiastic about…a single sunflower defying the change of seasons. I can see. And enjoy. Kids’ artwork in a hallway of the local elementary school (my polling place this…
Category: blessings
Weekend, Part II
Today started out with a beautiful mist — and it only grew lovelier. This was the perfect day for a trip with my Mom and sister to Warm Springs Ranch, home to the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales. We got to see lots of these pretty fellas. I think this one wanted a scratch. It’s hard…
Message Received
“Look in the mirror. Appreciate yourself. Celebrate your capacity for simple acts of generosity and gentleness.” – Chogyam Trungpa Today I noticed this little yellow leaf had settled perfectly on my front porch’s potted plant when I got home from work. I was completely fascinated. It certainly didn’t look like this leaf had floated here randomly on some gust of…
9 Ways to Cultivate Gratitude
So I found a new website that’s kind of fun. It’s called “unstuck” and you can find it here. It bills itself as A Practical Guide to Gratitude (so you can see and think differently). There’s some really great stuff in here. One thing I really loved was a graphic that included “9 Ways to Cultivate Gratitude.”…
Yes, Indeed. So Glad.
“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” – L.M. Montgomery For any number of reasons, I haven’t wanted to resume training since the Chicago Marathon nearly two weeks ago. A little tired…a little sore…a little burned out. I’ve needed a break. But at the same time, I cannot bear to…
Everywhere, Always
Around us, life bursts with miracles — a glass of water, a ray of sunshine, a leaf, a caterpillar, a flower, laughter, raindrops. If you live in awareness, it is easy to see miracles everywhere. Each human being is a multiplicity of miracles. Eyes that see thousands of colors, shapes, and forms; ears that hear…
You Find What You Are Looking For
Stumbled upon photographer Hailey Bartholomew’s 365 Grateful Project TED Talk. And then I looked up her website. Please take some time to check out both her talk and her work. You won’t be sorry. Reflection and Gratitude. Reflection and Gratitude. How many times do I need to re-learn that these are the two main ingredients…
A Very Good Day
If you have to be up at oh-dark-o’clock in the morning, this isn’t a bad view. On a whim, I signed up this week to volunteer at the St. Louis Rock ‘n Roll Half Marathon. For the first time in years, I didn’t have any family running and, after Chicago last weekend, no way was I doing it….
What’s In This Season
Of all the seasons, fall feels like the time of greatest transformation to me. There’s nothing subtle or slow about the transitions of fall. New colors. Less light. Colder temperatures. Bare trees. It seems to happen just like that: Boom, fall presents itself. For whatever reason, fall also makes me turn inward more than the other…
Running in the Windy City
Our second marathon is in the books — mine, as well as Drew’s! Neither of us achieved the times we were hoping for, but we finished. It was a little too warm, unbelievably windy, and an all-around tough day. But we got through our training, made it to the start line uninjured, endured 26.2 miles, crossed the finish and…
The Space in Between
“Life is amazing. Then it’s awful. And then it’s amazing again. And in between the amazing and the awful, it’s ordinary and mundane and routine. Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful, and relax and exhale during the ordinary. That’s just living heartbreaking, soul-healing, amazing, awful, ordinary life. And it’s breathtakingly beautiful.” —…
Smile…
“Breathing in, I calm my body. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment. I know it is a wonderful moment.” – Thich Nhat Hanh Look what I discovered near our house today. And on World Smile Day, too!
Peace, Love, and Hello Kitty
The other day I noticed my neighbor’s little girl wearing a Hello Kitty t-shirt as she skipped to her front door. Obviously I viewed this as a sign of very good character and I wanted to encourage her, as our next generation, to continue making such wonderful decisions. As such, I thought it only made sense to…
The Thing About Butterflies and Bees
Today was an unusual day. It seems that the monarch butterfly migration is currently making its way through our area. All day long, monarchs floated by my office window. Dozens upon dozens…sometimes as many as six in my window at once. It was amazing. I wanted so badly to get a photo of one, but…
Five Tips for a Healthy Spirit
Tiny Devotions, my favorite Instagram account and mala maker, posted these “five tips for being a Free Spirit” today. I think I would amend this title to read “five tips for a healthy spirit” to make it more relatable for everyone. “Free Spirit” implies hippy-dippy to some (although I’m totally good with it). This is…
View From a Home Without Walls
“Never make your home in a place. Make a home for yourself inside your own head. You’ll find what you need to furnish it — memory, friends you can trust, love of learning, and other such things. That way it will go with you wherever you journey.” – Tad Williams, author “What happens when you…
Shine.
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of…
Going, But Not Arriving
“When you practice walking meditation, you go for a stroll. You have no purpose or direction in space or time. The purpose of walking meditation is walking meditation itself. Going is important, not arriving. Walking meditation is not a means to an end; it is an end. Each step is life; each step is peace…
10 Simple Daily Practices
This really great article from Elephant Journal is too good not to share. A list of 10 simple, transformative daily life practices. So simple, but such good reminders. Here’s a link to the article, but below is the free prize inside. 1.) Have good posture. Sit and stand up straight. Lengthen your spine. Lift the crown of…
Tiny Bite of the Big Apple
What an adventure. A few months ago, Tanner received an email letting him know that he’d won tickets to see U2 at Madison Square Garden. Obviously this was not a trip we’d planned to take this year, but wow, it turned out to be amazing. We spent three quick days in the Big Apple, but…
Perfectly Flawed
Imperfect flowers. For whatever reason, this seems to be a trend over the past few days. I spotted the above FrankenConeflowers during my run this morning. Below is a photo I took as I watched in fascination as a man painstakingly worked his way through dozens of bundles of flowers trying to find the perfect…
Life Lately
I love weekends. Seriously LOVE weekends. This morning, Tanner and I went to the Peach Festival at our local Farmers Market. As you can see above, I scored lots of treasures…flowers, breads, fruits. What is it about Farmers Markets that make me want to bake? I’m really hoping my new peaches eventually become a pie……
Thoughts on Character
“Our character is defined by what we do when we think no one else is watching.” Today while I was sitting in line at a drive-thru, I saw an elderly man backing out of a handicapped parking spot. Based on the difficulty he was having performing such a simple task, it was clear that he was…
Saturday Scenes
Lots and lots of pretty pink flowers… …strangely delicate mushrooms… …a funny little bunny that squeezes under the fence just like Peter Rabbit… …a neighbor who wins at yard play equipment… (Easter Island head? AH-mazing.) …and a 6:30 start time to beat the heat. These are five things I’m grateful for on my run today….
Always Learn
Life always gives us exactly the teacher we need. Every bug bite. Every traffic light. Every angry person. Every loss, every gain. Every joy, every sadness. Every breath. Watch for the guru. ____________________ I loved the above paragraph. Be grateful and learn in all things. On that note…today I was grateful for: 1.) Having both…
hey there, friends 