“Welcome. There’s a lot to look at here and nothing to do.” Those were some of the first words we heard when we arrived at our resort in Mexico. And honestly, truer words have rarely been spoken. When I travel to new places, I usually like to cram my daily itineraries with activities from morning…
Category: Live Better
Do the thing
“Do the thing that brings you joy. Buy yourself the flowers. Drink your coffee (or tea) from your favorite mug. Laugh with a friend until your stomach hurts. Watch the sunset. Dance in the kitchen. Take the long way home. Because joy isn’t something you wait for. It’s something you choose, amidst the struggle and…
I hope this post finds you well
“When I say, “I hope this email finds you well,” what I mean is this: I hope you get to drink your coffee before it gets cold. I hope you’re in a sweet season of life. I hope you witness a miracle. I hope something good happens to you. I hope you see a dog….
Attention
“Your attention is basically a currency. And what you spend it on matters. You can spend it on outrage, and the world feels angrier. You can spend it on kindness, and the world feels a little softer. The thing is, you only have so much to spend, right? It’s a finite resource, so what will…
Ordinary things
“I am in love with the ordinary things in life. Fresh air. Acts of kindness. Deep soul conversations. Watching things grow. Listening to the rain as it empties its heart towards the earth. Remembering the times I ran through it unafraid, spontaneous, freedom-filled. I find pure joy in the joy of others. I am drunk…
Impact
“If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of; there is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.” – Fred Rogers Yesterday a wonderful friend and former colleague stopped…
What a thing
“If every single person who has liked you in your lifetime were to light up on a map, it would create the most glitteringly beautiful network you could imagine. Throw in the strangers you have been kind to, the people you’ve made laugh, or inspired along the way, and that star-bright web of you would…
This is the season
“To survive the seasons, you must change with them. To survive winter, you must learn to rest. This is the season of stillness. To survive spring, you must be brave enough to begin. This is the season of renewal. To survive summer, you must trust in your own magic. This is the season of abundance….
Generously
“Freely you have received; freely give.” – Matthew 10:8 This skeleton is part of a Halloween display in our neighborhood — and his hat made me laugh. But it also made me think. A skeleton giving life advice…. Does he have a regret of not being kind enough? Did he give beyond his means? What’s…
Wishes for the week ahead
I wish for… Opportunities for rest during the rain. Bits of the extraordinary in the most common situations. (No, seriously. Look at the size of this blueberry. It’s like three normal blueberries combined.) Signs of love, even in the mess. My kitchen was in a state of chaos this weekend, but this little sticky heart…
Valid points
“Can we stop acting like joy has an age limit? If buying a stuffed animal, rewatching cartoons, using a coloring book, collecting cute stationery, or sleeping with a fuzzy blanket brings you peace in this chaotic world, that’s valid. The world is heavy. Bills are real. Burnout is constant. If something soft or silly makes…
Listen and remember
“Music, at its essence, is what gives us memories. And the longer a song has existed in our lives, the more memories we have of it.” — Stevie Wonder A vivid memory from my childhood was my mom’s record collection. I always loved when she played Anne Murray, the Carpenters, and (especially) the Partridge Family…
Novelty
“Studies show that short, novel experiences — a day trip, an unplanned hike, exploring a new street — boost dopamine and reset mood. You don’t need a vacation. You need interruption. The brain thrives on small doses of novelty. Routine keeps you alive. Novelty makes you feel alive.” I fully support vacations, don’t get me…
Friends
“Money can buy you a fine dog. But only love can make him wag his tail.” – Kinky Friedman There are some great little cut-through paths connecting the streets in our neighborhood that have become part of my regular walks with my dog. These little pathways are lined with tall landscaping and privacy fences, so…
Fingerprints
“Never apologize for your eccentricities. They’re your fingerprint.” – Diane Keaton A lone tomato ripening on a vine draped over the wrong side of a privacy fence — with a heart-shaped leaf, I might add. A blue rubber duck randomly perched on a curb. An expressive garbage can. A leaf showing off in the sun….
The call
“The world has lost Robert Redford, Jane Goodall, and Diane Keaton in one month. Three extraordinary souls who reminded us what it means to live with purpose. Their legacy is a call…to rise with kindness, to protect what is sacred, to create boldly, and to love without apology. The next chapter belongs to those brave…
Hold on there, girl
“I’ve been thinking about the way, when you walk down a crowded aisle, people pull in their legs to let you by. Or how strangers still say “bless you” when someone sneezes, a leftover from the Bubonic plague. “Don’t die,” we are saying. And sometimes, when you spill lemons from your grocery bag, someone else…
41 days
“In the Bible, it rained for 40 days and nights. Day 41 came and the rain stopped. Moses went up on the mountain for 40 days. On day 41, he received the Ten Commandments. The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. Year 41, they walked into the Promised Land. Goliath taunted Israel for…
Continued transformation
“Small gestures hold immeasurable power. Each smile, kind word, or thoughtful action ripples through the world, creating positive change. Embrace the beauty of simplicity and consider how your small acts of kindness can bring immense joy and warmth to others. In every moment, you have the opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life. Remember,…
Be proud of this
“You’re so hard on yourself. Take a moment. Sit back. Marvel at your life: at the grief that softened you, at the heartache that wisened you, at the suffering that strengthened you. Despite everything, you still grow. Be proud of this.“ – unknown And despite being chucked in our neighborhood yard waste bin, these sunflowers…
Everyday joy
“Keep a list of small, ordinary things that make you happy. A new flower from your plant-baby. That book you can’t wait to finish. When you hear something wonderful that happened to someone you love. Cultivate the habit of everyday joy. After a while, you won’t even happen to try.” —- Nanea Hoffman Nanea Hoffman…
Unraveling
“People call what happens at midlife ‘a crisis,’ but it’s not. It’s an unraveling — a time when you feel a desperate pull to live the life you want to live, not the one you’re ‘supposed’ to live. The unraveling is a time when you are challenged to let go of who you think you…
As it is
“Most of your life will not be extraordinary. Most of your life will be simple things, done regularly. If you’re only going to be happy when you’re on vacation, after a lush payday, after a big career win, you’re going to spend most of your life really dissatisfied. You either learn to love the day…
Just how I am
“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” – Anaïs Nin I spotted this little heart in a parking lot this evening and I was so tickled by it. Of course upon closer inspection of the photo later, I was bummed to see it was a bit of litter that…
Look again
“Look at your body. Look at those arms that have held people they love. Look at those eyes that have seen oceans and mountains and big green trees. Look at those legs that have carried you through your longest journeys. Look at your feet that have held you up on your hardest days. Look at…
hey there, friends 