This is Archie, the resident cat of our neighborhood hardware store. He was overseeing shopping preparations last night as people poured in to buy flashlights, batteries, candles, water, etc. Not only is he a hard-working kitty, he’s a big, purring love bug. With a three-day icy forecast, I stocked up on everything we needed to settle in…
Category: Live Better
On the Surface
With temperatures outside in the 50s, I decided to grab my Canon and head out for a walk in the woods. I didn’t have anything in mind when I set out, but I settled into a photo project that I really enjoyed. But as I took pictures, I noticed some curious looks from other hikers….
Shine Brighter
“Set intentions, not resolutions.” While I’ve been happy to embrace the fresh start of a new year, I haven’t really been up to establishing any resolutions. I’ve cleaned up my surroundings and made some needed repairs in preparation for the new year, but that’s about the extent of it. As someone who has historically worked to improve, I’ve felt kind…
Lighten Up
“There is nothing wrong with having a great enthusiasm for something other people don’t know or understand. Your joy is your own.” – Nanea Hoffman Things that have made me inordinately happy as of late: Pug mugs. Sunrises. Dried lilies. Non-conformists. Serious naps. And cleaning. Lots and lots of cleaning. While most people wouldn’t find…
Real Love
“Love is not warm and fuzzy or sweet and sticky. Real love is tough as nails. It’s having your heart ripped out, putting it back together, and the next day offering it back to the world that just tore it up.” — Glennon Doyle Melon, author I’m home from a three-day work trip, but it…
Healing Measures
This is part of a flower arrangement I picked up this morning for a friend on the way to work. And wow, it sure didn’t turn out to be the transaction I was expecting. As I walked in the door, I was startled by the Santas and holiday decorations saturating the entire floral section. Not…
Thoughts on Kindness
“No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.” – Aesop I’ve noticed a lot of little things lately that have made me stop and smile. Little kindnesses left behind for others to enjoy. And we could all really use it right now. Here are a few photos and a couple of ideas from “100 Ways…
Bowie, Proust, and Sunday Thoughts
LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this article with David Bowie’s answers to Proust’s famous questionnaire. (Link here) Not only were Bowie’s answers thought-provoking (and funny), so were the questions themselves. So I decided to answer the questions myself, accompanied by a few recent photos. What is your idea of perfect happiness? Adventures with my kids What is…
Plant Courage
“Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: You don’t give up.”- Anne Lamott I marvel at plants that grow where they’re not supposed to. It’s oddly inspiring. Growth can happen in…
Center for Advanced Gratitude
“Let go or be dragged.” – Zen Proverb Recently I read a column by Judy Woodruff that knocked me on my rear. It was called “I was my husband’s caregiver as he was dying of cancer. It was the best seven months of my life.” The title alone was a hook. Those were the best months…
God is Everywhere
“The presence of God is everywhere, you have only to embrace it with your attention.” – Deepak Chopra LOVED this story in Spirituality & Health by Snatam Kaur called “God is Everywhere.” The contrast between her childhood buddy’s view of God and her own made me laugh. I tend to subscribe to the author’s view. I do…
Learning the Hard Way
“Nothing ever goes away until it teaches us what we need to know.” – Pema Chodron You know, I never really understood that quote until recently. In fact, I’d never even thought about it much. But it popped in my head last night during a run. One of the things I love about running is that…
You Have a Good Soul. I Can Tell.
“If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you’d never think a negative thought again.” I always knew that running was good for me, but I never knew that it could actually be therapy until today. Midway through my run this evening, I was getting discouraged by my pace. Lots of little criticisms filled my head until…
Be Vibrant
We’re all crayons in the world’s coloring box. We’re all a little broken, but we can still color.
Long and Short of It
“There is one simple thing wrong with you – you think you have plenty of time.” — Carlos Castaneda, author Getting older has been on my mind a lot lately. I’ve not done anything unusual in the way of self-reflection or anything, but I’ve noticed some changes in myself. People, circumstances, and difficult discussions don’t…
Ah, yes.
“If you get tired, learn to rest, not to quit.” – Banksy
A Little Quiet
“The quieter you become, the more you can hear.” – Ram Dass I’m sorry that my blog has been a little quiet for the past few days. I’ve not been neglectful, I’ve just spent the last few days on a silence retreat on the grounds of a convent in Indiana. With all of life’s recent changes…
29 Life Lessons…
…to learn from Thich Nhat Hanh: 1.) Never underestimate the power of a kind word, a touch, or a smile. “The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.” 2.) If you love someone, the greatest gift you can give them is your presence. “The most precious…
That’ll Do.
“If the only prayer you said in your whole life was ‘thank you,’ that would suffice. — Meister Eckhart
Peace
“Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.” — unknown (But a little quiet sure never hurt anybody.)
Peace, Acceptance, and Soda Spills
“When you are comfortable in your own skin, you can be at peace anywhere.” — Antsy McClain So today I either discovered or was reminded of some irrefutable truths about myself. For starters, my car seems a lot smaller when the lid from a filled-to-the-brim Big Gulp pops off and Diet Dr. Pepper saturates everything in its wake….
Cheat Sheet…
I had to laugh when I received my daily email from Tiny Buddha this morning with the subject “100 Reasons to be Grateful Today.” I had just said in yesterday’s blog post that I wanted to start working on a gratitude list. Only mine wasn’t as ambitious as a list of 100 things. I could…
21 Days of Gratitude
I’ve been slacking on the blog front lately — and on the gratitude front. So I’ve decided to do a 21-day gratitude commitment to help me with both. I’ll list three things each day for which I am grateful for 21 days. (It’s a tool rooted in Shawn Achor’s 5 ways to create positive change.)…
The 10 Rules of Karma
Whether or not you subscribe to the concept, these 10 Rules of Karma are worthwhile words of wisdom that I wanted to pass along. There’s more detail in the original article here. But I’m including the free prize inside, along with photos from a recent visit to our City Garden. You Get What You Give…
Well, That Sucked. (But It’s Okay)
“Look for something positive in each day, even if some days you have to look a little harder.” You know, some days really feel like they are just conspiring to suck. There. I said it. Admittedly, I don’t feel like this too often. And it’s not because I’m naturally wired to always be a half-full kind of girl….
hey there, friends 