“You know what breaks me? When someone is visibly excited about a a feeling or an idea or a hope or a risk taken, and they tell you about it but preface it with: “Sorry, this is dumb but…” Don’t do that. I don’t know who came here before me, or who conditioned you to…
Category: Live Better
Phoebe wisdom for a Tuesday
Today seemed to be a good day to tap into some Phoebe wisdom. It’s only Tuesday yet there seems to be a disproportionate amount of stupidity and clumsiness at every turn. I seem to be continually spilling, breaking, dropping, or misplacing everything in which I come into contact. It’s like the Midas Touch in reverse….
Be safe
“Be safe.” Today as I left the office, a nasty storm was brewing right outside the front doors. Several people were leaving at the same time and instead of the usual “have a good evening” pleasantries, there were lots of sincere and slightly anxious exchanges of “be safe.” I thought about that expression during my…
Hopes for the week ahead
Here’s hoping for smiles along our paths… and assurances of love, however faint… …or more obvious. Here’s hoping for warm blankets when hunkering down against the cold, cooperative traffic during our commutes, uninterrupted moments for rest, steaming hot cocoa to accompany a good book, and unwavering patience and peace. Here’s hoping for kind exchanges of…
Say what?
“Don’t speak negatively about yourself, even as a joke. Your body doesn’t know the difference. Words are energy and they cast spells; that’s why it’s called spelling. Change the way you speak about yourself and you can change your life.” – Bruce Lee Life is constantly telling me that I’m loved. Random hearts appear in…
The gift
“Their joy – that’s the gift to you.” Not long ago, I saw a Steve Hartman segment featuring some school kids who were inspired by a Secret Santa to raise and give away literally thousands of dollars to strangers in need. (Please watch the segment here if you haven’t seen it, which includes the above…
Gentle Goals
Gentle Goals for a New Year “Wander more. Notice at least one beautiful thing a day. Take the class you’ve been thinking about. Leave your comfort zone more often so you have stories to tell when you get back. Make a new friend. Read a book that changes you. Stay loyal to yourself. Act with…
Where do I start?
“Simple pleasures are the last healthy refuge in a complex world.” – Oscar Wilde So yesterday I started a series of “15 gratitude journal prompts” — and prompt number two is “What’s a simple pleasure that you’re grateful for?” I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that simple pleasures make up 95% of my…
15 prompts
What’s something that you’re looking forward to? I found a list of 15 “gratitude journal prompts” on Facebook this morning that I’ve decided to give a go. First up is the above question…which has several answers. In no particular order: – The gingkoes shedding their leaves – Frost flowers (fingers crossed) – My next visit…
I wonder
“Sometimes I wonder:What’s the point?Why be good?Why care?Why try to change things?Why — when we continue to wreck each other? Yet, I keep moving forward. Not because I am confident in any outcomes.But because I am still susceptible to sweet things:a sunset,a cup of coffee,a warm blanket,the smell of lilacs,the sound of my mother’s laughter…
Light
“Be a kind voice in this brokenhearted world. Give grace and be ready to receive it. Listen so well that the person you’re with can rest in your loving attention for a moment. Be a light. Be a light. Be a light.” – Nanea Hoffman
Gratitude Scavenger Hunt
“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” – G.K. Chesterton In recent years I have found that negativity and gratitude cannot co-exist in the same headspace; gratitude is simply too powerful. And it is absolutely our choice to make every single day —…
Monday Message
Courtesy of our evening walk.
Glimmer
“Today I learned about a term called a “glimmer.” Which is the opposite of a trigger. Glimmers are those moments in your day that make you feel joy, happiness, peace, or gratitude. Once you train your brain to be on the lookout for glimmers, these tiny moments will appear more and more.” – Unknown Fall…
Think about such things
Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will…
I’m proud of you
Just in case no one has told you lately: You are free to create your own moments of celebration.You are free to reflect on all you’ve made it through and say this to yourself:“You know what? I’m proud of you.” You are free to be proud of how far you have come…even when it comes…
Just be here
“Everyday is not an opportunity to improve yourself. Some days are just there for you to accept yourselfand look at the clouds. This too is growth.This too is rising. Just existing is enough on some days. The flowers do it everydayand make the world more beautifuljust by being here. So do you.” – Nikita Gill
Nearer
“If you want to get warmyou must stand near the fire: ifyou want to be wet you must get into the water.If you want joy,power, peace, eternallife, you must getclose to, or even into,the thing thathas them.”– C.S. Lewis
Let July be July
Let July be July, and let August be August. And let yourself just be even in the uncertainty. You don’t have to fix everything. You don’t have to solve everything. And you can still find peace and grow in the wild of changing things.” – Morgan Harper Nichols July. It has been quite a month….
The list goes on
“The more grateful I am, the more beauty I see.” – Mary Davis I realized today that it’s been a hot minute since I sat down and made a gratitude list. It’s certainly not for lack of content. But here are just a few things on my mind. There are so many more things to…
Too Much is Just Enough
“If you love something, love it completely. Cherish it, say it, but more importantly, show it. Life is finite and fragile, and just because something is there one day, it might not be there the next. Never take that for granted. Say what you need to say, then say a little more. Say too much….
Tidy
“Describe one positive change you have made in your life.” Another prompt caught my attention today, mostly because there are so many ways to answer it. You would think that would be easy — name one positive change. But I’ve made a number of changes – particularly in recent years – that have been pretty…
hey there, friends 