Nov 20
“Dream and give yourself permission to envision a You that you choose to be.” – Joy Page
The light does not ask permission to shine. Water need not ask to be, to flow. Warm and refreshing. Go shine, quench your thirst. No permission slips required.
“Let’s choose today to quench our thirst for the ‘good life’ we thinks others lead by acknowledging the good that already exists in our lives. We can then offer the universe the gift of our grateful hearts.” – Sarah Ban Breathnach
Nov 9
Everyday stuff – that’s what Cast Light is all about. I’ve discovered when I notice the ordinary of each day and put myself in its midst I find meaning and joy. And I am grateful for the grace and faith to see the bigness in the small.
I bought four new books with my Amazon birthday gift cards – thanks Anna, Chris, Lynn – and just finished Anne Lamott’s new book Stitches, A Handbook on Meaning, Hope and Repair. My kind of book and I love her writing style and insights, here’s one that sticks:
“The search for meaning will fill you with a sense of meaning. Otherwise life passes by in about seven weeks, and if you are not paying attention and savoring it as it unfurls, you will wake up one day in deep regret. It’s much better to wake up now in deep regret, desperate not to waste more of your life obsessing and striving for meaningless crap. Because you will have finally awakened.” Pretty good advice.
The three Fs – Faith, Family, Friends. Here’s to some of my everyday stuff – Lily and Molly. Mom and Dad. Running group on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Sole Sisters hanging out. The extraordinary in the ordinary.
Nov 6
“Let others lead small lives, but not you. Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others cry over small hurts, but not you. Let others leave their future in someone else’s hands, but not you.” – Jim Rohn
Competition at its best makes us better, improves our game, teaches us teamwork. I’ve never been one for getting a trophy for merely showing up. Being your best, cheering for others, learning from losses and coming back stronger is a worthy pursuit.
Go out today and be the first one to smile, say “hi”, start a conversation, include others, be kind. Don’t wait for others to make the first move. Be yourself without asking permission, without reserve. Don’t hold back pursuing excellence (not perfection), improving and recruiting others for your team. There’s a great freedom and power in personal responsibility, working hard and doing more than merely show up. And something magical happens when we stop blaming others for our circumstances. We take control of our game and win our lives back, our happiness.
There will be obstacles, complainers, spectators shouting for you to quit. Count on it. Tempted to do nothing in the face of opposition, push harder, push through. Don’t ever quit the pursuit of being your best and encouraging others to be their best along the way. Life is a team sport. Game on.
Oct 19
“Life is precious. Life is sacred. And it ought so to be observed.” – Gordon B. Hinckley
The sacred quiet of the morning. Time to reflect, restore and simply be.
I have been pulled a hundred directions this week, starting projects and getting pulled to something else. Bouncing from one thing to the next. Each day, I had the intention of writing an article that’s due next week, to get ahead and meet the deadline. Everytime I started, I got interrupted by an email popping up, the phone or someone coming in my office. And spending five to ten minutes isn’t enough to allow ideas and thoughts that connect to unfold. This morning, I have gotten more done in the past thirty minutes than the last thirty hours.
We need to weave “the sacred” through each day. To quietly be in awe, floating in gratitude and connected to our life. To objectively observe instead of emotionally react. Mindfully and with heart defining our day, instead of our day defining us.
Find your sacred today and listen. It’s amazing what you’ll hear in the silence.
Oct 17
“The Infinite has written its name on the heavens in shining stars, and on earth in tender flowers.”- Jean Paul Richter
Walk softly through the garden. As the dew rests on the petals, beauty awakens to the rising sun. Tender yet strong, the flowers bend in the wind and rain, but never break. Petals burst with joy and delight as the infinite possibilities of the day unfold. Walk softly, tenderly, with strength. The day belongs to those are filled with wonder in the simplicity and beauty of each moment.
“I saw also that there was an ocean of darkness and death, but an infinite ocean of light and love, which flowed over the ocean of darkness.” – George Fox
Oct 13
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” – Nelson Mandela
We often get defeated by the day to day, the small. Harsh words from a customer. Work filled with unending unreasonable deadlines. We get lost in transactions, lists and the sheer volume of tasks, losing our humanity in the process.
I started this blog to write more, to challenge my introverted self to open up and to search for the good in each day. We long to be lifted out of the small and to be cast into the moment, into the light. We have the power to shape our life and to encourage others along the way.
The video below was made by the University of Minnesota Amplatz Children’s Hospital. The young lady in the beginning of the video and who has the courage to remove her wig in the middle is the daughter of my boss. She’s gone through a second round of treatment for a rare cancer. The bright beautiful smile you see in the video is who she is through and through, finding and giving joy despite the depth of her circumstances. The video was posted on October 7th on YouTube and now has 288,820 hits.
Take a few minutes, turn up the volume and count your blessings. Be brave.
Oct 5
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
The fact that our thoughts can weigh us down is proof that they can in turn lift us up. I’ve wavered this week between anticipation and worry about the marathon tomorrow. More anticipation and excitement, but worry has more weight and density.
“God enters by a private door into every individual.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Doubt and faith are two sides of the same coin. Doubt lingers and nags in worldly voices that never have the courage to show themselves. Faith is the seed in all of us, planted and firmly rooted in God, the Master Gardener. A quiet knowing that there’s something greater in each of us and embracing us. Needing no proof, faith lifts, pulls, pushes and hurls us forward into the unknown. Faith is depth and motion, hope and joy. Faith is letting go.
So whatever marathon you are going through right now, let faith hold your hand firmly and run you through each and every step. With faith, proof doesn’t come at the start line but shows up at the finish.
Oct 2
“Silence is the pause in me when I am near to God.” – Arvo Part
When we slow down long enough and silence overcomes the noise of the day, the moment rises in front of us like a beautiful sunrise. Pause, be quiet and let wonder in.
Sep 22
“Time is not a line, but a series of now-points.” – Taisen Deshimaru
“Sunset is still my favorite color, and rainbow is second.” – Mattie Stepanek
There are 10080 minutes in the week. As you begin this week, what’s your plan? Anguish or anticipation? We waste a lot of time deconstructing the past instead of constructing the present. Patiently, we wait for the “perfect” moment to make changes, do something different, pursue what we really want. Be impatient and move, only 9660 minutes left.
Put those “now-points” to good use this week and enjoy your life while you’re at it. And be kind along the way.
Sep 15
“No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude.” – Alfred North Whitehead
“The language of friendship is not words but meanings.” – Henry David Thoreau
Yesterday, I ran the Bear Water Run, the last long run before the Twin Cities marathon three weeks from today. They offered a 10 and 20 mile option, twice around White Bear Lake. Lined up with a few hundred others, I thought of the training runs I did by myself to get me to this last long run. It was encouraging to be with others on the same journey with their own stories. A few blocks in to the run, my brother John and sister-in-law Tina were on bikes waiting to follow along, checking in every few miles.
As I was approaching the end of the first 10 mile lap around the lake, I thought of 2004 when I ran this event for my first marathon training. I had IT band injury from running on uneven pavement, so I was concerned if I would even finish the 20 miler. As I turned the corner for the first 10 miles, Dad was standing there to make sure I was ok. He came back at the end of the run too.
Learning the lessons from my first marathon, I felt much better after the first 10 miles yesterday. Anna then joined me for the second 10 miles lap around the lake. She pulled me along with her fresh legs, conversation and walking with me when the toll of the hills started to work on my knees and ankles. When we were two miles out, putting it all in a bite-sized perspective, she noted “only 20 minutes left”, then 10 minutes, one mile left. She even let me finish a step ahead of her. When we were at a the “you finished” lunch (beer) with Mom, Dad, John, Tina and Anna, the texts messages came rolling in from friends checking to see how I did.
In our daily life, we can often feel like we are alone, doing the “long runs” by ourselves. Yesterday, reminded me that we are never alone. Life is a team sport. We need only look up and around and see the gifts of family and friends – our cheering section, running along our side, making the journey complete.
