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Posts from the ‘Inspiration’ Category

Jun 26

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Be Prepared

“Don’t waste life in doubts and fears; spend yourself on the work before you, well assured that the right performance of this hour’s duties will be the best preparation for the hours and ages that will follow it.” –  Ralph Waldo Emerson

About six weeks ago I wrote about the tree limb falling in the middle of the night, leaving my backyard a “blank canvas” when my 60 year old tree had to be cut down. Well, the mourning from the tree funeral is over and this week I am preparing to paint the “blank canvas.”

So the first “paint brushes” swept the canvas tonight. My nephew Mark and brother John figured out how the rear drive rototiller worked (without losing a limb). The hardware store staff where I rented it didn’t quite know how to operate it since it was a new model (made in Italy, of course, great art). My niece Jenna helped yesterday with the weeds and moving mulch and my other niece Emily cut the grass.

Next steps of preparation to fruition – topsoil gets delivered tomorrow afternoon, sod on Friday and new tree hunting on Saturday. So, a new beginning blooming from preparation, planning, hard work and a wonderful family willing to be paint brushes with me.

“Character is what emerges from all the little things you were too busy to do yesterday, but did anyway,” - Mignon McLaughlin

“Character is what emerges from all the little things you were too busy to do yesterday, but did anyway,” – Mignon McLaughlin

Jun 23

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Start + Finish = Win

“To finish the moment, to find the journey’s end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Still drying out

Still drying out

I am not the fastest runner. I am not the slowest runner. I run races throughout the year (even in winter) for fun, to participate, to compete with me, to stay in shape.

Today, I ran the William O’Brien 10.5 mile trail run. I am going to rename it the “What was I thinking run?” or “Let’s run on a rollercoater through the woods” run. It seemed like a good idea when I signed up. Starting, never a problem.

Within a half mile, we had to run through a large puddle ankle deep, no way around it. Tentatively tip toeing, as if we could walk on water if we went through gingerly. Soggy wet feet until mile six. Each new corner, another hill – up and down, more up than down. Mentally slicing the run into chunks – mile 7, only a 5k left; mile 9, only 1.5 mile; mile 10, almost there and oh that’s right the unavoidable puddle that didn’t dry up while I was out on running the rollercoaster.

Sprinting the last quarter mile as if I did the entire run, the finish line in sight and an irreplaceable feeling of accomplishment of finishing a challenging journey. Running through the puddles, not around. Forging the hills, running and many times walking. Dodging holes that would break an ankle. All while the birds sang and the rest of nature watched, laughing.

It’s easy to start. The winning comes when we start AND finish – a run, a project, a promise. Start, finish, well done.

Jun 21

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I Dare You

“Rest not. Life is sweeping by; go and dare before you die. Something mighty and sublime, leave behind to conquer time.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

We’re in it. Right now. Life. Time to get your head in the game. Not later or when you are less busy or stressed. Someday never comes. Find what excites you and pursue it.

It’s your wake up call and don’t hit the snooze alarm. And it doesn’t necessarily mean quitting your job or hiking to the top of a mountain for a month. You can start now – writing, running, singing, painting. The “mighty” and “sublime” are found in our buried dreams and aspirations. Take the first step and then one more after that and repeat – I dare you.

Jun 19

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Reset Button

“To go against the dominant thinking of your friends, of most of the people you see every day, is perhaps the most difficult act of heroism you can perform.” – Theodore H. White

Over the past month, I have been working on alot of tech issues at work. Today, I was having problems with a computer setting. I went into the control panel and hit the “reset” button. It worked.

On the drive home, caught up in traffic and my own thoughts, it occurred to me that when we are having heavy days, hit the “reset” button and start anew.

We spend way too much time trying to “do-over” the past when we can only “reset” the present moment, if we dare to.

Jun 17

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Come to Your Senses

“He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.”
– Albert Einstein

“Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humor is just common sense, dancing.” - William James

“Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humor is just common sense, dancing.” – William James

As we juggle our mulitple and competing demands each day, our senses get dulled.

Smell the fragrance of the flowers (lilacs are my favorite), of fresh cut grass, of a wood burning fire. Hear the symphony of the birds at dawn, the hearty laughter of children playing, the rhythm of rain tapping the roof. Taste the sweetness of a fresh picked tomotoes, the fun of bubble gum or pop rocks. Re-engage and reignite your senses – see, hear, touch, smell and taste it all.

And while you’re at it, discover a few more senses like wonder, delight and the most important one – a sense of humor – a gift to yourself and others all in one.

“Humor is the great thing, the saving thing.  The minute it crops up, all our irritation and resentments slip away, and a sunny spirit takes their place.” –  Mark Twain

Jun 12

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Learn and Forget

“You will find that it is necessary to let things go; simply for the reason that they are heavy. So let them go, let go of them. I tie no weights to my ankles.” ― C. JoyBell C.

Much of our learning happens through difficulty. Learn the lesson and forget the pain. Invest your time and attention in what you can impact and let the noise of what you can’t impact fade to the background. We carry the past, the future and others’ baggage. Carry yourself lightly through the present moment.

Jun 8

6 Comments

Notice

“I see you.” I say that when I’m running with Lily and Molly when they look up to make sure that I am paying attention to them. A simple acknowledgement to let them know that I notice them. We all long to be “seen” and acknowledged, to not be invisible.

We get trapped in our own world and feelings, missing opportunities to encourage others. And when we get outside of ourselves and offer the gift of acknowledgement, our perspective on our world changes.

Take notice each day. A simple and profound gift to others and yourself.

Jun 5

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Poetry in the Ordinary

“Breathe-in experience, breathe-out poetry.”  – Muriel Rukeyser

While running a different path in St. Paul, I found poetry stamped into the cement sidewalk. A wonderful way to share poetry in an unexpected and somewhat ordinary place.

The poetry and art of our life can be discovered in the ordinary if we look with new eyes. Found in people, places and our own hearts, all within reach.

Everyday Poem for City Sidewalks, St. Paul, MN

Jun 3

Summer BrEASY

“Then followed that beautiful season… Summer….
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape
Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.”

– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

‘In summer, the song sings itself.” – William Carlos Williams

There’s an easiness and simplicity in summer. We overcomplicate our days, our lives – over committing, overdoing, over the top. Summer calls and reminds us of what could and should be in our hearts and minds all year long. Life is before us in this very moment to be taken in and given back out. Be present, gentle and generous as a summer breeze.

“Nature gives to every time and season some beauties of its own; and from morning to night, as from the cradle to the grave, it is but a succession of changes so gentle and easy that we can scarcely mark their progress. “ – Charles Dickens

May 30

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What are you going to do different?

“Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.” – Cecil Beaton.

We try to own so many things that aren’t ours to own – other people’s problems, thoughts, ideas, attitudes. The only thing we truly own is our attitude, actions, reactions, outlook, thoughts – our life and what we do with it.

What will you do differently today, tomorrow, this week to make your life better? – run your first mile, read a new book, pray your first prayer, call an old friend. We spend too much time trying to own what’s out of our control, ignoring what’s ours right in front of us.

It takes one step to move us out of complacency, to move us forward. Do something, anything, different.

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” – Albert Einstein

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