Apr 29
“I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning.” – J. B. Priestley
“It is always the simple that produces the marvelous.” – Amelia Barr
A seventy degree weekend, running in shorts, a fresh breeze, a bath to wash away the sand. Spring may come late, but it always arrives, in its own time. Each season, each day brings its own gifts. We only need to recognize them.
Apr 24
“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” – Jawaharlal Nehru
“After every storm the sun will smile; for every problem there is a solution, and the soul’s indefeasible duty is to be of good cheer.” – William R. Alger
What you look for you will find. So if you’re looking for something to complain about or someone to talk about, there will be plenty to find. Cynicism, complaint and negativity are easy and decrease our capacity to see beauty and blessings. Adventure into joy every day. First step – SMILE. My “life coaches” Lily and Molly teach me this each and every day. Seek and find joy and good in all. Cheers!
Apr 22
“Our real blessings often appear to us in the shape of pains, losses and disappointments; but let us have patience and we soon shall see them in their proper figures.” – Joseph Addison
“Wondrous is the strength of cheerfulness, and its power of endurance – the cheerful man will do more in the same time, will do it; better, will preserve it longer, than the sad or sullen.” – Thomas Carlyle
Whether it’s the prediction of seven inches of snow in late April or the challenging co-worker, we have a choice. We can see the sun in the clouds, the summer chair under the layer of snow. Be patient, be of good cheer. True summer is a state of mind.
Apr 21
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” – Melody Beattie
Each and every day, pause the shallow chaos of busy and go deeper to gratitude. In simple moments with family, friends or by yourself, appreciate the goodness in your life, the gifts of people and place. In quiet awe and reverence, let joy permeate your being. Life is an ocean, deep and beautiful. Dive in.
“Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.” – John Milton
“When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.” – Gilbert K. Chesterton
Apr 15
“There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” – Nelson Mandela
We get comfortable in our routine of multitasking and checklists. We choose busy over meaningful, quantity over quality. Slow down and play big. Foster your passions that are simmering quietly within waiting to be heard and acted on, if but for an hour a day. Imagine the world if we all were striving to meet and exceed our potential, to open our gifts and share them. There’s no true fulfillment in mere busyness, getting by, jumping to the next thing or good enough. Do something, anything, to unsettle your routine this week, to shake it up, moving toward the life that you are not only capable of living but are called to live.
Apr 11
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” – 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Invest wisely, but by all means invest. For many, it’s hard to focus for 54 days, much less 54 years. Thanks Mom and Dad for modeling commitment, caring and devotion through 54 years, despite what life brings, always with a sense of humor and grounded by faith. Never perfect but always persevering. Patience, kindness, honor, trust, hope. Looking at this photo reminds me of how quickly time moves. Invest your time well and enjoy life now.
“Love is always bestowed as a gift – freely, willingly and without expectation. We don’t love to be loved; we love to love.” – Leo Buscaglia
Apr 9
“The Great Creator lives within each of us. All of us contain a divine, expressive spark, a creative candle intended to light our path and that of our fellows. We are shiny, not tarnished; large, not small; beautiful, not damaged – although we may be ignorant of our grace, power, and dignity. – Julia Cameron, Walking in this World
We have the tendency to count the wrong things – shortcomings, faults, what we don’t have. Be and look for light and your world becomes brighter, shadows overcome. Actively encourage others to share their light in accord. We all rise when each of us is lifted, allowed to be brighter. Release and illuminate your grace, power, and dignity. Celebrate with deep gratitude all that is right now and what can be magnified with, through and by your light at full strength. Put your sunglasses on, bright lights ahead.
Apr 5
“Be thou the rainbow in the storms of life. The evening beam that smiles the clouds away, and tints tomorrow with prophetic ray.” – Lord Byron
“Happiness is being on the beam with life – to feel the pull of life.” – Agnes Martin
The strength of the beam will always breakthrough, shining bright and brilliant. Regardless of the clouds, the light will always make its way through. Be the beam, not the cloud. Feel the pull. It’s life calling asking you to come out and play.
Apr 2
“We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.” – Mother Teresa
“I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes.” – e. e. cummings
Say “yes” to what’s right and to what’s right in front of you in this moment, waiting to be discovered in plain sight. The beauty of nature, the precious gift of family and friends. The world trains us to have the attention span of a gnat, flitting from one thing to the next. Never staying long enough to see or be seen. Go deeper, stay longer, listen with your heart. Don’t miss even one drop. With gratitude and awe, say yes to each day.
Apr 1
“It is the set of the sails, not the direction of the wind that determines which way we will go.” – Jim Rohn
“To reach a port, we must sail – sail, not tie at anchor – sail, not drift.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
Choose the destination and set your sail, today. We arrive, we finish, through movement and momentum, one step at a time. The winds of peace, joy and hope always prevail over the winds of complacency, excuse and despair. The “where” is in your heart, your soul is your compass. Anchors away. Set sail.
