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Posts from the ‘optimism’ Category

Sep 19

Yield to the Beauty of Friendship

“One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca

“In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.” – Khalil Gibran

Three hours on the St. Croix River.
On a Monday even.
Leaves on the cusp of changing color.
Paddling slowly.
Pausing to watch the eagles above and elusive turtles on log tips slipping into water.
Slow conversation.
Topics all over the place.
Struggles, successes, daily life, dreams, delight, joy.
The stuff of true friendship.
Timeless and no rules.
Easy like the river flowing.
Yield to the beauty of friendship.
Gratitude is a deep river.

“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” – Marcel Proust

Aug 22

Joy Coach

“Today is gone. Today was fun.
Tomorrow is another one.
Every day,
from here to there,
funny things are everywhere.”
― Dr. Seuss

“You’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So… get on your way!”― Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

Children remind us how to find joy daily.
The ordinary made extraordinary.
Imagination.
Play.
Fun.
Exploration and discovery.
Eyes wide open.
May we connect with our own inner child and invite them out to play often.
To lighten up and delight in this day.
Happy 7th Birthday to one of the best humans I know – Liam!

“You’ll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut.”― Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!

Jul 26

In a Cup

“Bring me the sunset in a cup.”― Emily Dickinson

“I dwell in possibility…”― Emily Dickinson

May wonder enter your day.
Let her in, ask her to sit and stay awhile.
Alongside gratitude and thanks.
Abundance in, pushing scarcity out or over a bit.
Allow awe, ease and joy.
Stand ajar.
Drink a cup of sun.
A cup or two of possibility.
Start with a sip and carry on.

“The soul should always stand ajar, ready to welcome the ecstatic experience.”― Emily Dickinson

Jul 10

3 Comments

Open Window Day

“Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.” – Dr. Seuss

“What is the good of your stars and trees, your sunrise and the wind, if they do not enter into our daily lives?” – E. M. Forster

Open the windows.
Put your head out.
Feel the wind on your face, flowing through your hair.
Seize joy at every turn.
Pursue delight in simple acts.
Breath in the fresh air.
Clear the clutter from your thoughts.
Enjoy this day and all that is offers.
There’s wonder, awe and frolic in reach.
Partake.

“I still get wildly enthusiastic about little things… I play with leaves. I skip down the street and run against the wind.” – Leo Buscaglia

Jul 4

The Experiment Continues

“It was by one Union that we achieved our independence and liberties, and by it alone can they be maintained.” – James Monroe

“The Declaration of Independence was always our vision of who we wanted to be, our ideal of freedom and justice, how we were going to be different, and what the American experiment was going to be about.” – Marian Wright Edelman

Beyond the picnics, a day off and fireworks, may we grasp and appreciate the meaning of this day.
Live it out in thoughts, words and actions.
Of independence, of freedom, of an experiment that continues still.
Diversity of thought, ability to speak up, to be different.
Let freedom ring along side peace.
Let us return again and again to the foundation, threads and colors that bind us together, especially in our differences.
Independence and interdependence for all.
Happy 4th of July.

“Independence Day is not just a date on the calendar; it is a flame that ignites the spirit of every individual, reminding us that freedom is our birthright and courage is our strength. This day reminds us that true independence is not merely the absence of external control, but the resolute presence of self-determination. As we commemorate the valor of our fathers who valiantly fought for our freedom, let us honor their sacrifices by cultivating a society that values diversity, upholds justice, and champions the well-being of all. Our actions today will lay the foundation for a prosperous and harmonious nation.”― Aloo Denish

Jun 6

Children of Your Soul

“Cherish your vision and your dreams as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.”― Napoleon Hill

“Life reflects your own thoughts back to you.” – Napoleon Hill

What we see is filtered through our experiences, disposition, limiting beliefs.
Influenced by others, what we consume and let in.
Attitude to  thoughts to words to actions.
All in your control.
Shift focus, attention and effort.
One filled with hope, awe, and wonder.
Rooted in beauty, goodness and light.
Optimism more than pessimism.
Expanse more than narrowness.
Today rather than someday when.
Mindfulness over autopilot.
Change your thoughts, change your life.
Choose well.

“Do not wait: the time will never be ‘just right’. Start where you stand, and work whatever tools you may have at your command and better tools will be found as you go along.”― Napoleon Hill

Apr 8

Grace, Light, Love

“Grace is not part of consciousness; it is the amount of light in our souls, not knowledge nor reason.” – Pope Francis

“Love is the water of life; jump into this water.” – Rumi

Death to life.
Grace to light.
Lost and found, again and again.
Love wide and deep.
Self and others, both.
Resurrection and redemption, for all, not some.
Easter people.
One more day.
Every day.

“Easter is a time when God turned the inevitability of death into the invincibility of life.” – Craig D. Lounsbrough

Feb 20

Most and Least

“There is a road from the eye to the heart that does not go through the intellect.”― G.K. Chesterton

“Life is simple. Everything happens for you, not to you. Everything happens at exactly the right moment, neither too soon nor too late. You don’t have to like it… it’s just easier if you do.”― Byron Katie

A shift.
A different angle.
A new route to the same destination.
Attitude adjustment, rotation, tune-up.
Diverse. Divergent. Creative.
Off the beaten path.
Make something delicious from the ingredients you choose from this day.

“Make the most of the best and the least of the worst.”― Robert Louis Stevenson

Feb 19

Endeavor into Wonderment

“We should always endeavor to wonder at the permanent thing, not at the mere exception. We should be startled by the sun, and not by the eclipse. We should wonder less at the earthquake, and wonder more at the earth.”― G.K. Chesterton

“But I believe good things happen everyday. I believe good things happen even when bad things happen. And I believe on a happy day like today, we can still feel a little sad. And that’s life, isn’t it?”― Gabrielle Zevin, Elsewhere

May radical unreasonable optimism be your song to sing today.
A sabbath from “reality,” from judgment, criticism, comparison, measure, transactions, to dos.
No rules and regulations.
Cup not half full but waterfall full on, overflowing.
A crowbar to open the windows painted shut.
Fresh crisp air to expand your lungs, open your chest, feel your ribs.
A canvas to fill with swirls, shapes and colors that clash, merge and burst.
A dance on holy ground, an offering, an unfolding.
Into the world you go.
Awake, curious, on fire.
Open to the promise of a new day.
And your place in it.

“Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair.”― G. K. Chesterton

Nov 6

Already There

“The funny thing about the mind is that if you ask a question and then listen quietly, the answer usually appears.”― Yongey Mingyur, The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness

“Let your own experience serve as your guide and inspiration. Let yourself enjoy the view as you travel along the path. The view is your own mind, and because your mind is already enlightened, if you take the opportunity to rest awhile along the journey, eventually you’ll realize that the place you want to reach is the place you already are.”― Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness

Enjoy the path you are on today.
Go off trail, wander a bit.
Look around, listen quietly, inquire with openness.
Your thoughts, assumptions and opinions are your compass.
Choose them well, invite change, allow unknowing.
Beauty, flow and blessings amplified with new eyes.

“The opportunity to experience yourself differently is always available.”― Yongey Mingyur, The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness

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