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Posts from the ‘Samoyed’ Category

Aug 16

6 Comments

Find Fun

“Find joy in everything you choose to do. Every job, relationship, home… it’s your responsibility to love it, or change it.”- Chuck Palahniuk

Everyday is filled with opportunities for fun and frolic, despite chaos that may surround you. Lighten up and simply enjoy those moments that remind us of the many blessings that we overlook. You need not look far to find fun, just to be open to it.

Mom, Dad, Lily and I celebrated Molly’s seventh birthday today with a lot of toys and a few frosty paws ice cream cups. I can remember driving with Dad to Elkhart Lake Wisconsin to pick Molly up like it was yesterday. Time flies. Joy is ours if we choose it. If you can’t find fun, let it find you.

“If instead of a gem, or even a flower, we should cast the gift of a loving thought into the heart of a friend, that would be giving as the angels give.” – George MacDonald

“If instead of a gem, or even a flower, we should cast the gift of a loving thought into the heart of a friend, that would be giving as the angels give.” – George MacDonald

Aug 3

4 Comments

Plop

“Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.” – Guillaume Apollinaire

A few miles in to our daily run or our walk to visit the neighborhood chickens, Lily strays off the path to plop in a patch of grass for a momentary rest. Molly patiently waits by her side until she’s ready to move on. They take in the moment. The moment is enough.

Pause each day and plop long enough to rest, reflect and ready yourself for those next steps. Accept and appreciate the joy to be found in each moment.

“The best way to pay for a lovely moment is to enjoy it.” – Richard Bach

“The best way to pay for a lovely moment is to enjoy it.” – Richard Bach

“Who will tell whether one happy moment of love or the joy of breathing or walking on a bright morning and smelling the fresh air, is not worth all the suffering and effort which life implies.” – Erich Fromm

Jul 21

Stop

“Men go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motions of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering.” – Saint Augustine

Take a moment, better yet several moments, each day to observe the world and your place in it. With wonder and delight, stop long enough to watch the sun set, a rain drop dance. There are signs and whispers guiding the way. Stop and listen.

“In the name of God, stop a moment, cease your work, look around you.” – Leo Tolstoy

“In the name of God, stop a moment, cease your work, look around you.” – Leo Tolstoy

Jul 18

4 Comments

Feeding Chickens

“The ordinary acts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest.” – Thomas More

“Simply enjoy life and the great pleasures that come with it.” – Karolina Kurkova

“Simply enjoy life and the great pleasures that come with it.” – Karolina Kurkova

About a month ago, my neighbors a few blocks away set up a chicken den in their front yard in the middle of the city. My first thought was “how did they get the neighbors to agree to that? It’s so impractical.” The impractical has now turned into one of my favorite ordinary daily acts that I share with Molly and Lily at dawn and dusk.

The neighbors have now brilliantly put out a bucket of chicken feed so passersby can feed the chickens and be a part of their “silly” dream. Each time we pass and throw some chicken feed, they all come running to get their share. And every single time, Molly and Lily watch in wonderment.

Find your “feeding chickens” act and enjoy the simplicity of the ordinary gifts just around the corner. “Silly” dreams fulfilled make a life well lived.

Jul 7

6 Comments

Nap Investment

We need to diversify and balance what we do with our time investments –  work, play, people, rest, reflection. I can tell when I’m out of balance and it affects my outlook and attitude, stealing my days. Take time each day to rest, restore and renew your mind, spirit and body to stay in balance. Quiet the chatter in your mind and simply relax into the moment. Never underestimate the value of a good nap.

“Work is not always required. There is such a thing as sacred idleness.” - George MacDonald

“Work is not always required. There is such a thing as sacred idleness.” – George MacDonald

“I usually take a two-hour nap from one to four.” – Yogi Berra

“I usually take a two-hour nap from one to four.” – Yogi Berra

Apr 29

5 Comments

Winter Washes Away

“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

“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

19 Comments

Seek Joy

“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

“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 19

11 Comments

Delightful Discovery

“Everything that is new or uncommon raises a pleasure in the imagination, because it fills the soul with an agreeable surprise, gratifies its curiosity, and gives it an idea of which it was not before possessed.” -Joseph Addison

“Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.” - e. e. cummings

“Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.” – e. e. cummings

Discover what’s new and delightful today. Not in searching in far off places, but in opening your eyes with curiosity, awe and innocence. Choose wonder over worldly, joy over jaded, delight over despair, light over dark. Look, breathe, hear anew, right where you are now in this very moment.

Mar 23

21 Comments

Serious Play

“I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition.” – Martha Washington

Lighten up and get serious about enjoying your life today, not someday. Negative thoughts, circumstances and people cloud and distort our view. Look a bit longer and deeper, there’s always something to be grateful for, to celebrate. Our happiness is found in our thoughts, imagination and giving ourselves to others.

To Lily, a puddle is a playground. To Molly, a snowstorm is the chance to run in the Iditarod and I’m her sled. For me, a five mile run is the finish of the Boston marathon. Actively participate, play and embrace each day and open its many gifts.

If misery loves company, it’s time for optimism and delight to throw a party. Get down to some serious play today, tomorrow and the next. Seriously.

“Don't brood. Get on with living and loving. You don't have forever.” – Leo Buscaglia

“Don’t brood. Get on with living and loving. You don’t have forever.” – Leo Buscaglia

Mar 20

8 Comments

Spring Fling

“While we are living in the present, we must celebrate life every day, knowing that we are becoming history with every work, every action, every deed.” –  Mattie Stepanek

“Whoever is happy will make others happy too.” - Anne Frank

“Whoever is happy will make others happy too.” – Anne Frank

We welcomed Spring today in Minnesota with a temperature of 7 degrees, snow hip deep and a delightful breeze, often referred to as windchill. Last year, it was in the 70s. We then worried that it was too warm too quick. The topic of this week – the unseasonably cold weather and the longing for Spring after a long Winter. I’ve been an active participant in the weather chirping.

Every night this week, despite my initial, rational judgement, I ran 2-3 miles with the girls. Quite frankly, it wasn’t that enjoyable. However, it did shift my perspective from what “should be” to “what is” and to dive in and make the most of it. Like so many things out of our control, the weather is fleeting and temporary. The only true impact I can make is my view of the view.

So, it’s time to fling into Spring.

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