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Posts tagged ‘Friends’

Oct 7

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First Time Again

“We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” – T. S. Eliot

“No one can possibly know what is about to happen: it is happening, each time, for the first time, for the only time.” – James A. Baldwin

“No one can possibly know what is about to happen: it is happening, each time, for the first time, for the only time.” – James A. Baldwin

The first weekend of October is the Twin Cities Marathon, a tradition. In 2004, the Twin Cities Marathon was my first marathon, so it’s very special to me. This weekend, I ran the 5k on Saturday and the 10 mile on Sunday. Over the past 10 years, I’ve probably done over 100 5k runs, no big deal. It’s become routine. But this weekend, it became new again.

At the 5k, there were thousands of runners of different ages, sizes and walks of life. For many, this was their first 5k. To them, it was a big deal. All of them with their own stories and daily challenges, simply running, achieving a goal. At the 10 mile and marathon events, the runners had the same excitement and enthusiasm as months of hard work paid off in each step moving them to the finish line, crossing over in the victory of finishing. And as we cheered for the them today, I remembered how important the spectators and my friends and family were to me when I ran my first marathon. They carried me and inspired me. And this weekend, I was inspired by those running all of the events – 5k, 10k, 10 mile and marathon – especially those running for the first time.

Run into each day with a “first time again” perpective and be inspired and renewed as the old becomes new again.

Sep 30

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Show Your Colors

“Your attitude is like a box of crayons that color your world. Constantly color your picture gray, and your picture will always be bleak. Try adding some bright colors to the picture by including humor, and your picture begins to lighten up.” – Allen Klein

“Nature always wears the colors of the spirit.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Nature always wears the colors of the spirit.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Reawaken the child within and start coloring outside the lines. Play, laugh, jump in a pile of leaves (if you don’t have dogs). If you need a refresher on how to find joy in each day, watch a child swinging at the playground or riding a bike without training wheels for the first time. Or the wilde enthusiasm when you come home and dogs greet you like you’ve been gone for 10 years. Be bright, be light and show your colors. Change your attitude, change your life.

Sep 24

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Test Your Mettle

“In the realm of ideas everything depends on enthusiasm… in the real world all rests on perseverance.”
– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance.” – Samuel Johnson

“Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance.” – Samuel Johnson

You are stronger than you think. Test your mettle by doing something that challenges you. With hard work, determination, perseverence and enthusiasm, you will pass the test every time.

I participate in half marathons, duathalons and other events to have a goal, stay in shape and to spend time with friends as we cheer each other on.  And it’s not about being the fastest or first, but rather about the preparation, showing up and finishing, especially when it’s hard.

And in starting and finishing, we build depth of character. So when life tests us with challenges outside of our control, we know that we have the strength to get through. We have taken the test and passed.

Sep 13

Balance

“Our goal while on this earth is to transcend our illusions and discover the innate power of our spirit. We are responsible for what we create, and we must therefore learn to act and think with love and wisdom and to live in service to others and all of life.” – Caroline Myss, PhD, Anatomy of the Spirit

“Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.” - Thomas Merton

“Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.” – Thomas Merton

We live the illusion that we will achieve balance “someday” when our circumstances change. True balance is achieved from within, despite the chaos around us.

The world will never be balanced. Be grounded and anchored in defining your own view, insulating yourself from the world view.

What we let in and what we give out will define the quality of our life and our contribution to the world.

Sep 5

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Bear Fruit

“The entire fruit is already present in the seed.” – Tertullian

“Life stands before me like an eternal spring with new and brilliant clothes.” - Carl Friedrich Gauss

“Life stands before me like an eternal spring with new and brilliant clothes.” – Carl Friedrich Gauss

Early Fall brings the gift of Jeanne’s labor when she generously shares fresh tomatoes from her garden, sweeter than candy. Reminding me that our life’s purpose is to bear fruit by sharing our gifts, by adding bold flavor, by lighting up a room, by planting seeds of hope. To leave more behind than what we were given. To multiply our gifts by giving them away.

Our fruit – gentleness, compassion, patience, generosity, civility, peace. In a word, love. Bear fruit.

Aug 28

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Drift

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.”
– John Lubbock

I am just wrapping up a six day vacation of merely drifting. Hanging out, resting and “preparing” for a busy Fall. Although six days won’t make up for two months of chaos, it does help to get realigned. I’ve also been thinking too much about Fall, in essense living it twice. While I may not be in complete control of my schedule, I do have control of my perspective of it. So instead of surviving the next two months, I am going to drift a little bit each day to stay engaged and fresh. Now, back into the waves.

Aug 26

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Aim High

“In the long run, men hit only what they aim at. Therefore, they had better aim at something high.” - Henry David Thoreau

“In the long run, men hit only what they aim at. Therefore, they had better aim at something high.” – Henry David Thoreau

“We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature – trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence… We need silence to be able to touch souls.” – Mother Teresa

Aim high. Low, good enough, just getting by are already taken. By all means, aim. Rediscover your potential, don’t settle, shoot for the moon. Life is a one way trip. Live it well and with enthusiasm.

“The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware, joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware.” – Henry Miller

Aug 16

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This Is It

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change
ourselves.”  – Victor Frankl

This is it – right now, your life. If you’re not doing what you want or on the path to it, change course. Someday is the fictional place we create to put off what we should do now. Create more urgency about the quality of each day than your “to do” list. This really is it, so either change it or change your perspective of it.

Aug 11

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Carry On Luggage Only

“Inner peace can be reached only when we practice forgiveness. Forgiveness is letting go of the past, and is therefore the means for correcting our misperceptions.” – Gerald Jampolsky

Never underestimate the weight of carrying the past on your journey – grudges, offenses, irritations, unforgiveness, omissions, regrets. All of the conversations replayed, gossip we participated in, words unsaid and disagreements get heavier the longer we carry them. Our pace is slowed and the scenery is clouded.

So, don’t check any bags. Travel light, carry on luggage only and enjoy your flight.

“All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.” – Havelock Ellis

Aug 9

Now

“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.”
– Henry David Thoreau

“Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into.“ - Wayne Dyer

“Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into.” – Wayne Dyer

We will long for this day tomorrow – our youth, our health, our family and friends. More often, we focus on what’s missing than what we have in our grasp. So be here, live now.

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