Sep 18
“You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give.” – Winston Churchill
As we race from one thing to the next with speed and velocity, yielding is not natural, especially in a “get their fast and first world.” The real win is not just about crossing the finish line, but in how we get there. Open a door, step to the side, make way, hold back, listen, be patient, lend a hand, let others by. Yield and yield a good life, beyond your own.
“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
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
“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
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.
Sep 3
“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
“Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower.” – Albert Camus
It’s all in your perspective – the end of summer or the beginning of a new season of harvest. End or begin – we choose. Each season offers something new, reminding us the constancy of change. Dive into Fall with the same vigor you did when Summer arrived.
“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” – Seneca
Aug 31
“The secret of success is to be in harmony with existence, to be always calm to let each wave of life wash us a little farther up the shore.” – Cyril Connolly
Unmoved, the rocks remain steady as each wave rolls in. The rocks don’t collapse under the force but hold firm as the water hits resistance and then gently rolls over the top. Smoothing the edges, making the rocks shine. The choice is not whether the waves will come but rather in our response. Do we let them roll over us or do they take us under?
Aug 28
“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
“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 25
“If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.” – Booker T. Washington
Always look up – the only way out. No matter what, hope and light. Lift your heart, mind and soul and bring your others with on the way up.
“Lift up your eyes upon. This day breaking for you. Give birth again. To the dream.”
– Maya Angelou
Aug 24
“We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won’t need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don’t fire cannons to call attention to their shining- they just shine.” – Dwight L. Moody
Find your light and be a beacon. The light will sustain you and guide others through rough seas and dark nights.
A quiet steady light.
Aug 16
“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.
