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Posts tagged ‘optimism’

Aug 29

Embrace the Bloom

“Coincidences are God’s way of getting our attention.”― Frederick Buechner

“The original, shimmering self gets buried so deep that most of us end up hardly living out of it at all. Instead we live out all the other selves, which we are constantly putting on and taking off like coats and hats against the world’s weather.” ― Frederick Buechner, Telling Secrets

Invite your shimmering self out to play, to remain
Release what was, should have been or what might be
Enter the flow of bud to bloom, everything in between
Awake, aware, in tune to this day, what it will bring with fresh eyes
Embrace the bloom, the mystery and certainty.

“Just let go. Let go of how you thought your life should be, and embrace the life that is trying to work its way into your consciousness.”― Caroline Myss

Aug 26

Cloud Mountains

“I hope
you are able
to remember
what was Light-woven
and beautiful.
I hope
you are able to see
to remember what was,
and carry the goodness
that you will never forget
in the direction
of what is to come.”
― Morgan Harper Nichols

“May you always be the one
who notices the little things
that make the light pour
through, and may they always
remind you: There is more to
life and there is more to you.”
― Morgan Harper Nichols

Clouds shaped like mountains
Or perhaps a rollercoaster
Use your imagination
Jumpstart wonder and awe
The sky, flowers, sun, moon, stars, a butterfly, a bird, a summer breeze
Notice the little things and enter their immensity, beauty and grace
Let them enter you to broaden, deepen, soften, open
Heart and soul work
Tend the fields
Touch the sky.

“Maybe
this heart
of yours
that longs for
something more
is being prepared
for something
so much
greater than you.”
― Morgan Harper Nichols

Aug 18

Peppermint Flowers

“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.”― W.B. Yeats

“The pursuit of truth and beauty is a sphere of activity in which we are permitted to remain children all our lives.”― Albert Einstein

Wonderment overflowing.
Curiosity burgeoning.
Senses ablaze.
Rapt attention.
Bloom lingering.
Blessings in abundance.
Wisdom, gratitude, magic.
All of this, I wish for all.

“The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common.”― Emerson

Aug 16

Get on with it…now

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

Take the next step.
Keep going.
Stay in the game.
Try new things.
Begin and begin again.
A fresh day, a blank canvas.
Create something beautiful.
Get on with it.

“I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness – it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude.” – Brene Brown

Aug 15

2 Comments

Afire

“The miracle is not to walk on water but on the earth. —Thich Nhat Hanh”

“Earth’s crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God: But only he who sees takes off his shoes.” – Elizabeth Barrett Browning

As summer moves into its third act, stay with it all of the way through to the end rather than lament it’s over.
Take in the late blooming flowers in shapes and colors unseen.
Sunrises and sunsets, and each moment in between.
Fall with harvest bounty will enter on cue, with gifts of its own.
In the meantime, do not dismiss the last act.
Earth is crammed with heaven indeed when you live into new ways of thinking.
Breath and drink it all in.

“We do not think ourselves into new ways of living, we live ourselves into new ways of thinking.”― Richard Rohr

Aug 6

Pinstripes and Polka Dots

“Everything beautiful has a mark of eternity.”― Simone Weil

“The landscape belongs to the person who looks at it…” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Pinstripes and polka dots
Balloons and ferris wheels
Skipping and hopscotch
Jumping rope and swinging
Cotton candy and ice cream
Laughter and frolic
Evoke delight, that of a child, the one that remains within
Sparked by colors, a kaleidoscope playground
Enter this space and place if only for a bit
The world will remain for you to pick it back on your shoulders again, if you must
But it will look different, a little lighter, fresher
The beauty of just being alive.

“We have to get back to the beauty of just being alive in this present moment.” – Mary McDonnell

Aug 3

A Cup of Water

“Creativity and imagination are not frosting on a cake: They are integral to our sustainability. They are survival mechanisms. They are of the essence of who we are. They constitute our deepest empowerment.”― Matthew Fox

Dehydrated and dry from cynicism, duality, assumption, judgment, comparison, counting, scarcity and sheer lack of imagination, we seek waterfalls, oceans, distant shores just out of reach in the land of “someday when…” to be complete.
When our circumstances change, when others change, surely not me, when my political party is in control, when I win, when the stars align…
A false narrative that steals this day. Fiction and flat.
Discover and drink from the oasis of the present moment sparked by gratitude, awareness and wonder.
Drink the cup of water in front of you and offer one to others.
There’s plenty and it’s more than enough.
A cup of encouragement, joy, beauty, laughter, discernment, optimism, abundance, clarity, love to rehydrate, satisfy, refresh and reshape the world.
If we don’t recognize the blessings already present, how will we identify anything new?
Radical amazement, cup overflowing.

“To see ourselves as we truly are—a wisp of love itself—is perhaps our deepest fear. But it is also our greatest grace. If we are to be the new human, we must begin by embracing love, which always seeks to incarnate itself. Love is enfleshed everywhere. Everywhere the Holy One is shouting and whispering, ‘Let me love you.’ And all that is asked of us is to receive. In reality, that is our life’s work. Nothing more, and certainly nothing less.” – Judy Cannato

Aug 1

Poised in Hope

“Self-poised upon that yellow flower
And, little Butterfly! indeed
I know not if you sleep or feed.
How motionless! not frozen seas
More motionless! and then
What joy awaits you, when the breeze
Hath found you out among the trees,
And calls you forth again!” – William Wordsworth

“Intellect does not function in opposition to mystery; tolerance is not more pragmatic than love; and cynicism is not more reasonable than hope.” – Krista Tippett

May hope be the ground you stand on, take root in.
Love be the path you travel.
Partaking in joy on your way through space and time.

“Hope is an orientation, an insistence on wrestling wisdom and joy from the endlessly fickle fabric of space and time.” – Krista Tippett

Jul 31

Flying Flower

“Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.” – Nathaniel Hawthorne

“The butterfly is a flying flower. The flower is a tethered butterfly.” — Ponce Denis

Fill yourself with summer.
Sun, flowers, butterflies.
Nature invites, embraces, creates.
Get out on the playground.
Participate, observe, renew.
Enchantment awaits.

“When the spirit of nature touches us, our hearts turn into a butterfly!” — Mehmet Murat Ildan

Jul 15

1 Comment

Evidence of Life

“Growth is the only evidence of life.” – John Henry Newman

“To live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often.” – John Henry Newman

Thrive
Bud
Bloom
Shed
Dormancy
Replant
Nurture
Bloom, again
Seasons
Cycles
Dynamic
Stretched
Pushed
Pulled
Wrestled
Pinned
Everchanging
Transcend
Transform

In moments of clarity, glimpses of beauty, may you say “yes” to growth, to soul work, to bigger than circumstances and surface existence. A resounding “yes” to life in all its imperfection, struggle, delight, joy, and unmet expectations.

Reconsider, rethink and reset your expectations. Not lowering them but expanding them beyond your past, your stories, your demands. Enter the current and flow of life so it enters you in return. Unknowing is the first step to real knowing. Prepare to soar in the most unexpected places.

“If we insist on being as sure as is conceivable, we must be content to creep along the ground, and never soar.” – John Henry Newman

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