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Posts tagged ‘optimism’

Feb 13

kaleidoscope of new possibilities

“Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.” – Victor Hugo

“At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities.” – Jean Houston

Yield
Look up and around
Pause
Breathe deep and exhale
Put it down, all of it
The world, the worry, the doing
Lighten up
Laughter, delight, fun
From shovel to ladder
Kaleidoscope of new possibilities
Release some endorphins today, repeat daily
Fuel for the soul
Oil for the spirit
Food for the journey

“The first rule of holes: When you’re in one stop digging.”― Molly Ivins

Jan 30

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Streams of Light Breaking Through

“When there is silence, one finds the anchor of the universe within oneself.” – Lao Tzu

“Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster.”― Martha Beck, The Way of Integrity: Finding the Path to Your True Self

Turmoil
Chaos
Division
Extremes
Uncertainty
The fertile soil of transformation in the making
Waking us out of complacency
To demand more of and for ourselves
To rediscover yet again and again, soon
Our humanity, interconnectedness, goodness
We belong to each other
And keep forgetting
It’s easy to tear down, criticize, soundbite, disrupt, simplify the complex, blame, despair, fear
Intellectual humility, critical thinking, kindness, inquiry, unity, respectful disagreement, civility, empathy
The hard rigorous work of love
Streams of light
Get to work in your space and place
Build, create, amplify, reflect, multiply, contribute, hope, participate
Steadfast through words and action
Cast light on your path today

“An ideal culture is one that makes a place for every human gift”― Margaret Mead

Jan 24

Yes to Joy!

“Find that courageous yes. Fight for that confident no.”― Lysa TerKeurst, The Best Yes

“As we step into the days ahead, whether they’re brimming with plans or full of life’s regular rhythm, may you carry this truth. You are loved. You are loved. You are loved. Not for what you achieve or what you accomplish, but simply because you are here. The person that doesn’t have to do another darn thing. A blessing maybe if you’re a little tired.

Blessed are you, weary one. You who feel the weight of the world’s demands and yet dare to pause even for a moment and wonder, Is there more here than this? Then all this doing and making and chasing and striving? Than the laundry and checklists, gym memberships and morning routines. Blessed are you not for what you accomplish, but for the quiet truth of who you are. A soul already worthy, already loved. May you find joy in this simple act of being. And may you remember, even on the hardest days, that grace is not earned. It is yours to receive.” – Kate Bowler

Bookend of the week
Hard stop.
Inquire and listen
What did I discover?
Who did I connect with?
How did I spend my time?
How did I feel?
Did I laugh?
Did I rest?
Did I have fun?
Did I love well?
Human beings
Being not doing
Pause. Reflect. Notice.
Narrow. Hone. Deepen.
Slow. Savor. Steep.
More “no” to get to the best “yes”
May joy find you each day.
May you let her in.
Big Yes!

“The world will ask you who you are, and if you don’t know, the world will tell you.” – Carl Jung

Jan 11

Slow Ride, Long Cut

“The glory of God is the human person fully alive.”― Irenaeus of Lyons

“In Buddhism, the concept of “being busy as a form of laziness” refers to the idea that constantly filling one’s time with activities, often superficial or distracting, can be a way of avoiding deeper self-reflection and spiritual practice, essentially acting as a form of mental laziness, even if outwardly appearing very busy; this is often called “Kausīdya” in Sanskrit, meaning ‘spiritual sloth.’”- AI search

Slow, pause, stop.
Look up and in to see expanse, depth, width.
Anchor, root, reach, imagine.
Less busy, more reflection.
Shorten the list to the essentials, discard the rest.
Recalibrate, reroute, carry on.
Intuition of inner compass.
Fully alive, enjoying the journey.
Travel lightly, with awe, wonder and gratitude.
The long cut.

“I was wise enough never to grow up,
while fooling people into believing I had.”― Margaret Mead

Jan 4

Limit of the Sky, Depth of the Sea

“We are not what we know but what we are willing to learn.” – Mary Catherine Bateson

“New beginnings are usually welcome. But being a beginner? Not so much. We want our circumstances to change, to start again, to be brand-new. But when they change, we often don’t give ourselves permission to be new within them. Instead, we want to rush ahead to mastery. We think we ought to know how to navigate the newness, especially if it’s something we wanted, something we prayed for, waited for, asked for, or planned.”― Emily P. Freeman, The Next Right Thing

Beginnings and being a beginner
To try new things
To turn, shift, wander
To be willing to learn and unlearn
If this is our one intention for this new year
What adventures may be right before us in ordinary days
Limit of the sky, depth of the sea.

“We either live with intention or exist by default.” – Kristin Armstrong

Dec 31

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Aspirations, Intentions, Actions

“An unintentional life accepts everything and does nothing. An intentional life embraces only the things that will add to the mission of significance.” – John C Maxwell

“We either live with intention or exist by default.” – Kristin Armstrong

New Year’s Eve resolutions
Shifting to aspirations, intentions, actions
To keep growing and deepening
To not know everything so I can keep learning and unlearning
To be generous and kind
To enter familiar rooms with fresh eyes
To ask more questions and listen
To quiet and seek discernment
To slow for reflection then dive in with resolve
To say no more making room for yes to the right things
To see and welcome joy and gratitude during challenges, roadblocks and detours
To pursue awe, wonder, delight, inquiry, discovery, connection
To deepen trust, faith, patience
To receive grace, light, love
And give it away with abandon
Aspirations to keep becoming and unfolding
Intentions to focus time and attention
Daily actions to move aspirations and intentions into motion
Direction, aim, fire
Repeat.

“Action expresses priorities.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Dec 30

Brilliant, Bright, Becoming, Daily

“It makes you wonder. All the brilliant things we might have done with our lives if only we suspected we knew how.”― Ann Patchett, Bel Canto

“Growing up, I never knew a relaxed woman. Successful women? Yes. Productive women? Plenty. Anxious and afraid and apologetic women? Heaps of them. But relaxed women? At-ease women? Women who don’t dissect their days into half hour slots of productivity? Women who prioritize rest and pleasure and play? Women who aren’t afraid to take up space in the world? Women who give themselves unconditional permission to relax? Without guilt? Without apology? Without feeling like they need to earn it? I’m not sure I’ve ever met a woman like that. But I would like to become one.”― Nicola Jane Hobbs

To becoming
Daily
Imperfectly, beautifully
To unfolding and unfurling
Slowly and surely
From bud to bloom, again and again
Seasons and cycles
Transitions to transformations
Planting, feeding, harvesting
Waiting and arriving
To aim and focus on what matters most
Loving every version of ourselves and others too
To failure because it shows we are still trying
To getting back up and swinging at the ball again and again
As we continue to grow, deepen and become
With all the detours, delays and wanderings
Awake, aware and grateful for it all.

“This is the true joy in life, being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one. Being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it what I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.”― George Bernard Shaw

Dec 27

Crossing Over

“He who cannot forgive breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass.”― George Herbert

“At the end of my life, I know I won’t be wishing I’d held more back, been less effusive, more often stood on ceremony, forgiven less, spent more days oblivious to the secret wishes and fears of the people around me…”― George Saunders, The Braindead Megaphone

What will I lay down to enter the new year ahead, to enter this fresh day?
Not more
Less and deeper
Richness and connection
Purpose and meaning
Joy and delight
Clear the decks, discard, release, let go
Create space and capacity
To pick up the good and travel lightly
Open arms and heart
To embrace and be held
Mercy, love, forgiveness
To give and receive
Build and cross the bridge.

“What if we just started with the idea that all of us want to swim in mercy, love, and forgiveness?” – Father Greg Boyle

Dec 5

Distance and Proximity

“Sometimes I need only to stand wherever I am to be blessed.”― Mary Oliver, Devotions: A Read with Jenna Pick: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver

“Let me keep my distance, always, from those who think they have the answers.”― Mary Oliver, Devotions: A Read with Jenna Pick: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver

The things we see.
The stuff we carry.
The stuff we choose to put down, daily.
Who we surround ourself with.
Our expectations and view.
Abundance or scarcity.
Walls or bridges.
Optimism or cynicism.
Distance and proximity.
Quiet and connection.
To be in not of the world, and love it even so.
May the light of blessings on the ground I stand burn bright and long.
Awakening wonder, awe, reverence, delight.
To steep long and deep in unknowing.
Overflowing with curiosity and love.

“Let me keep company always with those who say “Look!” and laugh in astonishment, and bow their heads.”― Mary Oliver, Devotions: A Read with Jenna Pick: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver

Nov 18

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Weave Light Through This Day

“We all have an inner light waiting to guide us home. But sometimes the Universe turns off all the lights, so we have no choice but to find our own.”― Rebecca Campbell, Light is the New Black

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world”. – Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love

What can one person do?
Shine.
Give.
Receive.
Invite, welcome, expand.
Let your light shine.
A flicker or flame.
Cast light with kindness, a smile, words of encouragement.
Plant, scatter, weave light through this day.

“You have an inner light within you that is craving to be shared by those around you, by the world at large – but mostly by you. When you share your unique light, bit by bit, you light up the lives of those around you. And, one by one, you inspire them to light up too. It’s a chain reaction. And before long, the whole world lights up. Your light is contagious.”― Rebecca Campbell, Light is the New Black

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