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Posts tagged ‘Simplicity’

Oct 19

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Boundless

“Being at ease with not knowing is crucial for answers to come to you.” – Eckhart Tolle

Every moment, each day is overflowing with promise when we give ourselves permission to accept that simple premise. Too often, we forego awesome people, beautiful places and the depth of the present as we opt to predetermine what lies ahead while clinging tightly to what has gone before.

I knew that this past week was going to have long hours and busy days. But instead of dreading it or wishing them away, I decided to move through each day open to what it may offer, no preconceived notions or conclusions. By letting it flow and unfold, I found a certain ease and renewed energy. I got to know others better, shared a bit about myself and listened intently. No judgment. No controlling. Just connecting with all that was present right in the moment.

I have surrendered too many days to assumptions, misperceptions, frustrations, drama and self-made complexity. If we start with the assumptions that people are good and our options are many, the world is transformed into endless possibilities. Naïve? Perhaps. Will we be disappointed? Absolutely. But living bound up in what has been or what may come steals this moment and the best in us and others.

We all just want to be called out to play, given permission to participate, invited to be seen and heard. Seize the boundless promises waiting to be fulfilled in your day, in your life.

Sep 15

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The Frog

“Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” ― Mark Twain

“Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness, no laziness, no procrastination: never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.” – Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield

“Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness, no laziness, no procrastination: never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.” – Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield

There’s an old saying “eat the frog first” – do what you don’t want to do first so you stop procrastinating and move on. When we delay starting, we give too much power to the “frog.” Our perceptions, assumptions and worries are not reality, but we make them our reality when they prevent us from living the good life we are meant to live.

Jump to it and eat the frog! There’s a lot of living to savor and not a lot of time to do it.

Jun 2

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Elbow & Nose Deep

“Poetry is an echo, asking a shadow to dance.” – Carl Sandburg

Blessed are those who not only see the glass half full but overflowing. Those who race into the rain to find the same joy found in the sun and breeze amidst the puddles and mud. Those who are lost in time, knowing that time passes swiftly whether we are happy or sad, so they wisely choose happy. Those who show us that life is found in ordinary moments and draw the marrow out of each one. Those that take silliness, fun and delight as serious business of the utmost importance.

“Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby.” – Langston Hughes

“Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby.” – Langston Hughes

May I be awake to my many blessings more often than not. May I not look back with regret, which is found in what we don’t do, what we don’t see, what we don’t appreciate. Blessed are those that recognize and act upon the abundance of blessings that are more than elbow and nose deep.

Apr 24

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Downtime

“We will be more successful in all our endeavors if we can let go of the habit of running all the time, and take little pauses to relax and re-center ourselves. And we’ll also have a lot more joy in living.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

“A light heart lives long.” – William Shakespeare

“A light heart lives long.” – William Shakespeare

Lighten up and take it easy. Rush into a conversation without looking at your watch, laugh with friends, go for a long leisurely walk. The world falls back into its proper place when we learn to pursue and seize the joy-filled moments woven through each day. Downtime quiets us long enough to rediscover gratitude and delight.

Mar 8

2 Comments

Party Hat

“Each friend represents a world in us, a world not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.” – Anais Nin

We celebrated Lily’s fourth birthday this morning with a run with friends. The party hats didn’t make it too long on the dogs, but the rest of us wore our hats for the entire run. We got a few strange looks but when we explained we were celebrating a dog’s birthday, it made all the sense in the world.

“Enthusiasm moves the world.” – Arthur Balfour

“Enthusiasm moves the world.” – Arthur Balfour

Friends wear silly hats, sing “Happy Birthday” in the parking lot and know how to make fun of a run together. In a hectic and often unkind world, we can create our own celebrations and moments every day. We have so much more than we often recognize. Today, I am grateful for Lily and Molly and good friends that make life fun, silly and deeply meaningful all at once.

Today’s a new day. Get your party hat on!

Dec 27

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The Sum of It All

“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” – Robert Frost

Before diving into next year with a slew of the same unfulfilled resolutions, take a moment and look back at the year that has gone by. If you take photos on your phone, this is a great way to sum up a year quickly. As I looked at both my photos and my calendar, I am surprised at how surprised I am. It’s been a year.

February in Washington D.C. for work; March on a cruise; in Spring, my nephew graduated from college and my niece graduated from high school; my brother ran his first marathon; my niece ran her first half marathon; I trained all summer for my second marathon; back to DC in July with Emily; a summer of Sundays on the pontoon; chickens moved into the neighborhood, making walks with Molly and Lily an adventure in excitement everyday; an intense year at work with 27 website transitions in 8 months and an acquisition, etc… and life goes on, and on. And it does whether we recognize it or not.

If I thought too much about what was to come, I would have frozen in my tracks. We may make plans and some will work and others won’t. As Woody Allen observed, “If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans.” As much as we think we are in control, we are not. It’s not what we go through, but how we go through it. I passed on some fronts and failed on others, but humbly keep getting back up and trying to do and be better.

In the new year, my resolutions, more importantly, my promises to myself are to recognize the boundless gifts that are embedded in each day, to keep growing into the person I am meant to be and to give more than I receive. I can accomplish this through living a healthy, well-rounded lifestyle – running, eating well, faith, prayer, gratitude, compassion, choosing love over assumptions and judgment, light over shadow.

Life is made up of the sum of our decisions, actions and inactions each day. Choose well.

Dec 15

Arriving

“If we are always arriving and departing, it is also true that we are eternally anchored. One’s destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things.” – Henry Miller

We’re arriving every day. In steps. In delays. In small victories. In time. Without knowing or perhaps recognizing, life comes to us in pieces, in moments that all come together to make up the whole. We miss so many days by merely getting by or putting off until “someday” when circumstances will be “perfect” or we have more time. Our life is the accumulation of daily commitments – awareness, hard work, play, repetition, laughter, discipline, endurance, faith, joy, patience, reflection, forgiveness and love.

Notice, share, accept and create the pieces of life scattered through each day.

Dec 8

10 Comments

Create

“The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.” – Pablo Picasso

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” – Thomas Merton

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” – Thomas Merton

Everyone of us has a capacity to create, to be creative. We need to act on it.  Tapping into that deep well, exploring the unknown, letting the mystery unfold. The act itself is the end, the purpose. No answers, no right or wrong. Mere expression to release what yearns to come out of each of us, our spirit.

I’ve been interested in book arts for a while. Yesterday, I finally jumped in and took a class on stitching a leather journal. There’s something about working with your hands and seeing parts become a whole. Some thread, scraps of leather and paper merging into something tangible. Not sure how it will all come together, yet it does. Wandering a path with guidance but no map, the destination is found. Create.

Jul 24

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Easy Rider

“May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view.  May your mountains rise into and above the clouds.”   – Edward Abbey

When we least expect it, the unexpected jumps in our path to break our patterns. Look around and see the simple and fun surprises in our midst. Don’t straighten everything out. No need to figure or fix. Just go for a ride and delight in the view. Sometimes, easy does it.

"From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere." - Dr. Seuss

“From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere.” – Dr. Seuss

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.

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