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Posts tagged ‘Simplicity’

Remember Well

“God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December.”- James M. Barrie

Even in our most demanding times, there are still moments of joy weaved through, providing hope and light. How we view the past provides the lense of our today and tomorrow. If we look deeper and longer, we can see the light beaming through the shadows of our memory, of our today.

Nothing is pure joy or pure pain. Life is a mix of it all and we can choose what we amplify. Never let the shadows overtake the light. Remember well, so that the roses in winter are as fragrant as they are in summer. It’s the difference between sight and vision.

“To be wronged is nothing unless you continue to remember it.” - Confucius

“To be wronged is nothing unless you continue to remember it.” – Confucius

Your Window

“One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.” – Dale Carnegie

Today is it. Look for the good in your garden of people, place and spirit. Lighten your spirit and lift the burdens from your heart. Tend to your garden so each day is filled joy, delight, and beauty.

There are beautiful roses, even in the midst of winter. Right outside your window.

“I still get wildly enthusiastic about little things... I play with leaves. I skip down the street and run against the wind.” - Leo Buscaglia

“I still get wildly enthusiastic about little things… I play with leaves. I skip down the street and run against the wind.” – Leo Buscaglia

Sunday RESeT

“Sunday is the golden clasp that binds together the volume of the week.”- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“Sometimes the most urgent thing you can possibly do is take a complete rest.” - Ashleigh Brilliant

“Sometimes the most urgent thing you can possibly do is take a complete rest.” – Ashleigh Brilliant

Sunday rest, reflection, and restoration resets our perspective on the past week and prepares us for the next, ultimately our life as a whole. The fruits of a Sunday well done carry through all of our days. After six days of creation, God rested on the seventh, showing us the way.

Work hard, play hard, rest hard.

Christmas, The Sequel

“Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.” – John Milton

“Your sacred space is where you can find yourself again and again.” - Joseph Campbell

“Your sacred space is where you can find yourself again and again.” – Joseph Campbell

The story of Christmas need not end today. Christmas shows us the very best in us, our capacity for generosity, kindness and love. Carry the spirit forward into each day. And the good news is that we are not alone in the sequel. Joy is found in the name, Emmanuel – God is with us.

“Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel.”  – Isaiah 7:14

Merry Christmas, today, tomorrow and the next…

Just for Fun

“Man is most nearly himself when he achieves the seriousness of a child at play.” – Heraclitus

“Life must be lived as play.” - Plato

“Life must be lived as play.” – Plato

The first real snow brings heavy thoughts of shoveling, slow travel, shoveling again and being stuck in the house. Watching Lily and Molly wrestle in the fresh snow today and hopping through the drifts brought me back to the pure joy of being a kid again.

Building snow forts, sledding down dead man’s hill again and again, ice skating at the playground for hours. No complaining, just fun and frolic, delighting in the simple. So as a new week starts, be as light as the snowflakes floating in the air instead of the heavy pile at the end of the driveway that’s left by the snowplow right after you finish shoveling.

Lighten up, just for fun.

Ripple Effect

“We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.” – Mother Teresa

“A mountain is composed of tiny grains of earth. The ocean is made up of tiny drops of water. Even so, life is but an endless series of little details, actions, speeches, and thoughts. And the consequences whether good or bad of even the least of them are far-reaching.” - Sivananda

“A mountain is composed of tiny grains of earth. The ocean is made up of tiny drops of water. Even so, life is but an endless series of little details, actions, speeches, and thoughts. And the consequences whether good or bad of even the least of them are far-reaching.” – Sivananda

We are here for a purpose. Each thought, word and action offered has power, mulitplied and magnified. Between making a living and really living, we oscilate between “going through the motions” and a search of the “extraordinary and lofty.” Our true purpose unfolds in the simplicity of living each day well, right in the midst of the ordinary.

Author Caroline Myss in Entering the Castle beautifully and susinctly summarizes – “… you are measured by the quality of attitude you bring to all your tasks, by your capacity to be a model of generosity, and by challenging the fear that there is not enough to go around in world – whether that is money, love, food, fame, power, attention, success, or social position. Mystical service means modeling calm in chaos, kindness amid anger, forgiveness at all times, personal integrity – to live, in other words, mindful that every second offers a choice either to channel grace or to withhold it.”

Channel it. Each drop, one by one, ripples through the world. A drop is enough.

Spend It All

“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me’.” – Erma Bombeck

Invest your time, talent, creativity and passion in people and activities that matter. Build others first, and you will build yourself even more. Spend yourself, all of you on what’s right and true. Taste the sweetness of life. Share, laugh, work hard, play harder, carry others when they can’t, let them go when they can. Take the training wheels off and ride full speed ahead. Put your party hat on and celebrate this day.

Wait Up

“A good companion shortens the longest road.” – Turkish Proverb

“If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans.”- James Herriot

“If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans.”- James Herriot

Every Wednesday and Saturday, Molly, Lily and I run with our running group. Lily and Molly run side by side with not much air between them. If we get ahead of the group, Molly will look back to make sure that they are still close by, not losing sight of her pack.

If Molly’s boyfriend Solomon (a cute yellow lab who doesn’t realize that he’s her boyfriend) is behind, she will sit down on the path and wait for him. When they are neck and neck, she will make her move and give him a kiss on the cheek. Every once in a while, I see him glancing her way so I think he’s playing hard to get.

We run a lot of our “daily race” alone. So as you run your race, focusing on the finish, remember to glance back now and then and wait up for others. Better yet, loop back around and run by their side, celebrating the finish together.

Between Sunsets

“If I can put one touch of rosy sunset into the life of any man or woman, I shall feel that I have worked with God.” – Gilbert K. Chesterton

“If I can put one touch of rosy sunset into the life of any man or woman, I shall feel that I have worked with God.” – Gilbert K. Chesterton

“Know what you want to do, hold the thought firmly, and do every day what should be done, and every sunset will see you that much nearer to your goal.” – Elbert Hubbard

Carefully choose how you spend the hours between each sunset. When you have chosen the path made for you, carelessly give yourself to the journey.

“Service is the rent we pay for being. It is the very purpose of life, and not something you do in your spare time.” – Marian Wright Edelman

Lost and Found Smile

“Let my soul smile through my heart and my heart smile through my eyes, that I may scatter rich smiles in sad hearts.” – Paramahansa Yogananda

“Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.” - Dr. Seuss

“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” – Dr. Seuss

THE Sole Sisters rode again for our annual “run a half marathon by the ocean” vacation. This year’s mini-escape – Malibu, California. The subtitle could be the “find your lost smile” excursion. Mission accomplished. Vacation breaks our daily patterns, whacking us in the head to wake up and enjoy this short life. The trick is to carry the vacation calm forward. It’s not about a permanent escape, but living each non-vacation day with that same joy and enthusiasm.

Carve out time each day, week, month to stay fresh and engaged, despite the odds. Laugh about silly things until your stomach hurts, taking yourself much less seriously. Eat food that looks like art with a sunset as your backdrop. Smile from your heart and soul, giving your mind a rest. See the good in all, even when not evident or rational. Go deeper, walk lighter.

Slow down and listen to your internal GPS, which like our GPS in our rental car told us several times to “recalculate.” Take the long cut and enjoy the journey, living to your fullest potential, giving your best. Smile like you mean it.

“Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.” – Mother Teresa