“What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it.” ~Unknown
During the first week of July 2012, a storm left my little town and nearly one million other people in the Mid-Atlantic Region without electricity. The outage lasted eight days for Buffalo, Ohio, and we saw triple digits (F) each day.… Read More
“To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.” ~Unknown
Life has been strange the past few days.
All summer there was a trip or an event to count down to the final move—my brother’s wedding in Sedona, Captiva Island with my boyfriend’s family, Thailand with a girlfriend and, finally, a week in Atlanta.… Read More
“A little knowledge that acts is worth infinitely more than much knowledge that is idle.” ~Kahlil Gibran
Have you ever read a book or a blog post and felt a profound sense of clarity—like you knew exactly what you needed to do—only to find yourself feeling paralyzed by the same old struggles hours or days later?… Read More
“The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.” ~Sydney J. Harris
Have you ever been “insanely busy”?
That’s been my world for the last two weeks. Not only have I been writing posts for my websites and creating meditation products for my subscribers, I’ve also been busy planning the end of year music events at the school where I work.… Read More
“Judge nothing, you will be happy. Forgive everything, you will be happier. Love everything, you will be happiest.” ~Sri Chinmoy
I used to have a friend who wasn’t good for me. She would put me down at every opportunity. If she saw me laughing and smiling, she would say something to bring me down.… Read More
“If it’s not fun, you’re not doing it right.” ~Bob Basso
Every morning my daughter and I go for a twenty-minute walk to my workplace. For me, in those twenty minutes, I’m in transit. For my toddler, it’s nothing less than a parade of flowers, fire trucks, pebbles, and friendly folk.… Read More
“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” ~Charles R. Swindoll
People almost always misunderstand depression. I know; I used to.
My first dance with depression happened 15 years ago. I was in my early twenties and it totally freaked me out.
When you’re depressed, your perception of pretty much everything changes.… Read More
“To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.” ~Unknown
We’ve been taught that being negative means being realistic, and being optimistic means being unrealistic. We’ve been led to believe that you are “too old” or it is “too late” to follow your dreams. We’ve been taught to associate the feeling of doubt with failure.… Read More
“He who deliberates fully before taking a step will spend his entire life on one leg.” ~Chinese Proverb
I’m not going to put myself out there.
I’m afraid to fail.
I’m afraid to succeed.
What are they going to say about me?
What if I’m not good enough?
What if they laugh at me?… Read More
“If your number one goal is to make sure that everyone likes and approves of you, then you risk sacrificing your uniqueness, and, therefore, your excellence.” ~Unknown
We all know at least one hardcore people-pleaser. You know the signs: She sleeps out in the rain and gets sick so her friend’s dog can fit in the tent.… Read More
“Whenever something negative happens to you, there is a deep lesson concealed within it.” ~Eckhart Tolle
I’ve experienced a unique situation that has taught me a surprising lesson about the scope of the human races’ ability to choose love over hate, understanding over anger, and belief over fear.
I’d rather not have to tell a story like this, and my wish is that no one would ever have to learn lessons from an experience such as this.… Read More
“The most important thing in this world is to learn to give out love, and let it come in.” ~Morrie Schwartz
Love is a strange and beautiful thing.
I always thought I knew what love meant. I grew up hearing the words all the time. It was on TV, in books and magazines, and people all around were saying it.… Read More
“Pain is not a sign of weakness, but bearing it alone is a choice to grow weak.” ~Lori Deschene
When given the chance, I would much rather bear pain on my own, thank-you-very-much. It’s incredibly difficult for me to be vulnerable and ask for help. To share my pain with someone else.… Read More
“The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.” ~Oscar Wilde
I believe in kindness.
I am not, by nature, a kind person.
But I’m trying to be.
My tongue is sharp. I’m far too often the first to come back with a sharp retort.
Sarcasm and I were old companions, until about four years ago, when I had what I thought was just a casual conversation with a friend.… Read More
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.” ~Ambrose Redmoon
A couple weeks back, I had my first singing lesson in over 15 years. I’ve been hoping to get back into musical theater, so this seemed like a perfect compliment to the acting classes I planned to start soon (which I began this past weekend).… Read More
“Life is change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely.” ~Karen Kaiser Clark
Life can be a persistent teacher.
When we fail to learn life’s lessons the first time around, life has a way of repeating them to foster understanding.
Over the last few years, my life was shaken up by dramatic circumstances.… Read More
“There is no need to reach high for the stars. They are already within you. Just reach deep into yourself!” ~Unknown
I spent years searching for joy. For a long time, I thought that if I did the same things I saw in movies and on TV, I’d become a joyful person.… Read More
“We must each lead a way of life with self-awareness and compassion, to do as much as we can. Then, whatever happens we will have no regrets.” ~Dalai Lama
I finally decided that I would call my friend. By then, our lunch plans wouldn’t have made any sense since it was getting close to midnight.… Read More
“Freedom is instantaneous the moment we accept things as they are.” ~Karen Maezen Miller
Seemingly for months now, upon learning anything new, my seven-year-old daughter has me, “Is it good or bad?”
Not brushing at night—good or bad? One hundred degree temperatures—good or bad? Water leak in the furnace—good or bad?… Read More
“A wise man makes his own decisions; an ignorant man follows public opinion.” ~Chinese Proverb
I’d like you to ask yourself a simple question: Do you know if you’re an introvert or an extrovert?
If you’re uncertain of the answer, you might accidentally be draining your energy with too much time spent socializing, or boring yourself to death with too much time spent in solitude.… Read More
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