Before I found this Flickr image, I had never read this Irish blessing before. What a beautiful idea!
I remember in college, I spent a semester abroad in the Netherlands. My school owned a castle there—a full-on castle with a moat and towers and everything. The school gave us all three-day weekends, and two full weeks off so we could maximize our Eurail passes.… Read More
“The journey is the reward.” ~Chinese Proverb
So much of our language about the things we enjoy in life revolves around getting ahead.
We wonder where our relationships are going. We plan to move forward in our careers. We talk about maintaining momentum with new projects.
None of these things are necessarily bad.… Read More
“Whatever you fight, you strengthen, and what you resist, persists.” ~Eckhart Tolle
Have you ever exacerbated difficult feelings by responding to them with resistance?
Although I made peace with my recent burglary shortly after it happened, I started feeling down and anxious at the end of last week. In retrospect, I think there was a connection between that and the painkillers my doctor prescribed when my surgical site started hurting again.… Read More
“Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh
The other day, while I was getting cash from an ATM, I smiled at an adorable toddler standing with her father at the machine next to me.
She had this huge grin on her face, and she actually waved at me from two feet away, so I couldn’t help but smile in return.… Read More
“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” ~Winston Churchill
As someone whose profession requires me to spend a great deal of time alone, I’m always trying to strike a balance between solitude and connection; so yesterday I decided to write from this courtyard outside the activity center in my apartment community.… Read More
“What we must decide is how we are valuable rather than how valuable we are.” ~ Edgar Z. Friedenberg
Just now I saw an ad on the right-hand side of my Facebook page promoting a webcast about purpose. The message reads, “Are you meant for greater things?”
This immediately caught my eye because it essentially appeals to our deep-seated need for significance.… Read More
“Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it.” ~Eckhart Tolle
Somewhere right now, someone out there feels exactly like you do.
Someone is thinking that things could be better and wondering if they’ll ever arrive. Someone is remembering how things were before and wondering if they’ll ever let go. … Read More
“Happiness depends upon ourselves.” ~Aristotle
Yesterday I wrote at Starbucks for the first time since my surgery, after my doctor cleared me to walk.
I felt an immense sense of relief to be outside my home, where I didn’t feel quite so isolated. And I was grateful for every nuance of that day—the fresh air, the feeling of life going around me, and the sense that somehow, I was part of it.… Read More
“The human spirit is stronger than anything that could happen to it.” ~C. C. Scott
During these past couple of weeks, while I’ve been recovering from my surgery, I’ve been watching a show called I Shouldn’t Be Alive, which has an entire season on Netflix.
Each episode chronicles the experiences of a person or people who came close to death in an adventure gone wrong.… Read More
“Serenity comes when you trade expectations for acceptance.” ~Unknown
Yesterday I felt frustrated.
The night before, I’d overheard my boyfriend telling a friend he’d thought I’d be in less pain at that point, a week after my surgery. Suddenly I felt disappointed in myself—that I should be healing more quickly, or somehow doing more.… Read More
“In chaos, there is fertility.” ~Anais Nin
I am someone who strives to maintain some sense of control amid chaos. One way I do that is by obsessively organizing my space.
For example, there can only be four pairs of shoes left by the downstairs door, in a place where exactly four fit—and they need to be lined up neatly to look like tiny foot soldiers, standing at attention.… Read More
“The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction, not a destination.” ~Carl Rogers
Have you ever felt a sense of internal conflict about enjoying the present moment while also working toward your dreams?
This is something I revisit over and over, because I know life happens now, and in order to fully live it, I need to accept what’s in front of me and experience it with complete awareness.… Read More
“Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That’s why it’s a comfort to go hand in hand.” ~Emily Kimbrough
I just finished my second family visit for the year, and I have three more planned.
For years after I first moved away a decade ago, I only came home around the holidays.… Read More
“Would you rather be right or free?” ~Byron Katie
Several months back, I saw a live taping of Oprah’s Life Class, which she hosted with Iyanla Vanzant, author of Peace from Broken Pieces and other self-help books.
At one point during the episode, Iyanla discussed an exchange she’d had the week prior with a viewer who’d Skyped in.… Read More
“Renew yourself. Release that attachment. Today is a new day!” ~Steve Mariboli
While preparing today’s reader-submitted post about Spring-cleaning, I started to think about my collection of old journals, which I wrote from age 12 through 21.
Many of these are depressing. They paint a picture of a sad, lost little girl who struggled with self-esteem, and chose a number of self-destructive habits to cope with overwhelming pain.… Read More
“There is a huge amount of freedom that comes to you when you take nothing personally.” ~Don Miguel Ruiz
The other day I received a comment on an old blog post that started with, “You’re full of crap,” and ended with, “I don’t know, and idiots like you don’t help us figure it out.”
Shortly after, I received an email from a new blogger who recently contributed to the site.… Read More
“Hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don’t unravel.” ~Unknown
The other night I flew home to Massachusetts, after visiting just a couple months back to spend time with my sick grandmother.
Since she was released from the hospital in February, she’s been staying with my parents, which means I’ll have plenty of opportunities to simply be with her during this trip—not for lunch or a specific activity, but simply to share space.… Read More
“Follow your bliss and don’t be afraid, and doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be.” ~Joseph Campbell
Recently I’ve been feeling this need to grow and expand. I’ve been doing the same thing here for about three years now, and I’ve identified a long list of things I know I don’t want to do—but aside from writing my next book, I haven’t felt a strong pull in any other direction.… Read More
“Enjoy your own life without comparing it with that of another.” -Marquis de Condorcet
Last Saturday I decided to take a mid-day bath, just because I felt like it. I’d been working from home (since Monday starts my “weekend”) and I felt like I needed to take a break and recharge.… Read More
“Dwelling on the negative simply contributes to its power.” ~Shirley Maclaine
Have you ever felt like you were drowning in negativity?
Maybe you were feeling down on yourself, but instead of pulling yourself up, you made yourself feel bad for struggling with yourself in this way.
Or maybe you made a mistake, but instead of forgiving yourself, you beat yourself up over it, rehashing everything you should have done.… Read More
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