Uncategorized – Page 7 – Surprised By Joy

9 Pieces Of Indispensable Life Advice From Your Future Self

June 7, 2021Posted in Uncategorized

I really enjoyed this list of life advice that AP2 pulled together from comments on a post asking for what advice people would give to their former selves. He did the hard work to find the patterns and consolidate the list into 9 discreet points. Two of the items really stuck out to me:
#5 follow your heart but don’t be reckless
#7 don’t wait but have patience
I think there might be a natural tendency in all of us that is exposed by these two points – are we be-ers or do-ers? That is to say are we happy just being while waiting for life to unfold or are we people that force that action by doing things. As a self-admitted “do-er” I resonate with the advice to be pragmatic about decision making and to have patience. And I can appreciate that maybe follow your heart and don’t wait might be the right advice for those who are more happy to just be.
Hope you enjoy this too!

Wise & Shine

I had an ulterior motive last week when I asked what advice you would give your former self if you could go back in time. Truthfully I’m at something of a crossroads in my own life. I have a difficult decision to make and I’m not sure what my next step should be. It got me thinking, if only my future self could come back and tell me what to do.

That’s what gave me the idea. I wanted to see what all of you had to say and see if I could spot any patterns – to see if I could gain some more clarity. Thankfully loads of you responded, so I had plenty to chew on. There were some obvious patterns, but also a few pieces of seemingly contradictory advice that forced me to do a bit of deeper thinking.

From all of you, I pieced together…

View original post 1,249 more words

Bottomless Questions

April 20, 2021April 20, 2021Posted in meditation, Parenthood, UncategorizedTagged awakening, curiosity, inspiration, Jennifer louden, mark nepo, meditation, openness

“Keep your feet on the ground and your thoughts at lofty heights.” – Peace Pilgrim

When I awaken every morning, I tiptoe past both the kids closed bedroom doors and walk downstairs with the cat winding her way around my ankles. After I feed her and do a little stretching or yoga, I meditate. I have three or four books that I keep next to my meditation cushion and I read these short meditations as I sip my tea. The thing I like best about this practice is that when I flip to the page for April 20th in the Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo for instance, what is written there is usually something different that whatever is on the top of my mind for the day. It takes me out of my life for a moment to ponder a bigger or deeper theme instead of the logistics of my day.

So today when I opened another of my books, A Year of Daily Joy by Jennifer Louden, I loved that what she proposed, “Try asking bottomless questions – the kind that tantalize and stretch you.” Her examples were “How can I love more?” and “What do I want to create today?”

I sat with this idea for a while, watching the sun start to play on the house across from me, the birds flitting in and out of my plum tree, the feeling of observation starting to warm up my engagement with life and came up with this question “How can I bring curiosity into what I see and do today?”

The feeling of that question matches with my mood when I awaken. Light and open — and curious. My morning routine helps me set the tone for the day so that even long after what I read gets forgotten in the bustle of the day, I am still sustained by the broader horizon that came with my morning moments. I love the idea of posing that bottomless question to intentionally lengthen that note throughout the busy-ness of the day.

It’s Going to Be Great, Kid!

November 7, 2020November 8, 2020Posted in UncategorizedTagged LegacyofLove, OdetoDad

“At some point, you have to realize that some people can stay in your heart but not in your life.” – Sandi Lynn

As we were working on projects, my dad would frequently put his arm around my shoulders and say, “It’s going to be great, Kid!” And while on one level he was saying that the job to drywall, trim and paint would be transformative, he was also talking about life overall. When he died suddenly in that bike accident, it cut our conversation short but it didn’t end it because in the six years since his death, I’ve felt this phrase take solid root in me.

I’ve come to see each time that I feel the pang of missing him, which is often, it is an opportunity to incorporate more of him in my life. In a way that we don’t do with people when they are alive because we can rely on their presence to influence us, those memories of our departed loved ones are such guideposts of the ways that we want to be like them.

I have a long list of what I miss most about him. The way that I could rely on his steady encouragement, enthusiasm, and love. The twinkle in his eye because he thought life was great. And the warmth with which he would accept my problems, quoting scripture if I was able to hear it or just embracing me if I was not. Because my dad died without knowing either of my children, I miss him often in this journey of parenthood and each time it reminds me of one of these qualities that I want to embody for my kids.

The trick with “It’s going to be great, Kid!” is that it works best when used for the short-term and the very long-term. Today is going to be great, the arc of life is going to be great but we don’t want to dwell on the middle ground where our vision is a little murky. As a note, this also works with climbing mountains, a school year, projects and more as in the start of envisioning the project will be great, the end will be great but we’ll likely face some uncertainty and fatigue in the middle. The second key is “going” which implies that it’ll take a bit of work on our part. Next there is the “great” which says there will be something to celebrate but the word isn’t “perfect” and it isn’t “exactly what you want.” And the final word, “Kid” which honors that all of this is worth doing in relation to each other.

So on this anniversary of his death, I celebrate that “It’s going to be great, Dad!”

Only As Old as You Feel

August 20, 2017August 21, 2017Posted in Uncategorized

Wuhoo – Miss O is two!!

A few weeks ago, Miss O and I were talking about her birthday and she asked me, “Mama, are you two?” I answered that I was not but I’m changing my answer. Because there is a huge part of my heart that was born two years ago and blossoms in the light of Miss O’s sunshine. And then there is the other part of me that wants to be two because witnessing another human who is constantly learning and changing is so powerfully inspiring. Every day Miss O faces a world where she has not yet mastered anything – communicating, using a spoon, walking, understanding emotions — with a smile on her face, a bright light in her eyes and a budding sense of humor. She reminds me over and over again that it is who we are that matters and not what we know.

Has it all been a bed of roses? Pretty much –thanks to the village that has gotten us here! So here’s to being two, darling girl! We’ll grow up together because together, we can do ANYTHING!