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Rescue mission
“I read and walked for miles at night along the beach, searching endlessly for someone wonderful who would step out of the darkness and change my life. It never crossed my mind that that person could be me.” ~Anna Quindlen Who hasn’t wished to be “rescued” at one time or another? Who hasn’t felt like a victim of circumstance? It’s always tempting (and probably instinctive) to blame outside forces when things go wrong. When life doesn’t turn out the way we’d hoped or planned, we might point a finger at our parents, family history, the economy, bad weather, people we don’t like, or the government. Or we can own…
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Small treats and rituals
“One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats.” ~Iris Murdoch After dinner, my husband and I grab a mug of tea or coffee and head for our favorite chairs to watch World News Tonight with David Muir on TV. Sometimes we treat ourselves to ice cream or a chocolate truffle. It’s a ritual that our dog, Coco, happily anticipates — because we also reward her with a handful of dog biscuits if she has finished her dinner. Watching her savor each cookie never fails to bring me joy. Sometimes we set our goals impossibly high, deluding ourselves into thinking that happiness depends on huge wins, special…
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Who’s really in control?
“Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over instead of craving control over what you don’t.” ~ Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free Control freaks always top my list of annoyances. You probably know a few of them. They’re the ones who expect everything to go according to their plans, not yours. They always have a better idea, or so they’ll tell you. Their opinions are always right and yours are always wrong. This is partly why control freaks are such terrible listeners; there’s no room for other ideas inside their heads. At their worst, control freaks…
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Your life is your art
“An artist’s real contribution isn’t what he paints, but the way he sees.” ~Martha Beck Whenever I visit an art museum, I notice that the same universal themes and subjects have been rendered throughout the centuries. Mothers and children. Landscapes and seascapes. Fruit and flowers on tables. Pastoral scenes. Yet each painting is completely different in style and technique, reflecting the individuality and vision of the artist. So it is with everything we create — whether it’s a painting, a piece of writing, a wardrobe, a garden, a photograph, or a recipe. How do you express your own vision or viewpoint? ~CL For more like this: Check out additional posts…
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A beautiful day in your neighborhood
“Building a community means fostering friendships that light up the neighborhood.” – Amy Williams As reported in a new Pew Research poll, only about a quarter of American adults know all or even most of their neighbors. Thanks to social media, we have scores of online friends around the country — but we can’t recall the names of the folks who live across the street. At most, we might wave at our neighbors from the car as we’re leaving the house. It takes time and shared experience to build solid relationships. Likewise, forging a friendly neighborhood requires care and effort. But work, family, and outside social commitments leave us little extra time…
