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The smallest victories
“Letting go of big expectations allowed me to celebrate even the smallest victories, to be utterly in the winning moment and thankful for my current state.” ~Hillary Allen, endurance athlete A workshop student recently told me she experienced an epiphany after starting her daily gratitude journal. When she first began the practice, she struggled to find things “worth listing” at the end of each day. Then she remembered that small perks and simple pleasures deserved her appreciation. Once she started writing them down, she noticed that her days were filled with them. The beauty of a morning sunrise … A quiet hour of reading with a mug of coffee ……
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Book banning
“Ideas are only lethal if you suppress and don’t discuss them. Ignorance is not bliss, it’s stupid. Banning books shows you don’t trust your kids to think and you don’t trust yourself to be able to talk to them.” ~Anna Quindlen Last night, I had the pleasure of working at one of my favorite local libraries. Before my class started, I enjoyed a quiet moment, browsing the shelves and absorbing the ambiance created by so many literary choices. And then I thought about all the recent talk on TV about book banning. As my mother used to say, you can make just about anything twice as attractive or interesting by…
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“Aging with Grace & Courage” discussion and journaling group
“When it comes to aging, women are held to a different standard than men. Some guy recently said to me: ‘Don’t you think you’re too old to sing rock ‘n’ roll?’ I said: ‘You’d better check with Mick Jagger.’ ” ~Cher Last year, I coached a journaling workshop that focused on aging topics such as facing retirement, finding new purpose, rebooting our social lives, maintaining optimism — and so much more. We also discussed the challenges and roadblocks we face in our senior years. (We’re never too old to rock ‘n’ roll, as Cher points out.) The workshop inspired a new spin-off program — an informal aging support group that…
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Traditions to count on
“Traditions underscore our relationship to a greater whole. Then, instead of being isolated in time and space, we’re engaged with our clan or community, even with humanity as a whole….Once an activity achieves tradition status, it’s dependable. You can count on it. In a world of diminishing dependability, this is precious indeed.” ~Victoria Moran, Younger by the Day There’s comfort in having rituals and traditions, small or large. It doesn’t matter which holiday we’re talking about — it’s the special activities you count on that make it a celebration. Every year in the fall, for instance, I look forward to hosting a Halloween costume party for a group of neighborhood…
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Anniversary musings
“When marrying, ask yourself this question: Do you believe that you will be able to converse well with this person into your old age? Everything else in marriage is transitory.” ~Friedrich Nietzsche Last month, Doug and I celebrated our 42nd anniversary. During a celebratory dinner at a local restaurant, our server asked us if we’d share the secrets of a long and happy partnership. She was living with her boyfriend, she said, and wasn’t sure about their future together. Doug and I assured her that the success of a marriage depends on the couple — and every couple is different, of course. For us, shared values and interests are essential,…
