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Adjusting our perspective
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” ~Maya Angelou Writing my own life stories — and helping others write theirs — has been a lifelong fascination of mine. In the process, I’ve learned (and witnessed) how we often allow our experiences to define us. We might label ourselves as “survivors” who had the courage to overcome a personal challenge or tragedy. Or we might see our bad fortune as an excuse to throw a perpetual pity party. Writing about our lives (in a private journal or a workshop) motivates us to take a closer look at…
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Writing your life stories
“We are important and our lives are important, magnificent, really, and their details are worth recording. This is how writers must think, this is how we must sit down with pen in hand. We were here; we are human beings; this is how we lived.” ~Natalie Goldberg What makes a compelling personal essay? And how do you turn your memorable experiences into marketable stories, a memoir, or an essay collection for your own book? On November 16 at 6:00 PM, I’ll be coaching “Writing Your Life: A Personal Essay Workshop” at the Royal Oak Public Library. Designed for new writers, this introductory workshop will cover the basic tools you need…
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What does it mean to age well?
“It’s paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn’t appeal to anyone.” ~Andy Rooney What does it really mean to age well? Our cultural view of aging is fraught with contradictions. It’s safe to say that each of us wants to live a good, long life — but we’d like to do so in perfect health with motivation and energy to spare. And while we’re at it, we’d prefer to erase our wrinkles and tighten those saggy chins and knees. We’d like to maintain the beauty and resilience of our youth while we earn the wisdom of our elder years.…
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How generosity grows
“A field is empty, but if you put in the effort to grow something then you will have a garden. And that’s life. If you give something, something will come back. Give nothing, nothing will come back. To grow a flower is a miracle: it means you can grow more. Remember that a flower is not just a flower, it is the start of a whole garden.” ~Eddie Jaku, The Happiest Man on Earth Have you ever noticed that generous people seem to have a surplus of wonderful things in their lives? In today’s quote, Holocaust survivor Eddie Jaku reminds us that we reap what we sow in the field of…
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Gratitude
“Of all the practices, I believe that learning to feel and express gratitude may be the most important in achieving and maintaining a happy life.” ~Andrew Weil, M.D. Are you counting your gifts, advantages, and blessings? Numerous studies show that keeping a gratitude journal on a daily basis will improve our life satisfaction within three weeks. You need only list a few items — and they don’t have to be major. Small pleasures add up to a big increase in contentment. Consider the taste of your morning brew, the fall colors on your morning walk, or the lovely handwritten note you received in yesterday’s mail. Record your gratitude list at…
