Adventure and exploration
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Happy New Year!
“No, this is not the beginning of a new chapter in my life; this is the beginning of a new book. That first book is already closed, ended, and tossed into the seas; this book is newly opened, has just begun. Look, it is the first page — and it is a beautiful one!” – C. JoyBell C. I love fresh starts, don’t you? Last year, I faced, reconsidered, challenged, or changed some things that I’d been putting off or neglecting for a while — including health issues, relationships, and even my attitude. I still have more work to do, of course, but I’m feeling excited about the possibilities ahead and…
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Everything you love
“I am all the things I have ever loved.” ~Toni Morrison, American author Last year I coached a journaling workshop titled List Yourself. As the title suggests, we filled our journals with lists of all kinds — favorite films, accomplishments, pet peeves, people who’ve inspired or helped us, places we’d like to visit, and so on. The practice of list-making might seem simplistic at first, but it can lead to profound self-awareness and discovery. If you make a list of all the things you love, for instance, you’ll see a life-affirming self-portrait taking shape on the page — just as today’s quote suggests. Furthermore, if you’re feeling blue, listing your…
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Inner compass
“Pay close attention to your inner compass. If you stop steering by your own compass, you’ll hit a rumble strip. Don’t panic. Just question your assumptions and you’ll be back on the road in no time.” ~Martha Beck In the 1950s, most women didn’t have the choices we have today. Typically, they married and had kids, stayed home to raise those kids, managed household chores, and followed the cultural norms of the time. Likewise, their husbands climbed into their cars every weekday morning (or evening) and drove to work to support their families. Breaking that pattern isn’t always easy, even today. We humans are creatures of habit. We follow the…
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Star therapy
“If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night, I’ll bet they’d live a lot differently.” ~Bill Watterson, cartoonist One of my favorite late-summer pleasures is star-gazing on a crystal-clear night. This is more easily accomplished when I’m visiting the west or northwest side of Michigan — the Third Coast, as I like to call it. In the beach towns along Lake Michigan, you’ll find less industrial pollution and more opportunities to spot the constellations. But I’ll watch the stars anywhere. When I do, I always recover my sense of awe and wonder, and the troubles of the day seem so much smaller in starlit perspective. ~CL
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Vacation
“It is always our own self that we find at the end of the journey. The sooner we face that self, the better.” ~Ella Maillart, travel writer For most of us, to go on a vacation means to “vacate” our place of residence and our routines. We might go in search of adventure or excitement, or to experience something different. We might look for something new to learn. Or we might retreat quietly for rest and reflection. In doing so, we learn more about ourselves — what matters to us; what we want from life. I think the best vacations send us home feeling refreshed, renewed, and even changed for…
