Photo stories
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Let it bloom by itself
“Don’t try to force anything. Let life be a deep let-go. God opens millions of flowers every day without forcing their buds.” ~Osho The act of letting go is an act of personal surrender. Letting go requires trust and faith in the unknown. It’s not our job to keep the earth spinning on its axis (which might be a relief for some control freaks). Letting go means allowing others to hold the reins occasionally — which takes grace and self-confidence. Letting go also takes courage. It can be frightening to loosen your grip on a particular situation or a worry. But no matter how hard you try to force or…
- Creativity and discovery, Dr. Seuss, Friendship and relationship advice, Personal growth, Photo stories
You can’t know it all
“It’s high time you were shown that you don’t really know all there is to be known.” ~Dr. Seuss Like most four-year-olds, our young grandson is an expert on a wide range of topics. Whenever we think we’re sharing something new with him, his typical response is, “I already knew that.” It cracks me up every time. I’m also very familiar with the adult know-it-all. You know the type: When you try to share fresh information or introduce an interesting topic, the know-it-all has already been there, seen it, or done that. You can’t possibly show or tell them anything new. And they’re always on the lookout for opportunities to…
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Summer sunsets
“Sunsets, like childhood, are viewed with wonder not just because they are beautiful, but because they are fleeting.” ~Richard Paul Evans One of my favorite summer rituals is watching the sun set on Lake Michigan. To fully appreciate a sunset, you have to pause on the beach to admire the fiery color show — and stay long enough to see the sun disappear below the horizon. Sunsets inspire all of us to be fully present, to savor the moment. As other beachcombers gather to watch and applaud the spectacle, there’s a brief but lovely sense of community. Sometimes I’m moved to tears. As today’s quote reminds us, summertime passes quickly.…
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Summer magic, new sneakers
“He felt sorry for boys who lived in California, where they wore tennis shoes all year and never knew what it was to get winter off your feet, peel off the iron leather shoes all full of snow and rain and run barefoot for a day and then lace on the first new tennis shoes of the season, which was better than barefoot. The magic was always in the new pair of shoes.” ~Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine I love lazy summer days and the casual vibe we enjoy — a long-awaited treat here in the Midwest. And what says “summer” more than a pair of white sneakers? I can’t start the season…
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Getting silly
“Do a loony-goony dance ‘Cross the kitchen floor, Put something silly in the world That ain’t been there before.” ~ Shel Silverstein, A Light in the Attic I love people who don’t take themselves too seriously. My father was the King of Silly, a man who taught me to appreciate the quirky and the ridiculous. He admired the inventor of the whoopee cushion as well as the writings of Dale Carnegie and the Greek philosophers. These days, when little else in the world makes sense — which happens too often lately — getting silly is my only recourse. Uncontrollable laughter is the best medicine. This might explain why I think the ginormous yellow dinosaur at…
