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Being neighborly
“All will concede that in order to have good neighbors, we must also be good neighbors. That applies in every field of human endeavor.” ~Harry S. Truman Whenever I need company, I don’t have to look beyond my own neighborhood. Here, it’s easy to find enough friends to host a book club or a potluck, or meet for an impromptu lunch date. And there’s always someone willing to water your garden and gather your mail while you’re away. Over the years, we’ve gathered for graduations, weddings, block parties, Neighborhood Watch meetings, and funerals. We’ve built a community. “How do you know so many of your neighbors?” someone asked me recently. The…
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Keep it simple
“Simplicity is discerning the essential from the unessential. Simplicity is having room for the unexpected. It is savoring life. Most of all, simplicity is freedom: It’s freedom to choose what you want in your life because you’re not letting in everything that shows up.” ~Victoria Moran, Shelter for the Spirit Keep it simple? It sounds so much easier than it really is. Ours is a culture that promotes constant activity — which partly explains why some people panic at the mere thought of slowing down or having “nothing to do” on the weekend. In the past, most of the stress I’ve experienced has been the result of trying to accomplish too much…
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How to save the world
“This is the way we save the world: one peaceful word, one act of compassion, one long sweet nap, one burst of laughter at a time.” ~Martha Beck, Finding Your Way in a Wild New World Watching the news makes me feel hopeless — and helpless. Mass shootings (almost daily). The war in Ukraine. The pandemic. Political ugliness (daily). I long for a new age of unity, peace, civility, and dignity — a tall order that’s seemingly impossible to fill these days. But each of us can take small steps toward healing — starting in our own homes and communities. We could perform a random act of kindness or two. And…
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Never settle for boring
“If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.” ~Jim Rohn Even when I was a much younger woman with a fragile ego, I wasn’t impressed by the stuff my peers wanted to wear. In those days, designer logos, status scarves, and “it” handbags were just starting to gain popularity. (Remember The Official Preppy Handbook?) To me, they seemed boring and unoriginal, and rarely worth their extravagant price tags. I still wonder why anyone would want to be an unpaid, walking advertisement for someone else’s product. And why would anybody want to dress like someone else, unless a uniform is mandatory for…
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Positive gardening
“I once had a garden filled with flowers that grew only on dark thoughts, but they needed constant attention, and one day I decided I had better things to do.” ~Brian Andreas Photo by Cindy La Ferle
