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Rescue mission
“I read and walked for miles at night along the beach, searching endlessly for someone wonderful who would step out of the darkness and change my life. It never crossed my mind that that person could be me.” ~Anna Quindlen Who hasn’t wished to be “rescued” at one time or another? Who hasn’t felt like a victim of circumstance? It’s always tempting (and probably instinctive) to blame outside forces when things go wrong. When life doesn’t turn out the way we’d hoped or planned, we can point a finger at our scary parents, family history, the economy, bad weather, construction traffic, the government, unforeseen events, or even lousy genes. …
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Getting quiet
“There’s a deep, sweet, peaceful sense that comes when wordlessness moves in and the verbal mind drops away.” ~Martha Beck Yesterday I started my routine at sunrise with a mug of coffee, then worked on Monday’s Life Lines post. As soon as I shared that post with all of you, I spent the next few hours finishing a newspaper column before sending it off to the editor. In the evening, my husband and I met another couple for a birthday dinner and chatted for two hours before heading home. That’s a lot of words in one day. After I post this, I plan to savor a quiet morning — a…
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Keep moving
“If you can’t do what you long to do, go do something else. You might think it’s procrastination, but it isn’t; it’s motion. And any motion whatsoever beats inertia, because inspiration will always be drawn to motion.” ~Elizabeth Gilbert Sometimes I take breaks from my writing projects — when I don’t have the energy, or I simply have nothing to say. If I have a work deadline, that’s another story: I push myself and get it done. But after all these years, I’ve learned not to panic when inspiration packs up and leaves my home office. As author Elizabeth Gilbert reminds us today, motion fuels creativity and productivity. When you’re…
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Throwback Thursday: “Anatomy of a Skin Cancer Scar”
“Scars….can be a little ugly on the outside, but scars show that you’re a survivor, that you made it through something, and not only did you make it through, but now you’re stronger and wiser and more educated because of that tough time that you went through.” ~Kyle Carpenter Unprotected sunbathing was a common indiscretion for many teenagers when I was growing up. Going for the burn, we’d spend endless summer days on the beach, usually slathered in baby oil. It rarely occurred to us that we’d pay a high price someday. We didn’t realize that sun damage is cumulative, appearing much later in the form of sagging skin, wrinkles…
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Receiving
“Until we can receive with an open heart, we’re never really giving with an open heart.” ~Brene Brown We often talk about the value of generosity. And a lot has been written about “the law of abundance,” which suggests that what you get back is commensurate with how much you’ve been giving. In short, takers don’t get as much as givers. Frugality and thrift have their merits, but a generous spirit is rewarded with a bigger slice of life. We don’t talk as much about receiving. This is where things can get tricky. For example, you might feel embarrassed if someone buys you a wonderful gift or does a great…
