Adventure and exploration
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Embrace your age
“Every year brings you closer to expressing your whole and healed self. I celebrate that. Honor it. Hold it in reverence. And I’m grateful for every age I’m blessed to become.” ~Oprah Winfrey All of us suffer pain and emotional wounds throughout our lives. Nobody leaves this world unscratched. The key phrase in today’s quote is “your whole and healed self.” One of the gifts of aging is the informed perspective we earn from years of experience. And how well we age depends on our attitude as well as the lifestyle choices we make. We can dwell on the past and rehash our list of regrets; or we can move…
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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 summer pleasures is star-gazing on a crystal-clear night. This is 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 clear opportunities to spot the constellations. But I’ll watch the stars anywhere, even at home in Detroit. When I do, I always recover my sense of awe and wonder, and the troubles of the day seem so much smaller in…
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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 We humans are creatures of habit. We often follow the traditional routes mapped out by others — and find safety and comfort in doing so. Likewise, as kids, we’re taught to respect “authority” in all its guises, including our parents, school teachers, pastors, priests, and police officers. We assumed they were always right, always acting on our behalf — and we were reprimanded for doubting or disobeying them. I like to think…
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Get out of jail free
“Why do you stay in prison, when the door is so wide open?” ~Rumi, Sufi poet Sometimes we create our own obstacles. We might cling to old myths and family roles, or make assumptions that aren’t based on responsible research or fact. We might box ourselves into categories — while doing the same to others. As the Sufi poet Rumi reminds us, we have the power to move past the limits we’ve created or imagined. We can challenge the rules that no longer apply to us. We can escape the prisons of our own making. How often do you trick yourself into thinking you don’t have the ability to achieve…
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Surf’s up
“While you are riding the wave, just put your best self out there and enjoy it.” ~Frieda Pinto A few people who know me well have told me that I “overthink” things. I suspect this is part of being a writer. Whatever the reason, focusing on what could possibly go wrong can be a tiresome habit in daily life. Even when there’s nothing to worry about, I wait for the other metaphorical shoe to drop. Psychologists call it “anticipatory anxiety.” Today’s quote is a wise reminder for over-thinkers like me. When life is going well, the best thing we can do is to ride the wave, soak up the sun,…
