Health & wellbeing
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You are legendary
“Don’t be satisfied with stories, or how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth.” ~Rumi In our celebrity driven culture, it’s easy to dismiss our own lives as unglamorous or uninteresting. But as the Sufi poet Rumi reminds us in today’s quote, comparing ourselves to others is a waste of precious time. And besides, do all those curated Instagram photos and People feature stories reveal the whole truth of “how things have gone” with others? So do yourself a favor today: Appreciate how far you’ve come. Think of all your gifts and advantages, no matter how small or large. After that, consider everything you’ve done to touch…
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All-inclusive gratitude
“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson When we think about gratitude, we immediately think of our blessings, large and small. But as Emerson suggested, “all things” have made us who we are today. That includes setbacks and challenges such as health crises, relationship problems, or financial troubles. Nobody welcomes bad luck of any kind, yet we all have to deal with it at some point. Sometimes negative events can be catalysts or lessons for self-improvement, moving us toward…
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Morning people
“The muses love the morning.” ~Benjamin Franklin I’ve always been a morning person. Since I’m the granddaughter of Scottish farmers, I wonder if I’m genetically programmed to be an early riser. Whatever the reason, I think it’s a privilege to watch the sun rise over the treetops while I sip my morning coffee and write. My mind is fresher early in the day, and since fewer people are awake yet, there are no phone calls or conversations to interrupt my early morning peace. The only drawback to early rising is that I’m inclined to tire out earlier in the evening when my night-owl friends are just getting started. How about…
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Writing to heal
“To survive trauma, one must be able to tell a story about it.” ~Natasha Trethewey When I was 38, the sudden death of my father shook me to the core. In my forties, while trying to work and raise a child, I was struck with a debilitating case of arthritis, which led to two total hip replacement surgeries and months of physical therapy. At age 60, I lost my mother to heart disease and dementia. Though very different, each of those experiences altered the course of my life. Along the way, I learned that writing about my losses and challenges paved the way to emotional healing. Best of all, teaching…
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Is that normal?
“What makes us normal is knowing that we’re not normal.” ~Haruki Murakami, novelist Last week, Doug and I spotted a woman dressed in a crazy, colorful costume in a diner where we were eating lunch. Since it was nowhere near Halloween, we wondered why the woman looked so … out-of-the-ordinary. As it turned out, she was en route from a local grade school after portraying a character from a kids’ TV show. Like everyone else, we’re easily jarred from our perception of what is normal. We expect to see costumes on Halloween, or at special holiday events such as the one shown above in today’s photo. Otherwise, we might wonder…
