Optimism
-
Wilderness survival
“There will be times when standing alone feels too hard, too scary, and we’ll doubt our ability to make our way through the uncertainty. Someone, somewhere, will say, ‘Don’t do it. You don’t have what it takes to survive the wilderness.’ This is when you reach deep into your wild heart and remind yourself, ‘I am the wilderness.’” ~Brene Brown Not long after college, I had a job in reference book publishing. Every weekday for nearly five years, I took a bus downtown to an office in Detroit. As much as I enjoyed book production and the friends I made at the company, something was missing. I wasn’t writing. So…
-
Looking on the bright side
“Every sunrise gives you a new beginning and a new ending. Let this morning be a new beginning to a better relationship and a new ending to the bad memories. It’s an opportunity to enjoy life, breathe freely, think and love. Be grateful for this beautiful day.” ~Norton Juster, children’s book author Over the past two days, Doug and I spent time with a pair of old friends who visit us every year when they’re back in town. One of them was diagnosed with brain cancer a few months ago, and her journey back to health has been both grueling and miraculous. She and her husband shared moving stories of…
-
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 Consuming the news can make me feel hopeless and sad. And it doesn’t matter which newspaper, or which news station, has my attention at the moment. No matter how they spin it, there’s a lot of ugliness out there. I long for a new age of unity, peace, decency, and civility. I wonder if that’s even possible anymore. As Martha Beck notes in today’s quote, each of us can take small steps toward healing —…
-
Fresh sparks of daily joy
“Joy has been leaking out of our lives. The small pleasures of the ordinary day seem almost contemptible, and glance off us lightly.…So, perhaps it’s a good time to reconsider pleasure at its roots. Changing out of wet shoes and socks, for instance. Bath robes. Yawning and stretching. Real tomatoes.” ~ Barbara Holland, Endangered Pleasures These days, sadly, we can count on a non-stop news cycle of war casualties, airline calamities, dangerous storms, and unsettling political turmoil. Which is why I always look forward to David Muir’s “America Strong” segment on ABC’s “World News Tonight.” Concluding the nightly news broadcast, “America Strong” highlights uplifting stories of generosity and resilience, giving…
-
Joy despite the facts
“Be joyful, even though you have considered all the facts.” ~Wendell Berry Time off is the best gift we can give ourselves when we need it. I usually thrive on writing blog posts and columns, but sometimes it’s a relief to wake up without deadlines. Without deadlines, I’m more attuned to my surroundings and the moment at hand. I stop feeling pressured to turn every idea, emotion, or event into a story. There’s freedom, for instance, in knowing I can simply appreciate a luminous moon or a field of sunflowers without having to document the spectacle. So what did I do with the extra hours of deadline-free time? My goal…
