Optimism
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Gratitude
“Of all the practices, I believe that learning to feel and express gratitude may be the most important in achieving and maintaining a happy life.” ~Andrew Weil, M.D. Are you counting your gifts, advantages, and blessings? Numerous studies show that keeping a gratitude journal on a daily basis will improve our life satisfaction within three weeks. You need only list a few items — and they don’t have to be major. Small pleasures add up to a big increase in contentment. Consider the taste of your morning brew, the fall colors on your morning walk, or the lovely handwritten note you received in yesterday’s mail. Record your gratitude list at…
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Pain management
“Don’t allow your wounds to transform you into something you are not.” ~Paulo Coehlo Years ago, I knew a person who defined herself by all the sad things that had happened to her. Every day was a pity party. Or, as another friend described her, she “wore bad luck like a badge of honor.” And even though this person had many advantages, she used pain as an excuse to stop reaching for a better, happier life. She allowed her wounds to transform her, to borrow from today’s quote. Nobody travels through this life without getting hurt, losing people they love, and suffering trauma. Some people grow from painful experiences, while…
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It’s a great day!
“There’s no such thing in anyone’s life as an unimportant day.” ~Alexander Woollcott I’ve just returned from a great vacation week of family fun and busyness. This morning, while waiting for my coffee to brew, I checked the wall calendar in my kitchen. The sight of a few blank spaces — no appointments! — immediately gave me a little thrill. As much as I look forward to holidays and activities with family and friends, I also enjoy an occasional free day to spend any way I choose. Commitments and deadlines give all of us a sense of purpose and direction, but being overbooked can feel like a burden. And even…
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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 I usually try to avoid cornball positivity when I choose quotes for Life Lines. All of us have demons of various shapes and sizes to battle, and throwing pink paint or motivational pap on our problems doesn’t help. Sometimes it’s easier to adapt to the general negativity that clouds the atmosphere lately. But today’s quote struck a chord…
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Little 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 There’s not much happy news in the world lately. We can count on a depressing cycle of mass shootings; political turmoil; war casualties; vicious winter storms. Which is why I always look forward to David Muir’s “America Strong” segment on ABC’s “World News Tonight.” Concluding the nightly news show, “America Strong” highlights uplifting stories of…
