Personal growth
-
Patience
“He that can have patience can have what he will.” ~Benjamin Franklin My garden tries to teach me how to be patient — but I’m not the best student. I don’t like to wait for results. Being a fan of instant gratification, I want to see the bloom of my gardening efforts … now. Likewise, it’s hard for me to watch a plant struggle. I keep meddling, trying to find a quick fix. For example, one of the new lavender plants I added to the herb garden isn’t thriving and I’m wondering how to bring it back while I resist the temptation to overfeed it or move it to another…
-
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…
-
The joys of reading
“The best moments in reading are when you come across something – a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things – which you had thought special and particular to you. Now here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out and taken yours.” ~Alan Bennett, The History Boys I’m a lucky reader with an active book club in my own neighborhood. Once a month, I get to walk down the street or around the corner to a friend’s home to discuss a novel or memoir that I might…
-
What is success?
“Success isn’t about how your life looks to others; it’s about how it feels to you.” ~Michelle Obama What does it mean to be successful? In our culture, we often define success in terms of money, power, or outstanding achievement. And if we spend time on social media, we might compare ourselves to others and wonder if we fall short. We might begin to doubt the success we’ve already earned. Even if we’re relatively happy or content, we wonder if we’ve achieved “enough.” Today’s quote reminds us that true success is measured individually, by our own standards. Your idea of a successful life might look different from someone else’s. Maybe…
-
Living off-line
“When I grow up, I’m gonna look up from my phone and see my life.” ~Phoebe Bridgers I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day holiday. Three sunny months of summer stretch ahead of us, giving us the perfect opportunity to set aside our phones and laptops while we gather with friends and experience the beauty of the world outside. A growing body of research shows that being more connected online is actually making us lonelier — despite all those Facebook friends and Instagram followers. For instance, the American Medical Association examined several studies on internet use and psychological well-being. Overall, increased internet use was associated with “a decline…
