Personal growth
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To your good health
“The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will instruct his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease.” – Thomas Edison As I age, I’m paying closer attention to the diseases listed in my family history — and trying my best to avoid them. I just completed a stressful, two-part annual physical that stretched over the past two weeks. For the most part, everything is fine, though there are some refinements I need to work on with my physician. Luckily, he’s a practitioner of preventative medicine, and his longtime guidance has kept any serious medical issues at bay.…
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The gift of receiving
Excerpted from my book of published columns, Writing Home, this essay was first published in Chicken Soup for the Soul (Healthy Living Series) and reprinted in Catholic Digest, April 2007. It was also featured on Sirius Radio. THE GIFT OF RECEIVING A few years ago, when I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in both hips, I read everything I could find about coping with chronic pain and illness. I was amazed at how often I’d stumble on a paragraph that advised patients to “look for the gift in your pain.” Pain is a gift? Thanks, but no thanks, I’d mutter to myself. I had just turned 44 and hadn’t planned on slowing…
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Living free
“To live without comparison is to remove a tremendous burden.” ~ J. Krishnamurti We’re all exposed to an infinite number of voices and trends on social media. With so many people vying for attention online, we might fall into the trap of comparing ourselves to others, or trying too hard to impress them. When that happens, it’s time to step away from our devices and seek our better angels within. If we focus instead on appreciating our own lives, we’ll be less inclined to compete or compare. ~CL Photo by Cindy La Ferle
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Take a risk
“A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there.” ~John Assaraf Talk about taking a risk … This scrappy little pansy found its way between two brick pavers on our patio and managed to bloom on a chilly spring morning. As soon as I spotted it, I got the message: When we push past our so-called limitations, we can accomplish anything. Photo by Cindy La Ferle
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Do it with style
“Every minute of every hour of every day you are making the world, just as you are making yourself, so you might as well do it with generosity and kindness and style. ~Rebecca Soling Photo by Cindy La Ferle
