FLEXIBILITY

"He is making you more flexible, and for this be thankful."

~Terri Guillemets~

 

We have our agendas, but sometimes life has other plans. We keep getting interrupted, sidetracked, or otherwise dislodged. Fighting whatever happens doesn't stop it from happening. It just makes us tense. So let's surrender instead- to the whirlwinds and detours and circuitous pathways of whatever way the path unfolds.

If nothing goes according to plan, I needn't panic. I can surrender to the powers beyond my control that have taken over the situation and trust them to effectively run the show.

WORDS

"I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions."

~James Michener~

I love words. I love their rhythm and innuendo. I love that certain words like hiss and sizzle sound like what they are. I love the character of words and the way they are spoken and written and sung, and the way they are hung on signs: Bump. Stop. Exit. Merge.

     But there is one word that seems to lack any redeeming quality. It's hard for me to find any way to feel good about "stupid." It can't seem to help itself. It drops flatly on the air with judgment and contempt. So I choose not to use it, and choose instead to let my language reflect the goodness that I believe in, and the curiosity, and the redemption, and the faith.

 

I bring awareness to the words that I use, and choose those that have a positive connotation for me, and that make me feel great.

EFFORT

"Gotta tend the earth if you want a rose..."

~Indigo Girls~

 

Living with care and attention to self-worth, and compassion for others, is good living. Doing good makes us feel good. If we cut corners and shirk our duties, we do not get away with anything. We pay a price instead, for being reckless, and for our lack of integrity.

     If we want to feel the best we can, we have to do the best we can- not sometimes, when we feel like it, but all of the time, because the rewards are worth it, and because we're worth it, and because it's the right thing to do.

 

I give 100% of my best effort, whatever that may look like on any given day. My life is worth it, and so am I.

BULLIES

"Not being able to govern events, I govern myself..."
~Michel de Montaigne~

 

Bullies are a pitiable lot. Like a stampeding herd, they charge forth with volume and aggression but without any care or precision. They use big hand gestures and unreasonable arguments and scare tactics. They are confrontational blowhards. If we try to match them point for point, everything escalates out-of-control and there is no winning anywhere. So we often tend to accommodate them instead, in an effort to keep the peace. And in this way, their bully behavior is reinforced.

     Maybe we would do better to remain neutral. They bait us, and we bite, but maybe we would be better served to simply let the bait dangle and not give it our attention or our time.

 

I disempower bullies by refusing to engage with them on their terms. I remain calm and neutral.

    

NEGOTIATING THE WIND

"Life is like sailing. You can use any wind to go in any direction. " ~Robert Brault~

 

It's easy to be flip about our future, which is the opposite extreme from being paralyzed by fear. But perhaps, good health and the most favorable outcome falls somewhere in-between. Maybe, we can be both appropriately cautious and appropriately prepared.

     We are like sailors. Though we cannot control the wind, we can still manage to get from point A to point B and arrive at our intended destination so long as we set the sails and do the proper trimming and steering.

 

I plan for the future, but remain open to possibility. I am willing to adapt and improvise in order to stay on course.

HEART

"Nothing is impossible to a willing heart."

~John Heywood~

Watching "heart" in action is an inspiration. It emboldens hope and empowers possibility. It is success against all odds. And it happens! That's what's so exciting. It is faith over fear and the willingness to believe where belief seems not only impractical, but almost foolish. It is Secretariat and the 1980 Men's US Ice Hockey Team. It is miraculous. It is fire within and thrilling to the core.
     Let's learn to spot it in the world and feel it inside of ourselves. It is the rising of passion. It is unstoppable. It is fierce and surprising and fully alive. Heart will take us farther than all of our skills, and carry us beyond all limits. It is in us and for us and beautiful to behold: a glorious gift of intractable glory.

I believe in the power of heart. 

    

WHAT MATTERS MOST

"The best practical advice I can give to the present generation is to practice the virtue which the Christians call love."

~Bertrand Russell~

In the big scope of things, it only matters that I am kind. Material success, credentials, awards, and fame have their place and their purpose, but they do not give my life meaning or absolution or gold stars. Who I am, how I behave, and what I give, are the determiners of my value. Being loving and thoughtful are the things that make me feel the best.

 

I am kind and compassionate and keep my priorities where they belong.