THE NEED TO MOVE

"Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk."

~Rayond Inmon ~

With all of the screens that we use for business and pleasure, most of us sit far too much. Let's bring awareness to this sedentary habit. Let's get up and walk around. Let's move our bodies and stretch our muscles and enjoy the lengthening and flexibility of our limbs.

When I have been sitting too long, I get up and take a walk.

THE BENEFITS OF HUMILITY

"Pride goeth before a fall." 
~ Proverbs 16:18 ~

Smugness, complacency, and a lack of humility are dangerous positions to hold. They beg to be struck down and right sized, and eventually that's what happens. So let's take nothing for granted. Let's remain forever grateful for all that we are given, and not be reckless or arrogant or too all-fire sure about anything.

I experience life with curiosity, wonder, and an open heart, and I appreciate and respect everyone and everything that I encounter.

THE WAY THINGS PLAY OUT

"Let your tears come. let them water your soul." 

~ Eileen Mayhew ~

We have expectations of things and people without even knowing we have them; and so, when we are face to face with reality, we often feel disappointed, and irritable even, without even knowing that's what we're feeling. It's a sense of inner urgency and flutter- a bit of desperation, a hint of despair. We find ourselves almost irrevocably perturbed, and it's entirely likely that we know not why.
     Let's admit our disappointments and give ourselves a break. It's ok- natural even- to create a future scenario in our minds and feel certain of it, not even think to question it, and then feel let down when it doesn't play out. It's ok at both ends. It may take some time, but we will eventually come around and adjust.

I go easy on myself when I have disappointed expectations, and accept that's just the way it is sometimes. 

VISUAL SENSE BLESSING

"In every man's heart there is a secret nerve that answers to the vibrations of beauty." 

~ Christopher Marley ~

My gratitude today is for my eyesight. I love colors and angles and human faces. I love structures and landscapes and shapes and lines. I love contrast, coordination, clouds, and shadows; moving bodies, art, and misty fog. It's a wondrous miracle beyond description to be able to see!

I am thankful for my eyes and the gift of sight.

SEEKING APPROVAL

"When weaving a blanket, an Indian woman leaves a flaw in that blanket to let the soul out." 

~ Martha Graham ~

I'm not sure why we want our fathers to be proud of us, but somehow, I think most of us do. And so many fathers, especially old-school ones, are incapable of articulating that even if they feel it. Or maybe they're really as judgmental as we fear they are, and maybe we can't ever measure up to their impossible yardstick.
     But whichever way, it doesn't really matter. Our worth is not determined by anyone else's opinion of us, but by the fact that we are alive and we have our unique gift to contribute. Not all will appreciate it, and that's ok. We are not here to please everyone.

I am grateful to those who appreciate what I have to offer, and understanding with those who do not.

OWNING OUR POWER

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

~Reinhold Niebuhr ~

There are so many things that we can't control in life, and that we have to surrender to, or else suffer the consequences that come from resisting. But there is a balance of things that we can control. So the question is, why do we abdicate our power where we have it, and why don't we more readily take responsibility for the changeable portion of our lives?

I step up and take ownership of the things in my life that I have the power to change.

THIS GLORIOUS TIME OF YEAR

"Falling leaves

hide the path

so quietly." 

~ John Bailey ~

There's something gracious about the fall. The trees are regal in their splendor and dignity, and they drop their leaves like a bejeweled skirt. Fall color softens the hard edges of the world. The process is slower than we think, and more subtle. Everything changes in phases and waves like a firework display. One tree fades out and another lights up.
     But unlike fireworks, there is no grand finale. There is a slow, and almost sensuous diminishing of color. And when it seems to be ending, a lone lingering tree bursts forth bright yellow amidst the empty branches of neighboring others, and bushes burn red, and grasses dry in shades of beige.
     And in the midst of this glorious scene, holly berries and pine cones come to the fore with their unique appeal in anticipation of the winter season to come. It's a continuous process of transformational beauty.

Fall leaves are a magnificent and sensually satisfying spiritual delight.