PASSING EMOTIONS

"Never let your emotions rule, but always let them testify." 

~ Robert Brault ~

It's ok to have an off day, or even a string of them. It's ok to be tired, overwhelmed, fearful, and unsure. Whatever we feel, it's not a permanent condition, and it serves its purpose and brings us to the other side.
     So let's not resist the emotions of the day. Let's allow them to bubble up and teach us whatever they have to teach.

I learn compassion for myself through the ups and downs of my daily emotional experience.

THE FLASH OF TIME

"Time marches on." 

~ Bobby Braddock ~

Afternoons may drag, but the years pass in a flash and before we know it, we are older than we can believe. Let's savor the days that make up our lives and appreciate being and experiencing wherever we are right here and right now.

I make an effort to enjoy each moment of my life.

LEAVING TOWN

"No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn." 

~ Hal Borland ~

I love the aliveness of the spring, but I am always sad to see winter go. I love the cold fresh air, wearing down jackets, and feeling cozy inside. I love the gentle warmth of winter sunlight and sparkling morning frost.
     The spring is lovely as it bursts forth into bloom, but the winter always seems to slip out the back door without our even saying thank you or farewell, so I want to acknowledge it here and give it its due.

I bid goodbye to winter and pause for a moment to express my gratitude for the gifts of the cold.

INTELLIGENCE

"Eventually you realize that if you're going to talk sense, you're going to antagonize its opponents." 

~ Robert Brault ~

I deeply value intelligence and common sense. They refresh, inspire, and enliven any and every conversation, experience, and engagement with life. Mental dexterity, simple clarity, quick responses, and practical action: these make for good living at its best!

I celebrate quick thinking and smart living.

THE FLIP-SIDE OF PAIN

"That some good can be derived from every event is a better proposition than that everything happens for the best, which it assuredly does not." 

~ James K. Feibleman ~

I guess it’s human to resist what’s unpleasant. We prefer not to think about it, not to go there, or else we chew on it like a bone and try to make it ok for ourselves inside our heads before we have to deal with it in real life. We speculate, anticipate, contemplate, and fret. We try to figure the easiest way through, or whether there’s another way around. We drag our feet and are pulled forward anyway.

     And yet, for all of our distaste, there are moments of beauty and blessing no matter what we have to go through. And whatever pain and suffering there may be, we can rest assured that grace awaits us on the flipside.

Suffering often comes bearing spiritual gifts.

TRUE SELF

"Let the world know you as you are." 

~ Fanny Brice ~

False sincerity is distasteful, and even a little uncomfortable: insulting almost. This serious voice and tone and seeks to illicit some kind of manufactured sympathy or appreciation in us. But being a bit rebellious by nature, I refuse to engage by force of any kind, even if it's guised as something quasi-pleasant.
     The question that begs to be answered though is why bother being false in the first place? Our true selves, the real story, our authentic experience, is richer and far more impactful and powerful than anything we could ever make up. So let's have the courage to be ourselves, and leave posturing of all kinds in the dust where it belongs.

I abandon all false pretense and allow myself to be authentic, honest, real, and true.

GUARDING WITH CARE

"Road sense is the offspring of courtesy and the parent of safety." 

~Australian Traffic Rule ~

What is growing must be protected or it can be overrun by trampling feet. We must have gates and sign posts and a bit of careful policing because creativity is a fragile thing, especially when it's newly sprouting.

I gently care for all of the new growth in my life.