Posts from — June 2006

“Have you had a kindness shown?
Pass it on;
‘Twas not given for thee alone,
Pass it on;
Let it travel down the years,
Let it wipe another’s tears,
‘Til in Heaven the deed appears -
Pass it on.

Dr. Henry Burton, 1840-1930
English Clergyman and Author

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Here it is, Tuesday, and the year half spent. The sun is hot and summer shifted quickly when we thought it would never arrive. It will disappear just as quickly, so we best enjoy this NOW.

I am off to be with Connor, my grand-nephew healing from leukemia. Please hold him in your heart. For the next year he is at between Children’s Hospital and the Ronald McDonald House… an amazing place. Tomorrow he will undergo another day of blood tests, chemo, and be sedated for a bone marrow biopsy and infusion. Such a little guy, barely two, with round chipmunk cheeks and a bald head from this harsh treatment.

His parents are strong and exhausted. Hopeful and concerned. Mom and little brother are with Connor, and Dad is in Alaska. They are weary, for right now their watch seems endless. and confined. Freedom is such a treasure.

How can a couple of days and my hands make any difference in the big picture? When and how should I help? How do I know when to focus on my life to sustain it and when to abandon everything to make a challenge easier for another? Both are called for. I ask for that still voice within to speak a little louder.

So many questions and feeling swirl in my head. A deep breath calls me back to the present moment. This day faces me with opportunities, possibilities, and miracles if I am willing to see them. I will merely follow my heart and know that if I walk with love , for them and for myself, then I am right where I am meant to be.

I am learning much, stretching my knowing, and expanding my ability to see and be love, to be loved. To be beloved.

So, I am off just to BE. To BE LOVE. To LOVE. To EVOLVE. To LOVEVOLVELOVE with an open and willing heart.

May you consciously embrace your day… each moment…in gratitude and with joy.

Rhonda

(written on the eve of her father’s death)

I will not die an unlived life.
I will not live in fear
of falling or catching fire.
I choose to inhabit my days,
to allow my living to open me,
to make me less afraid,
more accessible;
to loosen my heart
until it becomes a wing,
a torch, a promise.
I choose to risk my significance,
to live so that which came to me as seed
goes to the next as blossom,
and that which came to me as blossom,
goes on as fruit.

“Life without risks is not worth living.”
— Charles A. Lindbergh

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
— Margaret Mead

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”
— Helen Keller

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean –
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down –
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

Move Your Feet

Hello Friends and Traveling Companions,

Last night I carved out time to see An Inconvenient Truth, a documentary featuring Al Gore created to raise our awareness about Global Warming. It did for me in a powerful and practical way, and left me with hope rather than despair. I felt it was well done for many reasons, and I encourage you to see it, but lengthy discussion of that I will leave for another time.

What has stayed with me the most today was a short quote included in the credits that caught my attention:

When You Pray,
Move Your Feet.

– African Proverb.

Some of us remain paralyzed by inactivity and trapped by depression. Others move our feet to break free of the trap, but feel like we are running in place or are making good time but don’t know where we’re headed. We are overwhelmed by what is on our plate and we attempt to get it all done at the expense of family, friends and our own health. Or, we misuse our time looking busy and focus on everything but that which makes us truly happy.

I myself am an evolving woman with a renaissance soul. I love to learn, explore, stretch and serve, and one of my greatest challenges is to focus. There is no doubt that there is value in having diverse interests and being able to multi-task. But, there is equal value in taking it one thing at a time offering total attention. Discernment, our ability to listen within to our true calling and choose wisely, is what is essential to know if we are on or off course.

A few weeks ago I saw a rare interview with Oprah Winfrey in which she was asked how often she prays. Once a day? Twice a day? Oprah looked almost amazed by the question. She responded by sharing that prayer is her way of being. She never stops. Everything she does and every decision she makes is made from a lifestyle shaped by prayer. I have to say I, too, more times than not have realized the benefits of praying on your feet, being prayer in constant motion. It means to stay conscious, appreciate the present moment, and apply what you can in a loving way with the intentions of making a meaningful difference.

One of my most valuable teachers lately is my niece, Alicia. She is most definitely an example of prayer in motion. She did not choose the circumstances of her life right now, does not have the luxury of sitting for very long, is constantly exhausted, and could easily see herself as a victim. Despite the challenges that come one after another, she makes the time to maintain a web of connection with and appreciation for loved ones as she supports her 2 year-old-son, Connor and traverses with him at least a year-long journey of healing his leukemia. Although it is hard for her to acknowledge her own grace, I marvel at how she manages the curves as they come, balancing not only Connor’s needs, but also those of baby Carson who is 5 1/2 months old and dad who is working back in Alaska. What could tear others apart, she has opened herself to letting it make her stronger.

Very few of us are immune from the unexpected rough spots that appear along the way. Hopefully yours will not ever be as huge as hers. Hard times seem to come at inconvenient moments, and often times reveal inconvenient truths that call for our attention. All are opportunities to grow and deepen. This is a challenging lesson to grasp, that it is not the size or texture of the circumstances that really matter. What matters most is the grace with which we face them. Herein lies our freedom. Herein lies our happiness.

I offer another excerpt from Alicia’s journaling as an update of Connor’s progress as well as a template for handling un-imaginable things with grace. Alicia offers us a remarkable example of what prayer looks like when you are moving your feet.
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“I am trying to … trust that we are exactly where we are meant to be. I have never had to do anything this difficult before, I keep waiting for it to get easier, to become more routine but it seems like it just gets more challenging. I have so many things to be thankful for and I feel as though I am being selfish to want more. We had a wonderful visit with Steve… It seemed like his visit was never going to get here and now it is already over and we are back to counting days till he can come back.

Connor had to go to the emergency room on Monday night because he caught baby Carson’s cold and his fever just wouldn’t go away. After a blood test and a couple of hours at the ER they sent us home. Connor’s ANC (white blood cells) are almost back to “normal” so he is able to fight the viral infection without needing to stay at the hospital (yeah!). He seems to be doing much better today. The Dr. said he looked good and she doesn’t need to see him again until next week unless he his fever goes back up.

Connor’s hair was falling out from the chemo and he was getting some bald patches so while Steve was here we decided to shave his head. He now looks like all the other kids here. Bald is beautiful.

Staying at the Ronald McDonald House a lot of the kids look the same as him; big cheeks from the steroids and bald little heads. It is not until we go to the store that I realize just how different he looks. When you hear people make comments about his appearance I feel like I should explain the reason he looks the way he does, but if it doesn’t bother Connor, it doesn’t bother me.

Carson seems to be feeling better, finally over his cold and his thrush seems to be going away. He will be crawling any day now. I am OK. I have good days and moments when I can’t wait for the day to be done. Overall I am keeping my head above water, trying not to be overwhelmed and pushing forward. We have been here over a month now and pretty soon the months will turn into us being able to go home. I appreciate all the love and support from everyone. It amazes me everyday how lucky I am to have so many people who care about us.

Please pray:
For lower than 1% on Connor’s next bone marrow test (6/28/06)
We will all get over this cold
That even though there are miles between Steve and I we stay connected”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In big and small ways we each can make a difference. Everyone is called in some way to pray while or by moving our feet. All that is called for is picking up one foot and putting it in front of the other motivated by a clear intention even when we may not want to, or even when our steps feel imperfect. With your heart wide open and acting from a place of love, with a willingness to recognize happiness regardless of your circumstances, joy and grace will be your steady companions, in spite of small bumps, huge hurdles, or inconvenient truths.

In Joy,
Rhonda
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Money Desn’t Really Buy Happiness
Ode Magazine
24-Aug-2004

It may not seem like it to us, but research shows that money doesn’t buy happiness. Another ongoing controversy is whether it’s hard on children when their mothers work. Scientists have found this is true—but only for wealthy women!

On a scale of 1 to 7, where 1 means “not at all satisfied with my life” and 7 means “completely satisfied,” the people on Forbes magazine’s list of the 400 richest Americans average 5.8—the same as the Inuit people in Greenland and the cattle-herding Masai of Kenya, who live in dung huts with no electricity or running water. Calcutta’s slum dwellers score only a little lower, at 4.6.

Psychologists Ed Diener and Martin E.P. Seligman analyzed more than 150 studies on wealth and happiness and found that “economic indicators have glaring shortcomings” when it comes to determining how happy people are. They report that, in many countries, “although economic output has risen steeply over the past decades, there has been no rise in life satisfaction…and there has been a substantial increase in depression and distrust…Economic success falls short as a measure of well-being, in part because materialism can negatively influence well-being, and also because it is possible to be happy without living a life of luxury.”

Also, people who say they’re happy usually go on, years later, to earn higher incomes than people who say they’re not. We would think that being discontent would inspire people to succeed, but the opposite seems to be true.

Government policies that promote economic growth, while shortchanging workers on things like vacation time, family time and health insurance, will not produce happy citizens. Since World War II, the per capita income in the U.S. has tripled, but life satisfaction has stayed the same. The same thing has happened in Japan and Western Europe. One reason may be that a rising economy, and the aggressive advertising that accompanies it, makes people desire even more things; therefore, they remain discontented.

A new study shows that most mothers who go out to work do not harm their children’s development—unless they earn a lot of money. While 90% of mothers work during their child’s first nine years, only 15% put in more than 35 hours per week, but women in high powered—and high paying—jobs often work longer hours. And the study showed that an extra 20 hours of work a week among high income mothers did significant damage to their children’s performance in school.

Why would this be? One reason could be that lower income mothers bring in money that buys necessities and thus is vital to family happiness, while upper income mothers mostly earn luxuries that do not make up for the lost time with their kids.

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Drive-By Quotes (and Reflections) To Carry
With You on the Journey

“Rivers know this: There is no hurry, we shall get there some day.”

– Winnie the Pooh

“We would worry less about what others think of us
if we realized how seldom they do.”

– Ethel Barrett

“The worst sin – perhaps the only sin -
passion can commit, is to be joyless.”

– Dorothy Sayers

“Fun is about as good a habit as there is.”

– Jimmy Buffett

I am a BEAUTIFUL WOMAN, with a beauty that doesn’t wash off. I earned it, unearthed it, rescued it like a jewel in the dust, picked it up and made it shine.
For years, I did not see it, though I sensed it was there. Now it dazzles and thrives.
I am healthy, capable, independent, strong yet still so fragile, floored by a sigh. My body is that of a creator—–angles meeting curves, hardness drifting into soft.
I am mother, daughter, sister, lover to myself. Embraceable and brave, I extend my heart.
My body is home, my home a shrine to life, comfortable, warm and rich with treasures. Mine is the scent of hot spices caught in a breeze, mine the laughter that wings through the door. I share myself only with those who honor me as I am and protect myself, my house, and my time from invaders.
I search for my center in the midst of chaos, practice peace as wild dogs clamor in my mind. I use power for the greater good, release rage in neutral settings, with no one innocent in the line of fire.
I am learning how to persist and when to let go, am willing to feel all emotion stop their depths and exaltations, to wake up in every nerve and no longer am afraid of my life.
Both my beauty and strength transcend age, time and perhaps even this lifetime.
Each day I am new, yet more at home in myself. Moment by moment, I create my world.

~Karen Andes
A Women’s Book of Strength; An Empowering Guide to Total Mind/Body Fitness

Overwhelm. Hurry. Rush. Deadlines. Pressures. Family demands. Not enough time. Collapse. A few tears. Surrender. Remember.

Oh, wait a minute. The sun is out. The air is fresh. I can close my eyes and take a deep breath, and even if only for a few brief moments I can reclaim a calm feeling in my chest. I can reclaim my Self.

It is so important to return to basics.

Slow down.
Breathe deep beyond your shallow chest breathing.
Notice each breath.
Experience each breath consciously.
See where you are.
Accept it.
Notice the simple wonders around you at this moment.
Give your body rest and nourishment.
Be mindful before you speak.
Drink a glass of water.
Taste your food as you eat.
Be still.
Learn to enjoy quiet.
Interrupt your spinning thinking.
Be here now.
Give your emotions a love break.
Feed your Spirit with uplifting stuff.
Forgive your errors.
Learn from them.
Celebrate a small step forward.
Listen to affirming and positive messages.
Turn off the news.
Hang out with people you don’t need to please.
Be grateful for who you are, warts and all.
Demonstrate gratitude to those who are truly helpful.
Give something anonymously without thought of return.
Paint your toenails.
Find some sand to wiggle your toes in (before you paint them!)
Have fun and take a play day without guilt.
Savor a piece of chocolate.
Smile at a child.
Blow a kiss to someone you love.
Leave fresh flowers on a friend’s porch.
Find an excuse to giggle.
Be good to yourself in all ways.

You can feel when you are off path. The more aware you become in every moment, the more joy you find. Pay attention. You have your own barometer (pain, getting sick, off balance, anxiety, money concerns, etc.) that tells you when you have forgotten your purpose or detoured from creating your own happiness.

We all lose our way amidst the turmoil of life. Just turn around and get your self back on course. We fall from time to time. You only need to get up one more time than you fall. This is success.

But, don’t forget to learn from having traveled through rugged terrain. Make the detour worthwhile. Hitting a patch of rough road causes you to be even more grateful when you are on course, and less likely to make the same detour again. It also helps you to be clearer about the direction you truly choose to head.

During these light-filled days we are motivated by the trees, called out by the blue sky, inspired to inhale fresh air, and nurtured by the warmth of the light. We are reminded to return to basics, inside and out, and savor each moment. When we dare to slow down and drink in the beauty that cradles us, we connect to the beauty that is true and loving within. Our passion is renewed with and ignited by what matters to us. With our hearts open we dare to declare what we want. We enjoy the warmth before it wanes. We connect with our magnificence as women.

Welcome to this week’s DRIVE YOURSELF HAPPY Road Ramblings.

If you find value in these gentle reminders and rules for the road, please invite your friends to sign up for my free newsletter by visiting www.driveyourselfhappy.com. Also visit my blogsite, www.centerofhappiness.com.

I’d like to welcome all of our new subscribers to the DRIVE YOURSELF HAPPY Road Ramblings newsletter and acknowledge you for taking the first step toward living a better life.

Today’s rambling from the road will include:

* Bald is Beautiful by Rhonda Hull, Ph.D.
* The Five Words by Sophan Greene, M.A.
* Drive-By Quotes (and Reflections) To Carry With You on the Journey

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Bald Is Beautiful

Hello Friends and Traveling Companions,

A belated Happy Father’s Day! Although a bit late, I want to acknowledge and appreciate the amazing and wonderful dad’s, mentors, role models and caregivers who show up fully in the lives of their children. We all benefit from the contribution you make as you guide your own children and all our youth in a way that teaches them how to take responsibility for their own joy, and by modeling for them how to honor both men and women.

“Making the decision to have a child is momentous.
It is to decide forever to have your heart
go walking around outside your body.”

-Elizabeth Stone

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Most online newsletters are created in a template form offering some sort of formula for personal growth, health or wealth. With little emotion they lay out step-by-step strategies. Although this type of guidance is valuable, I am always tempted to react to them with frustration. I sometimes am left feeling that someone else has all the answers and I don’t. This is followed by my self-judgment that they I never will, and should already. I then draw the conclusion that the author never experiences struggles, set backs, unhappiness, or doubt. Of course this is far from the truth. Success doesn’t come without mistakes. Part of our journey as humans is to traverse the inevitable highs and lows expanding our consciousness through forward and backward steps.

Although a bit more challenging, I suppose what calls me to write a letter style sharing of my personal reflections that are more than bullet-point strategies is to provide the encouragement for others to join me in daring to create a meaningful life based upon the belief that life is a journey, not a destination, and happiness is possible regardless of the circumstances. Perhaps my insights will be believable because I have stood in your shoes. After all, we are on this path together, and there is power in knowing you are not alone.

Last week my newsletter about Time Choices was a bit more strategic. I hope the points I made were helpful. We all struggle with time management and detour from happiness by believing that if we just run fast enough we ’should’ be able to keep up with our unrealistic demands.

Because my own time was full to capacity I didn’t update you on my sweet grand nephew’s progress on his journey of healing from leukemia. I received several emails of appreciation for my thoughts on Time Choices, but was touched by so many questioning about how Connor is doing. Ill health creates road a block to happiness for so many that we seem to value the insights gained by looking for happiness in this unlikely world of critical illness. As it seems appropriate and worthwhile, I will share about the way this sweet family of Alicia, Steve, Connor (2) and Carson (5 1/2 months) maneuver this unexpected event in their lives. They are an inspiration to us all.

I am so impressed with the courage of my niece. It is tough for Dad, too, being so far from his family. Although it is hard to understand how there could be anything that could justify this challenge, so many are finding inspiration as they find the faith to face each new day of unknowns. Their willingness to share their steps and to receive the help and compassion offered, even by strangers, allows us to stretch our own belief in the possibility of miracles, big and small, and serves us all. Here are a few excerpts from Alicia’sjournaling as the best way to bring you up to date.

6/04/06
“There are very few moments that have changed my life forever: my wedding day, the birth of my two boys, and the day the doctors told me that Connor has leukemia are at the top of this list. I will forever remember May 9th. It feels like the rest of the world should have stopped moving at 3:15pm but instead everybody else’s life continues as normal and it is just a small group of people that will be forever changed by that moment in time.”

6/12/06
“Those of you who know me well know that I am not a patient person which has made this situation even more difficult. On the days we have to go to the hospital we have to hurry to get a test then wait for the results before we can do the next step… I had to keep reminding myself that my worrying was not going to change the results. Well, we just received the results and Connor has less than 3% leukemia in his blood, which means that he is now considered to be in remission!!! We are all so excited!! Now the next step is to bring his white blood cell count up so we can begin the next phase of treatment. This still means we will be here for the 11 months, rather than 7, and have to do radiation, but we will not have to have a bone marrow transplant. Small blessings save us.

Overall we are all doing great. Connor is amazing and shows me everyday how lucky we are. He is slowly transforming from a normal boy to a normal boy who looks like he has cancer… Through him and Carson, his 5 month-old brother, I find more strength everyday to continue. After watching Finding Nemo about 900 times (it is Connor’s favorite movie right now) I have decided my motto is “Just keep swimming.” There are times when it seems like this journey will never end but I know that if I just keep going sooner of later this will all be behind us and we will all be stronger because of it. I cannot even begin to thank everyone for there love and support. You all give me so much encouragement everyday. Thank you!”

6/16/06
We try to celebrate the smallest steps forward and not let the setbacks discourage us, but it seems like every time we start to move forward something happens to move us back. I guess that is what it is going to be like for a while. Although Connor’s test results showed 3% leukemia in his blood and by normal standards this would have meant he was in remission…. we still have to do 2 more weeks of induction therapy in hopes it will bring the leukemia to less than 1% in his blood. Doctors don’t have any proof they this will improve his chances of being cured, but it seems like it would be better to get the levels of leukemia down before moving forward. This also means we added 2 more weeks onto our stay.”

With erratic clumps of hair left on Connor’s head, last night Alicia and Steve (visiting for Father’s Day thanks to friends donating their air miles) decided to get over the inevitable. Now Connor’s head is buzzed to match his cute steroid-round chipmunk cheeks and the still bald head of his baby brother. There were tears. There was laughter. And tomorrow is another day.

See if you can identify, and apply, a few of Alicia and Steve’s strategies for happiness as they maneuver their forward and backward steps, choosing to be fully connected through the adversity. Draw strength from theirs as together they ferret out the opportunities for happiness, even amidst cancer.

In Joy,
Rhonda
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The Five Words…
by Sopan Greene, M.A.

How would you like to stop feeling like your life isn’t good enough? (I realize advertisers would go broke if this happened, but it’s better for you!) Imagine feeling joyful, whole and complete when you look in the mirror at the end of the day. What if I showed you how you’re consciously creating circumstances and beliefs everyday that give you results you aren’t happy with? Would you like to change it? It’s much simpler than you think.
It all begins with the words you choose to use. By changing what you do and don’t say, you’ll start to create a much brighter future and more peaceful present right now.

I’m going to reveal the 5 words to you that are bringing the most stress and frustration into your life. Over time using these words ruins your life by creating a ton of unnecessary mental suffering.

The 5 words I invite you to eliminate from your vocabulary right now are: want, need, can’t, should and good enough (okay, these are two words but they’re together so lets pretend they’re one word for counting’s sake. Thanks.).

If you just stopped using the word ‘want’ you would transform your life beyond belief. Do it for just one day. You’re going to be amazed at how many times an hour you (and everyone else) says “I want….”

When you say “I want…” you instantly create a feeling of lack within yourself. In reality you aren’t lacking anything, but when you want something you subconsciously believe that you have a hole that can only be filled by getting what you want. This is the source of a lot of addictions that cause people to consume too much food, sex, drugs, alcohol, entertainment or whatever their personality has a hankerin’ for.

“Need” is an extreme version of ‘want.’ You don’t need anything beyond food, water, shelter, clothing and love. Everything else is icing on the cake.
Along these lines it’s helpful to remember that more than half of the worlds’ population goes to bed hungry every night. So if you think you need a $3,000 HDTV, realize that you would like it but you don’t ‘need’ it.

Can’t’ is a limiting belief based on past experience. We all know the past doesn’t determine how we create the present or the future, but a lot of us live like it’s true. I invite you to re-examine what you think you can’t do.

I grew up being told that I couldn’t do mechanical things because my brother was labeled as the “mechanical one” and I was labeled as the “studious” one. In my twenties I finally challenged that belief because I had to in order to take care of myself. Guess what? When I challenged that theory I discovered I could do a lot of things I never tried because I was always told I wouldn’t be able to do them.

Remember that you can be or do anything you commit to being or doing. Some things will come more naturally to you than others, but you have the power to always be and do your best.

You’ve probably heard the phrase “Stop shoulding all over yourself.” ‘Should’ is a word we use to exert power over ourselves and others through guilt. The funny thing is that we tell ourselves what we ’should’ do even more than we do it to other people. If you catch yourself before you ’should’ on yourself you’ll see that the ’should’ that feels so important is just another belief that you can choose to change.

Our minds can be our worst enemies. Our minds are constantly making up stuff about what’s good/bad, right/wrong, important/irrelevant, etc. We are run by these beliefs, many of which are arbitrary and constantly changing.

Think about an issue that tends to worry you over and over. Why is this worry imprisoning you by creating a ton of stress when a lot of other people aren’t even aware of it? We all pick different issues and beat ourselves up about getting these issues done, getting them right, taking care of them etc. They only feel important to us because our minds made up that they’re important issues. At the same time we’re totally unaware of other issues that other people are constantly worrying about. It’s silly and it also causes heart attacks.

The most problematic two words ever put together are ‘good enough.’ What exactly is good enough? Nothing is. Is doesn’t exist. It’s a subjective choice that’s like a carrot on a stick that is impossible to achieve. It moves farther away with every new accomplishment.

‘Good enough’ is an American complex. It may exist in other countries (though the Spanish language doesn’t even have words to describe it), but in America it’s in the air we breathe. Most Americans feel like they’re ‘not good enough.’ But if you ask them (or yourself), “What would be good enough?” they’re dumbfounded. They don’t have an answer as to what signifies achieving ‘good enough.’ All they know is that they can find millions of other people who appear (key word) to have things they don’t have. They think that if they had all these things, maybe they would be good enough …until they see something else they don’t have that they think they want, need, can’t get or should have.

I invite you to choose one of these words a day to stop using. Catch yourself before the word leaves your lips. If the word gets out simply correct yourself with a powerful positive statement.

If you’re about to say, “I want to go to the movies,” then instead simply say “I would like to go to the movies.” or “I choose to go to the movies.” Now you’re using words that create possibility and express responsibility.

Doesn’t it feel better when you speak like this? Yes, it does. It’s because your speaking from a place of power.

It’s your life. Choose to create it with words that reflect the responsible, powerful masterful spirit that you are.

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Drive-By Quotes (and Reflections) To Carry
With You on the Journey

“You don’t get to choose how you’re going to die. Or when.
You can only decide how you’re going to live.”

– Joan Baez

“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”

– Mother Theresa

“It is better to believe than to disbelieve;
in so doing you bring everything to the realm of possibility.”

– Albert Einstein

1. Slow down; God is still in heaven. You are not responsible for doing it all yourself, right now.

2. Remember a happy, peaceful time in your past. Rest there. Each moment has richness that takes a lifetime to savor.

3. Set your own pace. When someone is pushing you, it’s OK to tell them they’re pushing.

4. Take nothing for granted: watch water flow, the corn grow, the leaves blow, your neighbor mow.

5. Taste your food. God gives it to delight as well as to nourish.

6. Notice the sun and the moon as they rise and set. They are remarkable for their steady pattern of movement, not their speed.

7. Quit planning how you’re going to use what you know, learn, or possess. God’s gifts just are; be grateful and their purpose will be clear.

8. When you talk with someone, don’t think about what you’ll say next. Thoughts will spring up naturally if you let them.

9. Talk and play with children. It will bring out the unhurried little person inside you.

10. Create a place in your home…at your work…in your heart…where you can go for quiet and recollection. You deserve it.

11. Allow yourself time to be lazy and unproductive. Rest isn’t luxury; it’s a necessity.

12. Listen to the wind blow. It carries a message of yesterday and tomorrow-and now. NOW counts.

13. Rest on your laurels. They bring comfort whatever their size, age, or condition.

14. Talk slower. Talk less. Don’t talk. Communication isn’t measured by words.

15. Give yourself permission to be late sometimes. Life is for living, not scheduling.

16. Listen to the song of a bird; the complete song. Music and nature are gifts, but only if you are willing to receive them.

17. Take time just to think. Action is good and necessary, but it’s fruitful only if we muse, ponder, and mull.

18. Make time for play-the things you like to do. Whatever your age, your inner child needs re-creation.

19. Watch and listen to the night sky. It speaks.

20. Listen to the words you speak, especially in prayer.

21. Learn to stand back and let others take their turn as leaders.There will always be new opportunities for you to step out in front again.

22. Divide big jobs into little jobs. If God took six days to create the universe, can you hope to do any better?

23. When you find yourself rushing and anxious, stop. Ask yourself “WHY?” you are rushing and anxious. The reasons may improve your self-understanding.

24. Take time to read the Bible. Thoughtful reading is enriching reading.

25. Direct your life with purposeful choices, not with speed and efficiency. The best musician is one who plays with expression and meaning, not the one who finishes first.

26. Take a day off alone; make a retreat. You can learn from monks and hermits without becoming one.

27. Pet a furry friend. You will give and get the gift of “NOW!”.

28. Work with your hands. It frees the mind.

29. Take time to wonder. Without wonder, life is merely existence.

30. Sit in the dark. It will teach you to see and hear, taste and smell.

31. Once in a while, turn down the lights, the volume, the throttle, the invitations. Less really can be more.

32. Let go. Nothing is usually the hardest thing to do – but often it is the best.

33. Take a walk-but don’t go anywhere. If you walk just to get somewhere, you sacrifice the walking.

34. Count your friends. If you have one, you are lucky. If you have more, you are blessed. Bless them in return.

35. Count your blessings – one at a time and slowly.

–author unknown