A Garden Poem to Relax Your Spirit
I love how reading a poem can almost instantly alleviate stress. So I thought I’d share this sweet bit of verse from W.S. Merwin. Not only does it capture the beauty of an everyday moment, it tells us a little story. We learn about the narrator’s history, age, and how his garden exists with or without him. Merwin lived for many years in Hawaii, restoring a few acres of treed land he preserved as the Merwin Conservancy (not pictured above). Lucky for us he did. If you need a silent…
How Signing a Will Made my Life Perspective Skyrocket
On the night my husband and I signed our will, our friends acted as witnesses. The four of us sat with the notary at the dining table, signing the documents that would outline how and what our kids would inherit when my husband and I passed away. It wasn’t at the top of my list for Friday night fun but we did it. Little did I know signing that estate plan would completely change my life perspective. An Inventory of Everything Later that night as I went upstairs, I ran…
When You Take the Stairs, You Find a More Painful but Rewarding Path
Recently I found an older book with some lasting ideas. Rory Vaden’s Take the Stairs offers great inspiration for those looking to stop procrastinating in all areas of their life. The one aspect though most people won’t want to hear is succeeding in life takes self-discipline. Vaden says you can’t succeed if you take shortcuts, like an escalator. Only if you take the stairs will you build muscle. Similarly, if you take care of the hardest tasks again and again, especiallys when you don’t feel like it, you will accomplish…
A Book of Super Advice is Super Attractor
Make no mistake. Self-help writer Gabrielle Bernstein’s latest book, Super Attractor, is definitely woo-woo. It offers mantras, it’s got the word “Universe,” all over it, it references the famous channeler Abraham. If you’re the kind of reader who makes fun of touchy-feely, pseudo-psychological books, then this book is not for you. But if you’re the kind of reader who can see past that and take the author’s advice for what it is, then you’ll get quite a bit out of this book. What’s It About? The premise launches from that…
One Idea to Conquer the Gloomy Monday Blues
Good morning, my fellow living soul. I woke up this Monday feeling down, despite a good night’s sleep. I dragged myself out of bed, even though it was warm and I was still sleepy, and I forced myself to exercise and get to work. As I did, I lamented the low bank of clouds that often push over Seattle during this time of year. Clouds cover the sun and darken the sky, rain taps steadily, and the house is dark. Only lamps artificially light my way. I feel a little…