Living Your Life

An Absolute Amazing Thought

July 30th, 2014
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hands with flower

As a human community, we are constantly interacting with each other on different levels.  Working, playing, and collectively striving to figure out — often through some kind of spiritual activity — what it’s all about and the nature of our roles in this great journey of life.

Yet as much as we think we know someone, I find sometimes that we only know the portion of another person’s story that they want us to know. By focusing and  listening to what others have to say to us and perhaps also watching how they react to various things that happen to … Read More

Off The Beaten Path

July 28th, 2014
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Some people say that vacation is having nothing to do and all day to do it in. I think it’s more that you have things to do but you do it when you want. And the things that you do are more for you than for others. I feel when a group of adult friends are on vacation that everyone is similar to being a free agent with no schedule.  My vacation philosophy is best reflected in the lyrics from “Go Where You Wanna Go,” sung in perfect group harmony by the 60’s rock folk group, The Mamas & the… Read More

3 Reasons For An Essential Break

July 18th, 2014
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I’ve been cranky.  I’ve been restless. I need a time out. Don’t send me to a corner.  Instead, please send me to the beach. The beach is my healing place.  My happy place. It’s the place where I fill up my emotional reserves (which are now entering the red warning zone indicating that I am almost out of fuel and will soon be operating on fumes) and also let all of the kinks and stress knots in my body unwind and hopefully disappear. This is my wordy way of telling you that I am going on vacation and intend to… Read More

Malala Day – #StrongerThan

July 14th, 2014
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Today is not just any Monday in July. It is July 14:  Malala Day.  A day of celebrating inner strength and courage. I find strength through my connections with my family, friends and my faith and I hope you too have figured out your own emotional support system that helps you sustain a spirit of hope and get to the other side of those tough and challenging times that life sends our way. Malala Yousafzai Besides those core resources, I also draw strength from other people that I have never met and don’t know personally at all.  Other people that… Read More

The Happiness Journey

July 11th, 2014
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Hey there Resilient Readers! A friend sent me the following quote yesterday and I liked it so much I wanted to share it with you right away. I hope this thought carries you through today and many days to come:   “Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.”  Denis Waitley Boxes of Freshly Picked RosesBy Sheila Hayes  … Read More

Louis Zamperini

July 9th, 2014
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It is worth noting the recent and sad passing of 97-year-old Louis Zamperini, a man whose life story was defined by his spirit of resilience. Everyone encounters challenges and traumas in their lives but Zamperini’s were of a sort that would have crushed most people.  No matter what came his way — imprisonment during World War II, torture, substance abuse, he never gave up. To me, his life is a unique resource.  When the Japanese capture him, and he is held captive and tortured, he digs deep within himself and finds a way to go on, even though he is… Read More

Musical Strength

July 7th, 2014
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Music can be an unexpected source of strength. Athletes use songs and soundtracks to help them focus prior to competition.  It’s pretty common to see athletes staring straight ahead in the locker room with their ear buds in place or warming up with ear buds and you know that whatever they are listening to is helping them get into some kind of a performance zone, taking them to a place where they can block out unnecessary thoughts and noise. I know that when I go for a walk or a run or a combination of the two, that listening to… Read More

Independent Behavior

July 4th, 2014
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Happy Fourth of July! Today I will be spending the day with friends I have known for decades; really great, tried and true friends.  There will be a cookout along with patriotic music, a reading of the Declaration of Independence, fireworks and best of all, relaxation. This 4th of July party is an annual event and one that I and the rest of my friends look forward to attending every year, rain or shine. ( http://crylaughheal.com/independence-day ) There are only a few times I purposely missed attending this party.  For two summers in a row, after my husband’s death, I… Read More

Camera Magic

June 19th, 2014
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This week I wisely listened to one of my sisters who persuaded me to mix it up and attend an incredible reception at the National Geographic Society for Annie Griffiths (http://www.anniegriffiths.com/about/), one of the first women photographers to work for the iconic global magazine National Geographic. Annie Griffiths At National Geographic Reception.Photo By Me I wasn’t familiar with Annie Griffiths work but the event sounded like fun so I went with my sister and her husband. For me, the magic of photography is in its’ ability to spontaneously capture, in a split second, the unique look or movement of a… Read More