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His Words Stopped Me in My Tracks
All We Take for Granted I overslept this morning. I still have not adapted to the time change and my mornings have been challenging. I woke up at 8:30am. Jumped in the shower. Quickly threw on clothes. Got into my car and raced across town arriving with a minute to spare to my…
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A Practice to Bring You Closer Together
Is There Someone You’d Like to Connect With? You know I’m always talking about how important noticing is as a first step to being grateful. That can be true for nature, our work or home, and also for the people we care about. Is there someone you would like to have a deeper connection…
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Choosing to Rush Through Life
Always on to the next Thing I have been really busy lately. Working long hours. Working through the weekend. Doing one thing and then another in less time than they need to be done right. But really, how is this different then any other day and any other week? We are all SO…
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Mary Oliver, Thank You for Giving Words to My Surrender
The Power of Letting Go The concept of our true self has been a theme lately that keeps popping up in different areas of my life. Who are you underneath that mask? Who are you when you are aligned in body, mind, spirit, values, senses, action and in ways that you didn’t even…
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Solstice Gratitude – In the Dark of Night
On This Darkest Day of the Year Look inside and find your light; say thank you. On this darkest day of the year, Peer into your heart and into your mind; say thank you. On this darkest day of the year, Go outside and touch the earth; say thank you. On this darkest…
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Change Your Mind in Five – a Gratitude Meditation
Unplug. Breathe. Take a Few Minutes Just For You. This time of year can get hectic. We are pulled in many directions with work and family and friends and events. Preserving traditions and making our own traditions. Adapting to celebrating the holidays without those who have left us. Sometimes we are an after-thought. Let’s…
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Confuse Your Family with Being Grateful for the Dismissed
Show Everyone That It’s Not Just the Big Five Whenever I ask people, “What are you grateful for?” without any other direction almost everyone says the same thing. I call these the big five: Being alive, Family, Health, Friends, God. It reminds me of going around the table at Thanksgiving sharing our gratitude and…
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Fact-Based Gratitude
Gratitude Need Not Blind You from Reality Fact: This morning as I used the bathroom I stepped in something wet. Fact: It was dog pee. Fact: I was not fucking happy about this. Fact: I was grateful for having a washing machine to be able to take care of the problem. Gratitude is…
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My Video Confession
You May Not Know This about Me … but You Should Know Let me share an example with you. Yesterday I was working at my mom’s store. When I was telling my mom about the day the first thing I said was that my first customer was grumpy and impossible…
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She said, “The things that are happening to me are a function of my view of them.”
Freedom in Uncertainty I am preparing for the Dealing with Negativity webinar this Thursday and came across the work of Ellen Langer, Ph.D. She is a Harvard professor who has been studying mindfulness for forty years. She is quick to point out that she is not talking about mindfulness mediation and in fact instead of using…
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Remember Those Days When You Were Focused on Gratitude?
Restore That Childlike Wonder Imagine a day. A normal Monday like today. Except this day the moments are slow, filled with wonder, curiosity and enjoyment. The colors you see are vivid because they are noticed and taken in completely. The leaves on the trees are calling out to you lighting a fire in your…
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Worried? Do You Keep Replaying Things in Your Head?
I Am Freaking Out Right Now! I’m stressed. I’m worried. The clock is ticking and I am pulled in so many directions with work, family, love, music and an ever-growing list of things that absolutely need to get done. On top of that I just shared whole lot of honesty with a colleague and friend…
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Ask and Thank to Connect
Asking Without Shame One of the themes of the curanderismo class that I mentioned last week has been asking permission. Asking permission of the four directions, our ancestors, and mother earth to gather, to heal, to connect. Asking permission of plants to give of themselves to become medicine. This asking struck me as similar to…
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They Can’t Take Their Eyes off of You
You. Lit Up. I am inspired this week by the Maya Angelou quote you see below. I love the idea of doing something I love so well that people can’t take their eyes off of me. Although it could be the extroverted part of me that likes being the center of attention. In reality it…
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Notice and Savor
Tell Me What You Do Every Day and I’ll Tell You Who You Are I am working on establishing a new daily habit. A learning habit. Throughout the month of June I am committed to starting my day with a few minutes of skill-building as I learn Illustrator. I have been really liking this software…
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Desperately Seeking Calm
Take Yourself on a Journey to Now On Friday I found myself racing down a deserted dirt road, a dust cloud billowing behind me, skidding on the bumps and turns as I rushed to get to our campground. The landscape was beautiful, a rare treat to see it so lush and green in the high…
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This Is Where I Feel Gratitude
The Poetry of Emotion Gratitude, like all emotions, is like artwork, expansive and uncontainable. Sometimes these feelings in my body last a long time while other times they are fleeting. This poetry of emotion sometimes emerges as a sensation in my body. Gratitude does not always show up the same way but a couple of…
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Do you remember your dreams?
Saying Thank You for my Dreams For the longest time I have been intrigued by my dreams. I like to remember them, talk about them, and explore the meaning behind the images. The problem is that I often do not remember them. Even though I know how I can remember them if I really want…
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How many gratitudes will you share in one day?
Moment after Moment I’m a big fan of starting over. Sometimes if I am having trouble communicating I will just ask to start over. It works for me. Going throughout my days moment after moment I can choose to start over. In this moment I can choose gratitude. I can refocus or continue my same…
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Romancing your Organs – Introduction to Daoist Meditation eCourse Week 3
Romancing your Organs Introduction to Daoist Meditation eCourse Week 2 – written by Matt Parsons If you are just joining the eCourse now or have not had time to consistently practice the lessons from Weeks 1 and 2, please return to Melting your Issues and then Drawing the Wheel before progressing to Week 3. This is a…