November 14--little/BIG

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.  --Robert Brault

    Amen! I think of my sweet husband caring for me during my recent experience with Covid. I stayed in the lower level of our house, and he was up and down a lot bringing me food, water, meds and anything else I requested. That was definitely a "big thing."

    There are so many things in my life that are little/big things: swimming, golf, walking Barney, hanging on the new deck with my husband, road trips, gardening, fun times with family and friends, home-cooked meals, teaching and coaching... Looking at this list I see that it is the day-to-day "little" activities that make for a great life, and that is one BIG thing. 

        Leta

Sweet Barney 😍

November 13--Phrases of Love

There is as much greatness of mind in acknowledging a good turn, as in doing it. 
--Seneca

Please

Thank you

You're welcome

    How about we all use those three phrases more often? It would make both me and Miss Manners happy. I suspect that we have all had poor service and good service. Given that most of us generally prefer good service, let's acknowledge it! The more we bless good service, the more we shall receive it. 

    Lovingkindness pays,

        Leta

A fern in the woods of PA

November 12--Living or Existing?

To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.  --Oscar Wilde

    It is quite difficult from the outside looking in to tell if someone is living or merely existing. What about Mr. Wilde--it is commonly known that he really enjoyed his alcohol.  Was he living or existing? Addiction is rampant in our society. Having been on both sides of addiction--actively using and recovering--I can say that if one is still practicing the addiction, that's existence, not living. 

    Each individual must decide what it means to live, and if the effort is worth it. This is an ongoing process for all. Many changes have been happening in my life, and I am pondering what my new version of living looks like. What do I want to keep? What do I want to release? The clearer my picture of living, the more likely I am to create it. 

        Leta

Where is your path leading?

November 11--It's TIME!

They always say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.  --Andy Warhol

    Isn't time an interesting thing? What did people do before clocks were invented? There must be some natural organic function within us that understands the passage of time and could easily guide us through life without clocks. But then I would be late for appointments, which would drive me nuts. 

    Sometimes, however, I feel like there is always a time readout in my face, emphasizing the super-quickening forward march of time. Nowadays when I go into a hotel room, I either cover the clock faces or turn them to the wall. I'm really looking forward to my upcoming time in Jamaica where no one cares what time it is!

    Consider the idea that time heals. I guess that's so for a physical wound. I'm not so sure about grief. I believe time can mellow a heartache, but it doesn't eliminate it. 

    There is very interesting information relative to time in the book by Gay Hendricks titled "The Big Leap." Time is human creation and we can create as much of it as we want. Have some fun with that one!

        Leta

November 10--We Can Do Better

Our life is the creation of our mind.  --Buddha

The land itself and the conditions of that land, like altitude and climate, impact our genome just as our human ancestors do. We are born on it, die on it; we come from it and return to it. The land and the waters, oceans and rivers, are part of us, relatives and ancestors in a very real way.  --Patty Krawec

    Two quotes today. Let us use the powerful creative ability of our mind to take better care of our dear Mother Earth. We belong to her rather than she belongs to us. 

    Let us use the powerful creative ability of our mind to take better care of our magical and mysterious bodies. Our priceless vehicle for being alive on the Mother deserves our loving attention and care.

    Let us use the powerful creative ability of our mind to take better care of our mind/spirit/emotions. It is essential for expanding into new consciousness that creates a world that works for everyone. 

    Let us use our creativity wisely,

        Leta

November 9--I Gotta Be Me 🎵🎵🎵

The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.  --Anna Quindlen

    There it is again... perfectionism. I think we can pretty much agree that "perfect" doesn't exist, yet our society is still insanely encouraging this concept. At the least, this is keeping our kids from being kids, and at the worst, killing them when they take their own lives because they don't "measure up." Perfectionism and its Siamese-twin judgmentalism are widespread, insidious and destructive addictions. 

    Why not delight in the unique specimen of humanity that you are?!?! What is wrong with you? Too short, tall, fat, thin, pale, dark-skinned, smart, stupid, lazy, hyper, disorganized, anal-retentive, ugly, beautiful?!?!! Clearly I could go on and on. Welcome to the human race! We all have some reason to get down on ourselves. Stop it! 

    Every part of every one of us enjoys appreciation much more than criticism.

        Leta

November 8--What Does Yours Say?

Our faces become our biographies.  --Cynthia Ozick

    Can you look at your face in the mirror and smile? It's a worthwhile practice. If we can't see the Light within ourselves, how could we see it in others?

    Being well into my sixties, I have wrinkles in my face. Lots of life experience went into making those! I have brown eyes which I love. My skin is healthy--I don't use a lot of "product" on it because "clean" feels best. Gravity is taking its toll, but my smile still works, and I like to use it a lot. 

    Joyful appreciation of my face leads to joyful appreciation of life.

        Leta

Then and...

Now