There’s nothing like a funeral to make us aware of the passing of time and the shortness of life. Listening to the tributes at my brother-in-law’s memorial service, I recalled a poem called The Dash that I heard years ago. It was a reminder of the importance of making the right choices about how we spend our time. Are you making the most of your dash? Continue reading A Life Well Lived – How Are You Spending Your Dash?
Life is far from simple. It’s easy to feel burdened by the complex challenges our world is facing. Over time, I’ve learned the best thing to do is take a deep breath, shut out all the noise, and embrace the peace that comes from simple living in a complex world. Will you join me? Continue reading Simple Living in a Complex World
So I hit a roadblock with my writing recently. I stalled. Ironically while writing a book about stalling and the need to let go to regain lift in life. Instead of doing that, I kept smacking my head against a brick wall. I am the master of not following my own advice. Eventually, I ceded defeat, downed tools, and went on the first holiday I’d … Continue reading Writer’s Roadblock
So my muse decided to take a holiday recently. He packed his bags and went to Hawaii or somewhere. And I know he’s been sitting in the sun drinking Pina Coladas the whole time. That smug bastard. Now, I should say I told him to take a break. The problem is, I’ve found it hard to get back into the flow of things. It turns … Continue reading A Creative Leave of Absence
I haven’t been myself lately. The unrelenting madness at work over the past couple of years has taken a toll. I decided I needed some time to clear the storm clouds that have gathered inside my mind. I realised I’d been too close to everything at work. So, I called the doc and went on longterm stress leave. After a few weeks of playing with … Continue reading How To Gain a Clear Picture of Your Future Self
There’s a big difference between shame and guilt. Guilt is the feeling you get when you did something wrong, or perceived you did something wrong, whereas shame is a feeling that your whole self is wrong – a belief that you’re a bad person, or unworthy as an individual. Now, guilt isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It can be a useful emotion designed to help … Continue reading A Crying Shame
Inside this chest pounds a heart so steady. Inside this head lives a brain so alive. And somewhere in between rests a spirit so gentle, even the tiniest of scratches leaves a scar. . . . How would you describe your spirit, Dear Reader? What inspires you? What shakes you to your core? (Such easy questions to answer, I know!) 🙈 We’re in this thing … Continue reading SnapDragon Speaks: On The Gentle Spirit.
I fondly remember the days of grammar-school playgrounds; of brown-bagged lunches; of field trips to museums, caverns, and coal mines. I remember the sense of belonging within those classroom walls. There was a constance amongst us kids: a comradery that strengthened with each lesson, each game, each talent show. The questions we asked were not stupid, but welcomed. We were family. And as the decades … Continue reading SnapDragon Speaks: On The Same Side.
There are many things I do not know. Like what it takes to make a light switch work; or how many species of bird reside in my home state. I do not know advanced mathematic formulas; I do not know why the daffodils come back each spring. I’m just one person, with a single, yet unbelievable brain. Yet there is limited capacity. And I mess … Continue reading SnapDragon Speaks: On Knowing.
Provided by AP from Clear Air Turbulence Why is it always said, he cried like a little girl? We never say, she cried like a little boy, do we? For that matter, we never say she cried like a little girl either. Of course I’m forgetting that’s because it’s acceptable for girls to cry! Silly me. It’s just boys who don’t cry! Except that’s not … Continue reading Why Crying Like A Little Girl Is The Manliest Thing You Can Do
Provided by Bobbie Herron from Aloft with Inspiration A few weeks ago I posted a piece called “Final Chapter…” At the time I had every reason to believe that I would need to discontinue my blog, sketching, teaching art, reading for pleasure…all the activities that had given meaning to my life thusfar, all because of a sudden spike in progressive blindness. I reached out to … Continue reading Why giving up doesn’t work
Provided by Danielle Davis from The Nurse’s Heart “Flowers don’t open and close according to who is walking by. They open and show their beauty regardless.” – Rebecca Campbell A recent realization I have had is that I struggle with using my voice or “speaking my truth.” I know I am not alone in this. I believe this is a struggle for many of us – … Continue reading Finding My Voice
Provided by Sarah Cole from PURC The Principle Of Sustainability: There are numerous definitions of sustainability. Like, the ‘entropy principle’ of sustainability states that life on Earth should not use more energy each day than is supplied by the Sun every single day. Herman Daly proposed these three principles of sustainability: non-renewable resources should not be depleted at rates higher than the development rate of … Continue reading How Is Sustainability An Ethical Decision?
It’s been a looong time since I wrote something and I’m not even sure I know how to do it. Life is so unpredictable that if you try to understand it, your mind might explode. Actually, this is what happened to me. One year ago, I thought that all I can do is write for the rest of my life and that I’ll be happy. … Continue reading The Art of Living
Today I came across this idea that got stuck in my head: we give what we want to receive. The problem with this is that there are times when it creates more damage instead of doing good. Why? Because people are different and they have different needs. It manifests the most when there is some sort of carrying relationship between the giver and the … Continue reading We give what we want to receive – Reblog
Have you ever wonder why do we get angry? I know it’s because of some situations or because of some people, but that is not the real reason. We get angry because of what we think about the situation or about the person, and most of the times it is connected with the feeling of loss. I think that we get angry because somehow … Continue reading The Loss Feeling – Reblog
I sometimes wonder how our past affects our present and in what way. I’m not talking about actions we did in the past which have some effects on our present. I’m talking about remembering things and situations. Our memories are as powerful in influencing our present feelings as our present day. This is how it works: we remember something from our past (positive or … Continue reading How memories affect our present – Reblog
Provided by Dr. Ramya from Self Life Hacks There are various personalities around us and one of the most beautiful personalities is “The-helping personality”. These people can feel the pain of others and their distress, take a responsibility for the welfare of others and act to help them and keep them happy. If these characters match with yours then you are probably the empathetic personality or helping … Continue reading Is Your Empathy Your Weakness Or Your Strength?
Have you noticed that we’re always thinking that we’ll be happy when we’ll have “that thing”? But have you noticed that we almost never go beyond that? Like, really going beyond. Have you imagined how your life is going to be if you have “that thing” or that person? If so, for how long? A day? A month? But have you ever thought about … Continue reading The “Having” Point – Reblog
Have you ever tried something new and you expected immediate results that didn’t come? This is tough, so tough to handle! It’s like all the patience in the world disappeared and all the emotions overwhelm you. You want so much the outcome to be good that you want to do anything to make that happen, except for waiting. I’m wondering why we don’t have any … Continue reading Waiting is the hard part
