Jul 24, 2015
We were in the Boundary Waters for two weeks. Wonderful. The Loons sang us to sleep, and the White Throated Sparrows sang us awake. Deer moseyed into our campsite, paused to look, and moseyed out again. Birds pecked for seeds at my feet. I loved that the...
Aug 3, 2015
I want to feel gratitude more frequently in my life, but it seems that I just forget to do it. I drive a lot. Running errands, I’m in and out of the car a lot. So I combined gratitude and driving. Now, whenever I get in the car, and before I put it in gear, I close my...
Aug 9, 2015
A reader writes about gratitude, and a great way to fall asleep: I like to write gratitudes in my journal just before bed, but often, like you, I forget to do it. So after I’m luxuriating under the covers and feeling great gratitude for my pillows and sheets and...
Aug 24, 2015
Lately, in an attempt to soothe feelings of disappointment, I’ve been saying “it is what it is” to myself. You know, expectations cause such trouble! In my case, I had not just a simple expectation, but an entire string of expectations. And, as is their...
Sep 16, 2015
Remember a couple of issues ago, I talked about pausing to experience gratitude every time I got in my car? Well, the circumstances of my life got a bit whirly, and I completely forgot that lovely practice. However, after some time I came to my senses, and I started...
Oct 5, 2015
All this political stufff is driving me crazy. And I don’t even have a TV! My granddaughter, Amberley Brynn McGuire, was born a few days ago. I find myself wondering, “What kind of future can this child have? If some people have their way, she won’t have health...
Oct 15, 2015
Sometimes it feels like life is going too fast, and that I can barely remember who I was at 23, when I thought I knew who I was. So much has happened between then and now! Doing some minutes of conscious breathing every day helps gather together all the disparate...
Nov 2, 2015
Appreciation is an experience that keeps me present in the moments of my life. It’s very easy for me to drift, to have my mind far away from my body. But appreciation keeps my body and my mind in the same place and in the same time. And it feels good! Gratitude is...
Nov 5, 2015
It’s interesting to me how many people tell me that I’m a Buddhist. I have never studied Buddhism. I am not at all inclined towards religion. Any religion. I would never call myself a theist. But hearing so often that I’m a Buddhist has gotten me to wondering where my...
Nov 30, 2015
It’s funny about generosity. I almost always get replies to Tenacity Notes. Not always many, but at least a couple. However, I don’t get replies when I mention generosity. I understand that generosity can be an edgy topic for many. Given that we live within a mass...