#278 Positive Words

This morning my water exercise instructor told us to close our eyes and think positive thoughts. Here’s a list of positive words. I suggest you read them aloud, to yourself or others. Pause long enough between words so you can get a sense of the word, but not...

#279 Wedding Officiant

I just returned from officiating a wedding in Texas. It was awesome. Beautiful in every way. Yes, I can legally do that. So if you know anyone who is getting married and is looking for an officiant, feel free to point them to me. Here are some photos. Me waiting in...

#280 Separation, Connection

Expectations, regret, shame, worry, and blame all have something in common — they create a barrier between you and your life as it is unfolding in present time.   What else separates you from present time?   Appreciation, gratitude, conscious breathing, and fun all...

#281 Hafiz poem

I have come into the world to experience this: men so true to love they would rather die before speaking an unkind word. I have come into the world to see this: the sword drop from men’s hands even at the height of their arc of rage because we have finally...

#282 Gratitude+Curiosity

Sometimes I find myself wanting to CONTROL the outcome of a situation. Usually that takes some form of OBSESSING about the situation; some form of I WANT TO KNOW! That certainly is not helpful to me, nor has it ever proven to help a situation. Now, instead of...

#283 Never Pass Up an Opportunity

I said to a friend, who was complaining about something his wife wanted — never pass up an opportunity to be generous! I say it to people who are appalled that I give roadside beggars money — never pass up an opportunity to be generous. I’ll say it again and again —...

#284 How to Accept Gladness

I was pondering a line from poet Jack Gilbert, sent to me by a reader: “We must have the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless furnace of this world.” I was wondering about the ruthless furnace of this world and all the forms it takes, and how to stay...

#285 Take It Up A Notch

I’m tying a string around my finger now for sure. I have long enjoyed Rob Brezsny’s astrology newsletter. He’s got a quirky style that pleases me, and he sometimes reminds me to pay attention to something that I’ve neglected. His current newsletter tells me to be in...

#286 My Presence

My campaign to TAKE IT UP A NOTCH has so far mostly failed. But I have learned some things about myself. Well, not learned exactly, because I have always known, and even appreciated, this about myself — I tend to be oppositional and confrontative. And, which I have...

#287 Compassion and Kindness

I don’t know how to be compassionate. I don’t know how to be kind. Well, I do know — kind of. But my compassion and kindness are selective. It’s the election. It’s brought a lot of ugliness out from under the rocks where it’s been hiding. My own included! Last time I...