be present

Solid Rock among early spring flowers and seedlings

Until today, I’ve never loved the word compassion. Is that harsh? Let me ask you this: what does compassion mean to you?  For me, it’s always had an undercurrent of sympathy, pity, of understanding and relating to someone else’s (or one’s own) pain.  It’s also meant to convey love, yet so often it seems to […]

Photo of teddy bear and quote "You don't have to do anything to be adored. You only have to be."

Yesterday, we talked about the fact that most people strive to get others to love them. Happier people know it feels even better to give love than to receive — for them, every day can be a Valentine’s Day. Love Week is all about finding reasons to flow love to others — even if you […]

Even though I know better, it’s easy to forget that where I put my attention is a choice. My choice. Sometimes I get caught in the trap of feeling stressed and I keep thinking about the stressful thing… I may even talk about it, which keeps it front and center…. and it’s like a whirlpool, […]

Happy Golden Retriever Photo and Quote

  You may have heard people say, “you’re only as happy as your unhappiest child…”  I try to remind myself: that’s only true when I choose to let it be. I try to remember this when my child is going through a tough time.  It can feel more painful to see her suffer than to […]

Remember when you so loved the idea of something– your next job… a new project… your future wife– that nothing could stop you from pursuing it (her… him)?  The best motivation is when you love the idea of it so much that you don’t really care how you’re doing at this moment: you’re having so […]