Perfection Is Highly Overrated!
Relinquish the need to be perfect. Effort is perfection. Imagine a roomful of babies all trying to perfect the skill of walking. What we witness is a lot of bumping into things and falling down. We don’t expect babies to get it right immediately—we don’t scold them for failing in their attempts. No. Instead, we’re […]
The Latest Wow: More Beautiful Than Leaves
A friend of mine, Patti, who helps me with my tech challenges, wowed me with something that caused me—without any reservation—to demand that she write it up for my blog. She did just that and here it is: I was gazing out my kitchen window the other day, captivated by the beauty of the changing […]
The Latest Wow: Free to Change
I’m driven to share something! I received some thought-provoking feedback on my last post (Secret to a Good Life) (check out the comment section, too). Some people responded online while others shared their thoughts in person. Jerri’s friend, Mike, had another insightful comment: “If my expectations of another person are unrealistic then I’m the problem. And thank […]
The Secret to a Good Life
A comedian uttered this piece of profound wisdom: “Everyone says communication is the secret to a good relationship. It’s not true. The secret to a good relationship is low expectations.“ I take this a step further: the secret to a good life is low expectations. Let’s face it, expectations run rampant in our brains—many times […]
Untuck Your Wings
This is one of my favorite quotes: “O God, help me to believe the truth about myself, no matter how beautiful it is!” — Macrina Wiederkehr, author of Seasons Of Your Heart Walking along a trail, you see an unusual and stunning butterfly. Perched on a small branch, its richly colored patterns and exquisite gracefulness invite […]
Something Would Be Missing
I love this photograph for two reasons. For one, the beauty causes my spirit to go, “Ahhhhh.” Second, it tells me something about our value. Notice the dead tree sticking up out of the water . . . um, it’s hard not to notice, right? That tree was once vibrant with life. Had we known that […]
Life’s a Struggle, then We Live
“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” This was said by Frederick Douglass, former slave, social reformer, and author. Frederick fought obstacles and won, and so did Diana Nyad, who at age 64 became the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida. It took 53 straight hours with no breaks and no […]
The Latest Wow: Let Go and Be Free
“Any time we try to control something, it controls us. That’s because we’re basing our happiness and peace of mind on being able to control it, on something external that can’t be controlled.” —Rod Pasko My son, Rod, came up with that one a few years ago. I usually reserve ‘The Latest Wow’ for comments […]
Thoughts of Suicide
In my previous post, Banished from Her Mother’s Heart, I talked about Michelle, who was dealing with her mom’s rejection. In this post, I want to introduce you to Scott. Like Michelle, he marched to the beat of his own drum, and likewise suffered rejection, primarily from his dad. Scott’s gay, and his father couldn’t […]
Banished from her Mother’s Heart
“Your mother is good for you,” I said. “Her disapproval is forcing you to become immune to disapproving attitudes. Unbeknownst to her, she’s stretching you to become self-accepting and to believe in yourself.” Michele followed the beat of her own drum, and her family shunned her for it—especially her mother. Parental disapproval, at any age, can […]