Posts by Pat:
We’re on the cusp!
It’s time for me (and maybe you?) to reflect on “what’s been” and “what can be.” Life is rather like an old-fashioned camera. We can choose to focus on what is important, capture the good times, develop from the negatives. And, if things didn’t work out quite like we wanted, take another shot!
I’ve often thought of the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day as an opportunity to reflect back as well as refocus ahead to what the coming year could be if I so choose!
Looking ahead to 2022, I like what Jim Rohn had said about not wishing it was easier, but wishing I was better; not wishing for less problems, but wishing for more skills; and not wishing for less challenges, but wishing for more wisdom.
We can choose our attitude for this coming year by consciously focusing on those attributes we wish to embody and to experience. How about trying the old “alphabet list” idea? You know, choose qualities for each letter. For example…
- A= adaptable, alert, appreciative…
- B= balanced, blessed, brave…
- C= capable, cooperative, creative…
- you get the idea!
I admit some of those 26 letters were more challenging than others for me, but I did find at least 3 for each one over a bit of time! I bet you can too!
Some holiday thoughts
Sometimes it’s easy to forget the reason for the season! We can get caught up in the busyness, the focus that seems to be on wanting/needing/doing more. So here are some brief reminders to me (and maybe also to you?) See if any of these reflect your feelings… I believe the season is really about […]
What can we learn from all this?
Are we learning anything from this time of Covid and it’s resulting changes in our lives? I hope we are! I’m reminded of the fun little poem by Portia Nelson titled Autobiography in Five Short Chapters. It’s a delight and even has a message for us! Chapter 1 I walk down the street. There is […]
It’s simple…but not easy!
Many things in life are simple, but not easy. There’s a reason why 60% of Americans essentially never exercise, why 78% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, why many people have huge regrets at the end of their life for simple things left undone. Eating healthy is simple. Eat mostly plants and not too much. […]
Gratitude’s not a one-time thing…
Not just once, not just for one thing…it’s an everyday-and-everything thing! And I love this tale that shows it so clearly so I’m sharing it again! There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head. “Well,” she said, “I think […]
Change is like a roundabout!
The Arc de Triomphe in Paris is the queen of roundabouts with something like a dozen streets radiating from her hub out into the rest of the city. My sister and I were rather in awe of it (no line markings!) when we visited it in Paris. The poor misunderstood roundabouts, long beloved by motorists […]
Forget the noun, do the verb!
As most of you already know about me… I love playing with words. And this post is fun for me! The difference comes down to whether a person thinks of themselves as a verb or a noun: are you defined by what you do or are you defined by what you are? As a parent […]
Have a rule in place
The reason is simple…personal rules give us a foundational structure by which we can live our lives. They eradicate indecision, temptation, and distraction and (paradoxically) create more freedom for us to do the things we love. It’s one of the reasons why I respect vegetarians who live by the personal rule that “Under no circumstances […]
2 intriguing thoughts on money…
I’ve found two very different thoughts on money that I want to share here! Number one: I read somewhere that money is “frozen time.” That the “stuff” we buy is free…that what we pay for is the peoples’ time to mine/grow/finance/ manufacture/manage/transport the stuff to us. Number two: what money can and does for us! […]
This old house…
A story is told about John Quincy Adams that strikes a special chord with me after my career in real estate and my ever-increasing age! When a friend asked 80-year-old Adams how he was, he replied, “John is very well, thank you. But the house he lives in is sadly dilapidated. It is tottering on […]