Life challenges us to step out in faith that we’ll succeed and if we don’t we’ll figure it out. It’s the way it is. You have to take a chance on love if you want to be loved. You have to take a chance on opportunities with steep learning curves if you want to make a difference. You have to dare to do what others are too frightened to do to make a breakthrough. Optimistic people leap forward knowing they’ll land on their feet. They agree with Norman Cousins when he wrote, “Optimism doesn’t wait on facts. It deals with prospects. Pessimism is a waste of time.”
Month: November 2024
Anagram Challenge
Daily anagram challenge! Sharpen your brain with today’s anagram puzzle. Unscramble the letters to reveal the hidden word or phrase, and submit your answer to see if you’re correct. Happy puzzling!
Today’s Anagram:
Today’s Quote: Here is Our Home
Where we love is home – home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts. ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
Chance ~ a poem by Sara Teasdale
Chance
Sara Teasdale
HOW many times we must have met
Here on the street as strangers do,
Children of chance we were, who passed
The door of heaven and never knew.
Three Reasons to Eat Quinoa
Three Reasons to Eat Quinoa:
- High in Protein: Quinoa is a complete protein, meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids. This is especially beneficial for those on a plant-based diet looking to meet their protein needs.
- Rich in Fiber: Quinoa is high in fiber, aiding in digestion, improving gut health, and helping you feel full longer, which can be helpful for weight management.
- Packed with Nutrients: It’s a great source of important vitamins and minerals, including magnesium, iron, potassium, and B-vitamins, which support various bodily functions, from energy production to immune health.
Easy & Healthy Quinoa Salad Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 2 cups water or vegetable broth (for extra flavor)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cucumber, diced
- 1 bell pepper (any color), diced
- 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped
- 1 avocado, diced
- 1/4 cup feta cheese (optional)
Dressing:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 clove garlic, minced
Instructions:
- Cook the Quinoa: In a medium saucepan, bring water or vegetable broth to a boil. Add quinoa, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes until the water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and let it cool.
- Prepare the Vegetables: While the quinoa cools, chop your vegetables and prepare the dressing.
- Mix the Salad: In a large bowl, combine cooked quinoa, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, parsley or cilantro, avocado, and feta cheese if using.
- Add the Dressing: Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat evenly.
- Serve: Enjoy immediately or refrigerate for up to two days for an easy meal prep option.
This salad is light, refreshing, and packed with nutrients—perfect as a standalone meal or a side dish!
Today’s Joke: It Runs in Joe’s Family
Joe: “My grandfather buried three wives.”
Pete: “That’s rough.”
Joe: “Yah, and two of them were napping.”
Rediscovering Happiness After Loss: Lessons from Grief and Healing
Episode 150: Rediscovering Happiness After Grief – Finding Joy in Life’s Simple Moments
In this heartfelt episode, we explore the journey of rediscovering happiness after the profound loss of a loved one. Grief can make us feel like joy has vanished, much like the lyrics of “MacArthur Park” echo that sense of something precious lost forever. As we navigate through grief, we often struggle with the notion of happiness, searching for it in all the wrong places – from commercial promises of joy to fleeting experiences. But true happiness is more elusive and surprising, showing up in unexpected moments.
Reflecting on memories, poetry, and spiritual wisdom, we delve into what it really means to be happy, even in the wake of loss. Featuring insights from Jane Kenyon’s poem “Happiness,” Sara Teasdale’s “Barter,” and a biblical reflection from Matthew 6:21, this episode encourages listeners to cultivate a life that invites happiness organically, rather than chasing it.
Tune in as we discuss how to create conditions in our lives where joy can re-emerge, and why embracing small, unplanned moments of happiness may be the key to healing. If you’re grieving or simply reflecting on the true meaning of joy, this episode is here to inspire and guide you.
Keywords: Happiness after grief, finding joy, rediscovering happiness, healing from loss, grief journey, true happiness, MacArthur Park, Jane Kenyon, Sara Teasdale, Matthew 6:21, cultivating happiness, spiritual wisdom, emotional healing, grief podcast.
The Meteorite ~ a poem by C S Lewis
The Meteorite
C S Lewis
Among the hills a meteorite
Lies huge; and moss has overgrown,
And wind and rain with touches light
Made soft, the contours of the stone.
Thus easily can Earth digest
A cinder of sidereal fire,
And make her translunary guest
The native of an English shire.
Nor is it strange these wanderers
Find in her lap their fitting place,
For every particle that’s hers
Came at the first from outer space.
All that is Earth has once been sky;
Down from the sun of old she came,
Or from some star that travelled by
Too close to his entangling flame.
Hence, if belated drops yet fall
From heaven, on these her plastic power
Still works as once it worked on all
The glad rush of the golden shower.
Light it Up
I love the dawn. The dawn holds the promise of a new day. It is offering me another chance. Yesterday is behind me and tomorrow is in front of me. If I look closely at each moment as my day unfolds, I know I can add kindness, optimism, and love to the moment. Suddenly, that moment explodes with enough power to light up my city. William James,known as the father of American psychology, said, “Pessimism leads to weakness, optimism to power.” C’mon, light up the world.
Anagram Challenge
Daily anagram challenge! Sharpen your brain with today’s anagram puzzle. Unscramble the letters to reveal the hidden word or phrase, and submit your answer to see if you’re correct. Happy puzzling!
Today’s Anagram:
