Month: August 2025

Light for the Journey: Stop Chasing the Butterfly: Let Happiness Find You

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Sometimes the harder we chase joy, the faster it flies away. The secret? Be still and let it land.

Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you. ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne

Reflection:

We often believe happiness must be hunted down—another goal to conquer, another box to check. Yet, like a butterfly, joy resists capture. Chase it, and it flutters just out of reach. But pause, breathe, and open your heart, and happiness may quietly rest upon your life. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s words remind us that joy is not a possession but a presence. It appears when we create space—space free from noise, demands, and relentless striving. Stillness invites beauty to approach. Just as a garden becomes a haven for butterflies when left in peace, our spirit attracts joy when we learn to be still. Stop running. Be present. Let life’s gentle wonders find you. The sweetest joys often arrive unannounced, and that’s what makes them precious.

Flash Fiction Prompt: When Trouble Comes Calling, Don’t Answer Too Fast

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When danger raps on your door, will you answer—or pretend you’re not home?

First Line:

The knock came like the sound of a jackhammer—loud, sharp, and carrying the promise of trouble.

Starting Paragraph:

It was 2:17 a.m. when the pounding started. Three hard raps, a pause, then two more, each one rattling the thin wood like a judge’s gavel in a case that had already been decided. I froze mid-step, coffee mug halfway to my lips, the bitter steam curling into my face like a warning. The streetlight outside cast a crooked shadow across my door, and in that warped silhouette, I thought I saw a fedora tilt forward—old-school, like something out of a black-and-white movie where no one smiles. My heartbeat was a snare drum in my ears. I wasn’t expecting anyone. In fact, nobody should even know I was here. My eyes flicked to the drawer by the sink. Inside was a loaded choice: a .38 revolver wrapped in a dishtowel… or my phone. Neither option promised safety. The knock came again—slower this time, almost polite.

Three Questions to Spark the Story:

  1. Who is on the other side of the door—and what do they want?
  2. What is the secret the narrator is hiding?
  3. How will the choice between the revolver and the phone change the outcome?

Day 5: The Truth About Fat—Friend, Foe, or Both?

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Not All Fats Are Created Equal—Here’s What Your Heart Needs to Know

The war on fat is over, but confusion still reigns. Let’s settle the score on saturated, unsaturated, and trans fats.

Fat isn’t the villain—it’s the type of fat that matters. Saturated fats (found in butter, fatty meats, coconut oil) can raise LDL cholesterol, while trans fats (found in processed snacks) are flat-out harmful and should be avoided entirely. But unsaturated fats, especially monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, can actually improve lipid profiles.

Research shows that replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat can lower LDL cholesterol and reduce heart disease risk (Mensink et al., 2003). Healthy sources include olive oil, avocados, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish like salmon.

A Mediterranean-style diet—rich in unsaturated fats—has consistently been linked to improved heart health, lower LDL, and increased HDL.

Action Step: Swap one source of saturated fat today (e.g., butter or red meat) for a heart-healthy alternative like olive oil or avocado.

Medical Disclaimer: This blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult your physician before beginning any health or dietary changes.

Garage Full, Life Full—But Not in the Good Way

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Your garage might be telling the story of your life—and it’s not a bestseller.



Walking through my neighborhood, I see open garage doors like confessionals—silent witnesses to lives buried under boxes. Many of the open garages are filled with stuff that my neighbors collected over the years. They probably don’t even know what’s in many of the boxes or containers in the garage. It’s just stuff that is sitting there. When they die, their children will toss most of it away. What their children don’t toss away, they may keep or have an estate sale.

The American naturalist and philosopher Henry David Theroux said, “Sweep away the clutter of things that complicate our lives.” When we clean the clutter out of our living spaces we’ begin simplifying our lives. There are health benefits that come from simplifying our lives. 1) We fell less overwhelmed. 2) We think more clearly. 3) We’re able to focus on our priorities. And 4) letting go helps us to release emotional issues and bring closure. Do you have any clutter that makes no sense to keep? Start small. One drawer, one box at a time. Soon, you’ll start to get a sense of emotional freedom. Good luck.

Points to Ponder:

  • What “stuff” in your life is actually just emotional baggage in disguise?
  • How could removing clutter open up more than just physical space?
  • What would your days feel like if your environment was lighter and freer?

Love ~ A Poem by Czeslaw Milosz

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Seeing Ourselves Tenderly: A Reflection on Czesław Miłosz’s “Love”


Ever glimpsed your own heart through the lens of a distant horizon?

Love

Czeslaw Milosz

Love means to learn to look at yourself
The way one looks at distant things
For you are only one thing among many.
And whoever sees that way heals his heart,
Without knowing it, from various ills—
A bird and a tree say to him: Friend.

Then he wants to use himself and things
So that they stand in the glow of ripeness.
It doesn’t matter whether he knows what he serves:
Who serves best doesn’t always understand.

Source

Reflection

Czesław Miłosz gently invites us into a way of seeing that is both radical and restorative. When the poem says, “Love means to learn to look at yourself the way one looks at distant things,” it suggests a lesson in cool, reflective presence. We’re asked not to shrink—but to soften: to regard ourselves with the same spacious acceptance we naturally afford the sky or a quiet field.

Seeing ourselves as “only one thing among many” doesn’t diminish our worth; it heals us from self-absorption, envy, and inner unrest. As we lighten the burden of constant self-scrutiny, we find that even a bird or a tree can become a friend. This softened seeing ripens our hearts and our capacity to serve the world—even without knowing how or why. Love, in this poem, is a slow maturity of awareness: a self-directed grace that frees us from ourselves and opens us to everything else.

Three Gentle Invitations to Ponder

  1. In what ways might looking at yourself as if from afar bring you relief or clarity? What habitual judgments might soften in that stillness?
  2. The poem speaks of healing “without knowing it.” Can you think of a time when quiet observation brought healing beyond intention?
  3. Consider the line, “Who serves best doesn’t always understand.” What does serving with a tender, ripened heart mean for your daily life or relationships?

Light for the Journey: Chiseling the Masterpiece That Is You

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Every sunrise hands you the chisel—what will you create with the living stone of your life?

We are all sculptors and painters, and our material is our own flesh and blood and bone. ~ Henry David Thoreau

Reflection:

Henry David Thoreau’s words remind us that we are not passive observers of our lives—we are the artists, shaping and refining our own being. Our flesh, blood, and bone are the marble, and our choices, values, and actions are the tools. Every thought we nurture and every act we take leaves its mark. Some days, the work is delicate—a careful brushstroke of kindness. Other days, it’s bold—a decisive chisel blow to cut away what no longer serves us. The masterpiece is never finished; it is alive, evolving, and breathing. If you don’t like what you see, you can always step back, reimagine, and begin again. The most important art you’ll ever create is the person you become.

The Last Knock at Midnight

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When a sound shatters the night, what you open the door to might change everything… or end it.

First Line:

The knock was so sharp and sudden it felt like it split the night clean in half.

Starting Paragraph:

I had been sitting alone in the living room, the only light coming from the dim lamp in the corner, when it came—a single, heavy knock. Not a polite tap. Not a friendly rap. This was the kind of knock that made the air stand still, the kind that made your bones remember old fears. The street outside was empty; I knew because I had checked the blinds not ten minutes ago. I waited for a second knock, but none came. My pulse quickened. I thought of ignoring it, of letting whatever was on the other side stay there, locked in the night. Then I heard it—soft breathing, right beyond the door. No words, no movement, just that steady, human sound. I stood, my hand halfway to the doorknob, wondering if opening it would be the bravest thing I’d ever done… or the last mistake I’d ever make.

3 Questions to Spark Flash Fiction:

  1. Who—or what—is on the other side of the door?
  2. What unspoken history connects you to this midnight visitor?
  3. What changes forever once the door opens—or stays shut?

Day 4: Bringing Down Triglycerides—Ditch the Sugar First

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Want Lower Triglycerides? Stop Feeding the Fire with Sugar

Triglycerides spike fast—but they drop just as quickly when you stop giving them their favorite fuel: added sugar.

When it comes to high triglycerides, sugar is gasoline on the fire. Excess sugar—especially from sodas, sweets, and refined carbs—quickly converts into triglycerides in your liver. But here’s the good news: studies show triglyceride levels can drop significantly within a few weeks of cutting back on added sugar (Parks & Hellerstein, 2000).

The American Heart Association recommends limiting added sugars to 36 grams per day for men and 25 grams for women, but most people double or triple that. Even “healthy” snacks like granola bars, flavored yogurts, and sports drinks often sneak in surprising sugar loads.

Lowering triglycerides doesn’t mean eliminating all carbs—just being strategic. Focus on whole, unprocessed carbs like vegetables, legumes, and intact grains. These won’t spike your triglycerides and come with bonus fiber and nutrients.

Action Step: Scan your pantry and fridge today. Identify one sugary item you can eliminate or replace with a whole food version.

Medical Disclaimer: This blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult your physician before beginning any health or dietary changes.

The Ferry, the Train, and the Fight That Didn’t Need to Happen

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It wasn’t really about the ferry or the train—it was about the need to be right. When we dig in, what do we lose besides the view?

I was chatting with a gym buddy today. The conversation worked its way around to a trip he and his wife are planning to take to Italy. The problem he’s dealing with is that he and his wife can’t agree on how l to get to Naples from Salerno. His wife says the best way is by ferry from Salerno to Naples. My buddy says, the ferry ride is too long. The train will get there much quicker. The two of them are stuck in their positions. One on the ferry and the other on a train. They can’t agree on what to do. Now the trip is questionable. I didn’t say it, but one thought danced in my mind: Does it really matter? What does either party have to lose by acquiescing to the other party? So many relationship problems happen because one or both parties get stuck in a fixed position. A good question to ask oneself before becoming stuck: Does it really matter?

Points to Ponder:

  • How often do we defend a position simply because it’s ours?
  • Would surrendering this decision build trust instead of resentment?
  • What’s more important: being right, or being at peace with someone you love?
  • Can a small compromise unlock a greater joy?
  • When you ask yourself, “Does it really matter?”—what truth bubbles up?

The Meaning of Love ~ A Poem by Rumi

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When Words Fall Away: Experiencing the Meaning of Love


We try to define love, capture it, explain it. But real love? It renders us speechless, broken-pen helpless, and bathed in light beyond words.

The Meaning of Love

Rumi

Both light and shadow
are the dance of Love.
Love has no cause;
it is the astrolabe of God’s secrets.
Lover and Loving are inseparable
and timeless.
Although I may try to describe Love
when I experience it I am speechless.
Although I may try to write about Love
I am rendered helpless;
my pen breaks and the paper slips away
at the ineffable place
where Lover, Loving and Loved are one.
Every moment is made glorious
by the light of Love.

Source

Reflection:

Love is not just a feeling, nor something we fall into—it is the current that flows beneath all things. In Rumi’s words, love is both the light and the shadow, the presence and the mystery. It has no cause because it is the cause. When we try to speak of love, we stumble. When we try to write about it, the pen breaks and the page disappears—not from failure, but from awe.

Rumi points us to the divine center where Lover, Loving, and Loved are one. It’s not a place of analysis or articulation, but of surrender. Love is not what we hold—it’s what holds us. In our quietest moments, when the ego quiets down and the soul breathes, we glimpse it. And suddenly, even our silence is filled with light.

❓ 

Three Questions for Deeper Reflection:

  1. When in your life have you felt love so deeply that words failed you?
  2. How does your experience of love connect to something greater than yourself?
  3. Are you willing to let go of trying to define love—and simply let it be?

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