toughness

Today’s Thought:

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Be proud of your scars. They have everything to do with your strength, and what you’ve endured. They’re a treasure map to the deep self. ~ Clarissa Pinkola Estes

NOTE: Author and poet, Robert Bly, wrote of conducting a men’s workshop where he asked the men to place a sticky note paper on every place in their body where they carried a scar, physically or emotionally. We all carry scars. No one is spared from scars caused by parents, siblings, classmates, or lovers. A scar happens each time someone is shamed for being different (add your own definition of different here). A scar happens each time we’re betrayed or treated unfairly. And, there are the physical scars if you’ve been physically abused. If we stay stuck thinking about our scars, we loose the gift they’re giving us. They give us the gift of being compassionate to other scar bearers. They give us the give us wisdom. They give us the gift of justice. They give us the potential of becoming a wounded healer of others who bear scars. Turn your scars into stars.

Today’s Inspiring Quote: Keep Moving Forward

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Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.” ~ Nelson Mandela

Today’s Thought:

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There was no doubt about it: if you wanted to succeed you had to go away. You could do nothing in Dublin. ~ James Joyce

NOTE: James Joyce was speaking about Dublin. Yet, in many ways his words can apply to all of us. I know they do to me. I’m a long way away, geographically and emotionally, from where I was as a child. I had a large extended family and most of them continue to live or die within 50 miles of where they were born. That life wasn’t meant for me. I grew up near the railroad tracks. I often dreamed of the trains taking me to far off adventures. If I stayed, as I was encouraged to do, I would’ve never seen what I saw, met the people that I met, or do what I never dreamed it was possible for me to do. You never know what’s out there waiting for you. Catch a train, board flight you’re meant to take, or take a ride share. Keep your eyes on star that’s leading you. Don’t be afraid, journey on.

Today’s Thought:

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“Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.” – Nelson Mandela

NOTE: Call it falling down, knocked down, or disappointed in many ways they are gifts to us. Each time we are knocked down and get up, we become stronger, more resilient. It’s as if life prepares us for each succeeding stage of our journey. Yes, disappointments and the other events that knock us down hurt, but we’re stronger, tougher, more resilient than anything that takes a swing at us. Never quit. Never give up. Get up, get going, and show them all you got what it takes.

Today’s Inspiring Quote:

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“You dream. You plan. You reach. There will be obstacles. There will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But with hard work, with belief, with confidence and trust in yourself and those around you, there are no limits.” — Michael Phelps

Choosing to Live Beyond Pain: Navigating Healing and Hope in Life’s Dark Moments

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Welcome to Episode 72 of Dr. Ray Calabrese’s podcast, ‘Journey from Grief to Healing.’ This episode dives into the difficult journey of grappling with the emotional and physical upheavals that accompany grief, especially when it becomes a ‘new normal.’ Through perseverance, Dr. Calabrese insists that amidst the suffering and stumbling, hope remains alive, offering the promise of better times ahead.

This episode encourages listeners to change their perception from ‘Will I ever get better?’ to ‘How do I get better?’ Taking personal experiences like his arthritic hips and subsequent hip replacements, Dr. Calabrese compares this physical healing process to that of emotional grief. The journey may be painful, with many challenges along the way, but it’s all about making the decision to live, affirming the will to life, and choosing to take actions forward.

Dr. Calabrese emphasizes that choosing to heal doesn’t instantly alleviate pain, rather it’s a gradual process that requires initiative and efforts. Highlighting the significance of scars, he affirms them as reminders of the struggles overcome and symbol of endurance and survival. Episode 72 communicates that whilst grief may leave scars, it’s crucial to honor them but to also decide not to let them define our lives.

This episode empowers listeners to embrace their past, honor their healing process and scars, and to choose to heal and live. Through emotional resilience, courage, and the will to survive, it emphasizes that good things are coming and encourages listeners to stay hopeful and strong, to cross the bridge built by their desire to heal and to face life head-on.

For more uplifting and inspiring content, subscribe to the podcast for notifications of future episodes, and check out Dr. Ray Calabrese’s blog looking on the bright side at http://www.dancingalone530.com. For further inquiries or sharing of grieving experiences, you can reach out at ray.brese@gmail.com. Stay strong, never quit, never give up and keep hoping, because the best is yet to come.

You can listen to Episode 72 on your favorite podcasting app or click here for Episode 72.

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Today’s Inspiring Quote: You Are Stronger Than You Realize

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For you do not yet know the strengths of your hearts, and you cannot foresee what each may meet on the road. ~ J. R. R. Tolkien

Today’s Thought: Yes, It is Possible!

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Anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve. ~ J. K. Rowling

NOTE: When things go bad it’s easy to visit that dark space where there is no light. When we turn our back to the dark space, give ourselves a kick in the butt, and light a fire under us, we engage with the world. If we’re trying and refuse to quit, we may fool everyone and succeed beyond our wildest dreams. What have you got to lose? Go for it.

Today’s Word: Endurance

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Endurance: Endurance refers to the ability to withstand hardship or adversity, especially the capacity to continue exerting oneself despite fatigue or stress. It can also pertain to the ability of an object to withstand wear, pressure, or damage.

NOTE: Everyone experiences tough times. Tough times happen periodically throughout our lives. Acquiring the ability to endure tough times and to have the courage to push through them makes us stronger and more resilient. Acquiring endurance is a lot like exercising. The more we exercise, the stronger we become. The more we endure tough times and emerge whole, the more endurance capital we collect. Each time we endure a tough time we train our mind to not quit. We train our minds to acknowledge that we are tougher than the tough times we are currently experiencing.

Still I Rise: A Poem by Maya Angelou

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Still I Rise

Maya Angelou

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops,
Weakened by my soulful cries?

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don’t you take it awful hard
‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own backyard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I’ve got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history’s shame
I rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I rise
I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

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