I had great plans for today. Before going to bed I made a checklist of things I was going to accomplish. I set my alarm fifteen minutes early. My coffee maker was ready. I woke, exercised, and showered, turned the coffee on, and sat down to breakfast. It was all falling in place until it didn’t. A knock on the door by a neighbor whose car wouldn’t start. She needed a ride to a dental appointment, I took her to her dentist and returned home. An hour later I’m waiting for her in the parking lot. She came out forty-five minutes later. Her dentist had an emergency extraction. Some days are like today. There’s nothing you can about it. It’s as if the day has a mind of its own. It’s going to show us who’s boss, and it’s not us. Well, my check list is still intact for tomorrow. I made a neighbor happy. A plumber is a bit richer. My day turned out okay. My neighbor brought me a plate of fish tacos for dinner. Grateful for good neighbors.
mental health
A Better Life ~ Lessons from Good Teams
I enjoy watching basketball, especially playoff basketball. As the teams move through the playoff rounds toward the championship round, the better teams lose sight of individual players and play as a team. The team works as a highly functional unit passing the ball, defending, and finding open players to take a shot. That type of team work doesn’t just happen. It takes discipline. The players know there is a right way and wrong way to play. They discipline themselves to practice the right way to play. The good teams teach us that discipline counts. When we apply discipline to our lives we discover there is a right way and wrong way to work, live in relationships, be a parent, or a friend. The more we discipline ourselves to apply the right way, the more success and happiness come our way.
A Better Life ~ Send it to the Landfill
Why do folks get angry over things that don’t mean much? They hold onto grudges. Two weeks later they’re still holding the grudge and can’t remember the reason for the grudge. Think about it, we get upset if people don’t believe the way we believe. We get upset if people don’t agree with our view of the world. We get upset if someone is late, forgot to send an RSVP, or makes a comment that is not well received. Is it worth it? Is it worth pushing people we love away because we got upset? When we get angry and hold grudges, we are the source of our discontent, not someone else or some event. I think it’s time to pack anger and grudges away to be hauled to the landfill. Kindness, compassion, and love leave everyone feeling better.
A Better Life ~ A Leap of Faith
Life, in many ways, is a leap of faith. We get up each morning not knowing what the day will bring. It’s a faith walk filled with courage to go out each day giving it your best. Why not jump into the day the way a sky diver leaps from an airplane. The sky diver trusts his/her chute to open. It is a leap of faith. This is way to go after the day. Leap out of your plane, arms and legs spread wide letting the air currents carry you on your journey. You know your chute will open when you decide to pull the rip cord. If you stay in the plane, you may enjoy the plane ride, but you’ll never discover the joy you would have had by taking a leap of faith.
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A Better Life ~ Enjoying Every Moment
Live every day like it’s going to be your last one. How many times have I heard that advice? There’s lots of truth in it, since one day, it will be the last one. When I think of it that way, it changes the way I think about what’s important today. I wouldn’t want to spend my last day being angry. I’d want to spend it in love. I wouldn’t want to spend my last day down in the dumps. I’d want to spend it dancing and singing and doing cartwheels. Life is a precious gift. Every moment is a moment to be treasured, enjoyed, living life to the fullest. C’mon, wipe the frown and turn up the corners. Enjoy every moment of your beautiful life.
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A Better Life ~ Choosing to Live
A grieving friend text me this morning and told me she decided to go on living. Her words cheered me. She chose to live. Choosing to live is a deeply personal choice. She chose to pry the hands off her that were holding her from walking through the door to the light. She had a breakthrough. She’ll still have tough moments. The storms that visit her will be temporary interruptions. She will experience a clearing after each storm. The distance between the storms will continue to expand over time. Yes, life is to be lived, enjoyed, and celebrated.
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A Better Life ~ Dream On, Dream Big
What are your dreams? Do you have big dreams? Or, have you forgot how to dream? Have your dreams turned into bucket or wish lists? It’s not too late to rekindle the dreams you once had. The world is full of examples of people whose dreams were delayed but the embers still glowed. When their life situation changed, they fanned the embers of their dreams and turned the embers into a roaring blaze. In a world where everything possible, what dream would you have? If you can dream it, it is possible. Commit yourself to taking the first step toward your dream and then another and another. Dream on, dream big, your possibilities are endless.
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A Better Life ~ Take the Time
Take the time to call a friend and ask how he/she is doing.
Take the time to tell the people in your life that you love them.
Take the Time to relax.
Take the time to be grateful.
Take the time to tell co-workers how much you appreciate them.
Take the time to listen to your children (they grow up fast).
Take the time to do small acts of kindness.
You never know when you won’t have anymore time.
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A Better Life ~ C’mon, Chill!
Take time today to chill. Go on, turn the smart phone off. Walk away from the desktop, laptop, and TV. Play feel good, make me dance music. Go to a coffee shop with a friend or lover and kick back. Look at the laundry basket and tell it to wait until tomorrow. Sip a cold drink and read a good book. C’mon, chill, you’ll feel better. The world will take on a brighter hue. You will find yourself refreshed and renewed.
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A Better Life ~ Small Acts of Kindness
A friend shared the following story with me. She runs every morning. When she runs she takes her Brittany Spaniel with her. Half way into her run she crossed through a large park. She came across two dogs with leashes but no one was near them. She stopped and called to the dogs. One dog came over and made friends with her Brittany. The other watched and then came over. She checked their collars and found a phone number. She called the number. An elderly woman answered. The elderly woman said her husband died a few weeks earlier and she had given the dogs to her daughter. The runner asked for the daughter’s number and continued to speak with the woman for ten minutes. The runner called the woman’s daughter. An hour later there was a reunion of dogs and the elderly woman’s daughter. The runner never completed the distance she wanted to complete, but she made an elderly woman and her daughter happy. Small acts of kindness go a long, long, way.
