Finding meaning in life

“By declaring that man is responsible and must actualize the potential meaning of his life, I wish to stress that the true meaning of life is to be discovered in the world rather than within man or his own psyche, as though it were a closed system. I have termed this constitutive characteristic ‘the self-transcendence of human existence.’ It denotes the fact that being human always points, and is directed, to something or someone, other than oneself--be it a meaning to fulfill or another human being to encounter. The more one forgets himself--by giving himself to a cause to serve or another person to love--the more human he is and the more he actualizes himself.” ~ Viktor Frankl, Man in Search of Meaning

Our Inner Wounds

“Our wounds are often the openings into the best and most beautiful part of us.” ~ David Richo, Psychotherapist/Teacher/Author

Perseverance

A Happiness Tale

6 Ways to Sit Less Every Day

Work can often be the worst place for sedentary routines. Unless your job requires a lot of indoor or outdoor activity you may then forget how much you sit each day. Here are some simple easy ways to keep moving during work even if you spend most of your day in a cubicle or small space. See the tips here: Health.com

Ten Thoughts to Help You Avoid Discouragement .

"Judge no one, and disappointment and forgiveness won't be an issue. No one can let you down if you're not leaning on them. People can't hurt you unless you allow them to." This is number 9 from the article below. Good thoughts for all of us. See the rest of them here: Ten Thoughts to Help You Avoid Discouragement .

Black Friday - Seriously?

I do not comprehend the Black Friday phenomenon.  What is the allure of that wild masochistic activity?  Fair minded marketing experts who stay with just the facts say that a couple of weeks, sometimes just days after it's all over those great prices people fought the insanity to get drop significantly.  Why put yourself through all of that?  Supposedly, if you don't subject yourself to that stampeding, frenzy abuse you might miss getting that prized gift at a bargain price.  Most of it will be junk in a year or two.  Do we realize the value we are putting on things?  How many of us give that much energy and time and expense to our relationships?  Our job?  Our health?

Shopping can be a fun, useful, enjoyable experience.  But waiting in long lines outside some mall or giant store in the middle of the night and then once in elbowing your way through narrow aisles packed with angry, pushy shoppers seems somehow strangely messed up.  It may be good for store owners, and it might provide some kind of boost to the economy, but is this just another way of contributing to the collapse of our society?  Giving so much of ourselves to this orgy of spending at the expense of our social order, how we treat others, and what we consider really important, is worth thinking about.

Forget Black Friday.  Stay home and bake a pie.  Take your dog for a long walk.  Play with your kids at the park.  Watch a good movie.  Spend the day with someone you love.  All that stuff in the stores will still be there and probably be cheaper next week.  And if not, so what?  There will always be something else to buy.

(c) 2011 Timothy Moody

A place of quiet in the madness of the season

It is a hectic time. People are getting ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Relatives are coming in. There is the food list to carry to the store and check off down the aisles. Gotta get the house ready. Kids are out of school and the long break has the potential for exhaustion. Take a moment to read this brief essay. See if you can find your own place of quiet in the midst of all the season's chaos. Disappear here: The Golden Hours

The New Secret to Being Emotionally Healthy, Fit, and Happy for Life

Most of us have times when we catch ourselves in very critical self talk. If we fail to go to the gym, eat a sugary treat, have too much to drink, miss a deadline at work, for some of us, it's very easy to start in on ourselves. But health experts say negative self talk is counter productive and ruins our motivation to stay fit, make healthy choices, and be more responsible. Here is a brief article with some excellent thoughts on how to give ourselves some slack even when we mess up. See it here: Self-Compassion

What Thanksgiving is for

“Whatever you appreciate and give thanks for will increase in your life.” 

~ Sanaya Roman, Writer/Mystic

I am not a believer in seed faith and the popular prosperity gospel that has almost completely taken over modern Christianity in this country.  These TV and other preachers who tell you that if you give a seed gift of $1,000 you will be changed forever and God will send you a harvest of money rolling endlessly into your life is just old fashioned circus barking.  

I do, however, believe there is something to appreciating life and showing gratitude for the gifts we are given.  I think Roman's quote above is good but it needs another line.  One that says the increases in the things we appreciate and give thanks for come from our personal acts of appreciation and gratitude.  In other words, when we show that we are grateful, the things/people/circumstances we appreciate, most often respond in good and receptive ways.

In this Thanksgiving season, find ways to demonstrate your appreciation and gratitude for the people you love, for the gifts you have been given, for life itself.  Skip the easy e-card route and send an actual greeting card with a personal note to someone you appreciate.  Give a thoughtful present.  Pull out your cell and make a call.  Stop by and visit an old friend or a lonely person.  Order someone flowers.  Make an anonymous contribution to a charity.  Share a smile with a passing stranger or one of those tired sales associates at the end of the grueling lines at the mall. 

Just being glad and showing it, for what poet Mary Oliver called "a little cup of sun," is what Thanksgiving is for.

(c) 2011 Timothy Moody

The Birds’ Thanksgiving

I like this author. She captures visual images in her words, images that are common and simple but so instructive. As we move into the last days of autumn and prepare soon for Thanksgiving, enjoy this brief essay. See it here: A Happiness Tale

Connecting to others

"Only through our connectedness to others can we really know and enhance the self.  And only through working on the self can we begin to enhance our connectedness to others." ~ Harriet Goldhor Learner, Psychologist/Author

Want a healthy family?

We all want healthy families. But today's families are faced with packed schedules, a thousand distracting gadgets, easy access to unhealthy foods, and a dozen other things that keep families stressed, worn out, and apart from one another. Here are some excellent tips on how to avoid all of that and make time for each other. See them here: Health.com

Why My Kids (Mostly) Don't Watch TV

There is still much to be learned about children and TV/Videos. The facts seems clear, however, from health and behavior experts that children under the age of 2 should not be sitting in front of the television endlessly watching TV or videos. Older children, though, do gain benefit from TV and videos. Here is a great article about all of this. See it here: Her.meneutics

What you do every day matters

Do you buy stuff you don't need? Do you talk about exercise and a good diet but rarely do either one? We're all guilty. Here is a terrific little article that helps us see that what we do every day is really more real and actually who we are than what we do every once in a while. See it here: What%20You%20Do%20Every%20Day%20Matters.

Clinging to the familiar

"And now I understand something so frightening & wonderful- 
how the mind clings to the road it knows, 
rushing through crossroads, sticking 
like lint to the familiar.

~ Mary Oliver, Poet (Lines from "Blue Pastures”)

10 Ways You Put Yourself at Risk for Flu

The cold and flu season is here and there are many ways to protect yourself against getting a nasty case of either of them. Here are some simple and maybe surprising tips to help you stay healthy this winter: Health.com

I am what I seek

"Here is some graffiti for the soul. 'I am what I seek.' Write it up and stick it in your wallet.  Truth is here, love is here, inspiration is here, peace is here, help is here.  Truth is a pathless land, and happiness is a journey without distance."
~ Robert Holden
(c) Positive Thoughts

Sick-Proof Your Winter - coldflusinus -

After a summer of withering heat here in Texas we now face the approach of winter. Predictions are it will be a cold and maybe wet one. We will all be prone to the usual illnesses during the winter season: colds, sinus infections, flu, bronchitis, sore throats, etc. Here are some simple tips to help you sick-proof your winter: Health.com

Regrets

Eliminate Regrets

by JANE POWELL on OCTOBER 26, 2011

“Anything that you should have done, but didn’t, ties you to your past.”

Is your mental and emotional clutter getting in the way of a fulfilling life? It’s time to clean out the “need-to’s,” “have-to’s,” and “ought-to’s,” from your past. When you have regrets it’s tough to move forward and grow.

Put the past in the past. Return anything you borrowed.  Make apologies where needed. Get your bills up to date. Send the card or gift you forgot to send. Make the phone call you need to make.

Taking care of these things cleans your mental slate and eliminates any regrets or resentments you may harbor.

Now, take a deep breath; look ahead. Both your conscience, and your future vision, is clear.

©Jane Powell – Meditations for Women

Today’s Affirmation: I have put the past in the past, and I’m now looking ahead with optimism.