Tree rings tell the life story of the tree. They speak of seasons with blossoms and growth and they divulge times of struggle and hardship. Trees that endure the stormiest times grow the strongest and the most beautiful.
This blog is intended to help you through all seasons and weathers of life. It will cheer you on, inspire you, and help you grow as you thrive and bloom into your mightiest you. Please comment, ask questions, and share your own experiences. Life is easier when we do it with others.
Cheer You On. These posts provide optimism, support, and humor to brighten your day.
Inspire You. These posts motivate and encourage you to be creative and try new things.
Help You Grow. These posts provide education and skills that are proven to create well-being.
As news of the coronavirus spreads, the stock market bounces from low to high, and the elections heat up, we can easily be overwhelmed with worry and anxiety for our health, wealth, and well-being. This blog shares a timely story that reminds us to focus on what we control and let go of the “what if’s.” Learn how you can sleep when the wind blows. Read more…
Read More“Worth it” moments come after effort, work, sacrifice, and hassles. They can be seen, heard, or felt. A still, small voice whispers, “Yes. This was worth what it took to do this.” These moments aren’t predictable and they can’t be forced. You don’t want to miss them.
Read MoreJournaling favorite experiences each month can give you a cheery boost. My favorites in January included the Book of Mormon Journal, a Monet exhibit in Denver, rereading Harry Bosch, signing up for The Science of Well-Being and my bird feeder.
Read MoreI experimented these past few weeks taking photos of my routine, daily habits. I wanted to see the familiar with new eyes. On the first night, I captured this vivid scarlet and plum sunset over the snow Park City mountains. It was one of those breathtaking moments where I just stood overwhelmed by the grandeur of the scene. I grabbed my camera but knew the moment was more than what I could see - the point was the emotions of what it evoked. Wonderment.
Read MoreEvery morning around 6:30 I get up with my dog, Sandy, walk out to the pasture to feed my horses, Henri and Gus, and my barn cat named Cat1. (She’s a stray and I wasn’t sure she was going to hang around, so I just gave her a number. It’s probably time to give her a decent name since she’s been here a few years!) I return to the house, feed the dog, and then sit down at my desk for some personal study before I get ready for the day. This is my morning habit and because it’s a habit, I can do it in my sleep and some mornings that’s exactly my form.
Read MoreAre you feeling the swift current of holiday madness? It’s rushing earlier and faster than ever. Hallmark Christmas movies began in October. Christmas wreaths and lights are in the same aisles next to the Halloween ghouls and witches. Mail flyers are already promising that if you “buy this, your holiday will be perfect.” And if we’re not careful, we’ll believe the flimflam and flit away our precious resources, only to realize we’ve been seduced by commercialism, again.
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As important as “to do” lists are, maybe there should be consideration for a “not-to-do” or “stop-doing” list. What you say, would be on this list? Let me give you a prompt: Martha Stewart.
Read MoreI’m a list lover. I have lists for all kinds of subjects. Books to be read. Christmas gifts. Books I have read. Family birthdays. Things to do before it snows. Things to do after it snows. Books I love. Places to visit. In fact, I have a list of all my lists!
Read MoreWhat are you growing?
Gardening at 7000 feet above sea level is challenging. The growing season is very short with the last frost often in June and the first frost in September. This makes any harvest especially sweet…
Read MoreOn a recent summer day in front of the Tattered Cover Bookstore in Denver, I met this street poet. Give him a topic and he will write you a personalized poem on his traveling typewriter. For five years, he’s traveled the country creating this beautiful blend of speech and song we call poetry. Read More…
Read MoreLabor Day is a great time to barbeque, finish summer projects and put away the white clothes. It’s also a good time to evaluate your labor – your work. Read more…
Read MoreGrowing up and all through college, the library was my home, my safe place. One of my most persistent dreams, besides being able to fly, is to be stranded in a library for days by myself. Forget food and friends, I could become satiated and comforted with books, spending as much time as I wanted in the rows of fiction, self-help, travel
In the summer of my 10th birthday, my mother planted mammoth sunflower seeds in our garden. We watched those small black seeds turn into gargantuan plants well over 10 feet tall! The sunflower head was larger than my head and I was awe-struck with the orderly but artistic pattern of the black seeds embedded into its face. My brother and I proudly dragged one of these plants to school for our summer “show and tell.” I’m not sure my fellow students were as impressed as I was, but it was one of my best ever summer experiences.
Read MoreDid you know that the average length of time of a diet is…TWO days! That’s humorous evidence to me that we have magical expectations about being transformed from a beginner to an expert almost while sleeping. Consequently, after a brief effort, when we don’t quickly and easily achieve our goal, we turn to our self-talk library of judgement and blame to find the justification for quitting, defeated once more. This cycle of false starts is the result of grossly underestimating the price and process of mastery.
Read MoreI was so excited to start my blog and stay in touch with all of you that I didn’t take the time to be sure all the clicks and connections were working. With help, I’ve made enough progress to start again and you’ll now receive an email when there is a new post. I’m working hard to be sure you’re excited to open the link for a boost of wit, wisdom, and inspiration.
Read MoreThe words of the US Constitution and Declaration of Independence represent a remarkable example of a mission statement for our country. One of my favorite lines from the Declaration of Independence is this:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Read MoreWho hasn’t walked into a big discount store to buy milk, only to walk out with a cart full of things you didn’t know you wanted, but now you absolutely need? How about that fancy European cheese that smells bad, but tasted so good when sampled, a bargain five-gallon bottle of ketchup, or that cool, orange kayak like the neighbors? So many good choices, so many bargains, how can one possibly say no?
Read MoreIn recent years my view of how to become my best self has been significantly influenced by three things: the book “Mindset” by Carol Dweck, teaching a workshop called “ You Can Change Anything”, and this quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson, “All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.”
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