Today is the first day of spring - it's a little earlier than usual. In fact, it's the earliest it's been in more than a century! Two weeks ago, I would have thought that I'd write about blooming azaleas and garden plans; maybe a restful meditation on self-care spent in the sunshine at a sidewalk … Continue reading Roses, Spring, and Forced Change
My conference has concluded and I'm in the hotel room packing up for a day of travel. (No, the world renown Balloon Fiesta wasn't going on while I was here; I just really liked the picture!) While part of me wishes I'd done some sightseeing, I'm at peace with that. I'll be back here and … Continue reading Roses and Clearing the Brush
As you know, this is my "year of roses" - a time devoted to me figuring out how to live my values on an everyday, practical level. Life is so much more than a paycheck (quite an important part of this Diva's life, to be sure, but quite far from being the only thing that … Continue reading Roses and the Value of “Packing Heavy”
As a reminder - my intention this year is to bring more roses into my life. You can see details about that means over on this earlier post, but the short version is that "roses" is my catchphrase for me to double-check whether I am being true to the causes and attitudes that are central … Continue reading Roses and the Power of “Yes”
For the New Year, I'd been looking for a quick, shorthand way to identify all the various bits of my Diva philosophy in order to have a one-word intention to keep me focused; sort of a personal "code word." Much like "River of Cream," the solution was staring me in the face, patiently waiting for … Continue reading Roses
This was an especially nice idea - I'm thinking of it as "stealth kindness." I think that sometimes we get a little wrapped up in wanting to be "caught" being nice - you see it in some charity pictures (mission trips, soup kitchens, and so on) where people pose with the folks they're helping out. … Continue reading Advent 10 – Stealth Kindness
In the spirit of "progress, not perfection," I've missed the last few days of this blog. The combination of the end of the semester (madness, I tell you!) and an out-of-town visit to do some Grown-Up Stuff will have that effect and I'm rather proud of myself for not getting all "tore out of frame," … Continue reading Advent – Catch Up!
So much of this "Advent Adventure" comes down to that - just be present. It's the end of the semester, which is a tumultuous time. Add in the holidays and the people crossing your path can be all sorts of half-crazed with stress, pressure, and worry. All the more reason to start with a hot cup … Continue reading Advent 4 – Be Present
I'm starting to get into some kind of groove with "Advent Adventures" - today was about seeking opportunities to fulfill the "tasks" (that makes them sound too much like chores - I'll work on finding a better word) that my Reverse Advent Calendars set out. Beginning the day with a short meditation is, I think, … Continue reading Advent 3 – Seeking!
It's Day 2 of the "Advent Adventure" and I didn't quite manage to cover everything today. My "task" on the Reverse Advent Calendar was to "let someone in front of you in line" and I just didn't stand in any lines today - I'll work on that one tomorrow, I took a few minutes first … Continue reading Advent 2 – Campaigning!