Category Archives: Quote

Something Good

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summereddyhall

1. This wisdom from Kristen Noelle’s Trust Notes,

And I sit here with these many things, getting quiet. Leaning into silence. I’m listening for what wants to be said, and the only thing that arises is this sense that we need holding space.

Holding space where more mental processing isn’t required.
Holding space for the feelings that arise – often in combinations that surprise and confound us.
Holding space where more lists of what to do, or what not to do, or how to get more healthy feel moot somehow. Not stupid – just not needed right now.
Holding space for stillness.
Holding space for not-striving.
Holding space for noticing our breath.

It’s not a checking out of life, a numbing to it. But rather a pause to simply be.

2. This wisdom from Tama J. Kieves,

Going after your dreams isn’t about “getting things done.” It’s about being “undone,” letting go of limiting assumptions, forgiving yourself deeply, falling in love with yourself, your life, your consciousness and your gifts. It’s a process, not a race.

And this,

Have things gotten harder lately? You are walking through fire. These times will burn away the false. Only the real and true remains. You cannot be diffuse and potent at the same time. The fire times burn off everything that does not match your soul.

3. Good Life Project “Living Creed.”

glplivingcreed

4. My Creative Joy : Fabric from Rachel Cole, (hey look, Rachel, you’re in the top ten again!). I am afraid to go near a fabric store. As the daughter of a seamstress and the niece of a quilter and many other crafty women, I know that it’s only a matter of time before I am similarly obsessed — I want to make stuff!

5. Old Spock battles New Spock in the greatest car commercial ever

6. 59 Awesome FREE things to do to Feel Amazingly Alive, from The Freedom Experiment.

7. 10 Ways to Stop Overeating Today from Anne-Sophie.

8. Two heartbreaking, sweet videos from the Black Forest Fire, Baby Deer Rescued By Firefighter and Touching reunion between fire evacuee & his horse.

9. Habits: A Simple Change in Mindset Changes Everything from Zen Habits.

10. This wisdom from Brave Girls Club

You are doing so many good things. You are going so many wonderful directions. You are spreading so much goodness and kindness and wild-happy energy.

You are making goals and dreaming dreams and trying to do even better than you did yesterday.

You are thinking about people you love and how you can serve them, you are a loyal friend and family member. You are making an enormous difference in the lives of all who know you, and in so many lives you don’t even know about too.

It’s time to give yourself a break. time to stop and thank your body and your soul for everything it does to keep you going. This would be a great weekend to do just that . . . give yourself a break. Pat yourself on the back and take a nap and a hot bath. Even eat some chocolate! 🙂

Sure, there are still lots of things for you to work on, and you will get to that. You are doing great, and sometimes you just have to stop and let yourself breathe, evaluate, rest, recharge, restore.

Take good care of yourself, fabulous friend. We need all of the fabulousness of you!

11. This cuteness from Reddit. An elephant, a dog, and the ocean in the background, it really doesn’t get much better — unless of course there are two dogs, and a pie.

elephantwithdoghead

12. Baby Sea Lion Climbs Onto Boat For Some Snuggle Time.

13. From Patti Digh’s Thinking Thursday list: Stocking Your Refrigerator for Everyday Healthy Meals.

14. This is what your supermarket would look like if all the bees died off, heartbreaking pictures from Grist.

15. Gaiman’s New ‘Ocean’ Is No Kiddie Pool, an interview with the author, one of my favorites, on NPR. I want this book.

16. Christina Hendricks Should Lose a Few Pounds.* on Elephant Journal.

17. Brody Dalle on The Conversation.

18. Angry is a habit from Seth Godin.

19. 11 Tips & Tricks for Mindful Writers on Elephant Journal.

20. your daily rock : open up

21. From Susannah Conway’s Something for the Weekend list, how I want my daughter to look.

22. From Positively Present Picks: 10 Small Ways to Make This The Happiest Summer of Your Life, and Can A Number Determine Your Fate? What Numerology Can Tell You About Your Life Purpose (which led me to this, because apparently I’m a 7), and Yay! Magnets, love them.

yaylovemagnet23. This wisdom from Umair Haque, “Your life will never feel true unless you fuck it up whenever it feels like a lie.”

24. Do you realise how extraordinary your story is? from Marianne Elliott.

25. This cool post on Reddit, Photographer James Mollison took photos of fans from a bunch of different concerts to show how people will emulate their idols. The photos are amazing. We are all so gloriously weird.

26. C. Jane Kendrick: Weight loss never promised peace: Why I exercise without expectations.

27. Bob Dylan´s HAND LETTERING EXPERIENCE from Senna. I really want to try something like this.

28. When It’s Time for Coziness and Comfort, a really great list on the Mojo Lab.

29. The internet IS real life, from Nextness. All I can say is “amen.”

Day of Rest

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Sundays are for remembering how much I love the world – this world, with all its sorrows & impossible acts of kindness. May your Sunday offer what renews your own connection to your soul-awareness, may it offer you a chance to fall in love, again, with your life. ~Oriah Mountain Dreamer

For those of you “new here,” let me explain: Day of Rest posts are intended to support my effort to cultivate rest in my life, (I’m not very good at it — taking care of myself, slowing down, resting). In my effort to be better at this, I’m keeping a sabbath day in my life, a day of prayer and rest, of presence and mindfulness, ease and love, and on these days I’d like to offer you, kind and gentle readers, something that might help you in that same pursuit.

I am having a slow and lazy Sunday. I meditated and wrote first thing this morning. After a long walk with Eric and the dogs, I went to yoga, a class taught by my friend, one of my favorite teachers. I was shocked when I signed in to see I hadn’t been there in three months. I fell asleep during shavasana, so when I came home, I took a nap — for 2.5 hours! I was hungry then, so I ate some watermelon. When it is in season, I can’t get enough of it, so crisp and wet and sweet. I had some lunch and a big glass of cold water, and then came here to write a post, back in my bathrobe in the middle of the afternoon.

Since beginning work on my Self-Compassion Saturday project, the Universe has been bombarding me with messages about self-compassion, helping me to focus on this important concept, this essential practice. Everywhere I look, people are talking about it, sharing links, books and articles and quotes and podcasts. Here are a few I’d like to share with you today, on this day of rest:

It’s that last one that really got me thinking. You see, right now I am reading Kristin Neff’s book Self-Compassion: Stop Beating Yourself Up and Leave Insecurity Behind, or at least I am trying to read it. I don’t seem to have time to read lately, and there are a lot of things I want to be reading. Then I realized this morning I did have time, but one thing needed to change to make space, so I made the pronouncement to Eric: I am not watching TV this week, (he’ll keep me honest). This has happened before. We once went for a full year without, and haven’t had cable TV for many years. I watch less than average, but it is still an hour or two in my day that I can free up for reading. It’s the thing I decided to do, both to rest and to practice self-compassion.

Do you have something in your life that is mucking up the works? Something you could let go of for awhile? Give yourself some space, show yourself some kindness — I am wishing you that freedom, today and always.