Wow – this question really stumped me. I’ve been stewing over this and going back and forth over how to approach it. In one respect, every day is new, so it’s the first time I’ve had the experience of this day, this moment, this breath. But then, life is such a routine sometimes, that it can be hard to think of times when something material has pushed me into that place of discomfort so that I have an awareness of a “first”. In listening to Brother David’s talk about the sky, I took the time to look up, clear my mind, and think about the sky, the clouds, and the idea that this moment, the arrangement of the clouds, the feeling of the wind, and sun, were all a single moment that would never happen again the same way. That was the first time that I had ever thought about the sky in that way. I feel like I am missing something that I did, experienced, or felt and that as soon as I hit “submit” that it will hit me, but for now, I think I’ll look at the sky again.

such a good question. what REALLY matters to me is that my closest relationships are at peace and my family is – struggling with the right word – not untroubled, because our troubles sometimes help us figure out who we are, but that my family feels secure that they have what they need to overcome their troubles and challenges. It matters to me that I feel safe. not in the – I won’t take a risk – kind of safe, but the safe that tells me that if I fail, I won’t have to worry where I’ll put my head at night and who will remind me that I’m worth it.

My children. I remember so clearly as a child wanting to please everyone. I remember thinking that I had to make choices that would make everyone else’s life easier even if I knew it was the wrong choice for me. I remember being afraid to try something new if it might make it harder for the team to win or if the coach might get stressed out because I wasn’t any good. None of my kids is that way and as an adult with adult children, I am inspired by them to be courageous – to try new things – to say “no” – to speak my mind (kindly and with compassion) but still, to speak my mind and have an opinion which I am comfortable defending even if others don’t share.