The gift of this new day to be alive on Earth.

I’d like to understand how fear-driven thoughts have crept into my mind so that I could free my mind from the self-created web of fear as well as I would know when to be bold and when to be cautious .

Two days ago Penny and I walked the frozen trail nearby. It was below freezing temperature with a clear blue sky. Suddenly I was blinded by brightness. As my eyes got used to it, I could see the sunlight coming through between the trees and reflecting on the surface of a shallow stream. I was astonished by the powerfulness of the sun, the center of our solar system, a dwarf star. By somehow my mind zoomed out from the trail to outer space.

I must be very optimistic. I still rejoice in the beauty and miracle of nature every day. For example, the cherry tree on our side yard has so many hard shelled flower buds on its branches under below freezing weather. Those buds were formed before the tree shed its leaves. I dream of spring with the flower buds.

Although I doubt that it is a creative way, I use meditation and journaling as tools to enter in a witness state so that I can see a whole picture clearly without being emotionally involved. In this state of mind, I can watch myself just as if I would be someone else.

I misread today’s question as “When have you LIVED really well?” and reflected on it. When I have lived well, I was in love with someone or something, which has kept my inner light alive. Now I don’t have any clue to the actual question…

I’m in the process of letting go of my attachment to our only son I love so dearly as he has become a young man. To be honest, I still struggle with letting go of him even though he is capable of making his own decision. I was struck by the word “gratefully.” Yes, I’m grateful that he became who he is today. With this grateful mindset, I may be able to let go of my unnecessary maternal attachment and watch him from a distance.

I’m most generous when I feel grateful while I’m least generous when I’m taken over by fear and self-pity. To bring forth my most generous self, I’ll continue gratitude practice and surround myself with generous people since generosity seems to be contagious.

I’m thankful for my family & friends, and strangers who crossed my path giving me words of encouragement I needed most at the time.

My past experiences in trying to improve things, and ending up making them worse. I realized that there were so many things that I have no control of and the only thing I could do is just to accept them as they are.

Walking alone in silence, prayer, and meditation help me to find solace, insight, and sources of truth.

I show care for myself by taking time to listen to my inner voice and for others by lending an ear to their stories attentively.

Although I’m still healthy and physically fit, it is becoming clearer year by year that I can’t reverse ageing. Accepting myself accomplishing less than previous years has been hard and depressing for me. Once I accept this fact will stay with me until I leave the Earth, I realize that I need to shed so many things, desires, and plans to focus on what matters most in life while I’m living a creative life.

I’d like to celebrate the newly found friendship with old highschool friends. They live over 60,000 miles away from me. However, somehow the pandemic did draw us closer.

Looking with fresh eyes gives me a new perspective and new attitude. I used to walk the exact same route with my dog every morning. One day I decided to walk the same route, but backward. I was amazed by how different the familiar houses and hills looked. I think that we have a tendency to cling to something familiar in our thought process without realizing.

Being an introvert, my natural energy resource is recharged when I’m alone. Yet I belong to a handful of communities that inspire me. This Gratefulness.org is one of them. I belong to a local church and several groups formed for particular volunteering purposes. I give my time as well as financial support. I’m grateful that I have the communities I belong to.

What a creative way your approach is!

I can relate to your reflection. For the past several years, I was always late in setting up an Advent wreath & Nativity scene. This year I did it on time since I wanted to “borrow Hope from Christmas story” (-Kathy Escobar).