The sky is beautiful this morning & I’m alive to see another day on this planet. What joy will I encounter today?! It’s a bit cooler & all the windows are open. I plan to do a bit of cleaning today & prepare for a birthday party for tomorrow. Barb is 78!! She is our dear, sweet, feisty one who is thrilled w/ the simplicity of dot to dot books & chocolate cake w/ a frosting frog. What a great life I have…

The easy answer is getting centered with God. This brings peace & reminds me that regardless of what happens God will always be present & I’m able to tap into that goodness whenever I want. The more comprehensive response is to “do the work” by getting involved in the hard work that it takes to make change. It can be grueling & sometimes feel fruitless yet it has to be done.

We all have to navigate using the information & tools that we have. My history & life experiences inform my journey as it goes for all of us. I may not always completely understand but I can certainly attempt to look at the big picture in order to relate in love.

Courage begets courage, right?! The more I do it the more it grows inside of me. When struggling to “find” courage I ask the exception-finding question: when was there a time in your life when you were courageous & how did it make you feel? This inspires me to generate the good stuff.

Paying attention to all the beauty that comes my way will help me to savor this day. It’s all around me, always & sometimes I get distracted by “the junk” (which will forever be available if I want to touch it.) Life is amazing~what would prompt me to waste this day?!

Like all of us I’ve landed in the middle of a pandemic. I have it easy compared to most: a job, a home, no covid deaths of people I love. I’m learning so many hard lessons: what’s truly important, quelling my ego, embracing change, thinking out of the box, connecting w/ others in unique ways, challenging in the name of justice. It’s been difficult And I’m growing from it.

A new addition to my gratitude practice is to recall joy I found during the day connected to each sense. Yesterday I found joy in the sight of a delicate, violet-colored flower, the sound of my son’s laughter, the smell of a freshly washed blanket, the taste of homemade bread & jam, the warmth of my kitten curled against me. This practice has helped me to pay more attention to all the “little things” throughout the day.

I need to slow down & sit w/ God. Panic can grow pretty quickly & is destructive so breathing in calming energy as soon as possible is imperative. Feeling powerless is so scary. Tapping into God’s strength & courage leads me clarity and peace.

I play games w/ numbers all day long. Examples: last night I exchanged texts w/ my son & asked him to pick a number between 1-50 & he chose 17. I’ll prepare the recipe on pg 17 of a cookbook, I use numbers to decide what shade of lipstick, blush & eyeliner I wear on any given day. It’s bizarre…. but really fun😆

Reminding myself, “it’s not about you” is helpful. I can get caught up in my reactions & lose focus on what’s truly important. Allowing myself to be in the moment, staying present to the world in front of me is crucial. There are countless opportunities to be of service. Today I’ll remind myself, “it’s not about you” & get to work.

Curiosity & excitement are life changers….

That’s so great, Dusty Su. Cheers!

I’ve been a “trying to run the show” kind of girl. It’s hard to break that pattern & soooo freeing.

Love it~thank you!

That’s great social work!

Beautiful!

Oh, that sneaky Holy Spirit! I love The Episcopal Church too❤️

Looking at the earth from outer space….that’s a good one!

No, I’m not~ but perhaps I should look into it!

I’ll raise my tequila shot in memory of the wonderful Amelia Earhart this evening. Thanks🙂