A heart-felt thanks!

"And the greatest of these is love."

This is a shout-out to all of the wonderful people in my family who showered me with valentine cards earlier this month. The out-pouring of love was completely unexpected--I even received a Valentine from my niece's cat. It was such a pleasure to open my mailbox for nearly a week and search for a cheerful red envelope or two each day.

The women in my family are not outdone in their thoughtfulness. From silly to serious to homemade adorable, these were the best valentine's ever and the sweetest card shower I have ever received. I hope to "pay it forward" and instigate some future showers of my own.

Those who love have learned the most precious lesson of this fragile life. Love is the greatest gift of all. May the love you share come back to you packed down and overflowing!

Marching forth enfolded in love!

Let's do the time warp again

“Love is the food of life, but travel is the dessert.”

 

Having recently returned from a trip to visit my dear sister, I’ve been pondering the phenomenon of why time seems to slow down while I am on vacation. Even if I am visiting a loved one, and know that our time together will be over all too soon, it still has the effect of a luxuriously slower pace –an expansion of time. Even if I am away on business and attending lots of meetings, it still seems like weeks have passed when I return. Why is that?

What does the old saying, “Love is the food of life, but travel is the dessert” tell us. It seems to imply that it the sweetest part of our life. Since we don’t have dessert at every meal, it is a treat. And for those of us who possess a sweet tooth, it is very often the best part of the meal. At the very least, it is the part of the meal that we look forward to. So perhaps traveling—or more precisely—changing our venue provides that sweet complement to a savory life.

Now the travel part isn’t always fun (think airport security lines.) But the time spent in a different environment can bring about a recharge of the old “batteries”. With new scenery and new adventures, travel allows us to an opportunity to practice being in-the-moment. We don’t want to miss a single thing, so we are keenly aware of all that is happening. Food seems to taste better, the sky seems more spectacular, and our senses are sharpened.

In some cases, it is all so new to us that we really need to focus on what we’re doing. We are out of our comfort zone and must adapt to the changes with some new skill sets. And this doesn’t just apply to exotic travel or extreme outdoor adventures. It could be a simple as cooking something new for you in a kitchen that is not your own.

Ah, so maybe this is the key. When we focus on something, time slows down.  Haven’t you ever become so absorbed in something that you completely lost track of time? Perhaps this is a lesson that travel can teach us. Perhaps the art of focusing is something we could bring to our everyday life. It will never replace the sweetness of travel, but it could serve to refresh us on our daily journey.

Keep focusing on marching forth!

Hey! Not so fast!

"...modern life is moving faster than the speed of thought, or thoughtfulness." - Rebecca Solnit in Wanderlust: A History of Walking


I came across this quote in a book about walking and found that it captures exactly my feelings about the pace of the world I am living in. Now one could argue that as one ages, life seems to travel at an ever-quickening pace. But people of a “certain age” are not very inclined to believe that age is a factor in anything negative. So being of a certain age, I continue to search for a better explanation for the speed of life.

And here it is. It may just be that our rate of thinking is directly tied to our speed of walking. If I walk at 3 miles an hour--maybe my brain works at about the same speed. As modern technology spins at an increasingly dizzying rate, some of our minds just can't keep up. I like this theory, especially because it isn't necessarily connected to age. After all, people of varying ages walk at varying paces. I also like it because it connects the mind and body, which is quite holistic.

How we walk is how we think.

Years ago I read a delightful book, If You Want to Write, by Brenda Ueland. In it, she recommends that would-be writers spend at least 30 minutes a day walking out in nature to really unlock their creative juices.  At the time I read that, I thought it was a kind of strange remedy. I mean walking is so --pardon me for saying this--pedestrian! Certainly writers need a much deeper experience as a muse. But Ueland was insistent. It was considered non-negotiable. If you want to write, you must walk!

Now, I'm sure there is a famous doctor who would "heartily" agree with this prescription. (Oh my, another pun!) Dr. Oz continually adds to his list the numerous benefits of walking. Beyond the obvious physical benefits, studies are now pointing out the mental benefits of walking--something about preventing memory loss--if I remember correctly.

So walking is very good for our thoughts--but what about our thoughtfulness? I used to have a quote posted above my desk at work that said "The devil loves haste." I had it there to remind me that when I became too preoccupied with pressing tasks, I tended to become less tolerant of those around me. In other words, the busier I was, the nastier I became. It wasn't intentional. I didn't load up my plate just so I could be short-tempered and irritable. It didn't occur to me that productivity and thoughtfulness could be mutually exclusive. But I saw enough evidence of the pattern to post the sign as a reminder/warning.

It should come as no surprise then that thoughtlessness and bullying have increased in our fast-paced world. Perhaps we have traded consideration for efficiency. It’s almost as if we are on a wild ride that spins and loops so much that our thoughtfulness falls out like loose change from our pockets.

The solution may be right at our feet! It is time for us to march forth on a walk and let our pace reset our priorities.

 

Just keep swimming!

If fish could march

If fish could march they would march in groups for safety.

They understand the importance of community!

If fish could march they would be persistent—like trout swimming upstream.

They understand the importance of faith!

If fish could march they would keep their sense of humor.

They understand the importance of hope!

We could learn a lot from fish.
 

Just keep marching, just keep marching…

And if I were Miss America...

"Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me."


The other day, I had an interesting train of thought that I'd like to share with you. It all began when someone asked me what my top three most wanted wishes might be--anything, in the whole wide world. I jokingly asked if "world peace" was off the table. I was told that it could be anything. So I gave it due consideration.

In the end, I decided that my top wish is that everyone in the world might know their worth as a loved child of God. If we all really and truly believe how crazy in love God is with us, and live our lives in that knowledge, then world peace just might be achieved. We would have no need for ego or greed, or hatred or whatever else sparks discord the world over. We would be in right relationship with God, and with each other. It isn't just a lofty wish, or a socially appropriate answer. It is my heart's ardent desire.

So then I decided to ask someone else, what their top three wishes were. And guess what? World peace came out as number one again. This got me thinking. It has become cliché that runners up for Miss-America-type pageants often cite world peace as their fondest dream. The saying goes, "When in doubt, just respond 'world peace' and everyone will love you." Ball-gown-wearing-contestants aside, I began to wonder if world peace might not be everyone's secret hope. I confess I didn't conduct much research beyond my two case studies--so none of this has any statistical validity whatsoever. It just became the engine to a train of thought.

The next car on the train looked like this: If we, as a people, collectively long for peace in this world, then does it follow that the current lack of peace is weighing heavy on our collective minds. If you are like me, you will find person after person who is "so tired" or just kind of "depressed." Could this be a result of our deep, sub-conscious disappointment that we do not live in a harmonious world? We are connected more than we realize. Peace becomes an anti-dote to depression.

The last car on my train of thought brought me to how world peace might be realized, and I was reminded of a song I learned years ago. Peace has to begin with me. I must live each moment in peace. That is the simple, but not easy answer. There are so many theories that point to the idea that if something is possible for one, it is possible for all. So the song writer may be on to something. Seek after peace, and pursue it.

Marching forth one peaceful moment at a time...