The Grace of Change

Lights On, Sisters

Marie, a subscriber, writes, "Does 'lit-up' mean being manically supercharged? If so, forget it. I'm not a Christmas tree."

Thank you, Marie, and thank all the heavens that we're at an age where we can say what we mean!

Being lit up isn't reciting affirmations ad nauseum or pumping yourself with positivity. Lights-on experiences are more candlelight glow than Las Vegas neon. For yours truly, lying in bed with cats and husband, listening to David read aloud...Bare hands in rich, loamy dirt, creating beauty in my garden, blissfully alone with robins, roses, and the wind...Swoon-worthy food and wine, and delicious conviviality with our monthly dinner group...

Here's the kicker: what lights you up lights up the world. One of my favorite quotes is from Buddhist scholar Howard Thurman: "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

Marie, a subscriber, writes, "Does 'lit-up' mean being manically supercharged? If so, forget it. I'm not a Christmas tree."

Thank you, Marie, and thank all the heavens that we're at an age where we can say what we mean!

Being lit up isn't reciting affirmations ad nauseum or pumping yourself with positivity. Lights-on experiences are more candlelight glow than Las Vegas neon. For yours truly, lying in bed with cats and husband, listening to David read aloud...Bare hands in rich, loamy dirt, creating beauty in my garden, blissfully alone with robins, roses, and the wind...Swoon-worthy food and wine, and delicious conviviality with our monthly dinner group...

Here's the kicker: what lights you up lights up the world. One of my favorite quotes is from Buddhist scholar Howard Thurman: "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

Thought Weeding

There I was on my couch reading the Moon Guide to Costa Rica. Kabobble the cat curled up in my lap. Late afternoon sun streaming through the big maple outside. Rich smells of Phad Tai being cooked for dinner by David the Wonderful Husband. And Yours Truly dreaming about swimming in tropical waterfall pools in Monteverde...

All of a sudden I was drowning in a choppy ocean of anxiety instead of floating in a forest pool. Kabobble sensed my tension, looked up at me in alarm, and leapt off my lap in search of more tranquil pastures.

Heilige Scheisse! What happened, Batman?