Tag: peace

What A Tomato Can Teach You About Loving Yourself

What A Tomato Can Teach You About Loving Yourself

“Dude…they look weird!”

On a recent trip to Whole Foods I was intrigued by the conflicting comments of two young teens. They had just stopped to look at a display of heirloom tomatoes. One offered his “they look weird” opinion while the other thought they looked “pretty cool”. Funny how two people can look at the exact same tomatoes and see two completely different things.

Which made me wonder…Is there a correlation between what you see when you look at heirloom tomatoes and how you see yourself?

Heirloom tomatoes look dramatically different than what we’ve come to know as traditional tomatoes. Traditional tomatoes are engineered for consistency of size, shape, color, and texture, mass produced to meet the needs of millions. Heirlooms are far more individually Continue reading “What A Tomato Can Teach You About Loving Yourself” →

Prince, Green Beans, and the Breeding Ground of Misery

Prince, Green Beans, and the Breeding Ground of Misery

“Comparison is an act of violence against the self.” – Iyanla Vanzant

In the wake of Prince’s passing the radio was filled with his music. While I was listening to an online radio station, the host was mentioning how great Prince was as a composer, musician, and a performance artist. As the host continued he felt the need to introduce one additional element into the conversation…

Comparison.

Perhaps it was the combination of the host’s love for Prince and the still-fresh news of his death, but the conversation went from how great Prince was to a conversation about how much greater Prince was as compared to others. Actually, it wasn’t a conversation. It felt more like a sermon…the host speaking with Biblical certainty as he told the world how much greater Continue reading “Prince, Green Beans, and the Breeding Ground of Misery” →

When You Forget You Are Beautiful And You’re Not Sure You Matter

When You Forget You Are Beautiful And You’re Not Sure You Matter

You are beautiful.

You are unlimited.

And you matter.

Perhaps you’ve forgotten this. Please let me remind you.

Or worse yet, you don’t believe it.

Please let me convince you.

Life gets busy and often the importance of perspective gets lost as we just try and make it through another day. Daily demands and prioritizing others often means you never get around to taking care of the most important person in your life.

You.

Here, in no particular order, are seven thoughts to contemplate in hopes you’ll take the a few moments to reconnect with this beautiful person you call you.

Beautiful isn’t something you become, its something you already are. Walk through any supermarket check-out and you are inundated with the latest fashion and lifestyle magazines, Continue reading “When You Forget You Are Beautiful And You’re Not Sure You Matter” →

What’s Getting Stuck On You These Days?

What’s Getting Stuck On You These Days?

Some days I wear my dog to work.

With the bone-chilling cold of a New England winter upon us, I often rely on my fleece jacket to keep me warm. Fleece is great, but due to static electricity it’s also quite magnetic. Especially when it comes to dog fur. Just walking close to my dog and his hair seems to jump right on me.

We all have something in common with fleece. Things stick to us, too. How and where we spend our time greatly influences what actually gets stuck. Spend too much time in any negative environment and you will see that negativity start sticking to you. Fortunately, it Continue reading “What’s Getting Stuck On You These Days?” →

Anger and Aggravation Are My New Best Friends

Anger and Aggravation Are My New Best Friends

There is something quite beautiful about feeling the need to punch a hole in the wall. Or in returning the favor when another driver flips me off on the way to work.

Anger and aggravation are wonderful blessings. Because they are two emotions which tell me how well I am handling the world when the world isn’t living up to my expectations of it. If my best response in the moment is the desire to put my fist through a 1/2-inch of drywall, I am no longer in control of my emotions. My emotions are in control of me.

The world can provide us with unlimited opportunities to become angry and aggravated. If we let it. But negative and hostile reactions tell me I need to stop and analyze why I Continue reading “Anger and Aggravation Are My New Best Friends” →

Bonsai Thinking

Bonsai Thinking

I admit my ignorance when it comes to understanding the “art” of the bonsai tree. In fact, I’m not sure I ever saw much artistry in it. What’s the big deal about trimming little trees with a pair of little scissors anyway?

Once again, I was probably missing the point.

And I was.

Last week I unexpectedly found myself reading a magazine article about bonsai trees. As I read and looked at the photos, I challenged myself to open my mind and look beyond my preconceived notions to see if I could gain a better understanding of these cute little trees. I had always dismissed them as nothing more than, well, cute little trees. As I Continue reading “Bonsai Thinking” →

Your Elbows Have A Lot To Teach You About Peace And Happiness

I have found your peace and happiness. It’s located where you’ve probably never considered looking.

It’s found between your shoulders and your wrists.

That’s right. Your elbows.

Think for just a moment about your elbows. Your elbows play a rather important role in your ability to do many things in your life. For example, elbows make it possible for you to feed yourself. Just for fun, the next time you’re eating something, place your fork in your hand and extend your arm straight. Now try placing the fork into your mouth.

See what I mean?

Without elbows, your functionality and independence are greatly compromised. Spend a few minutes going through your day without Continue reading “Your Elbows Have A Lot To Teach You About Peace And Happiness” →

Alcohol, Red Meat, and the Clarity of Purpose

Alcohol, cookies, and red meat.

And we can’t forget about the swearing.

At various points in my life I’ve given each of them up for the 40 days of Lent. I was brought up believing Lent was about giving up stuff I liked to make the God I was taught to fear happy. Eventually I saw into the significance of what spiritual discipline was all about, but I never saw the correlation between my diet and vocabulary and my spiritual salvation. But that’s just me.

As a spiritual meanderer, I’ve often struggled with some of life’s bigger questions. None bigger than trying to figure out what God wants me to do Continue reading “Alcohol, Red Meat, and the Clarity of Purpose” →

Lessons Learned from the $1,011.05 Cup of Coffee

Lessons Learned from the $1,011.05 Cup of Coffee

“Large iced coffee, decaf, black, extra ice please.”

“That will be $1,011.05. Please drive up.”

The morning drive-thru dialog between me and the faceless through-the-speaker voice of the server at Dunkin’ Donuts. It’s the morning ritual, the accidental habit with a $2.77 cost per day. Fiscally insignificant on a daily basis. But when you repeat a fiscally insignificant transaction 365 days a year the dollars do add up.

$1,011.05 in this case.

This isn’t a post about frugality. It’s about becoming aware of how significant the seemingly insignificant actually is. And with our awareness comes our opportunity to make subtle, relatively Continue reading “Lessons Learned from the $1,011.05 Cup of Coffee” →

Giving Thanks For The Things That Piss Me Off

Thank you, you idiot driver, for driving too slow in the high-speed lane and making me late. Thank you, you inconsiderate grocery shopper, for dumping 20 items on the conveyor belt of the 12-items-or-less express register aisle.

Thank you. For pissing me off.

I’ve come to appreciate such moments, the moments when I am in emotional overdrive with everyone and everything getting under my skin. Why? Because I’ve learned my reaction to the world in front of me says so much about the world inside of me. When my responses are laced with rage and anger and my thoughts and words become confrontational and judgmental, it tells me that real problem here is more about me than with the ones who have managed to push my buttons.

I tell my kids life usually never goes as planned and when it doesn’t what you do next is the important thing. Sometimes I need to take my own advice. Life so often is a test, those moments when life Continue reading “Giving Thanks For The Things That Piss Me Off” →