August 24 – Water
I know this life lesson but I find I have to remind myself of it again and again.
I can choose how I want to feel
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”
― Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning
When the news brings me down and the summer begins to end I am remembering to ask myself…
How do I choose to feel this week?
Glad
Grateful
Joyful
Jazzed
Gentle
Kiind
Lit from within
August 25 – Wind
Living Gladly
So I ask myself, “What would make me feel glad, grateful, joyful, jazzed, gentle, kind and/or lit from within?”
And the answers vary from time to time but the ones that stand out for me today are:
- Taking walks in nature
- Watching sunsets
- Counting my blessings
- Spending time with friends
- Singing in the shower
- Seeing beauty in ordinary days
- Cooking delicious and nutritious food
- Doing my physical therapy exercises so that I can get stronger and walk further
- Holding a purring cat
- Surrendering in each moment
- Seeing beauty/Photographing beauty
- Reading a good book
- Being kind to myself and kind to others
- Find ways to be helpful to others
- Smiling
Yes, the news has been discouraging. Yes there is a climate crisis. Yes there is intolerance, racial injustice, and violence. Getting caught up in all that is wrong with the world can bring me down. But it serves no purpose.
Find Perfection within Imperfection
I believe one must hold a perspective that everything is okay in the midst of all the craziness. Fighting against what is, is a losing battle. Better to accept what is and to choose living gladly.
August 26 – Imperfection
Especially in dark times I think that choosing to live gladly and to focus on spreading joy and light is important.
“All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well.”
―
Do what you can to make positive change AND live gladly because we need authentic, positive, joyful action in the world now more than ever.
May you walk in beauty.
Photos from a walk in my neighborhood:
6 Comments
Ruth t Brackmann · August 26, 2019 at 10:45 pm
Beautiful photos! Hope all’s well with you.
Ruth
Marilyn · August 27, 2019 at 1:15 am
Hi Ruth, Thank you! All is well with me. Am enjoying being able to walk again after hip replacement earlier this summer. Hope all is well with you also. — Marilyn
Nora · August 27, 2019 at 3:29 am
Beautiful words. Beautiful pictures. Beautiful you! Thank you. ❤️
Marilyn · August 27, 2019 at 9:14 pm
Oh Nora. Thank you! Beautiful you too!
Rita · August 28, 2019 at 1:19 pm
Gorgeous! So good to see you the other evening!! You look so healthy and strong!! Is the top picture of Lake Harriet when you left?
Marilyn · August 28, 2019 at 3:09 pm
Hi Rita, It was so good to see you and Jeanne and so many other AUW women at Lynn’s concert. The photo at the top is of Medicine Lake. We drove by on our way home and when I saw the beauty of the post-sunset colors had to stop and make a photo of it.