“There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy. By being happy we sow anonymous benefits upon the world.” Robert Louis Stevenson It’s so easy to be unhappy… and there are so many reasons that can be marshalled to justify such a demeanor. But oh, what a gift to be […]
Meditative Reflections and Photos
Look for the light
The thing about shadows is that they’re not all darkness. You need to have light to have shadows. So just look for it.” ― A. Meredith Walters, Light in the Shadows Photo of delphinium © Janice Henshaw 2015
Try slowing down…who knows what will happen?
“For fast-acting relief try slowing down.” Lily Tomlin Now that’s a concept. Who knew it could be so simple? No pills, no frills, just slow down… Better to start now, today, because if we’re waiting for some day in the future to slow down, odds are good that it just might not happen. Janice Henshaw […]
A not so good day just got a whole lot better
Today was one of those days – “it just sucked.” It sounded good when I said those words out loud, and I could almost taste them through my lips. They were better than any combination of swear words, or a litany of complaints. “Today just sucked.” I said the words again, slowly and loudly, with […]
Sorrow and joy
“Sorrow prepares you for joy. It violently sweeps everything out of your house, so that new joy can find space to enter. It shakes the yellow leaves from the bough of your heart, so that fresh, green leaves can grow in their place. It pulls up the rotten roots, so that new roots hidden beneath […]
Sweet Darkness – David Whyte
Sweet Darkness When your eyes are tired the world is tired also. When your vision has gone no part of the world can find you. Time to go into the dark where the night has eyes to recognize its own. There you can be sure you are not beyond love. The dark will be your […]
The choices we make
One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes… and the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility. Eleanor Roosevelt Small choices, or big juicy ones, we get to choose them all. We have been given the freedom to decide our own path and the responsibility to live […]
The forest and your heart
The forest makes your heart gentle. You become one with it… No place for greed or anger there. Pha Pachak
Qualities needed for living the good life
Like fishing, growing your own vegetables probably costs a lot more than dropping in at your local market. However, planting seeds in richly turned black soil, watching the small green shoots grow with sunshine and water, is really fun (well, interesting) and I like to encourage them with a lot of love, hope and sweat […]
Beginning Again – always beginning
“If the angel deigns to come, it will be because you have convinced her, not by tears but by your humble resolve to be always beginning; to be a beginner.” – Rainer Maria Rilke How hard it is to be always beginning, to push away the chill of frozen judgments and instead, to invite in […]