Daily Gratitude: This took me a bit to figure out (ok so I’m slow). But once I did, I really liked it. It could be a good quote for a yoga studio too. Keep stretching. But it’s meant to remind us not to give up, especially when it seems there is nothing good happening or coming. I learned this at Vol State this year – for the first time. In the past when my legs would statt to feel empty or spent and they just slowed down on their own, I would find some place to rest (you know my good friend the guardrail). But this year I just kept moving them no matter what they felt like. Somehow I had come to the realization that I could still cover miles if I kept them moving even if not as fast. But if I stopped, I wasn’t covering anything and just wasting time. I’m not sure how that enlightenment happened but it soon became a conscious decision and i continued to do it. I think it made a difference. So no matter how you feel. If something is Important to/for you, don’t stop. You can ”feel sorry” for yourself while you continue to move. Just keep going.

Daily Gratitude: I saw this on TV when a psychiatrist said it to one of his patients. It hit me like a ton of bricks. It’s something simple yet so important in figuring out our emotions and our responses. If I could just stop long enough to ask myself this question, I’d stay out of a lot of trouble. The other day I was on the “appointment schedule” for my AC unit. When I had called she told me it would be at 9 am. Then as the day got closer I got the automated message that says your appointment is between 8 and noon. WTH? So i got myself together enough to be ready of they came at 0800. No show. The things I had to do involved moving around and being in one room or the other, not tied to my phone (I keep the ringer off all the time). So I could do nothing productive. 1115 comes around and I get a message saying I’m on the list but they are late. Well what does that mean? Will they be here by noon (which makes the appointment time later than noon since they would need time to do their thing)? I had been working for an hour trying to calm myself down and not be angry at this. It would do no good and I knew it was just a “part” that was feeling this as an injustice (when it’s really just inefficiency and lack of caring on the company’s part). But this latest inanimate and impersonal message was the last straw. I called and just canceled the darn thing. At least I had made an effort more than I would have in the past. I didn’t default to the “they just are discriminating against me because it’s just to change the filters so they can stick me at the end”. I was able to realize that’s giving myself too much credit. But had I been able to employ the “is it fact or feeling?” question, I might have been able to keep myself in a much better space and gotten the darn thing taken care of. I’m going to paste this on various surfaces around my house to remind me to slow down and ask this question. Try it and let us know if it works for you.

Daily Gratitude: How many of you remember this day 23 years ago? I don’t know about you but I can’t believe it was that long ago. It seems as if it all happened yesterday. What lessons can we take from that awful day? One might be regarding decisions. We all seem to get anxious and worried whenever we have some decision to make. What if we were to put our need to make a decision in perspective? Think about those people on the upper floors of the towers and the decision they had to make. “Do I stay here and die from smoke inhalation or burns. Or do I jump to my death?” How horrible does your personal dilemma seem now? You may say this is dramatic but that’s one of the most prominent thing I remember watching the events evolve – and the vocal cries from the men I was with as they shouted “oh no” or “oh my God” as they watched the TV. It was one of the most visceral parts of the day and there were certainly plenty of them. Next time you think things are getting rough, think back to that day. Take some time today to remember all those affected that day.