I: Who, What, When Where, Why Like, I’m sure at least some of you, there are times I forget to see the life-signposts with flashing lights screaming: “Who are you hurting (hopefully unwittingly) with a lack of awareness?” “What, small but valuable something, are you missing running through life? “When do you choose to look away rather […]
Tag Archives: intentional living
Last night, I went to bed hungry. It was by choice, not by necessity. There were moments while lying in the darkened room that I thought about getting up, going into the kitchen, opening a pantry or refrigerator door, and choosing something to eat. But I didn’t. Instead, I thought about the 800 million people on our […]
I’ve gotten feedback and questions on last week’s “Home” series, specifically about all the things we own, so today, let’s look at possessions. When did we wrap our arms around a culture that defines us, sometimes almost entirely, by what we own?Does stuff really buy happiness? There’s psychological support that, for many, there is immediate gratification when acquiring something. But, […]
Often, true happiness is borne out of understanding what unhappy is. When young, you, likely, didn’t have a myriad of choices, but, as you “came of age,” you may have been able to turn the lens, culling joy from relationships, choosing where to share your heart, knowing when to run from pain, creating (at least to some […]
There’ve been decades when I moved through life at warp speed, by necessity. Now, cognizant of the fleeting nature of time, “where am I rushing to?” is a question I often ask myself. Although COVID-19 has changed realities significantly for many of us, dashing through life still seems like an embedded part of our culture. […]
A teenager doesn’t make the football team. He starts swearing about how wrong and stupid the coaches are. A teenager doesn’t have anyone to sit with at lunch. He remembers how his father always told him he was “unlovable”. A couple sits with a large group, in a restaurant, to celebrate a friend’s birthday. They […]
Santa Claus and presents seem to be the driving force around Christmas, in spite of plenty of manger scenes. It can be easy to get caught up in the frenzy of gift-giving and sometimes (maybe often) lose the meaning behind the celebration. Christmas, for many, is a “secular holiday”. I love this time of year. […]
The waves crash onto the shore as I walk on the beach not long after the sun has decided to grace us, again, with her majesty. I don’t get too far before I see litter-—a few empty plastic bottles, a beaten up cooler, some remnants of a late-night party; all carelessly left by humans. They’re […]
awareness As I back the car out of the garage, the thermometer moves down to 28°. I’m aware that as winter progresses I adapt to the cold. What would have been shocking in the middle of July is now simply part of the ebb and flow of the season. I get used to it. It […]
It’s 6:23 in the morning as the light comes in from the East. The pines, river birches and oaks reach out to a blue sky, dappled with diaphanous clouds. A rabbit hops through the grass as a chipmunk scurries across the deck. The tomatoes are turning red in the garden. A butterfly dances past my head. A gentle […]
Do you dream? I’m not asking about the images and thoughts that occur while you’re asleep—although that subject is fascinating. Do you dream during your waking hours; imagine possibilities that are different from your current reality; think about places you’d like to see; entertain “what ifs”? Or, have you given up on dreaming; instead choosing […]
Last night, as I sat in the hot tub under my beautiful locust tree, I thought about the week that passed too quickly. The sky was sprinkled with stars and the air was still. This is my favorite season—the one where I can wear Birkenstocks and sleeveless tops, when the sun warms the ground we […]
I sat next to an elderly gentleman, named George, in a surgical waiting room this morning. His first comment to me was that the sun outside was a welcome change from the rainy weeks we’ve been experiencing. I agreed and we talked for a few minutes. Then, about a half hour later, a volunteer came over […]
In the 1830s, American inventor and painter, Samuel Morse, began perfecting an electric telegraph. In 1844 he transmitted the short biblical phrase, “what hath God wrought”, by wire from Washington, DC to Baltimore, Maryland. SOS is a Morse code international distress signal, and the only nine element symbol—making it easily recognizable. It’s also an ambigram, which means […]
I woke up this morning to the sound of birds chirping outside my bedroom window—how wonderful. Spring is my favorite season of the year because, in my area of our country, everything that’s been dormant is springing back to life. Even in years where I have experienced “winters of discontent”—as Shakespeare’s Richard III said—spring has given […]
Yesterday, I started the conversation about getting to the end of our lives with no regrets. How are we experiencing the time we do have? Many of us run through life. We don’t use our time to do what, at the end of our lives, we’ll probably consider “important”—to make the things that truly matter the priority. We can’t turn back […]
My hope is to get to the end of this life without regrets. That may not be completely possible, but I want to live in a way that makes it a bit more attainable. I’ve failed at this often, and I’ll slip up again, but it sure doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try. Imagine if you were told that you had only one […]
When I teach classes on organization, I start with a dozen goals. Next, we discuss the reasons we get to a place where we’re overwhelmed with “stuff”. If we don’t know why we’re in a situation, it’s tough to change our behavior, and we’re likely to end up back where we started. Once people have an “aha” moment in class it’s […]
According to Universe Today, “the modern form of humans evolved about 200,000 years ago”. Homo sapiens have been walking this planet for a very long time, and our “turn around the dance floor” is a minuscule blip on the wheel of life. We forget that we’re simply passing through (or passing back to the spirit side if your […]
Last week, I had the pleasure of visiting my friend Ginny. We met almost nine years ago at the faith community I’m part of. I sensed almost immediately how special Ginny is. It’s not only that she’s very spiritual or that she’s generous, kind and thoughtful—it’s her way of walking through life, which really drew […]
A lot of us spend a considerable amount of time trying to create “perfect”. The problem is that we are NOT perfect beings. If our expectations are so high that we can’t accept anything except perfection from ourselves or those around us, we need to figure out how to see things from a different perspective. […]
When I was young, there was a game called “Red Light, Green Light”. One child was the “traffic light”, and stood facing away from the other players. The rest of the kids lined up about 6 feet away from the “light”. In the game, the child who’s “it” yells “green light!” and everyone runs toward […]
This post has been on my mind for a long time. It’s been on my heart for even longer. My sincere prayer and hope is for Peace Full Home to be uplifting and hopeful in a world that has its fair share of challenges. I want this blog to be a harbinger of calm and […]
The pear tree that I planted over a decade ago is heavy with fruit right now. I didn’t make the time to “thin it out” as I should have and, when I looked out the window this morning, I noticed the tree loaded down, its branches straining under the weight of hundreds of pears. A […]
After another night of bad dreams, I woke up tired and disoriented, trying to shake off the dark, pulling myself together, and literally curling into a fetal position. I don’t understand the crazy that goes on in my mind. Sleep should be regenerating, not a fear-filled marathon. I’m amazed to hear friends say, “I lie […]
peace full home®—intentional living 