Going with the flow, working with someone not crashing into them. I need to remember – am I part of the problem or the solution? Step back and take a longer view of helping.

I’m a creature of habit. Good daily habits are something I strive toward. I’m not sure I’m enjoying some of them as much as I’d like. Some have become mechanical and rote. I want to relax more, look around and notice these beautiful flowers while walking to get the mail. Be more present in my daily life. That is a habit to aspire.

WOW!!! That means so much more to me than ever before. Yesterday I got my front and back planted. Dodging snow showers and frost warnings I finally accomplished my planting. Now it’s time to grow. That’s how I feel with my growing new perspective on our new normal. Grow into what’s ahead.

Quiet is not my strong suit, especially my mind. I have come to understand it and appreciate it. At times it is a real struggle. “Safety” is a trigger for my busy mind to go into overdrive. This pandemic is the perfect storm for my noisy, agitated, loud brain. Reminding myself over and over quiet, quiet, quiet, be still.

I must remember to take the time and space to see the beauty in simple things. Breathe and notice…

“We may try to help somebody and think we have failed, but the seed we have planted may bear fruit sometime. We never know the results even a word of ours might have. But the main thing is to have charity for others, a real desire to help them, whether we succeed or not.” That is what service means to me.

my life. This break, this reset is a good time to organize what is important. I just read a comment from an artist – producing art is just an excuse to make things with my hands – this really resonates with me. First and foremost I am a maker. I need to organize my life around this knowledge.

…the ability to step into the shoes of another person, aiming to understand their feelings and perspectives, and to use that understanding to guide our actions.

A mantra I say often. I imagine myself on my back, gently floating down a warm, sun dappled stream gliding to where I belong. Not kicking and flailing going nowhere.

Slow down, Be Mindful, Take a Breath … These all remind me to enjoy the simplicity all around me that gets lost in the daily hubbub.