What Is Health?
According to Oxford’s American Dictionary, health is a state of being free from illness or injury. I’m looking for a lot more than just health, even more than just good health. I want wellness. I want to feel like I’m in a state of being the best I can possibly be. I want to believe […]
e84 Challenge – Hunger to Be
Hunger not to have but to be. I saw this quote recently and it tumbled around in my mind for a few days. My first reaction was annoyance. I don’t understand what’s wrong with wanting things, even wanting lots of things. Possessions don’t bring happiness. I get that. Maybe my frustration lies in the floating […]
e84 Challenge – Letting Go and Holding On
Remember the parable about the hunter, the monkey and the jar of nuts? The jar had an opening as large as the monkey’s paw but when he had a fistful of nuts, he couldn’t remove his hand. Fortunately for the hunter, the monkey wouldn’t let go and remained until the hunter captured him. I like […]
e84 Challenge – The Most Important Local
Why all the fuss about buying local? Different aspects are important to different people. Here are my reasons: Local Economy: spending locally keeps 61 cents of every dollar local, compared to 44 cents of a dollar spent at a national chain. I especially want to support local, independent bookstores, a real gem in danger of […]
e84 Challenge – Faith, Energy and Strength
I’ve been writing a lot about goals lately. I even started wondering if I had too many goals, if I should just relax a little bit. Yesterday was my 16 mile walk. I’ve been looking at my marathon training schedule all week with a slight feeling of dread. As I told some friends on Friday, […]
e84 Challenge – The Effort of Trying
Nothing exemplifies the futility of trying more than the myth of King Sisyphus. Sisyphus was doomed to push a boulder up the hill only to have it roll back down, day after day. The activity of “trying” is a pretense that masks failure. To try is to neither do, nor not do. If I ask […]
e84 Challenge – No Means No
A few weeks ago another dog left its yard to charge my dog as we passed. Completely taken off guard, I stopped with my dog, at least remembering to stay calm and raise my arms above my waist. The dogs scuffled and growled, and the owner walked over to get her dog. I spent the […]
e84 Challenge – Desire or Goal – Chicken or the Egg
Does Goal sound too lofty, too businesslike? Sometimes people tell me life’s not all about having goals. Is there such a thing as having too many? Do I need to just stop and smell the roses once in awhile? I need to truly relax – for relaxation’s sake – instead of spending time procrastinating. My […]
e84 Challenge – Awakening the Dream
My son returned from Sweden with a farmer’s tan and 151 photos. Despite the rain, living outdoors, they caught the rays any time there was sun. He still has krona to exchange and he returned with phone, iPod and laptop, all in working order. I sense a subtle difference, a deepening and awareness in a […]
e84 Challenge – Fortune Cookies, Horoscopes, Palm Reading and the Power of the Mind
Of all the purported methods of telling my future, palm reading seems to be the most likely. Horoscopes, even on those mornings when the forecast seems eerily true, apply to everyone born within a short period of time. How likely is it that all Libras for instance, will feel restless and need to look at […]