five

a soft voice may be awfully persuasive.

I have always felt that a little kindness is the best weapon. and I define weapon as a tool. nothing threatening or radical. simply a means to an end.

a smile can change an attitude. a please or thank you can open doors. a courteous act can work wonders. raise spirits. ease tension. get results.

Jacqueline Winspear said ‘grace isn't a little prayer you chant before receiving a meal. it's a way to live.’ grace is defined as good will. and what an attitude to carry around. hold in your heart. rinse and repeat. and all the better to embrace each day with a kindness in your heart. a soft approach to an, at times, harsh world. you don’t have to speak in a whisper. but use an ‘inside voice’ and heads will turn. listen. learn. abide. behave. and rejoice in the power of cooperation.

peace.

four

someone you care about seeks reconciliation.

I value my friends. I am nothing if not for them. their strength. their compassion and understanding. their love. when those relationships are off center my world simply does not spin evenly.

I have a good friend that I no longer see. we were once the best of friends. our separate lives with all the individual twists and turns simply got in the way and we drifted apart. and I miss her. desperately at times. she is always in my heart. I think of calling her, I intend to. I’ll do it tomorrow I think. my road is paved with good intentions. so I ask myself why do I make excuses. procrastination is a terrible affliction.

I have a friend of a friend that I no longer see. we might could have been friends but a few things got in the way. and now the tension hangs in the air. so thick you could cut it with a knife. the anxiety has spread so now not even names are mentioned in a conversation for fear of an emotional storm. I think how did the situation become so ugly. I so want it to be resolved. at the very least eased. Because living in such a tumultuous state is unhealthy. unhappy. utterly ridiculous.

so what is the secret of a successful relationship? time. talk. tolerance. not always in that order. friendship is a fragile thing. easily gained. more easily lost. most easily confused. but I know the answer is not neglect. ignoring a situation only makes any resolution harder. there is a saying that goes 'if two people let a single instant wedge itself between them, it grows - it becomes a month, a year, a century; it becomes too late.' time heals all wounds is not the mantra.

trust tending writes ‘I’m uncomfortable with the assumption that ignoring the “bad” stuff – difficult emotions, painful memories – will make them or their power go away. it is true that wallowing around in yuck will not translate immediately (or sometimes ever) into rainbows and sunbeams. I want to testify to the transformative effects of welcoming, rather than pushing away, things like bitterness, jealousy, anger, lust, depression, shame, and difficult memories.’

behold the power of a conversation. revealer of vulnerability. it may not be easy. but is it easy to live with the feeling of things unresolved? turn the fear into asking why-not? could it possibly be worse than what haunts us daily? and just think. once it is there on the table. even if it is not settled at least it is out in the open. no more interpretations. misguided ideas. a little honest conversation never hurt. at least not for long. and the end result is, at the very best, liberating.

if I am totally honest here I will confess that the one that seeks reconciliation is me. to a certain extent it is all about me. I so want to share the effect. I am tired of the waiting and the angst. the tension and the hurt. the lost opportunity for joy. I am ready. I am hopeful.

peace.

three

believe it can be done.

I continue to discover the road to happiness. a highway that is winding. dotted with beautiful scenery. tacky souvenir shops. bleak landscapes. luscious views. pot-holed. smooth and newly paved. hilly. straight. sharp bends. where I can speed along. slow down. use caution. drive with reckless abandon. and loving care.

I have always wanted a jeep. nothing fancy. not even new. I prefer the older models with the removable canvas top [I do have two requirements however … a) that it is equipped with a dock for my iPod because what is the journey without a little music and b) that it is fitted with a vanity plate because everyone deserves to share their quirky individuality]. a vehicle that is not all that practical but downright cool. not overly spacious but roomy enough to hold me, a friend, a dog or two, a duffel bag, a picnic blanket and a cooler. not too big or too small. just right to take on life’s adventures or keep mundane tasks less so. something that will make the most of every trip. and make the journey so much more enjoyable.

I think if I adopt that jeep mentality I can travel the road of life a bit more smoothly. I believe it can be done. to live a life of nothing fancy. not all the time practical but downright cool. big enough to hold me and those I love, furry and otherwise. savor the adventure and the routine. mind the rules. have fun. carefully. consciously. considerately. travel with a song in my heart.

peace.

two

dedicate yourself with a calm mind to the task at hand.

easy to say. hard to do. my mind is anything but calm these days. my thoughts flitter between subjects. jobs. tasks. my to-do list grows. and I am already behind in my hope to have a little stock of posts ready to go. oh well. let’s just take a deep breath and move along shall we?

the point to all this is to not get caught up in the fuss. the fuss leads to anxiety. stress. turmoil. and that leads to conflict. sure there are deadlines that must be met. whether self-imposed or business driven. we all need a time line to keep on target. but when the task takes over. becomes burdensome. unmanageable. weighty. we must realize that when the task becomes un-fun it literally threatens us. our well-being. self-worth. and our relationships. whether personal or professional.

can we learn a lesson from mom? take a time out. give yourself a break. walk away. if only for a minute or two. take a deep breath. this too shall pass. the pile on your desk. the details in your head. they’ll all be there when you return. but you’ll come back with a new focus. a clearer perspective. a steadier hand. a new sense of worth and purpose. and undoubtedly find an answer right on top of the pile. or at our doorstep.














peace.

one

you begin to appreciate how important it is to share your personal beliefs.

lately my conversations have a recurring theme; frustration and anxiety with the way of the world. listen to the news or read the paper and it seems we generally dislike one another. a focus on intolerance. rivalry. bitterness. self-preservation. negativity. we just can’t seem to get along. work together. live together. and folks like me are getting pretty darn tired of it.

not that it matters in the scheme of things (but now isn’t that the apathetic mindset that gets us into trouble), but I’ve decided to take on a little campaign of my own. to share the good. the happy. the mundane and the exciting. to show in my own way that compassion and kindness is contagious. that you get what you give so give what you want. that working together we can save the world or at the very least ourselves; one little corner at a time.

so here is my premise. I love Chinese food. it is sweet and spicy. I savor the simple goodness of the little cookie at the end of the meal. that appreciation is twofold. the delicate dessert holds palatable treasures both in taste and message. I have a little collection of wisdoms saved over the years. I have gleaned some additional messages from countless sites on the internet. and I think if a little cookie can give encouragement, hope and ignite that spark to change an attitude; well I can pass it on. and for the next year, once a week, I will share the inner goodness.

omikuji translates roughly as random fortunes. today’s fortune cookies are thought to be derived from these messages of hope. I love the word. happiness in four syllables. meaningful in that our lives are filled with blessings; even when received as challenges or obstacles. life can be a box of chocolates; a piece of cake. or perhaps a tasty little cookie.

peace.