August was a very full month. I experienced highs and lows, pretty much like every other month, except August is my birthday month. It the spirit of these blogs I am choosing to focus on the happy things, although some days it would be much easier to focus on the negative. There were many August … [Read more…]
It is the end of June. Its hard to believe that half of 2024 is over. There have been many happy things to acknowledge and be grateful for. Of course there have also been things that I found annoying, uncomfortable, unfortunate, irritating, bothersome, or scary. That’s just real life. I am working hard not to … [Read more…]
I woke up this morning wondering if people amplify the bad in their lives out of habit or for some other reason. What I was noticing is that many people use really dramatic language to describe the annoyances, frustrations, and misfortunes that happen in a day, week, or month. Instead of saying “I didn’t like … [Read more…]
“The only thing we are ever dealing with is a thought, and a thought can be changed.” ~ Louise Hay “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” ~ George Bernard Shaw Introduction People have a tendency to believe that their thoughts are facts, even though getting distance … [Read more…]
Its that time again. Here is my Happy Things list for May 2024. I’ve started keeping a running list, much like the one in the book that inspired me, 14,000 Things to Be Happy About, by Barbara Ann Kipfer. I’m not as faithful with it as I aspire to be, but am getting better. I’ve … [Read more…]
One of the lessons I am learning as an adult student of both composition and voice is humility. This humility is necessary in order to set aside any excess pride or superiority that can interfere with my learning. That isn’t always comfortable. Some definitions of humility include. While I believe all of these definitions are … [Read more…]
The New Oxford American Dictionary defines responsibility in several ways. The two most relevant to this post include: 1. the state or fact of having a duty to deal with something or of having control over someone 2. a moral obligation to behave correctly toward or in respect of: individuals have a responsibility to control … [Read more…]
Things are rarely one and done. Sometimes we have to repeat the work. I don’t know about you, but I find that fact really annoying. This is true for me whether we are talking about reps at the gym or playing the piano. It is also true about cleaning the house, doing the dishes, or … [Read more…]
“When the world doesn’t live up to our expectations, we rebel against its unfairness by turning to food.” – Jessica Ortner “When you stop expecting people to be perfect, you can like them for who they are.” – Donald Miller “I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in … [Read more…]
I was introduced to this Italian idiom through the book Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I digress just to say that there are many hidden gems in that book. Although a search of the internet suggest some dispute about the actual meaning, both Ms. Gilbert and www.wordsense.eu offer that parla come mangi means speak … [Read more…]