Mailbox magic

Emotional 𖤓    Social 𖤉    Intellectual 𖧼    Spiritual 𖧏

The muffled "kerploof" of the mailbox door opening down, reveals a handwritten postcard. It says ". . . you bring me so much hope," love, Wendy." During a time of isolation and sameness, this moment feels different. I feel the comfort of 29 words of tonic warming as it descends. I feel validated, like what I do in my life makes a difference.

Surefire remedy for changing out of your cranky pants

Emotional 𖤓    Social 𖤉    Intellectual 𖧼    Spiritual 𖧏

Yesterday was one of the hard ones. In our attempt to cut costs we made a decision to leave our insurance guy of decades for a cheaper policy elsewhere, which made me cry. And my sweetie lost a couple of pieces of business in a time when business is hard to come by, which made him worry. By the end of the day we both had changed to our cranky pants and headed for a funk.

Forgiveness bridges a path to change

Emotional 𖤓    Social 𖤉    Spiritual 𖧏

"Forgiveness," says Mark Twain, "is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it."

If we slow down and pay attention to the angst in our lives, indicators likely point to some need to forgive. Perhaps it's an elderly parent that demands too much, a teenager invaded by analien being, a stepchild that deplores us too much or a son-in-law that's wronged us too much. We cannot control any of these situations or people, but our tendency (because we are fallible humans) is to be unforgiving. We want to be angry, be right, spend waking moments (even those meant for sleep) dwelling on it--even though we  might understand harboring resentment is like taking poison and expecting others to die.