“Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor,
summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.”
—Stanley Horowitz
Ready for some Web surfing? Grab your wetsuit and dive in!
Read Laura Vanderkam’s suggestions for reclaiming your free
time when other people want you to do something for or with them in “When Other People Eat Your Time.”
“What is enough for me?” Jennifer Louden’s post “Conditions of Enoughness, or the Art of Building Your Truer Life,” explains four steps in
creating boundaries in your life. Learn to train “the hounds of more”—I love
that phrase!
This artist collaborates with her young daughter to create paintings. She says it helps her to “move out of her comfort zone, … relinquish
control and think creatively.” How much fun would that be?
Make way for joy and contentment when you discover “The Art of a Distraction Free Life.”
Life lessons from Taylor Swift, via Dani Dipirro of
Positively Present. Somewhat to my surprise, several resonated with me.
Calm the stress response with these mantras from Always Well
Within.
A recipe for ice—the comments are the best part.
And if you truly have too much time on your hands, find out
what your name would be if you were a cat here. My name would be Doctor Sassy
McMittens. So from now on, I expect to be addressed as Doctor. You’re welcome.
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| Photo courtesy Heri West |
Introduction by Ted Kooser: Joe Paddock is a
Minnesota poet and he and I are, as we say in the Midwest, “of an age.” Here is
a fine poem about arriving at a stage when there can be great joy in accepting
life as it comes to us.
One’s Ship Comes In
I swear
my way now will be
to continue without
plan or hope, to accept
the drift of things, to shift
from endless effort
to joy in, say,
that robin, plunging
into the mossy shallows
of my bird bath and
splashing madly till
the air shines with spray.
Joy it will be, say,
in Nancy, pretty in pink
and rumpled T-shirt,
rubbing sleep from her eyes, or
joy even in
just this breathing, free
of fright and clutch, knowing
how one’s ship comes in
with each such breath.
American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry
Foundation www.poetryfoundation.org), publisher
of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the
University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Poem copyright ©2009 by Joe Paddock from his
most recent book of poetry, “Dark Dreaming, Global Dimming,” Red Dragonfly
Press, 2009. Reprinted by permission of Joe Paddock and the publisher.
Introduction copyright ©2011 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction’s
author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate
Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006.
Kindness is today’s 30-Day Gratitude Photo Challenge prompt,
and this Thursday, Nov. 13, is World Kindness Day so kindness is on my mind.
Even though I really value kindness and aspire to be kind, I’m not always aware
of what I can do to spread kindness. After a little thought and some quick
internet research, I found quite a few simple, inexpensive suggestions I can
follow to create some ripples and make the world a kinder place. Here are 10 of
my favorites:
1. Smile and look into the eyes of the grocery store
cashier.
2. Pick up trash.
3. If you regularly visit a blog and enjoy it, leave a
comment. A simple, “enjoyed your post,” is all you need. (Bloggers appreciate
kindness the way resurrection ferns appreciate rain.)
4. Give others the benefit of the doubt. Remember the words
of the Egyptian philosopher Philo, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting
a hard battle.”
5. Allow someone to go in front of you, in traffic or in
line.
6. Share a store coupon. Some stores offer coupons for X
amount of dollars off a minimum purchase. If you’re not going to use yours,
find someone in line who looks like he or she has enough merchandise to meet
the minimum amount necessary. (This suggestion came from my kind
mother-in-law.)
7. Write a note (or send a post card), by hand, add a stamp
and mail it. It will make someone’s day to receive “real” mail rather than junk
or bills.
8. Donate old towels to an animal shelter or rescue.
9. Pay a toll or buy a cup of coffee for the person behind
you.
10. Think before you speak. Even so-called “jokes” can hurt
someone who is sensitive.
And don’t forget to be kind to yourself. It’s a lot easier
to be kind to others when you practice on yourself!
I’m encouraged to see that there are more and more
organizations devoted to promoting kindness, including The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, One Million Acts of Kindness and Choose to Be Nice. Perhaps one day the kind people will
outnumber the trolls and meanies.
No matter how happy we are, most of us would like to be just
a little happier. Good news for us—there are plenty of things we can do
to feel happier every day that only take a few minutes. Researchers have found
a number of quick and easy happiness boosters, such as playing music that makes
you feel happy, writing down things that went well and/or things you’re
grateful for, or doing something nice for someone else. Here are five more
10-minutes-or-less happiness-boosting recommendations I’ve tried that bring my
happiness level up a notch:
1. Cross something off the to-do list. We’re happier when
we’ve achieved something, no matter how small. Choose one small task to take
from start to finish (change that burnt out light bulb), or a smaller part of a
larger project (check airfares for that trip you’re thinking of taking). What
matters is completing the action.
2. Meditate. Sit quietly, close your eyes, and breathe. If
you like, you can imagine a calming image or place, or focus on your breath. If
you find yourself stewing about problems or mentally running through your to-do
list, notice those thoughts and let them go. Tell yourself, “I’ll think about
those things later.”
3. Laugh. Keep on hand a supply of things that make you
laugh—reading material, favorite internet links (I like to scroll through
Pinterest’s humor category), and so on. A quick laugh can leave your entire
mood elevated.
4. Pet an animal. Doing so lowers heart rate and stress
hormones, while raising hormones that make you feel more relaxed and happy.
Scout, Prudy and Tank take turns making me feel happier!
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| C'mon, pet my tummy... |
5. Look through a “joy collection.” I keep a file folder
with letters and cards from people I love, photocopies of checks received for
writing and editing jobs, and photos that make me smile. Don’t have a joy
collection? Start one. Fill it with things that trigger happy memories, such as
favorite photos, awards, mementoes, and other symbols of happiness for you.
