Category: Monday
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Weather the Weather…
I’ve just returned from the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival – a guaranteed day of amazing music from Blues to Zydeco and all kinds in between. Singing and dancing in the Gospel tent is going to church, rocking out with throngs of fans at the big stages is a party. The paths in between…
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Front Loading…
In the realm of time and space and all things that must fit within, I like to remember to front load…my day, my week, my priorities. Setting aside writing time first thing in the morning tells my brain and my heart that writing is an important enterprise. Front loading the week means the first three…
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TAB Continued…
Revisiting Thought, Attitude, Behavior – how does it apply to personal relationships? Do you have a wonky one that is less than copacetic? Have you noticed bad behavior toward your partner, sibling, parent, child or even neighbor or co-worker? Your perpetual irritation may seem justified. After all, they always say negative things, or they never carry their share of…
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TAB…
TAB is one of my favorite reminders of the importance of watching your language. We don’t often think about the steps that lead to our behavior. It is what happens, deal with it. But there is an attitude that drives that action. Beyond that, there is a thought that informs that attitude. Thought, Attitude, Behavior. …
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Rebirth…
Springtime – dormant blooms peek through thawing ground and baby bunnies hop around fences. Yesterday, my wonderful home church celebrated the resurrection of Jesus after a week of services that commemorated every aspect of Holy Week. The day before I helped flower a twelve-foot cross that would adorn the sanctuary on Sunday morning. I couldn’t…
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High Stepping…
When working on a big project it is tempting to plod through, even if it means dragging one foot in front of the other to the finish line. I’ve never run a marathon, but I have ridden my bicycle from Houston to Austin for the MS150. The two-day ride was grueling and pushed my non-athletic…
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Beautiful Balance…
I recently tagged along with friends to visit a local textile art exhibit. My first reaction was to refuse the invite, given that it conflicted with a day set aside for writing, all cozy and comfy in my closet. But, as much as I protect my “jammie day,” the pull toward art is greater. For…
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Watch Your Language…
This is one of my favorite ELAN Principles because the words we choose directly affect our perception and thoughts. We may have no power over the actions of others, but we have control over our words. We choose our internal language. It takes practice, but we can adopt a more positive dialect. In the tiny,…
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Media Deprivation…
I recently recommended THE ARTIST’S WAY, by Julia Cameron, to an aspiring writer. It is a twelve-week “spiritual path to higher creativity,” in which Cameron encourages her followers to write three longhand pages, first thing in the morning. The purpose of these Morning Pages is to dump stuff on the page more than to create…
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Adopt a Policy…
Maybe there is a catchier way to say it, but adopt a policy means to make a decision once about an issue that comes up repeatedly. Then stick to it. When we had a landline, I decided to always respond to the urgings of telemarketers with “I have a policy to never participate in phone…