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Can you make new tracks?
It’s been snowing for weeks here in southwest Michigan. And while dangerous to be driving in it, the snow itself is beautiful, bringing to mind the term “winter wonderland.”
What also comes to mind is the Native American teaching about winter, snow and making new tracks:
“The white of snow represents purity, and when snow comes we say it covers your path. If you have had difficulties in your life, all that’s covered up – you begin to feel good and sound again, and you can make new tracks.” Bear Heart in The Wind Is My Mother
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Words to live by from Martin Luther King
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American pastor, activist, humanitarian and leader in the Civil Rights Movement who was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968.
He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.
This past Monday in the U.S. commemorated his life and Facebook was full of quotes from him.
Frankly, I hadn’t heard many of them before, and they are very inspiring.
If you subscribe to my blog, and received my thank-you gift of “What Lies Within You; Inspirational Quotes to Lift Your Spirits”, you know I am passionate about inspiring quotes.
Often just a few well-phrased words can be deep with meaning and advice.
We can never get too much inspiration, so I felt a post filled with his words would both honor Dr. King and be the best inspiration I could give my readers this week:
I heartedly encourage you to take some of these words into your heart as guidance to live by.
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Breathing: did you know it’s the Fountain of Youth?
How is your breathing? Did you know good breathing may be a key to the Fountain of Youth?
It doesn’t take particularly great psychic powers to guess that you might be sitting in a chair as you read this, and it’s likely that you’re slouching or perhaps leaning in over the desk.
And it’s also a good bet you’re breathing shallowly.
And all that is not so good for your health!
Sitting up straight and doing deep, slow breathing is one of the healthiest things you can do, yet few people do it!
In fact, most people need lessons in how to breathe correctly!
Children breathe fully and naturally until about the age of seven. That’s when they start to take on stress and awareness of what adults are doing and they lose their natural ability for healthy breathing.
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Do you live like you were dying?
My post for last week was: “It’s a new year. Are you getting better or standing still?” Here’s another piece of advice on how to avoid standing still: live like you were dying.
Country singer Tim McGraw sang a great song on the subject called, “Live like you were dying. “
The song tells the story of how someone dealt with getting a diagnosis of a terminal illness. Here are some of the lyrics:
I was in my early forties
With a lot of life before me
When a moment came that stopped me on a dime
I spent most of the next days, looking at the x-rays
Talking ‘bout the options, and talking ‘bout sweet times
I asked him when it sank in, that this might really be the real end
How’s it hit you, when you get that kind of news?
Man, what’d you do?
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It’s a new year. Are you getting better or standing still?
Most first week of January posts deal with goal setting or resolutions or turning over a new leaf or letting go of what no longer serves us.
I’ve written such posts in the past and you can find one of them here.
But I want to write about just one thing on this first day of January, 2014:
Are you getting better, or are you standing still?
In Mutant Message Down Under, author Marlo Morgan reported that Aborigines of Australia celebrate birthdays much differently than we do here in the west. The birthday person will announce how they have transformed or grown in the past year so that the whole tribe can celebrate together.
If there was no improvement, there is no celebration!
What can you celebrate today? And what do you want to celebrate a year from today?