One step at a time.

Posted on by Shari Swanson

firststep

Have you ever been overwhelmed before you even get out of bed in the morning? The problems of the day seem too big; you seem too small? At times like these, it is important to breathe deep, close your eyes and think of all the things and people you love, and then remember that you don’t have to solve all the problems now. You just have to do the next right thing. Step by step, piece by piece, showing up and moving forward.

Take the time to find a quiet place and remember whose you are and that each moment is a gift. To help, here is a lovely video that will start you with  a wonderful perspective with which to face the day.

Making sense of the dark.

Posted on by Shari Swanson

kingdomofnight

If anyone could speak to emerging from the kingdom of night, it would be Elie Wiesel. Taken with his parents and sisters to Auschwitz, Wiesel writes of horrors beyond comprehension endured in WWII concentration camps, including the shame he felt in overhearing his father being beaten but being unable to intervene. Orphaned there, he survived and went on to write of his experience and to advocate for the minority or mistreated. He spoke with the authority of the oppressed and illuminated the need for those who witness abuse to not stand silent, but to engage on behalf of that which is right and good:

“The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.”

For those reading about something as horrific as the Nazi treatment of Jews, we have trouble understanding. What makes people hate? How can a nation stand by and tolerate the mistreatment and extermination of its own people?

But as we search the darkness for answer, light emerges. While, yes, there are plenty of villains; there, too, are heroes. People like Wiesel rise up and urge us toward our better natures and give us courage to stand down evil.

As we go through our lives today, we can look for ways to rise up, to speak out against injustice and indifference, to value love over hate, and to hold ourselves accountable to those parts of our souls that are light and good.

 

 

Take heart.

Posted on by Shari Swanson

encouragement

Where do you find encouragement?

Literally, ‘encouragement’ means to  ‘make strong, hearten’ or ‘put in courage or heart’. Sometimes encouragement is easy to spot–a kind word, praise, a thumbs up, an acknowledgment that your work matters. But sometimes we have to seek encouragement by taking a long view.  Are relationships we are working on getting stronger? Are we making progress toward a goal? Do we feel a sense of peace in knowing we did our best?

To help give you a sense of encouragement today, take a moment to listen to this audio clip of 600 kids singing to God:

Spirit of God

Spirit of God
Fill up my life,
fill up my soul
With your power

And fill me, fill me, fill me

With your great presence
fill me, fill me
With your power
fill me, fill me
With all your truth

Take heart, friend.

Letting go

Posted on by Shari Swanson

lettinggo

Is there anyone you need to forgive? A grievance you need to move past? A stubbornness where maybe you could soften?

Holding on to these things weighs us down, consumes our thoughts, damages our health, and inhibits our ability to move forward and progress.

Maybe it is time to lay your burdens down.

What’s your play list?

Posted on by Shari Swanson

musicalkey

Cows produce more milk when listening to tunes. Especially slow tunes, or country. Apparently the cows don’t think too much of Willie Nelson, but love:

 REM’s Everybody Hurts, closely followed by Aretha Franklin’s version of What a Difference a Day Makes. Simon and Garfunkel’s epic Bridge Over Troubled Water and Danny Williams singing Moon River were next. Lou Reed’s Perfect Day was a not-quite-ideal fourth, while Celtic Woman’s cover of Enya’s Orinoco Flow was anudder (sorry) favourite.

The theory is the music helps them relax, and relaxed cows produce more milk than agitated, jumpy cows.

The same is true, as it turns out, for people. Loud frenetic music makes us agitated. Calm music is soothing. Happy, rhythmic music fosters cooperative behavior. While that may have all sorts of implications for work places and malls, one important take-away is that music affects behavior and mood.

In Ally McBeal, a show about a slightly neurotic young female lawyer, Ally’s therapist suggests she figure out a theme song to boost her confidence and mental health. When that isn’t enough, the therapist suggests Ally add some back-up singers, like Gladys Knight’s Pips, into her mental image. Playing that song in her head, with her Pips, gives Ally more confidence to get through stressful situations.

What’s your theme song? What song gives you confidence and courage or helps you pick yourself back up after a stumble? What song gives you energy?

No reason to pick just one. We can assemble a whole play list of songs to listen to as we go through life. And don’t forget the extra support of picturing your very own Pips in your imagination as you listen.

Show a stranger a little kindness

Posted on by Shari Swanson

strangerkindnessHave you ever been at a restaurant or grocery store with a crying or tantrumming child? It’s awful, that feeling of everyone staring at you and blaming you for somehow disrupting their lives. Not to mention, the criticism and judgment! Some people are only too eager to point out just what you are doing wrong and how you shouldn’t be out in public if you can’t control your children. But, sometimes, a stranger reaches out and helps– offers to amuse the baby, gives you a wink of encouragement, tells you they’ve been there, too, and that things will get better. That little act of kindness makes all the difference. We can’t control whether we will run into the kind sort of stranger when we are most overwhelmed. But, we can remember what it was like when someone was kind when we were overwrought and BE that kind stranger to someone struggling. When we remember what a difference that type of kindness made in our lives, we realize that simple things–holding a door for someone carrying packages, smiling when someone is overwhelmed with their kids, offering to help pick up fallen papers– matter tremendously.

Spread some joy.

Posted on by Shari Swanson

infectiousjoy

Have you seen the video of Chewbacca mom? It is now the most watched video of all time. That laugh! That joy! After this video went viral, Chewbacca masks flew off the shelves. They were virtually unobtainable, with prices going into the tens of thousands of dollars online. Candace Payne became an overnight celebrity, featured on talk shows and invited to Facebook, Kohls, and the Star Wars show. There is even a Chewbacca Mom doll available now.

Why was there a stampede for the masks? Perhaps when watching her unbridled joy, people wanted some of what she was having. And the masks are funny, no doubt. But the joy is in her as you can see by the beautiful video she made in response to the Orlando shooting.

In the second video, singing Michael Jackson’s, Heal the World, Candace Payne invites us to “Make a better place, y’all. Fill it with joy, not hate. Come on.” The lyrics are something we can draw on every day:

If you want to know why
There’s love that cannot lie
Love is strong
It only cares of joyful giving
If we try we shall see
In this bliss we cannot feel
Fear of dread
We stop existing and start living

Today, follow Candace Payne’s lead, not in buying a Chewbacca mask, but in spreading the joy and making the world a better place.

Play

Posted on by Shari Swanson

bubblesAnswer: Play. Question: What is something children do that adults need desperately?

What did you like to play when you were little? Can you remember losing track of time because you were busy tracking caterpillars or coloring or sculpting sandcastles or building a fort? Is there any way you can take a break today and play?