thinking thursday : ideas on which to ruminate

March 17, 2016 in Uncategorized

Some of what I’ve been seeing and thinking about around the web this week:

MIND

“There are two paths in life: Should and Must. We arrive at this crossroads over and over again. And each time, we get to choose.” Are you at the crossroads of Should and Must?

It would appear that the U.S. is suffering from a dearth of critical thinking.

BODY

I’ve given up coffee; now it’s all about the tea. Here’s how to brew your best cup of tea in case you want to join me. If you can’t give up your java, at least brew a good cup of it.

Have a bad habit you need to break?

Can changing how you think about stress make you healthier?

SOUL

Let’s all just breathe.

Infinity vignette: “Grief is meant to be embodied, not intellectual, our arms in ashes up to the elbow, if we want. Grief is to be felt, not just explained or compartmentalized. People deserve a spectacle at their leaving. Laurie deserves a spectacle. But for the moment, my quiet, unspoken, and unrecognized infinity symbol would have to do, as we were moving on to the reception, the wake, the brunch, all of which support community in a time of trauma, and defer the sobbing.”

SPEAK UP

This is a must read.

WORD

“You will lose someone you can’t live without, and your heart will be badly broken, and the bad news is that you never completely get over the loss of your beloved. But this is also the good news. They live forever in your broken heart that doesn’t seal back up. And you come through. It’s like having a broken leg that never heals perfectly—that still hurts when the weather gets cold, but you learn to dance with the limp.” -Anne Lamott

About Patti Digh

Patti Digh is an author, speaker, and educator who builds learning communities and gets to the heart of difficult topics. Her work over the last three decades has focused on diversity, inclusion, social justice, and living and working mindfully. She has developed diversity strategies and educational programming for major nonprofit and corporate organizations and has been a featured speaker at many national and international conferences.

1 comment to " thinking thursday : ideas on which to ruminate "


Miriam Hughes

March 17, 2016 AT 8:37PM

MIND – I heard the saying, overdone now but still powerful – “Never should on yourself.” It is one of my mantras.

BODY – Stress kills. Coffee does not. A cup a day is like a gift from heaven after I decided to give it up. Did it for two weeks. Decided I would rather have one cup of delicious coffee a day ($1 from Fresh Market), make it my ritual and drink more water to off-balance it. So I no longer stress over and/or eat over giving up coffee.

SOUL – Learning to Breathe before reacting, before eating, before praying in whatever manner I pray, before speaking at times and just to enjoy my breath and being alive. I wish I learned to do this decades ago.

SPEAK UP – Your heart attack, Patti, reminded me to continue to do that every day. Speak up and make sure I am, we are, heard.

WORD – I love that quote by Annie Lamott. I may share it if that’s ok with you. Grief, assimilated into my life, becomes manageable. I grieve for so many on their behalf, while I hold them (and myself) in the incredible aura of strength we all possess.