—Kim H.
photo by Roya Dedeaux
When you look as far to the east as you can see, what is the view? Turn around and look the other way, too.
Where you are is exotic to most of the rest of the world. Most other people will never see it. Knowing that your plainness is someone else's curiosity can make your life richer.
Sometimes, when you look, listen, taste, feel, smell, close your eyes and rest, remember that you are in one special place.
Joyce Fetteroll, in helping others untangle ideas and prejudices about what children think they "need":If someone needs three glasses of water a day and only gets two, they'll spend the rest of the day trying to get that third glass. So it will seem to others like this person's constantly thirsty and can never get enough. But if he gets three glasses and can have as many as he wants, he won't seem thirsty at all.
And when people get more and more practice doing what it takes to create or accept or recognize those moments, they can have more and more of them.
The further I got from cynicism and pessimism, the more they jumped out at me when I heard them.
It's easy to be mean.
It's harder to be nice.
I'm sure there are things on my roof that would be interesting to someone else, but I don't go up there, and I don't look. When I've visted other places, though rooflines seem exotic, and the chimneys and birds and all are not what I'm used to and I get excited. |
Try to look at and accept them for being exactly who they are right now, not how you think they should be. There is a whole world outside the RV AND a whole world inside their iPad. Whatever they choose, be there with them! It’s hard to truly be with another person when you’re wishing they were something else. —Alex Arnott |
Sometimes I "feel proud" of something my child has done, but it's too much ownership and I back down. If I think of it as happy relief that I didn't prevent that success or achievement, then I can be a little proud of myself, and impressed with my offspring. Maybe the best way I've found is to feel it as gratitude that I lived long enough to be able to see successes in my now-grown children. Gratitude is good. Joy is good. |
Saying yes a thousand little times is better for everyone than one big confusing "Yes forever, don't care, OH WAIT! Take it back." |