My children are the only biological Grandchildren to pass on our family history in my family. My siblings never had children. We now have all that information given to myself and my son by my father in the last couple of years. That is sacred to me.
My sense, and at times my experience of, what is sacred, is that it is not mine to control, manage or preserve. It is mine to experience with awe, gratitude, wonder and continued prayer of thanksgiving.
I agree with all who posted about preserving our beautiful planet earth. On a political level I have been an activist most of my adult life. I donate to three or four non-profits that are working in that arena. On a personal level I do everything I can to be Eco-conscious. This includes minimizing the use of plastic, aluminum foil and paper. We use towels and rags instead of paper towels, cloth napkins (part of the time), compost in-season, and always buy organic – from Memorial Day through October locally grown from the farmers’ market on our pier. Eat a plant-based diet. When we eat out, we take our own reusable containers. This latter thing has brought many favorable comments from wait staff and fellow diners. I hope it has inspired some of them to do the same. I have never been a big consumer of “stuff.” I walk lightly upon the earth.
One area we fail in a lot, as do many Americans, is that we waste more food than I would like.
The other thing that is sacred to me is my body. I do everything I know how. I guess it’s working, because, as I’ve mentioned before, I just turned 90.
I’m with the others who wrote about protecting the Earth, our mother. One of the ways I do this is to make conscious choices about my mode of transportation. I’m away from my home and my travel was by a short car trip to the train station, then Amtrak, my bicycle, and walking. Lighter on the earth than using a large steel box to move just myself many miles. I know I’m fortunate to live where that’s an option. I grew up in the country and that wouldn’t have been possible there. And I didn’t think anything of it because that’s just what everybody did. Our Earth cannot sustain all of us doing all the things that got us to where we are now.
I’m having the opposite experience.
I grew up and spent my first 40yrs
in the city, riding my bike and walking
and mostly driving only to take road
trips.
For the past 20yrs I’ve lived in rural
areas, which has been better for me
mentally, but not so good for the
planet. There are other choices I
have made that hopefully offset all
the driving I do. Last year I bought a
hybrid mini truck for work. It uses
half (!) the gas as my old truck.
And I’ve been trying to avoid buying
food with so much plastic packaging.
It’s really crazy how much unnecessary
plastic gets used. Give me paper or
glass! ✊😁
At first, I read the word “sacred” as meaning
non changeable or etched in stone.
And my goal, is to be more flexible and
open and less rigid.
But if I think about the word “sacred”
as “important” or “central”, kindness
comes to mind.
By reminding myself and practicing
loving kindness, on a daily basis, I can
preserve what is “sacred” in me.
Charlie, I’m thinking along the same lines as you. I’m well aware that rigidity is a common sentiment shared in the autism community. Autistic people are known to have a harder time with change. Routine is the way their brains recharge and stimulate best. They deeply value comfort. As one of those people and having been there before, needing to be more flexible and open are common goals. Rigidity can’t be removed but can certainly be reduced like with any unhealthy habits.
Ngoc and I are a match made in heaven. We’re like Kobe and LeBron. I’m gentle and goal-oriented drawing comparisons to Kobe from those closest to me. LeBron is also gentle, but with interests beyond his craft. He connects with his teammates and has a warm leadership style. He’s the complete package. Kobe as well, but Kobe’s more of a scorer whereas LeBron’s natural instinct is to pass. Even though she’s not a basketball person, I can see why she loves LeBron James. It’s just like my infatuation for Kobe.
Ngoc’s presence has helped me soften up through our deep conversations and affection. Finding the right woman will have that effect. I can also resignate with you on the love and kindness part. I love reading your answers. There’s a lot of great wisdom and insite.
Yes, I’m responding to my own post.
Sorry.😁
But, after reading your enlightening
responses, I must add, this planet
earth to “what is sacred” for me and
do whatever I can to live lightly and
remain present to the to the wonders
of Mother Earth.
Family traditions comes to mind – sharing these with my children so they are not forgotten.
Mother Earth should be sacred not only to me but EVERYONE – we all need to take care of her.
Daily ritual of coming onto this website is sacred to me – it is very grounding and a perfect way to begin the day.
Have a great Memorial Day weekend everyone.
Feel you re: family traditions. They keep us grounded to the truth of who we are (partly) and where we come from.
One in particular – when I was a child, my dad would go around the table and ask us to tell whoever’s birthday it was what we “treasured about them.” We used to snicker and laugh because it felt so awkward. And often times we were at war with each other (there were nine of us, so it was truly survival of the fittest!). Those moments today around my table are extraordinary moments of truth and love.
By being a good steward of the land. My home and our land are very important to me- my husband said “this is ours for only a little while; we must be good stewards”. What an impact that had on me….many years ago. I continue to look out at the property that is now ours with awe, delight and gratitude.
Nannette, it’s easy to forget that having a roof over our head makes a huge difference. We’re often too caught up in our misery to be able to see that. I’m glad you brought that up. As far as the land goes, being a more traditional Vietnamese, I totally understand the mindset of protecting the land. The best place to be is to be open to new ideas and honoring our roots.
My emotions are sacred to me. The way I go about preserving them is to keep them on the dl. What I mean by that is to strike a balance between being open to all of them and expanding upon my conservative base. This takes a great deal of time and practice. Getting there helps me stay calmer under situations that go against my nature and understand others.
Being taken advantage of, conflict of interests, or steered in undesirable directions even out of goodwill are the last things needed. I typically show less emotions when expressing myself. The more I feel comfortable, the likelier I’ll open up. It’s harder for me to trust others, but when I do, it’s deeper. Of course, I feel the most comfortable around Ngoc.
Another example of where I’ve openly expressed myself is here on this website. The people here are wonderful and have accepted me for who I am through the good, the bad, and the ugly as the old saying goes. I’ve received a lot of: love, kindness, wisdom, and insite. Therefore, continuing to be an active participant is another way I go about preserving what is sacred to me.
The first thought that came to me when I read today’s question was this quote;
« In the end, we will conserve only what we love; and we will love only what we understand ; and we will understand only what we are taught. » Baba Dioum
So I continue to be a learner and a teacher regarding what is sacred to me.
Give yourself the gift of free bi-monthly inspiration including uplifting articles, diverse stories, supportive practices, videos, and more, delivered with heart to your inbox.
What is sacred to me?
After a month of reflecting, I figured out my core values.
I only have two core values.
The first is love.
The second is integrity.
How do I preserve them?
By practicing them every day.
My children are the only biological Grandchildren to pass on our family history in my family. My siblings never had children. We now have all that information given to myself and my son by my father in the last couple of years. That is sacred to me.
My sense, and at times my experience of, what is sacred, is that it is not mine to control, manage or preserve. It is mine to experience with awe, gratitude, wonder and continued prayer of thanksgiving.
Reminder beautifully stated, Kevin. Thank you.
I agree with all who posted about preserving our beautiful planet earth. On a political level I have been an activist most of my adult life. I donate to three or four non-profits that are working in that arena. On a personal level I do everything I can to be Eco-conscious. This includes minimizing the use of plastic, aluminum foil and paper. We use towels and rags instead of paper towels, cloth napkins (part of the time), compost in-season, and always buy organic – from Memorial Day through October locally grown from the farmers’ market on our pier. Eat a plant-based diet. When we eat out, we take our own reusable containers. This latter thing has brought many favorable comments from wait staff and fellow diners. I hope it has inspired some of them to do the same. I have never been a big consumer of “stuff.” I walk lightly upon the earth.
One area we fail in a lot, as do many Americans, is that we waste more food than I would like.
The other thing that is sacred to me is my body. I do everything I know how. I guess it’s working, because, as I’ve mentioned before, I just turned 90.
I’m with the others who wrote about protecting the Earth, our mother. One of the ways I do this is to make conscious choices about my mode of transportation. I’m away from my home and my travel was by a short car trip to the train station, then Amtrak, my bicycle, and walking. Lighter on the earth than using a large steel box to move just myself many miles. I know I’m fortunate to live where that’s an option. I grew up in the country and that wouldn’t have been possible there. And I didn’t think anything of it because that’s just what everybody did. Our Earth cannot sustain all of us doing all the things that got us to where we are now.
I’m having the opposite experience.
I grew up and spent my first 40yrs
in the city, riding my bike and walking
and mostly driving only to take road
trips.
For the past 20yrs I’ve lived in rural
areas, which has been better for me
mentally, but not so good for the
planet. There are other choices I
have made that hopefully offset all
the driving I do. Last year I bought a
hybrid mini truck for work. It uses
half (!) the gas as my old truck.
And I’ve been trying to avoid buying
food with so much plastic packaging.
It’s really crazy how much unnecessary
plastic gets used. Give me paper or
glass! ✊😁
At first, I read the word “sacred” as meaning
non changeable or etched in stone.
And my goal, is to be more flexible and
open and less rigid.
But if I think about the word “sacred”
as “important” or “central”, kindness
comes to mind.
By reminding myself and practicing
loving kindness, on a daily basis, I can
preserve what is “sacred” in me.
Charlie, I’m thinking along the same lines as you. I’m well aware that rigidity is a common sentiment shared in the autism community. Autistic people are known to have a harder time with change. Routine is the way their brains recharge and stimulate best. They deeply value comfort. As one of those people and having been there before, needing to be more flexible and open are common goals. Rigidity can’t be removed but can certainly be reduced like with any unhealthy habits.
Ngoc and I are a match made in heaven. We’re like Kobe and LeBron. I’m gentle and goal-oriented drawing comparisons to Kobe from those closest to me. LeBron is also gentle, but with interests beyond his craft. He connects with his teammates and has a warm leadership style. He’s the complete package. Kobe as well, but Kobe’s more of a scorer whereas LeBron’s natural instinct is to pass. Even though she’s not a basketball person, I can see why she loves LeBron James. It’s just like my infatuation for Kobe.
Ngoc’s presence has helped me soften up through our deep conversations and affection. Finding the right woman will have that effect. I can also resignate with you on the love and kindness part. I love reading your answers. There’s a lot of great wisdom and insite.
Yes, I’m responding to my own post.
Sorry.😁
But, after reading your enlightening
responses, I must add, this planet
earth to “what is sacred” for me and
do whatever I can to live lightly and
remain present to the to the wonders
of Mother Earth.
Being aware a nd thankful of what is sacred.
Family traditions comes to mind – sharing these with my children so they are not forgotten.
Mother Earth should be sacred not only to me but EVERYONE – we all need to take care of her.
Daily ritual of coming onto this website is sacred to me – it is very grounding and a perfect way to begin the day.
Have a great Memorial Day weekend everyone.
Feel you re: family traditions. They keep us grounded to the truth of who we are (partly) and where we come from.
One in particular – when I was a child, my dad would go around the table and ask us to tell whoever’s birthday it was what we “treasured about them.” We used to snicker and laugh because it felt so awkward. And often times we were at war with each other (there were nine of us, so it was truly survival of the fittest!). Those moments today around my table are extraordinary moments of truth and love.
That’s a nice family tradition Carly, thank you for sharing 🙂
Carly, I echo the same sentiment as a Vietnamese man.
By being a good steward of the land. My home and our land are very important to me- my husband said “this is ours for only a little while; we must be good stewards”. What an impact that had on me….many years ago. I continue to look out at the property that is now ours with awe, delight and gratitude.
Nannette, it’s easy to forget that having a roof over our head makes a huge difference. We’re often too caught up in our misery to be able to see that. I’m glad you brought that up. As far as the land goes, being a more traditional Vietnamese, I totally understand the mindset of protecting the land. The best place to be is to be open to new ideas and honoring our roots.
My emotions are sacred to me. The way I go about preserving them is to keep them on the dl. What I mean by that is to strike a balance between being open to all of them and expanding upon my conservative base. This takes a great deal of time and practice. Getting there helps me stay calmer under situations that go against my nature and understand others.
Being taken advantage of, conflict of interests, or steered in undesirable directions even out of goodwill are the last things needed. I typically show less emotions when expressing myself. The more I feel comfortable, the likelier I’ll open up. It’s harder for me to trust others, but when I do, it’s deeper. Of course, I feel the most comfortable around Ngoc.
Another example of where I’ve openly expressed myself is here on this website. The people here are wonderful and have accepted me for who I am through the good, the bad, and the ugly as the old saying goes. I’ve received a lot of: love, kindness, wisdom, and insite. Therefore, continuing to be an active participant is another way I go about preserving what is sacred to me.
Beautifully said, Loc Tran. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I so enjoy reading your posts. Continue with your goodness.
Thanks Nannette, and no problem.
Consciously take time to set aside a moment every day to focus on gratitude and what I have around me..
Interesting question which required some prayerful pondering ……by making conscious choices to treasure & care for Earth today.
The first thought that came to me when I read today’s question was this quote;
« In the end, we will conserve only what we love; and we will love only what we understand ; and we will understand only what we are taught. » Baba Dioum
So I continue to be a learner and a teacher regarding what is sacred to me.
Wonderful quote. Thank you for sharing it.
You are welcome, Barb.
Tend to it and hold it close.
Each moment is a gift. I can pay attention to the experience I am having right now.