Reflections

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  1. Ose
    Ose
    4 months ago

    To open up more to creativity, music, singing, drawing, painting, looking around and being aware of the beauty all around.

  2. barba
    barba
    4 months ago

    my mother will die in the next few weeks.
    I have to decide how I can and want and will take care of her.
    At the annual training I will get a new buddy and a new topic (my body) next week
    I want to set goals for my writing and of course the realization of these goals

    1. Yram
      Yram
      4 months ago

      Peace and discernment during this difficult time. You will be guided.

    2. Michele
      Michele
      4 months ago

      I’m sorry to hear about your mother – peace to you both during this difficult time.

  3. Robin Ann
    Robin Ann
    4 months ago

    My son has a new lady in his life for the past 3 mos , if things get serious it seems that they will live elsewhere. He no doubt would love for her to some day want to to live here but for now it doesn’t seem so. So I will need to embrace the change although he has told her I would like to live near by. This I told him years ago if he has children some day. My only grandchild lives in Northern Florida.
    The only given in life is change, my Mother’s good friend has frequently reminded me of this over the years!

  4. Palm
    Palm
    4 months ago

    Many changes at the moment… but in “my” life it’s probably my single status, I am embracing it

    1. L
      Loc Tran
      4 months ago

      I’ve been in both unhealthy and healthy relationships before. I’m currently in a healthy marriage with Ngoc. She was the one who introduced me to this website a few months ago. Before marrying her in 2020, I was single for 7 years, so I can certainly see the benefits there too. One huge one is that there’s more room for us to work on ourselves our way.

      1. Palm
        Palm
        4 months ago

        Yes, there is always a positive side 🙂

  5. Barb C
    Barb C
    4 months ago

    I’m on vacation this week and next week and I’m fully embracing the change that involves uninstalling work-related apps from my phone and letting the days unfold with relaxation, dates with my husband, tending the garden, reading, time with friends.

    At work, the growth in my division has invited me to shift from a lot of “doing” to more leading and managing. We used to be 3 people, now we’re 13, so my role has changed quite a bit.

    I’m taking my third improv class through our parks/rec department. It invites me to free myself from self-consciousness and enter into a spirit of play, and it’s delightful. It has also led me to make new friends in the class.

    I’m (again) restarting my yoga practice. It’s challenging–I lost a lot of strength and flexibility while recovering from my sprained knee a while back and then just didn’t restart. But I can remember how much I appreciate the feeling of strength I’ll gain from regular practice.

    1. Michele
      Michele
      4 months ago

      Enjoy your time off:)

    2. L
      Loc Tran
      4 months ago

      Barb, based on what you’ve mentioned about your job, I can imagine how relaxing having a vacation with your loved ones can feel. Time off is just as good as time on. I remember you commenting on Ngoc’s post about how our brains are learning when we allow ourselves to take breaks. With that being said, you have fun on your vacation and dates with your husband.

  6. L
    Lauryn
    4 months ago

    Moving to a place where I don’t know anyone has allowed me to get more in touch with my introverted side. As a result, I’m more at peace and content with myself. In the past I’ve put a lot of pressure on myself to be more extroverted, to actively go out and meet people and make friends… it feels good to let that self imposed need go and just be.

    1. L
      Loc Tran
      4 months ago

      Lauryn, Ngoc and I are more introverted, so we understand you. We feel more satisfied with who we are. There’s less societal pressures to chase materialism.

  7. H
    Heidi Makowski
    4 months ago

    This season of life is full of change as a new empty nester. Daily life looks much different now and I’m learning to lean into the change and know that it is ok. My adult children are thriving and I’m also trying to thrive in my new season.

  8. Patti
    sunnypatti
    4 months ago

    Right here, right now… with where we are going to live and how we will make our business thrive in a new state. We drove up to NC on Sunday and are staying with family while we explore properties and different areas. The mountains are so magical. The air and water so crisp and clean. I am looking forward to starting the next chapter, however it may unfold ⛰️

    1. Michele
      Michele
      4 months ago

      I was going to ask for an update on how everything is going… hopefully you don’t have to wait long for your home to sell. Can’t wait to hear about a new property once you found it 🙂

      1. Patti
        sunnypatti
        4 months ago

        We are heading home this afternoon and have plans to call our realtor and tell her that we are ready to really sell and get out of there. I’m going to start packing to help the process. There is a beautiful property in my favorite area that I am praying works out for us. Trying not to get my hopes up, but it is incredible and felt like home when we looked at it. Just being in the WNC area has felt like home and I can’t wait to make the move!!

    2. Robin Ann
      Robin Ann
      4 months ago

      Very exciting!

    3. S
      Ana Maria
      4 months ago

      Wishing you the best in this new journey, thank you for sharing!

  9. Ngoc Nguyen
    Ngoc Nguyen
    4 months ago

    Currently, I don’t sense any invitations for change in my life. However, I know one will eventually come, as life never completely goes our way. For now, I’m grateful for the satisfaction I have found in my current life.

    1. L
      Loc Tran
      4 months ago

      My Ngoc, I’m with you. We wake up, eat breakfast, go on a walk with our parents, hang out, watch movies together, have lunch, nap, I go do my piano performing jobs for a few hours, come home, exchange an embrace, have dinner, go on our nightly walk, and shortly after, bedtime and the simple day starts all over again. Enjoy childhood 2.0 while it lasts.

  10. Carol Ann Conner
    Carol
    4 months ago

    Good Morning All, My ill sister has chosen to go into hospice care. I understand and support her but the reality of losing her is a change that is hard to accept. That said, my focus is on this day, this gift both she and I have been given.

    1. Yram
      Yram
      4 months ago

      The gift of you to/for your sister will not decrease because the the title or place name changes.
      Blessings! To all.

    2. Michele
      Michele
      4 months ago

      Thinking of you and your sister as you all transition into this new difficult time.

    3. Joseph
      Joseph McCann
      4 months ago

      May you and your sister realize peace, Dear Carol

      1. Carol Ann Conner
        Carol
        4 months ago

        Thank you, Joseph. I love your use of the word realize.

    4. Linda72766
      Linda
      4 months ago

      I am so sorry, Carol.

      1. Carol Ann Conner
        Carol
        4 months ago

        Linda, Thanks.

    5. S
      Ana Maria
      4 months ago

      Blessings to all of you Carol. Thank you for being a caregiver to your sister. What a gift!

      1. Carol Ann Conner
        Carol
        4 months ago

        Ana Marie, Thank you.

  11. L
    Loc Tran
    4 months ago

    My Shunryu Suzuki zen practice is inviting me to embrace change. In all seriousness, I need to do less filler reading. One of the points he emphasized is how we should just practice zen without the need for gaining idea. Promotion comes from that family. Filler reading can also lead to impurity which is dangerous.
    This site was originally designed for people to help themselves and each other; not promotion. It’s why the reflection numbers are in the double digits with 70s at the maximum end for a reflection question. Loves are usually teens on down. One cannot love a post more than once or delete a love. There’s no other reaction except for a reply to other people’s answers or replies.
    With all that being said, keep it the way it is. It’s real.

  12. Mary
    Mary Mantei
    4 months ago

    In my self-perception of myself as an athlete. It has for a long time, been the personna I have led with. And while I am still an avid participant in several sports, I am not at the level I once was. Yet I still hold onto OTHER’S expectations of me. And my own as well. As I write this, I find myself thinking, « that has got to go »! It also occurs to me it is such a waste of head space.
    Tomorrow, I will be 71. What I really want for myself is to be in the flow of my life, letting go of shoulds in this area of my life. And just go have fun!

    1. Yram
      Yram
      4 months ago

      Enjoy your day and everyday!
      You are a blessing to all.

    2. Barb C
      Barb C
      4 months ago

      Years ago I adopted the phrase “Don’t should on yourself”. I also try not to should on other people. Those expectations definitely set us up for unnecessary disappointment.

      Happy birthdayweekmonth! That’s what I like to call it–no reason to stop celebrating after 24 hours.

    3. Carol Ann Conner
      Carol
      4 months ago

      Mary, Ah, the shackles of should!

    4. L
      Loc Tran
      4 months ago

      Mary, I can imagine how hard it is to come to terms to where we are vs the abilities we once possessed having watched the NBA and even the NFL to a degree. Sports are super competitive. The professional level amplifies that. Guys are making millions of dollars, have their fans, and endorcement deals they must satisfy. Most importantly, sports was meant to be competitive. Unless you’re Phil Jackson, it’s why sports and spirituality are incompatible. The values oppose each other.

  13. Michele
    Michele
    4 months ago

    My daughter leaves today for a vacation – it’s her first time going back home after moving in with me 6 months ago – I have the house to myself, lol.

    1. L
      Loc Tran
      4 months ago

      See the “Home Alone” movie, Michele.

  14. Joseph
    Joseph McCann
    4 months ago

    I have heard that the only constant in life is change. To embrace that statement, I must embrace the impermanence that is our world as we pass through. Even the soil we walk upon, that vegetation thrives in, with the proper amount of the elixir of life, water, was once rock, carried down by the rivers and glaciers, deposited when they overflowed their banks. Everything has its life span; everything is in the constant flux of change. Although imperceptible, change happens in the present, in the now. Impermanence makes way for the re-birth of life’s cycle.

    1. Carol Ann Conner
      Carol
      4 months ago

      I had a dear friend who use to say, “The only thing permanent is change.”

  15. Antoinette88615
    Antoinette
    4 months ago

    I’m embracing change at every moment. Whatever comes up I must accept and adaptable accordingly. I can only change things that are in my power.
    The meditation method of letting go of my karma, habits and body have truly made it so much easier to accept with a grateful heart.

    1. L
      Loc Tran
      4 months ago

      Antoinette, well said as usual. I love how your answers are: short, sweet, simple, and straight to the point.

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