“Why do they not teach you that time is a finger snap and an eye blink, and that you should not allow a moment to pass you by without taking joyous, ecstatic note of it, not wasting a single moment of its swift, breakneck circuit?”
― Pat Conroy… Continue reading
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes is a very simple, but wonderfully put together book. In this book, we meet Pete the Cat, a hip blue cat who loves his shoes. The illustrations reveal Pete to be a hipster-esque cat, who walks through life to the tune of his own internal groove.
As Pete takes a walk outside, he steps in all sorts of things: strawberries, blueberries, mud, and water.… Continue reading
“We’re so busy watching out for what’s just ahead of us that we don’t take time to enjoy where we are.”
― Bill Watterson
“Perfection of character is this: to live each day as if it were your last, without frenzy, without apathy, without pretense.”
― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations… Continue reading
“Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life… Continue reading
Over the last couple of weeks, it seems like we’ve been invited to take on a number of commitments for the upcoming months. Most of these sound great, but I don’t know that all of them are the best use of our time.
I have particular goals for our family and for our boys. My boys have interests that I want to foster.… Continue reading
The other day I read A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh to my boys. As we read one of my favorite passages, I realized that it would be a perfect thing to share here:
“…Pooh and Piglet walked home thoughtfully together in the golden evening, and for a long time they were silent.
‘When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,’ said Piglet at last, ‘what’s the first thing you say to yourself?’… Continue reading
Today I’m setting up an Exit Cabinet, a place to store all of the things that I need to take with me when I leave the house.
Right now, the items I need to gather and bring with me are scattered about. My bag is on the floor of the coat closet. The deposits I need to take to the bank and the items I need to mail at the post office sit in a pile on my desk.… Continue reading
“Feelings, whether of compassion or irritation, should be welcomed, recognized, and treated on an absolutely equal basis; because both are ourselves. The tangerine I am eating is me. The mustard greens I am planting are me. I plant with all my heart and mind. I clean this teapot with the kind of attention I would have were I giving the baby Buddha or Jesus a bath.… Continue reading
Muth’s Zen Shorts is one of our favorite picture books. His accessible retelling of famous Zen stories packaged in a visually delightful format make this book a great way to encourage mindfulness in children and adults.
My boys were initially drawn in by the gorgeous illustrations. Muth’s beautifully rendered watercolors are full of color and light, and wonderfully express the humor and serenity of the points he’s trying to convey.… Continue reading