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The Given

“I inherit from the past of my family, my city, my tribe, my nation, a variety of debts, inheritance, rightful expectations, and obligations. These constitute the given of my life, my moral starting point.” — Athenian oath If the way we live our lives is based on the routines and beliefs we establish for ourselves…

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Holiday Participation Awards

“So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they’re busy doing things they think are important. This is because they’re chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself…

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Rooted in Happiness

“People have often been happy here and the walls have absorbed some of that delight.” — Adam Nicholson, Sea Room It’s happened once again. The house transformed over a day from one holiday theme to the next. “Halloween” quickly flipped to “Thanksgiving”, “Thanksgiving” to “Christmas”. These are the days of rapid-fire theme decorating, supported by…

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A Dream Won’t Chase You Back

If you got a chance, take it, take it while you got a chanceIf you got a dream, chase it, ’cause a dream won’t chase you backIf you’re gonna love somebodyHold ’em as long and as strong and as close as you can‘Til you can’t— Cody Johnson, ‘Til You Can’t In America, this week is…

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The Right Kind of Virtues

“It occurred to me that there were two sets of virtues, the résumé virtues and the eulogy virtues. The résumé virtues are the skills you bring to the marketplace. The eulogy virtues are the ones that are talked about at your funeral — whether you were kind, brave, honest or faithful. Were you capable of…

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Expanding the Fullness

“Five decades ago, some very kind people in Japan slipped me the secret: you can dramatically extend life—not by multiplying the number of your years, but by expanding the fullness of your moments.” ― Shinzen Young, The Science of Enlightenment: How Meditation Works “Pay more attention to every moment, however mundane: to find novelty not…

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Our Most Important Things

So easily forgotten are the most important thingsLike the melody and the moonlight in your eyesAnd a song that lasts forever, keeps on gettin’ betterAll the time— Keb’ Mo, Life Is Beautiful Walking a lot of miles lately, I’ve come to see the town I live in at ground level, turning corners into places I…

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Adding a Piece Back In

“My heart is moved by all I cannot save:so much has been destroyedI have to cast my lot with thosewho age after age, perversely,with no extraordinary power,reconstitute the world.”~ Adrienne Richfrom “Natural Resources” Day two of life with a rescue puppy is a reminder that life will be different. This is a sweet puppy, but…