“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
~ Albert Einstein

Holidays are such joyous times. It’s easier at this time of year for many of us to find the beauty, the miracle, in the smallest things.  In MJ Ryan’s Attitudes of Gratitude, we learn that our attitude is our choice, one thing over which we will always have control. As we approach the new year, it’s nice to keep this in mind.  Every cup is as half-empty as it is half-full, so may be the perception of our lives.  I’m hoping we can all make 2010 the year of miracles…the year of seeing all of the miracles all around us.

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“How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and the strong—because someday in life you will have been all of these.”
~ George Washington Carver

Ah, the power of acceptance! We can all contribute to the flow of love through the universe.  All our energies make a difference in this world, through even the smallest or grandest acts of love.

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“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one.”

“We cannot do great things on this Earth, only small things with great love.”

It’s winter, the economic times are really tough for a lot us, and yet, almost all of us have the ability to help someone else who may have a greater need than our own.  Sometimes all of the sorrow and anguish that exists in the world can seem overwhelming.  We think, “what good can my small donation be?” Not so.  Everything helps.  And as we help others, we help ourselves.  Generosity, selflessness, is an act of our humanity.

As such, two completely modern, ingenious ways to give to charity came across my path this week.  One gives shoes to third-world children.  The other, gives books to the same needy kids around the world. Read a little bit about TOMS Shoes (every pair you buy, a pair gets donated), and Room To Read and the Fledgling Wine initiative launched between Crushpad and twitter (every $20 bottle of wine you buy, $5 goes to books for kids).

Happy winter to you all!

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“Each person’s smile at a particular moment constitutes a unique event in the history of mankind.”
~ Rene Dubos

Life gains more meaning when we express our love for others.  It’s always easier to love the ones closest to us.  But on those gems of days when we feel just wonderful, walking down the street as if it were the best and only place to be, it’s possible to love even the strangers we come across.

Most of us know what it’s like to receive a surprise act of random kindness.

This is an easy one to give back.

A kind smile can change an entire day.

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First up is A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose.  The author of the incredible The Power of Now, Tolle’s A New Earth is a #1 New York Times Bestseller and was chosen by Oprah Winfrey for her book club.  In this book Tolle gives us the tools to get us to the place where we understand the benefits of raising our awareness, and more importantly, he actually gets us to want to do go do it.

From Publisher’s Weekly:

According to Tolle, who assumes the role of narrator as well, humans are on the verge of creating a new world by a personal transformation that shifts our attention away from our ever-expanding egos. This idea is well realized through Tolle’s remarkably well-paced narration. Naturally, the author understands his material so thoroughly that he is able to convey it in an enjoyable manner, but Tolle’s gentle tone and dialect begs his audience’s attention simply through its straightforward approach. Something about this reading just seems profoundly important, whether one agrees with the material or not, and listeners’ attention is sure to be captured within seconds of listening to Tolle’s take on the universe in which we live. Originally released in 2005, both book and audiobook were reissued when Oprah Winfrey chose the title for her book club this year.

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Most people think of a “book” when they hear the word “author”.  But I have come to believe that we are all authors, we are all writing the stories of our own lives on a daily basis.  What we create, what we decide, what we choose to do with our time are all the elements that create the stories we live.  Just as writers focus on the structure of a paragraph, we as life authors need to focus on the structure of what we want to create for ourselves on a daily basis.   What is so incredibly wonderful, is that we can redesign, reshape, or recreate our experience at any moment we choose to.  We can change the words we use, we can change the actions we take, we can change the direction of our story… because we have the pen to do so. 

When we start to take responsibility for our lives, we begin to take control of how our life unfolds.  I have found that most people who are unhappy in their lives, blame someone else, their life circumstance, or simply that life has been unfair to them.   Yes, there are times and circumstances that are out of our control, but as we’ve heard so many times before, it’s not what happens to us that makes the difference, it’s what we do with it and how we deal with it. 

It’s never to late to write a new chapter in your life, no matter your age or your situation.  What are your dreams?  Take a piece of paper and write out the story you want for your life…. you just might be suprised at what changes begin to take place.  You just might find yourself on the BESTSELLER list of life!

“Rose-colored glasses are never made in bifocals.  Nobody wants to read the small print in dreams.” – Ann Landers

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Visit Skirt!

Visit my Skirt! homepage.

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Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, and confusion into clarity. It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.
~ Melodie Beattie

Thanksgiving feels like a magical time.  No matter who we are, where we are, we come together and celebrate the things for which we are thankful.  And we really do have much to celebrate.   Alas, that we could carry this feeling of plenty through all our days!  The thing is, we can.  After the turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pies are zip locked and put away, we can make each day its own Thanksgiving.

How?  These are really tough times.  Being grateful doesn’t imply that everything in our lives is great.  However, being consciously aware of the blessings we have, appreciating what it is we do have, instead of what we don’t, can be a powerful energetic force, and ultimately, a source of joy in our lives.

Go on, open your heart.  Make each day its own Thanksgiving, and enjoy the prosperity in your own life.

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We learn to speak by speaking, to study by studying, to run by running, to work by working; and just so, you learn to love by loving. All those who think in any other way deceive themselves.

~ Saint Francis De Sales

As we all know, change can be difficult.  But to my surprise, I discovered how healthy and beautiful doing one regular thing every day could be.  By introducing a small addition to the morning routine, or a daily or weekly class, or an exercise, or a regular meeting with friends, establishing a consistent pattern makes it easy to act.  And when an activity becomes habitual, it is no longer difficult.  Repetitive action can make it easier to make positive changes in your life.

So, next time you dabble with the idea of joining a knitting group to finally make those homemade holiday gifts, a book club to stimulate the mind, or new yoga studio to nourish your body and spirit, make a commitment to yourself not to go just once.  It’s the second time that’s the hardest.

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Isn’t it about time we acknowledge the greatness that is in ourselves?  Have a truly fulfilling day.

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