Quotes of the Week from Me

“One universal truth is that what we think about, we become. It might feel unattainable or unrealistic. The daily reminders will convince you to believe in yourself.”

“Think carefully, and with purpose.”

“Take children outside and watch them thrive.”

“Sometimes you become what you miss before you miss it.”

“People will tell you the little stuff matters. Why? Because it is the most available and the most frequent. Let it add up.”

“Fight the “too trap” – it’s never too hot or too cold, too rainy or too sunny. It just is what it is.”

Quotes of the Week from Someone Else

“The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.”

– Leo Tolstoy

“Everything hangs on one’s thinking. A man is as unhappy as he has convinced himself he is.

-Seneca

“Don’t speak negatively about yourself, even as a joke. Your body doesn’t know the difference. Words are energy and cast spells, that’s why it’s called spelling. Change the way you speak about yourself and you can change your life. What you’re not changing, you’re also choosing.”

-Bruce Lee

“Are we what we do with time, or are we what time does with us?”

-Mahmoud Darwish

Quick Optimism

Sit down and let your body relax.

Take the time to relax fully. Relax physically. Start with your toes. Take a big breath in, then relax up to your knees. Then relax your quads, glutes, core, hands, arms, shoulders, and end with your neck as you slump back in your chair.

Once all physical stress and distraction is eliminated, start to visualize yourself. Create a portrait in your mind. Allow yourself to see who you are right now.

Visualize your life. Look at yourself living the life you currently lead.

Now visualize the life you want to live. What does it look like?

Now that you have a picture of your desired life in mind, understand that’s all that it is. A picture.

Next, write out 3 things you notice about your future life. Write 3 things you notice about yourself living your future life. But write it in the present tense as if you were already living it.

For example, “I am so glad I maintained healthy habits when I was younger. Now I have a lot of energy to play with my grandchildren.”

Finally, read it every single day. The list is short. Read it fast if you need to, but make sure you read it. Make copies and post them in your office. Keep one in your pocket. Just keeping reading your list.

One universal truth is that what we think about, we become. It might feel unattainable or unrealistic. The daily reminders will convince you to believe in yourself.

Full Newsletter

For those who just subscribed, thank you, it is so great to have you. For those who have stayed, I couldn’t appreciate you more.

As we round out our month with the last Monday in June, I have been back in the mood for some varied writing styles. It can feel like I offer too much randomness in this section of the newsletter but I have come to terms with how it feels: Sometimes I talk with you, sometimes I talk with the scene. Either way it comes from the heart and the heart’s memories.

Every few weeks I like to throw in parts of chapters I have written for an eventual book. Release date TBD, two kids under two at home. You get the idea.

Here is a section about the beauty of home and room to roam, devoted to one of the quotes I came up with a while ago. As I have mentioned, it’s all about the importance of the little things! It’s a blast to share it all, I hope you enjoy!

“Sometimes you become what you miss before you miss it.”

I remember the first night I snuck into my house and said: “This is it.” And I believed it. I had already given up on the idea of finding the right fit. Houses were being listed left and right, in towns all over the state. As I got less picky, the prices continued to rise. I was looking at another year of renting, another year of uncertainty, what truly felt like limbo land.

I must have stopped my house hunt a mere few days at that point, still glued to real estate websites while tucked in the corner of my two-bedroom apartment where the dining room was not so much a dining room but a small, wooden box with just enough room for a table from HomeGoods. The rug in the next room over was a dark combination of brown and tan with a blue futon that we got for free from my in-laws. It was shoved into the corner and the view was of a green porch railing on the second floor of our duplex. I didn’t mind it much because if anything, it reminded me that I didn’t have to worry about interior design. That would be a new problem once I left. A good problem if I ever left.

After more than a year of searching, I pressed pause. I had relieved myself from the stress of scheduling showings and racing around to houses I could not afford. But then I finally found it. And the door was unlocked.

I offered myself a grand tour. I was solo. There weren’t any realtors to distract me with questions. No other prospective buyers pushing through the hallway to see what I discovered was a pink bathroom from the 1950s. That’s right. Pink walls. A pink tub. A pink vanity. I later found the blue version in the master bedroom.

Why do I immediately think of home when I remember that night? I may have walked right in like I owned the place. I may have pictured my kids playing on the floor while my wife and I cooked dinner in the bright, airy kitchen that looked out onto the back yard. And I do those exact things now.  

My house was not much to look at, but then again with plans of kids I wasn’t sure it needed to be. The siding was neat and well maintained, the hedges too. I could tell someone loved my house for me as if they were keeping my seat warm until the day I found it.

It was not just my bright dreams that had led me to this moment. I had taken a methodical approach to the process. After offering on 3 houses previously, this was the only one with a two-car garage and the back yard I saw in those bright dreams. Sold.

Fast forward to now, I remember zoning out while playing baseball in the yard with my son. Growing up, everything I knew about my past, about my childhood, started in the yard. Instead of a green duplex railing I now had a new view of a big, green yard. There was room to roam and games to play. I found myself missing the days of endless fun with my parents and brother. Whiffle ball and soccer. Football and basketball. Bike riding, slip and slides, tree climbing, and dog fetching.

But then I recognized the reincarnation. My son was learning to run, jump, throw, and play. He laughed harder with every swing of his whiffle ball bat. The funny noise louder with every repetition. I had played under the wing of my father’s fun-loving nature and now I could offer that to my son. I could offer everlasting energy and always jump at the opportunity to play more. And I always do. With a tug on my shirt and one word, ball, he will have my enthusiasm and focus no matter which game he picks for the day.

Make it a noteworthy Monday!