Three Thoughts for Thursday
I am feeling behind and rushed this holiday season. I typically love to spend the weeks leading up to the winter break, baking and decorating and counting down. This year has been busy with work travel and end-of-the-term paper writing. I am fighting to be present and to set aside time to celebrate the Winter Solstice and the magic of the holiday season with my kids. I am feeling gratitude for these dark winter days and embracing them as a time to get quiet, be home and cozy, to reflect and replenish, to focus on the inner self in preparation for another season of blooming. Wishing you all a happy holiday season and happy winter solstice! May this be a time of peace and joy!
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
Quote(s) or Passage I’m Pondering and Appreciating:
“Until we have met the monsters in ourselves, we will keep trying to slay them in the outer world. For all the darkness in the world stems from darkness in the heart. And it is there we must do our work.”
~Marianne Williamson
“Character, like a photograph, develops in darkness”
~ Yousuf Karsh
Podcast(s) I’m Listening To:
Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris, Episode #19:Emma Seppala
Success and happiness: Can you have one without the other? Many assume that these two things are at cross purposes but Emma Seppala, the science director of Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, argues that this assumption is actually dead wrong. The Ph.D. holder and author of “The Happiness Track” sat down with Dan Harris to tackle this subject – a central theme in Dan’s own book, “10% Happier.”
Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris, Episode #16: Ali Smith
Ali Smith goes into some of the toughest neighborhoods in one of the toughest cities in America and teaches yoga and meditation to troubled and at-risk school kids. And the results have been incredible. Smith, a certified yoga instructor, is the co-founder and executive director of the Holistic Life Foundation. His workshops and after-school programs reach approximately 4,500 kids every week and that number only continues to grow.
Book I’m Reading:
I’m excited to get this book for Christmas…
Bringing the energy of true presence into our lives really does change things for the better—and all it takes is a little training. This treasury of 365 gems of daily wisdom from one of the most beloved Buddhist teachers of our age is a help and support for anyone who wants to train to meet every moment of life with 100 percent attention. Thich Nhat Hanh shows how practicing mindfulness can transform every area of our lives—and how its benefits radiate beyond us to affect others and the whole, larger world.
Photo by Marc Ignacio on Unsplash
Desiree Briel Rodi Consulting & Coaching 