Courage Does Not Always Roar

“Courage doesn’t always roar.
Sometimes it’s the quiet voice at the
end of the day saying,
‘I will try again tomorrow.'”
-Mary Anne Radmacher

We all have challenges. Sometimes we have strength and conviction to work through them. Other times, we feel defeated. The trick is to keep moving forward, despite fear, pain, sadness, or any other thing getting in the way. Enjoy this short movie, full of words of encouragement to get you through the seemingly defeated times. Enjoy!

Life Lessons from My Cat

I am a cat person. I’ve enjoyed having feline companions most of my life. There’s something about the way they approach things that really resonates with me. They have a quiet confidence and know exactly what they want, and I admire that.

I’ve enjoyed the company of my black, domestic cats, Boomer and Hoover, for 10 years. That is until Hoover got very ill recently and I made the painful decision to help him transition and find peace. But his spirit is still with me and I find myself still appreciating him and what he, along with his brother, have had to teach me about life, love, and letting go.

• Rest matters. Like a little Buddha master, my cat is quick to remind me that sometimes the best answer is just to take a little time out for a nap. He can often be found chilling out on the couch or a chair nearby, languishing in a little reverie. Sometimes he curls up in a ball. Sometimes he’s on his back sprawled out with exposed belly.
• You gotta eat regularly. I could set a clock to the “feed me” meows that fill the air in my house. My cat is always there to remind me it’s time to eat. After all, eating helps fuel all the feline antics he enjoys.
• Water changes everything. When I accidentally let the water level in my cat’s dish get too low, all bets are off in my house. It’s the one thing that gets the strongest reaction from him. He follows me around, staring with those big, saucer eyes. If that doesn’t work, he meows repeatedly. He circles around near his water dish and then if all else fails, he corners me in the kitchen. It’s obvious his stress level is at an all time high. And as soon as he gets some water, he calms immediately.
• Cleanliness is a virtue. My cat spends more time preening and cleaning himself than any creature I’ve ever known. He rivals any teenage girl. He takes his hygiene very seriously, indulging after meals, after potty time, and before and after napping. He is all about being presentable and ready for anything.
• It’s okay to ask for what you want. Anyone who knows cats knows that they often don’t just ask for what they want, they demand it. But one thing is for sure…they are on a mission. When hungry, they let you know. When thirst, they let you know. When it’s time for a good ear scratching, they are right there brushing up against you letting you know they need something. If we all could be so bold in the asking, I think our stress levels would drop exponentially. But we get caught up thinking we’ll be a nuisance, or thinking our needs aren’t important (or as important as others’).
• You can’t stay mad forever. My cat is a master at letting go. Don’t get me wrong, if he gets upset, he lets it be known. A sideways glare, a batting of the paw, a hiss, or a lovely surprise on the bathroom rug, he’s never at a loss for letting his feelings be known. But he also gets over it quickly. He doesn’t hold onto anger for long. He just needs his space or some attention, and he’s back to his affectionate self.
• Love is in the details. While some people long for a passionate, all-consuming love, pet owners know that love is about companionship, trust, and loyalty. What we do on a consistent basis really matters. And the act of taking care of another living thing is tremendously rewarding.

While I’m sure there are more lessons to come, I sure have enjoyed what my cats have taught me so far about life. They are true masters at living in the moment.

Funny Pet Videos

Laughter can be such a great way to relieve stress and gain perspective. And pets can bring such joy, frustration, and laughter to our lives. Here’s some funny videos about our four-legged friends for you to enjoy! Go ahead, laugh and let go of some of that stress! Got any other hilarious videos about animals? Feel free to post a link and comment below.

‪‪Cat-Friend vs Dog-Friend‬

Cat Jump Fail with Music: Sail by AWOLNATION‬

‪Ultimate Dog Tease‬

‪Ultimate Cat Tease‬

Connecting to What Really Matters

What really matters? If you’re Billy Crystal in “City Slickers” it’s that ONE THING. Some say LOVE or FAMILY, others say PURPOSE. It seems what really matters is in many ways the same for most people, and in many ways different.

I believe WHAT matters is generally the same for most of us. It can be hard to articulate, but I think we all crave some sort of connection – with other people, with nature, with a higher power. Connection with someone or something outside ourselves lets us know we’re not alone. That we matter. That our life has meaning. In another movie, “Shall We Dance,“ Susan Sarandon talks about the importance of having a witness to our lives – someone who can testify that who we are has made some sort of impact in the world. And of course in the movie “Avatar “, the famous quote “I see you” speaks to our need for our souls, our essence, to be seen and our voices to be heard.

So if connection is what matters, then our task is to find HOW to focus on it and bring more of it into our lives. And that is where the differences come in. I think we get in trouble when our sense of connection is lost or threatened. We act in certain irrational ways, punishing ourselves and/or others. We fight for attention, clamoring against the thought of feeling invisible, like we don’t matter. We get competitive. We think small. We hold on tightly to expectations that are unrealistic. We cling to the past, longing for simpler, less confusing times. We live in the future, hoping for things to change. We are fearful. We forget what really matters. And we become disconnected, which might look like:

• Withdrawing from friends
• Escaping into mind-numbing activities (like TV, internet, texting, addictions)
• Distracting ourselves with too much work (or too much play)
• Avoiding making decisions
• Becoming overly controlling in a particular area of life (clutter/hoarding, eating, exercising, etc.)
• Not paying attention to our bodies signals (hunger, thirst, fatigue, pain, etc.)

Think about these questions for a moment:

• When do you feel connected?
• What are you doing?
• What are you thinking?
• What are you feeling?
• Who are you with when you feel connected?
• Where are you?
• What is your environment like (sights, sounds, smells)?

And try these tips on how to get more connected:

• After answering the above questions, make a list of what and who makes you feel connected. Remember to touch on the areas of people, places, and things.
• Think of ways to add connecting activities to your daily life. Make a list of these activities, everything from things you can do with little effort to things that might take some building up to. Brainstorm and get creative.
• Add one connecting activity to your day, every day. Mark it in your calendar if you need to. It doesn’t have to take a lot of time.

Lately, for me connection looks like:

• Spending time with friends – on the phone, online, and in person
• Traveling to new (and old) places
• Breathing in fresh air
• Petting my 10-year old cat for longer periods of time
• Getting out of my comfort zone and meeting new people
• Writing songs
• Talking to my son on the phone regularly now that he is away at college
• Asking people for help

I’d love to hear what helps you feel connected. Please leave a comment below.

Give Me a BRAKE: What Illness Has to Teach Us About Self Care

Sniffle, sniffle, cough, cough, scratchy scratchy sore throat, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough. Ahh, yes, the rhythms and sounds of a viral winter. Forced down time. Rest. Plenty of fluids. And utter boredom. For someone used to going full speed, working long hours, and rarely taking time off, being sick is inconvenient at least – or so I used to think.

As with everything, once I changed my mind about what it means to be sick, something truly amazing happened. I started to see the gift of illness. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not thrilled with sore throats, congestion, and coughing so hard I see stars. But this resting thing, taking a break from technology, stopping when I’m tired, giving my body and mind a break is something I could get used to.

Our bodies are wonderful storytellers if we just listen. They tell us what they need. Our job is to listen. And sometimes illness is a way for our body to tell us to slow down, take a time-out, and re-group.

If you’re anything like me, you’ll find that illness comes after a stint of burning the candle at both ends, trying to fit 40 hours of work into a 20 hour window of time. It rarely comes when I’ve been taking stellar care of myself. So, for me, illness is just a little reminder that self care is important…always. And especially when I feel like I don’t have time for it.

So I’ll go on enjoying some down time and taking better care of myself, while remembering that once I’m ready to get back into the full swing of things, it’s time to pay closer attention to my body’s signals.

10 Rules for Being Human

Ever wish there was an instruction manual for life laying out the rules of the “game”? Enjoy this short movie and the 10 rules outlined for what it is to be human…from a more spiritual perspective. Which rules do you already live by? Got any other rules to add? Please feel free to comment below.

My favorite among the rules listed in this movie…
There are no mistakes, only lessons