I used to think of reading as a way of passing time, entertaining myself, or learning new things. Little did I realize how much more I’ve been gaining from reading — until I read an article expounding on the numerous benefits of reading. My favorite phrase was “Read for the revolution of your spirit.”
It’s Time To Move Past the Age of Ageism
Getting old isn’t the source of our aches and pains or muddled minds. A lifetime of habits and bad choices is. Humans may not be built to last forever, but I bet they’d age better and die with more grace if they made healthier choices today.
Look! Up In The Sky!
When I repeatedly hear reference to the same thing, be it a book, person, or technique, I pay attention. The most recent thing I heard repeatedly was a technique to harness the alter ego to help buoy yourself in uncomfortable or difficult situations.
Negative Cycles
Years ago I went through a period where I was stuck in a negative reaction cycle. I’d let someone’s opinion of me, or a perceived slight, get under my skin, or I’d get annoyed by actions and mistakes people made. My brain would endlessly chew on the “slight” or behavior and spin around and around it. It was driving me crazy! Probably literally. I didn’t enjoy this cycle, to say the least.
Using Resistance to Your Advantage
There are several ways I know I’m on track for reaching my goal. One is the excitement that vibrates through my body and brain. My creativity cranks up and ideas and energy are like popcorn in my brain.
Resistance Lies
During my first Camino walk, I encountered a range of challenges, challenges that I overcame with hardly a thought. I’d prepared myself well for the 500-mile walk and knew I had all that I needed to have a successful pilgrimage. To be specific, I had prepared with months of planning and training, had good health and endurance, good gear, and a good attitude.
Resistance Is Futile!
“Resistance is Futile”, as Star Trek’s Borg love to say. I don’t buy it. It sure feels that way at times, though. I think there’s something more than the Borg taking over my mind to make me part of the collective. It’s not so much that if I don’t resist I’ll become part of the collective as I’ll quit being my best self.
Expectations Kill
Expectations are assumptions you place on the people and situations in your life. That’s a counter-productive way to go through life.
Presence From Gratitude
During a conversation with a friend, I connected two important ideas. Maybe you’ve already made this connection, but it was new to me, at least the way it came together during the conversation.
We were talking about her recent struggle to be “in the present “. 
Lover, Liker, Loather
I’ve decided to be a Lover.
My trip through “ScIreland” was a delight. And I knew the people I interacted with and I were divided by a common language. There were differences in Belfast, for example, not only because of the language differences but also because of the cultural differences. People who have been divided by war — or The Troubles — see life and the world differently than I do. There were differences even between the Catholic and Protestant sections of town. For example, graffiti in the Catholic section wasn’t acceptable while it was almost encouraged in the Protestant section.