In the midst of family visiting this week, I woke up with a start this morning and realized July 1 was a paperwork deadline for a $50 bonus. That’s TODAY.<\/p>\n
I have Christian down to nap and am busily writing and editing.<\/p>\n
Here is my submission for the annual Not Back To School Camp Bliss Book:<\/p>\n
“So tell me what it is you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”– <\/em>Mary Oliver<\/p>\n I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve just finished reading Gretchen Rubin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s book, The Happiness Project<\/em>, and I love the fact that she distilled her life philosophies into her Twelve Commandments, her Secrets of Adulthood, and Her Splendid Truths.<\/p>\n It occurred to me that a bliss book might be the perfect place to share some of the principles I have come to accept as personal truths as a grown-up.\u00c2\u00a0 I was tempted to copy Ms. Rubins’ secrets, but upon closer inspection I realized that my own secrets are actually quite different than hers. These are my own. Perhaps centering them will make them look more official.<\/p>\n Everybody wants to be loved.<\/p>\n Everybody is doing the best they can.<\/p>\n Attention and time make the best gifts.<\/p>\n Good food is not just the way to a man\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s heart, but to most people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hearts.<\/p>\n Things that are hard can be more rewarding than things that are easy.<\/p>\n What people think about you is really of very little consequence.<\/p>\n It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a good idea to wait to be emotionally intimate before being physically intimate.<\/p>\n It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s impossible to guess what people are thinking, so don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t bother; you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll almost always be wrong.<\/p>\n It takes a couple years to get decently good at something. And a couple of years can go by fast!<\/p>\n Strong relationships need tending and maintenance.<\/p>\n Take the time to surround yourself with people you admire and enjoy.<\/p>\n You can get rid of a bad habit by focusing on a good habit.<\/p>\n In fact, most problems can be solved with extra attention and focus.<\/p>\n Making eye contact with a big smile can go a long way (especially if you need to change lanes in bad traffic).<\/p>\n Supporting others and doing good is nourishing for your soul.<\/p>\n You can only change yourself.<\/p>\n Not everything needs to be said out loud.<\/p>\n Criticism is only useful if it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been requested, and sometimes not even then.<\/p>\n A good night\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sleep can cure many emotional ills.<\/p>\n Ditto for a good day in the wild.<\/p>\n Eating lots of vegetables is always a good idea.<\/p>\n Doing something, anything<\/em>, every day is very, very hard. Practice it.<\/p>\n Exercise will make you feel better.<\/p>\n Generosity is always repaid.<\/p>\n You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re the only one who gets to live your life, so make it a good one.<\/p>\n \n P.S. You can see my staff bio for NBTSC Oregon Session II here<\/a>. Gee, I look so friendly in my photo!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In the midst of family visiting this week, I woke up with a start this morning and realized July 1 was a paperwork deadline for a $50 bonus. That’s TODAY. I have Christian down to nap and am busily writing … Continue reading