Category: Gratitude

As we celebrate another Thanksgiving holiday, let’s show our gratitude for those we’re thankful for by telling them. This simple act of kindness is easy to do and means so much.  I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the readers of this blog. You’ve stuck with me on my journey, and you’ve been supportive, encouraging and…

To be honest, I wasn’t going to write this post. In fact, I wasn’t sure I wanted to write any more posts at all. Sometimes, we just get physically and emotionally drained to the point where positivity, gratitude and mindfulness seem like distant concepts. But I decided to write it because—like every other post on…

We all have opportunities to look at situations from a positive or negative perspective. This happened to me recently, as I faced yet another health crisis that came at a highly inconvenient time. Believe me, I don’t want to write about more health issues. But I think there are some points I can share from…

One of the best lessons we can learn in life is that we can transform disappointment—even tragedy—into opportunity. Natalia “Saw Lady” Paruz was a professional dancer. She was a trainee with the Martha Graham Dance Company of Contemporary Dance, a tap-dance teacher and demonstrator for Dance Masters and Dance Educators of America. She earned a…

We’re always thinking. We think about family, friends, work, projects, plans, health, hobbies, news events, the weather, sports, and countless other things. We spend so much time thinking—and it’s so engrained in our lives—that for the most part we don’t even think about thinking. There’s a potential downside to how we use our brains, however,…

Recently someone I know came up to me and started talking about this blog. First, she noted that she was a regular reader, which I was glad to hear. Then, to my surprise, she mentioned that the posts upset her because they were so positive. The stories actually made her feel worse about things. Needless…

In 2019, I decided I wanted to visit Yellowstone National Park. The idea of traveling to a part of the country I’d never seen was compelling, and going to a world-renowned park that spans three western states and is filled with natural wonders was intriguing. Then the pandemic hit, which scuttled any travel plans for…

Resilience is one of the greatest traits we can possess. Being able to adapt to challenging life experiences and carry on is a crucial part of being human, because we all face these experiences at one time or another. The process isn’t aways straightforward, however. Consider the story of Greg Gaudet. Greg had what he calls…

Think about this: a single thing you do today can ultimately affect dozens of other people, or even hundreds. This is the ripple effect, and it’s a powerful way to spread positivity—or negativity—in the world. The Cambridge Dictionary defines the ripple effect as a situation in which one event produces effects that spread and produce…

Recently I was at a local park with my wife and a long-time friend. We were enjoying the tranquil scene before us, which included five ospreys flying gracefully over a large pond. Suddenly, a swan flew right over us and crashed loudly through a thick growth of reeds before landing clumsily in the water. For…

Imagine starting out life by being thrown away. That’s what happened to Samuel Jimenez Coreas, who as an infant in El Salvador was discarded in a trash dump. From such tragic and humble beginnings, Sam has made a happy and successful life for himself. His story is one of courage, resilience and striving to realize dreams in…

Can anything in this life really be perfect? Since perfection implies something that has no flaws or limitations, probably not. Perfection is more of an ideal that inspires us to improve and aim for excellence. But we can certainly enjoy the many near-perfect moments life can bring. We use the word “perfect” a lot, and…

I’m all for living in the present—letting go of the past and not waiting for the future. But sometimes we have to look back a bit in order to strengthen our resolve so we can take the path forward. We need to acknowledge the progress we have made. A year ago at this time, I…

I’ve been meaning to write a post about movies that are particularly inspirational, and with the Academy Awards coming up this seems like an appropriate time to acknowledge these films. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but the following 25 movies (in alphabetical order) are some I’ve found to be especially uplifting, motivating…