Sunday Journal Prompt

“And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been.” 

– Rainer Maria Rilke 

While I appreciate holiday sentiments like “May the new year bring you peace and joy,” the phrasing positions us in the receiving state. The waiting place. Perhaps we can consider a more active approach: What can we bring to the new year? What new part of ourselves are we birthing and what can we do to foster the process?

Rather than thinking in terms of resolutions, this year I want to focus on resolve—a verb that means to find a solution. What challenges, problems or patterns in your life are in need of a solution? How can you resolve to explore a new approach to an old problem?

For help in addressing these and other questions, I highly recommend Sarah Susanka’s Year-End Review ritual, a practice I’ve done for several years: 

http://www.notsobiglife.com/resources/documents/TheYearEndRitual.pdf

What are you bringing to the new year? How can you resolve to explore a new approach to an old problem?

Sunday Journal Prompt

“We are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmastime.” 

– Laura Ingalls Wilder 

It’s been lovely to see my sons—now in college—as spirited about Christmastime as they were as children. What’s different now is that their enthusiasm is about giving. Each has spent a significant amount of time and energy making or coordinating a gift for someone they love. Alex has crocheted items for people in his life, and Michael arranged for a professional artist to render characters created by his friend Cole—who, after opening the poster created by his favorite artist, tweeted that it’s the best gift he’s ever received.

Over time, the boys have perfected making parts of the holiday meal enjoyed by our extended family: Alex is the gravy master, and Michael makes fruit-filled Jello cups. When their grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins enjoy the food they make, the boys get another taste of the magic of the holidays: the joy of brightening other lives. 

How can you experience the childlike magic of the holidays?

Sunday Journal Prompt

“Every action you take is like a vote for the type of person you want to become.” 

– James Clear, author of Atomic Habits 

Atomic Habits author James Clear advocates for creating systems in our lives that make healthy habits easier. By boosting visual cues of choices that benefit us, such as keeping the dental floss next to our toothbrush rather than in a drawer or having a book on our nightstand, we can increase the likelihood of following through with practices we say we want to do. It works the other way too: Hiding or eliminating the visual cues of what we want to avoid can help us minimize bad habits.

Beyond habits like these, I’m interested in the idea that our actions define who we’re becoming. It can be easy to think that a behavior is temporary and only affects the current moment, such as not making time for exercise while immersed in a busy time at work or avoiding friends while studying for exams. But short-term behaviors like these can compound to the point that we automatically skip exercise or avoid our friends when we’re too busy. Worse, perhaps we make ourselves too busy as an excuse not to exercise or spend time with the people we love.

How might you combine what matters to you or better integrate seemingly opposing elements into your life—without sacrificing too much time? To combine work and exercise, perhaps you rehearse a presentation for work while using the elliptical at the gym. Having a workout buddy helps motivate us to exercise and gives us much-needed social connection. To avoid quarantining themselves during exams, several of my students meet up for a study-break meals or schedule study sessions with their friends.

Who are you becoming? What actions reflect that? How might you combine habits that matter to you?

Sunday Journal Prompt

“When you enter a place of stillness, you awaken the divinity within you.” 

– Peggy Sealfon

This past semester, I had the opportunity to teach a freshman seminar called “How to Live a Fulfilling Life” in which students read excerpts from philosophers, poets, essayists, researchers and religious figures. As we learned from readings ranging from ancient Greek philosopher Epictetus to positive psychology and flow researcher Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, humans have been after the same things for centuries: happiness, joy, peace and fulfillment.

Most of my students express stress and anxiety about their demanding workloads and doubt themselves about their choices of a major or career. Toward the end of the term, I asked them to explore two personal practices from a list of options including meditation, tai chi, yoga nidra, shinrin-yoku (Japanese forest walking), journaling and prayer. I thought I’d get push back about this assignment, afraid they would view it as a waste of their time, but they embraced the exercise. “My mind wasn’t being bombarded by the constructions noises of the future I’m building,” wrote one student about his meditation experience. He said he could see how regular meditation can help “shed off the negative coating that covers our positive attitudes.”

How can you shed off the negative coating and awaken the divinity within you?

Sunday Journal Prompt

“I’m not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.” 

– Stephen Covey 

It’s easy for me to blame my circumstances for my actions—or my lack of action: “Teaching takes up too much time, so I can’t work on my book during the school year” or “Crohn’s disease prevents me from having the energy other people have.” But the fact is, I have choices. I can’t add more hours to the week, but I can choose to spend less of my time on teaching or other tasks and instead put more time into working on my book. When I choose to manage my Crohn’s and other autoimmune illnesses through a Paleo eating plan (no sugar, dairy or starches), I’m able to put my Crohn’s flare-ups and autoimmune issues into remission while boosting my energy.

Still, choosing what’s right for us can be draining. The key is to build habits so we don’t have to negotiate with ourselves so often. Lately I’ve been paying more attention to my language. Rather than saying, “I try to do X,” I replace it with “I choose to do X” or “I do X”: To work toward my goal of publishing a book, I choose to make time to work on my book on Friday mornings before work. To manage my Crohn’s disease, I follow a Paleo eating plan with one off-plan meal per week. Thinking of these as decisions I’ve made rather than as burdens I bear helps keep me motivated. Over time, decisions like these become easier, as they become part of who we are. Of course, travel and emergencies sometimes disrupt our routines. Getting back on track is always a challenge for me, but writing about the reasons I originally chose the path reinforces my resolve. 

What are some ways you can make healthier decisions easier on yourself?

Sunday Journal Prompt

"When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around."

― Willie Nelson

Like Christmas Eve, Thanksgiving morning has become a sacred time for me: a time of anticipation, reflection and peace. After I put the turkey in the oven at 5 a.m., my tradition is to handwrite a few thank-you notes to express gratitude to certain people in my life—different people each year. No matter how challenging the week, month or year has been, this practice always lifts me as it forces my focus away from myself and my problems or worries, and onto people who have enriched my life.

Gratitude also been found to improve relationships, and researchers learned that those who wrote about gratitude were more optimistic and felt better about their lives. As a bonus, they also exercised more and had fewer visits to physicians than those who focused on sources of aggravation. The benefits of gratitude can also carry into our work lives: Wharton School researchers discovered that managers who thank employees are likely to find their staff feels motivated to work harder.

As author Melody Beattie phrases it, “Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity ... it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."

What are you grateful for?

Sunday Journal Prompt

“Valor is stability, not of legs and arms, but of courage and the soul.” 

― Michel de Montaigne

Related to General George Patton, our family has always honored Veterans Day. This year, the day is even more meaningful as my husband’s father Mike, who served in Vietnam, battles Leukemia. Uncertainty prevails, yet the courage and valor he showcased at age twenty is still apparent at age sixty-eight as he endures cancer treatment.

We all face our own battles at times. People I love are struggling with physical pain, unemployment, addiction, financial distress, grief and anxiety. For some besieged by mental illness, getting out of bed and going to work each morning takes monumental effort. It takes courage to ask for help and/or to keep going through challenges like these. How have you or someone you know shown valor of the soul—and how can that memory inspire you to keep fighting?

When have you demonstrated courage of the soul? How can you call on that courage to face today’s battles?

Sunday Journal Prompt

“Today is tomorrow’s nostalgia.” 

- Zeena Schreck, Berlin-based artist 

In New Orleans last weekend to visit my brother and his family, I had several moments in which I felt a connection with my younger self who, nearly thirty years ago, fell in love with that town and decided to go to college there from California. Beyond familiar, beloved sights, the sounds of the city took me back: the rumble and screeches of streetcars, the roar of jazz bands marching through the road, the whistle of steamboat calliopes and the vibrations of power-washing machines as French Quarter shop owners sprayed slate sidewalks each morning.

While sights often trigger memories, I tend to feel a deeper connection to the past through senses like sound and smell. In fact, the words nostril and nostalgia derive from the same root. Immersed in that environment, I was flooded with memories of the people and places of that time in my life, prompting me to reflect on who I was then, how much of that person is still a part of me and how I’ve changed. Artist Zeena Schreck says, “Today is tomorrow’s nostalgia,” reminding me to pay close attention to the wonders of the present, which will become my future self’s past.

How have sound and smell connected you to another time in your life, to a past version of yourself? How can you be more mindful of today’s sensory input?

Sunday Journal Prompt

“To be fully alive, fully human and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest.” 

― Pema Chödrön, When Things Fall Apart 

With my father-in-law’s recent diagnosis of Leukemia, our family has been thrown out of the nest. Still waiting for test results, we have so much uncertainty. What is certain is the bond among us, as evidenced by the way the family has leapt to Mike’s side.

Buddhist nun Pema Chödrön, author of When Things Fall Apart, emphasizes how developing resilience can help us thrive, even during times of great challenge. If we ourselves are depleted, we don’t have the energy to nurture others.

Just as we are advised to put on our own oxygen mask on an airplane before helping a child, taking care of ourselves helps us stay grounded, focused and healthy. In my case, journaling, yoga, meditation, nature walks and time with my friends refuel me. On days I visit the hospital, I try to do at least one of those. I’ve been encouraging my husband to keep up his cardio and weight-lifting routine after work before he visits his dad at the hospital. By refilling our own wells, we can increase our resilience to uncertainty.

How do you refill your well? How can you become more resilient during challenging times?

Sunday Journal Prompt

“For fast-acting relief, try slowing down.” 

― Lily Tomlin 

While habits like cardiovascular exercise and healthful eating are widely known to benefit our health, not everyone is aware of how much slower-paced, contemplative practices can support us. Specifically, they can help us calm our nervous systems, and foster inner strength and resilience; in some cases, they can promote a sense of peace and spiritual development, especially when they become part of our routine.

University students enrolled in my freshman seminar course entitled “How to Live a Fulfilling Life” are asked to spend at least twenty minutes experimenting with two new-to-them personal practices and then later write about their experiences. Their choices include mindfulness meditation, yoga nidra meditation, walking meditation, tea meditation (sensory awareness and mindful drinking), tai chi (meditation in motion), shinrin-yoku (slowly walking through a forest), hatha yoga (gentle flowing poses), prayer and journaling—or they are welcome to propose other contemplative practices. 

What new contemplative practice would you consider trying? How might you integrate it into your day?

Sunday Journal Prompt

 “It's the sides of the mountain which sustain life, not the top.”

– Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance 

When we’re working toward a goal, we’re often focused on the end result. While envisioning ourselves having accomplished the goal can be motivating, we can also find fulfillment in the process. The journey itself becomes its own reward—all the little steps it takes to get to our ultimate goal: the classes on the way to a degree, the evening workouts with friends training alongside you for a marathon, the morning writing sessions that lead up to a book manuscript. 

Rather than speeding up life and seemingly holding our breath until we reach our goals, we can relax into and enjoy the process. In the end, we may find the journey to be more fulfilling that the summit we seek.

How can you find more fulfillment in the journey toward your goal?

Sunday Journal Prompt

“An integral being knows without going, sees without looking and accomplishes without doing.” 

– Lao Tzu, ancient Chinese poet and philosopher

One of Deepak Chopra’s spiritual laws of success is the Law of the Least Effort. Embedded in it is the notion of going with the flow without resistance. The daffodil bulbs in my garden automatically rise each spring, and the leaves on my maple trees effortlessly fall in autumn. They don’t strain. So often we try to force something into being—a relationship, a promotion—instead of letting it happen naturally.

When we go against our instincts and try to be someone else or live the life that someone else wants us to live, we feel drained. It can be exhausting to exert so much energy to conform or to chase power or control. Relaxing our effort may help us discover harmony, joy and a new level of accomplishment. 

Where in your life can you let things happen naturally rather than forcing something into being?

Sunday Journal Prompt

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fail.” 

– Confucius 

When I walk in the woods near my home, I am drawn to visit a cairn, a stack of rocks alongside a path. Sometimes the stack is tall and sturdy, and sometimes it appears fragile, ready for a strong wind or heavy snowfall to tip it over. Other times it appears to have been violently kicked over and destroyed.

Over the years, I’ve never seen anyone else stop to rebuild it, but the cairn rises each time it’s decimated, reshaped into a new structure. More recently, six small stacks appeared in place of it. A silent community works together to keep it going. Even when reshaped with new stones, the cairn maintains its essence while rising and becoming a stronger version of itself.

How can you and the community around you help you rise and reshape yourself after loss or failure?

Sunday Journal Prompt

“Meet the people.” 

– Cicely O’Donovan, my grandmother 

Last night I attended a beautiful celebration of love for my dear friend and her soulmate, which they shared with people from different walks of their lives: family members, neighbors, co-workers from 30+ years of different jobs, college friends, grad-school classmates, old friends, new friends. I felt the magic that the couple felt as they greeted loved ones, some of whom traveled across the world to be there.

An introvert at heart, I’ll admit my instinct at parties is to stay in the safety zone of chatting with familiar people. While I had lovely reconnections with my grad-school friends, I intentionally initiated conversations with people I didn’t know. Experience has taught me that I’m likely to enjoy my friends’ friends. Still, it’s scary, especially when a group of folks knows each other. The upshot: I got to learn more about the friend we have in common and experienced a meaningful connection with a new-to-me person. An extrovert who loved a party, my grandma Cicely would often ask me about who I’d met recently. By learning about the people in my life, she learned more about me.

Perhaps paradoxically, by stepping away from the event several times, I found myself wanting to stay at the party longer. Throughout the evening, I gave myself time alone to walk around the barn and take photos from a distance. That time alone helped me process input and recharged me throughout the evening.

How can you take advantage of an opportunity to form a meaningful connection with a new person?

Sunday Journal Prompt

“We can’t become what we need to be by remaining what we are.” 

– Anonymous 

This week our youngest child left home to start his new life at college, a place where he’ll meet people who will enrich his life and take classes that will shape who he is becoming. Transitions like starting a new school year, moving to a new town or taking a new job are tangible markers of growth opportunities. However, change and growth are just as important for those of us without such externally visible life shifts. 

What part of yourself are you giving birth to? How do you want to grow? Consider one step you can take this week that will move you toward the person you are becoming. It’s never comfortable to stray from our comfort zones, but journaling about the process is a way to dip our toes into the water, to ease ourselves into unchartered territory where growth awaits. 

Who are you becoming? What step might you take to foster growth?

Sunday Journal Prompt

“If you want to support others, you have to stay upright yourself.” 

– Peter Høeg, author 

Yesterday we learned a dear friend from high school has been diagnosed with cancer. It’s lovely to see that his extended family and many friends have mobilized to help him and his family. Others in our lives are also going through medical challenges that demand tremendous support from caregivers. When we’re so focused on the diagnosed person or recovering patient, it’s easy to forget about those on the front lines who have uprooted their routine to support their spouse, parent or child.

By taking care of ourselves, we have more energy to support others. It’s difficult to justify when we’re in the midst of hell, just trying to hold our breath until uncertainty passes. But it doesn’t have to be a full gym workout or two-hour yoga class. Sometimes a cup of tea and some deep breaths outside the hospital walls, a nature walk or a short visit to a favorite recharging spot can help restore our strength so we can be more present for the people we love.

How can you take care of yourself so you can take care of others?

Sunday Journal Prompt

 “Human spirit is the ability to face the uncertainty of the future with curiosity and optimism.”

 – Bernard Beckett 

Our family is about to experience a big transition: both of our sons will be off to college in a few weeks. Our older son will live on his own for the first time, our youngest son will share a dorm room with three people he hasn’t yet met, and my husband and I will no longer have children under our roof on a daily basis.

“What will it be like?” my friend Jackie asked me yesterday. Since our house has long been a hub for the boys’ friends, our home will be quieter. My husband and I will have more time to spend with each other and with our friends. Beyond that, I’m not sure what to expect. As hard as it will be to have the boys gone, I’m looking forward to discovering what our new life will bring. 

What transition awaits you? How can you approach it with curiosity and optimism?

Sunday Journal Prompt

“To care for the present is to care for the future.” 

– Thich Nhat Hanh, Our Appointment with Life 

Ninety-one-year-old Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, whom Martin Luther King, Jr. nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, has long advocated for mindfulness of the moment: Our past is in each moment because it leads up to where we are, and grounding ourselves in the present moment helps shape the future. Last Sunday I had the opportunity to observe this in action. 

During my once-a-year visit in California with my best friend, she got a phone call from someone saying that her husband had had an accident and was in the hospital. Despite this shocking news and its related uncertainty, she stayed remarkably calm. Past experience taught her that freaking out prevented her from thinking clearly. Practicing mindfulness in the present moment, she called a friend who worked at the hospital to see if she could check on her husband, made sure her pets—including her cat Charlie that had just had surgery—were all taken care of, put a phone charger in her purse and locked the doors before we started the thirty-minute drive to the hospital. By breathing and caring for the present moment, she prepared for the uncertain future. 

How can you practice mindfulness in the present moment to shape your future?

Sunday Journal Prompt

“Writing in a way saved me, kept me company.” 

– Carrie Fisher

From the age of twelve, actress Carrie Fisher “wrote things to get out of feeling them, and onto paper,” recognizing how therapeutic writing can be. While I can certainly relate to her experience, what I most appreciate from this Postcards from the Edge author is the way she described writing as like a friend who kept her company during difficult moments.

We have so many voices in our lives, some perhaps unwanted at times. Not only can our journals become a place to process all that input, but also a place to find our nurturing selves. Admittedly, sometimes it can be hard to be a friend to ourselves, especially if we’ve disappointed ourselves or others. During such times, journaling has helped me forgive myself—or, if needed, coach myself to ask for forgiveness from others—and inspire me to do better in the way a supportive friend would. When we feel alone, our journals can become a place where we can find a voice who gets us.

Who or what has most supported you during difficult times?

Who or what has most supported you during difficult times?

Sunday Journal Prompt

“What we think, we become.” 

– Buddha 

If, as Buddha said, we become what we think, what are you becoming? What types of thoughts consume your life? For many, thoughts of worry and fear take up a lot of brain space. We build intricate “What if?” scenarios in our minds, boosting our stress levels about things that may never happen. Why, why, why do we do this? Perhaps we think it’s a way to protect ourselves—to prepare ourselves for undesired possibilities so that we won’t be blindsided, so that we can strategize ways to deal with disappointments. Not only does this zap our energy, but it removes us from the present moment. And who knows? Maybe constantly thinking about worst-case scenarios helps draw them near.

When I picture myself falling or losing my balance while in half-moon or Warrior III yoga poses, I fall. When I look down while in crow position, I fall down. However, when I keep my neck in line with my spine, focus on my foundation and envision myself mastering a position, I maintain my equilibrium. In the same way, thinking about the person we want to be can guide us toward that vision. And journaling helps solidify it.

How might you shift your thoughts to think more about who you want to become?

Sunday Journal Prompt

“When you pen down your dreams, an inner strength and divine power is activated.”

– Lailah Gifty Akita

Last week I overheard two women talking, one sharing about the stress she’s feeling over her divorce. Her friend listened attentively then shared how journaling had helped her manage pain and stress related to medical challenges. “I journaled about everything, and in three months I was better,” the second woman said. While I imagine she pursued additional treatments beyond journaling, my experience has been similar. 

When I was sick with Crohn’s disease and grieving my mother’s death, writing about my situation and envisioning a life without physical and emotional pain gave me an inner strength and aided healing. I was able to unload some of my pain onto the page, reducing the weight I was carrying. It took time and wasn’t linear, but journaling was pivotal to my recovery—and eventually helped me position myself to pursue a new path as a stronger version of myself.

What stress are you experiencing? Imagine what it would feel like to reduce or unload the burden. What might your life look like?

Sunday Journal Prompt

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” 

– Arthur Ashe

Often my instinct is to postpone a task or goal until I have everything I think I need to do it “right”: wait to grade papers until I have a two-hour block of time to devote to the task, postpone work on my book until I'll have more time during summer break, not donate to a worthy cause until I can give as much as I’d like to, not be a part of a social-justice pursuit until I have the time and wherewithal to play a larger role.

Yet little bits add up over time. When we start where we are, use what resources we have and do what we can, the microcosm begins to build. What we do in a day or week sets us up for what we can accomplish in a month or a year. Conditions may not be perfect, but they may well be all that is needed.

What have you been putting off until conditions are “right”? How can you start where you are with what you have to do what you can?

Sunday Journal Prompt

"To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die." 

- Thomas Campbell

A death has recently brought together people who rarely see each other and who only occasionally communicate. The sudden loss of a childhood neighbor—the brother of my oldest friend—has prompted engagement with people from my hometown. Memories and stories fill text, Facebook and Messenger windows, the pain of our loss rippling and echoing across miles, time zones and oceans.

It’s hard to imagine a world without his beautiful soul, and it’s heartbreaking to think of how painful his loss must be for his family. This experience has shed light on how not just distance, but also time—30-40 years in this case—can seem to evaporate when we consider deep connections from our childhood.

What emotion has rippled across time and distance? With whom did it connect you?

Sunday Journal Prompt

 “Look at every exit as an entrance to something else.”

– Tom Stoppard

 

Today, the day our youngest child graduates from high school, I’m thinking a lot about life’s transitions—his to his new life that awaits in college and ours at home without children under our roof. 

We don’t know what our new stage will bring, but I’d like to approach it from a different perspective than the term “empty nester” implies. As hard as it will be to have both boys gone, I prefer not to define our circumstances by what’s missing. Rather, I’d like to focus on the possibilities ahead: more time to spend with each other and our own endeavors.

What exits have you had in life, and what did they lead to?

 

 

Sunday Journal Prompt

 “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

– Nelson Mandela

Origami is the only art form that transforms two-dimensional objects—paper—into three dimensions. “Together,” a green rounded origami structure displayed on a pedestal at the Dayton Art Institute, is made of circular, intertwined pieces of watercolor paper that have been hand-folded, alternating between “mountains” (creases at the top of the folds) and “valleys” (creases at the bottom of the folds. Its structure conveys a loose, relaxed state while simultaneously showcasing something not typically associated with thin paper: a sound sturdiness.

How can you pursue for yourself the combination of a loose, relaxed state with sturdiness?

 

 

 

 

Sunday Journal Prompt

“Peace of mind comes the moment you come to peace with the contents of your mind.”

 – Rasheed Ogunlaru
 

Last weekend I had the pleasure of sharing journal prompts with participants at a wellness retreat in Hocking Hills, Ohio—a place said to have healing properties. Prior to my first session, my mind was still spinning from all the input and to-do’s that come at the end of my semester of teaching. Although I’d been at the cabin overnight, I didn’t yet feel fully present, so I walked from the cabin into the woods to try to reset myself.

After journaling for a bit, I sat on a rock and just listened to the sounds of nature—the bubbling brook, the nearby woodpecker, the rustling of the leaves by squirrels, the bark of a distant dog. Allowing myself to be fully present in nature helped set aside the swirling thoughts I’d been having, as I trusted that I would accomplish my remaining to-do’s after the weekend away. Before long, I felt a sense of realignment.

How do you realign yourself? How can you make time to practice it this week?

 

Sunday Journal Prompt

 “The best moments usually occur if a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.”

– Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, author of Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Performance 

A World War II prisoner who witnessed much pain and suffering, Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi became curious about happiness and life contentment. Through years of research, he concluded that happiness is an internal state of being, not an external one. 

“Happiness takes a committed effort to be manifested,” he states—and introducing more “flow” into our lives is key. The best moments are not when we're relaxed or passive, but rather when we achieve a state of “optimal experience” by being so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter, he says. Self-consciousness reduces, and our activity becomes effortless—such as when a competent musician plays without thinking. 

 

 

When have you felt a sense of “flow”? How can you introduce more of those moments into your life?

 

Sunday Journal Prompt

 “What makes you vulnerable makes you beautiful.” 

 – Brene Brown

While I typically think of journaling as an independent activity—a chance to connect with oneself on a deep level—this week I came to appreciate how it can connect us to others in a profound way. Thanks to the recommendation of my co-teacher Rachel Kerr, our Yogi-Wine-Journaling Workshop participants shared their prompt responses in small groups. 

It was beautiful to see how vulnerable people were willing to be with strangers. By sharing fears, doubts and secret dreams, participants opened the doors to support and connection from one another. After class, many exchanged contact information, and some stayed and chatted with each other for as long as an hour. As scary as vulnerability can be, it helps connect us with others in a meaningful way. 

With whom would you like to connect on a deeper level? How might you be more vulnerable with that person?

 

 

Sunday Journal Prompt

“To be free from suffering, free yourself from attachments.”  

– Buddha

 

If, as the Buddha said, “The root of suffering is attachment,” how can we free ourselves from wanting what we want? Attachment has long been a challenge for me—not so much attachment to what I have, but rather attachment to what I want for myself or others in my life, such as acceptance of a proposal, application or job. 

When the possibility of an opportunity presents itself, I tend to daydream and write about it. I get excited. Even though I know nothing is guaranteed, it’s difficult for me to stay detached. Yet, again and again, I’m presented with proof that attachment to a possibility can lead to heartbreak. 

Enter yoga. Its philosophical teachings of abhyasa (effort) and vairagya (letting go) remind me to work toward what I want—or support others to help them work toward what they want—and let that be enough. While we can determine how much effort we put into something, we can’t control outcomes determined by outside influences. Thinking of things this way doesn’t eliminate the sting of a disappointment (not yet, at least), but it helps me rebound faster and trust in the process.

How can you detach yourself from desired outcomes? 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Journal Prompt

“When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened.”

– Winston Churchill 

“Don’t borrow trouble,” was a phrase I recall hearing when I was a child. It sounded like wise advice, but it was hard for me to stop thinking of whatever I was worried about, such as a new school year or an upcoming surgery. Telling myself not to think about something seemed to magnify its power.

Enter journaling. By writing down what consumed my thoughts, I was able to interact with my worries at a deeper level—and reduce them. Rather than not thinking about something, I immersed myself in it to gain a new perspective. When I find myself held hostage by worry, I try to remind myself of this reset button I discovered at a young age.  

What most worries you?

Dive into it on the page to work toward a healthier perspective.

 

 

 

Sunday Journal Prompt

“Change your thoughts and you change your world.”

– Norman Vincent Peale, author and minister

While at my nephew’s basketball game at an elementary school, I discovered positive messages posted on the outside of the girls’ bathroom stall doors, messages like “What makes you different makes you beautiful” and “Kindness is power.” 

I thought of times in which I’d shed tears in the girls’ bathrooms of my childhood, hurt by something someone had said to me. Messages on those walls certainly didn’t lift me up. If, as author and minister Norman Vincent Peale says, changing our thoughts can change our world, exposing ourselves to thought-shifting elements like these phrases can transform our outlook.

How might you change your thoughts and thus change your world?

 

 

 

Sunday Journal Prompt

“Nearly all the best things that came to me in life have been unexpected, unplanned.”

– Carl Sandburg, poet

This week my fashion-loving 10-year-old niece and I went to a Todd Oldham fashion exhibit at our local arts center—an outing planned for two months. While the galleries had impressive displays and we had fun chatting about the different styles, she was far more engaged by the “secret staircases” that linked one room to another.

As other museum goers took the main entryways into each space, we darted up and down these near-hidden passages a good part of our time there. It was this unexpected discovery that added magic to our adventure.

What unexpected discovery has enriched your life? How can you stay open to unplanned possibilities?

 

 

 

 

Sunday Journal Prompt

“Just give it a try and see what happens.”

– Gary Gilbert, screenwriter and InsideOUT Writers teacher, to incarcerated youth to encourage them to write about their life situation

 

Run by Hollywood screenwriters, the InsideOUT program teaches formerly and presently incarcerated youth how to write as a way to deal with their life situation. 

A quiet 15-year-old girl whose parents and brother had died due to violence in her world, told teacher Gary Gilbert, “I’m not a writer” and said she didn’t know where to begin. He encouraged her to give it a try to see what happens, and she wrote, “There’s a bullet where my heart used to be,” a first line that helped her write about her trauma.

Not all of his students are poets like she is, but it’s not about that. The idea is to let people know it’s safe to look inside and see what they find. As Gilbert says, “It’s about them seeing who they are, how they got there, and, if we do our job, about who they can become.”

 

What do you resist writing about? What might happen if you gave it a try?

 

Sunday Journal Prompt

“It is the amount of positive vibration you have radiated in life that matters.”

– Amit Ray, Meditation: Insights and Inspirations

 

Raised Catholic, I no longer attend Mass on a regular basis. Since practicing yoga and reading Buddhist, Hindu, Tao, Jewish and other teachings, my commitment to Catholicism has waned—though I feel my sense of spirituality has risen. Still, I find peace during Mass, as its predictable structure and familiar hymns ground me, especially during times of sadness or uncertainty. 

On a recent cold, gray, rainy weekend afternoon, I felt the urge to go to 5 p.m. Mass. I sat near a man with special needs, flanked by his elderly parents with whom he communicated through sign language. When the priest held up the consecrated host in preparation for Communion, the man raised his arm as if he was at a rock concert, his index finger and pinky finger extended while the rest of his hand was in a fist. He waved his arm and body about, revealing a beaming smile to the congregation. I left Mass feeling a renewed sense of energy, having received the positive vibration radiated by this lovely soul.

When have you been lifted by someone else's spirit?