To Live Inside Hope

Hi Ladies,  I'm dragging a bit this delightful, cool, drippy fall day because I couldn't put down Barbara Kingsolver's latest book, Flight Behavior, until I closed the back cover well after 2am this morning.  But it was worth every minute of lost sleep.  The quote above is from a conversation with Barbara at the end of the book and comes from Animal Dreams, another wonderful book of hers.    I can't imagine anything more delicious than living inside hope . . . but some days I need all the help I can get (don't we all?) so reading books like Flight Behavior not only inspires me but her beautiful language makes me fall in love with reading all over again.    Can you remember the last time you lived inside hope so wildly that you felt like "running down its hallways, touching the walls on both sides."  Were you 6?  16?  25?  Was it yesterday?  For me, it was when I was biking the Rio Grande Trail in Aspen, Colorado in August . . . it was a perfect late-summer day, a cool breeze, the sound of the Roaring Fork River as my constant companion, my camera in my backpack, and a group of lovely women riding with me.  Perfection!   How about you?  Take some contemplative time to softly close your eyes and bring a wildly hopeful time into your heart.  What does it feel like?  Taste like?  Look like?  Ask yourself, "How can I live in that place more often?"   I am truly grateful for our connection and would love to hear about your journey.    With love and gratitude . . .   Karen

 

There comes a time . . .

There comes a time . . .
when you walk away from all the drama
and people who create it.
You surround yourself with people
who make you laugh.
Forget the bad, and focus on the good.
Life is too short to be anything but happy.
Falling down is a part of life,
getting back up is living.
~ Anonymous

 

Do you feel fall right around the corner?  I do.  And I love it!  I begin to feel a surge of hopeful new possibilities every year about this time.  Maybe it's left over from my school days . . . new folders, new lunchbox, new school shoes and clothes. 
 
At the age of 67 a new school year is definitely not beginning . . . at least not in the way it did when I was a child . .  . but so many other opportunities to expand my mind, my spirit and feed my curiosity always blossom at this time.   

Below are several ways that I nourish my passionate curiosity:
 
TED Talks:  I spend my lunch hours immersed in inspiration by watching one or two of the best TED Talks (Ideas worth Spreading on Technology, Education and Design by thought leaders in their industry). They always stir my imagination and encourage my creativity and often send me bolting to Google and Amazon to learn more about a speaker's work.  If you're not aware of TED, I encourage you to visit www.ted.com and you'll find a whole new world.

READING:

 

    ~ Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Start with WhySinek.  I learned about Simon and this book from his fabulous Ted Talk (click here) and have inhaled it.  It looks like a book on business but it is so much more.  It's really about living an inspired life and how you can inspire others. 

 Our visions are the world we imagine.
~ Simon Sinek   

   
  ~ The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael Singer is one I'm reading for the second time this year.  There's so much soul-awakening wisdom in this book that I've underlined and flagged a good percentage of it.  You can watch a video of Michael and Oprah by clicking here. 

There is nothing more important
to true growth than realizing that you are
not the voice of the mind--
you are the one who hears it.
 ~ Michael Singer

   
OPRAH'S SUPER SOUL SUNDAYS:  I try never to miss Oprah's inspiring Super Soul Sundays.  She has the finest visionary thinkers and spiritual minds today on her show and their conversations are always inspiring and mind-opening.  Check your local listings to see what time this wonderful show is on in your area.
     
I am so grateful for this connection with you.
 
With warmest fall wishes,
Karen