One of my favorite quotes!

"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." - Albert Einstein

As I Walk with Beauty

As I Walk with Beauty
As I walk, as I walk
The universe is walking with me
In beauty it walks before me
In beauty it walks behind me
In beauty it walks below me
In beauty it walks above me
Beauty is on every side
As I walk, I walk with Beauty.

Traditional Navajo Prayer

Walking Quote

My father considered a walk among the mountains as the equivalent of churchgoing.
Aldous Huxley

We cannot all do great things, but we can each do small things with love.—

Mother Theresa

Saying you're Sorry

Saying sorry should not be difficult. Even if you feel that you have hurt someone unintentionally, saying sorry can smooth over any hurt feelings.

It's so easy to say! And yet, many people still won't bring themselves to saying they are sorry...perhaps they think it is a sign of weekness. Whatever, their rationale is for not saying sorry, that simple phrase can disarm heated arguments and can allow the time needed to continue explaining why you are sorry!

Don't say sorry too much! As with anything, more sometimes is not better! Throwing out "sorries" when not warranted can yield the sorry be worth less than a well-placed sorry. But speaking from the heart, a sorry can lighten the load or provide that needed relief in a relationship or simple misunderstanding.

Saying that you are sorry isn't the end of the world! It is not a sign of weekness either! Being able to say that you're sorry means that you are willing to take resposibility for the action you may have commited. For those misinterpretations that we get outselves into every once in awhile, saying sorry can bring relief to the other party feeling wronged.

Just saying that you are sorry can begin the forgiveness process. Too many times, two parties are unwilling to begin forgiving the other person...mainly because they are waiting for the other party to admit that they were wrong. Saying that are sorry doesn't mean that you are admitting that you are wrong. You can begin saying you are sorry by simply saying that you are sorry for misunderstanding the situation. Forgiving one another may not be easy, but with a simple "Sorry" you can begin this process.

Appreciating the world around us!

You have heard it a million times to show gratitude towards the world around you. Don't take things for granted... Well, listen to this important advice! There is just too much beauty and good things in the world to appreciate without focusing on the negative. We watch the evening news and most of it is "bad" stuff reported but there is a lot of good stuff going on out there too! You don't have to look too far. Every church and community organization has many people all wanting and doing good things for the community.

Appreciating the world around us and others is quite easy. Reaching out to others with a simple smile or gesture is the best place to start. When you begin appreciating things you become more aware of yourself.

Look around you! Just visit a local park or beach (in bad or good weather) and look around you. Appreciate what you see! The world has so much beauty. Go for that walk or take that hike! Exhilerate yourself by breathing in the air and enjoying nature.

Getting out and growing!

Now that the warmer summer months are behind us, I take this time now to reflect while I was hiking and my contemplative time along outdoors. Outdoors, I can meditate, reflect and organize my thoughts. It is magical!

Breathing. Yes, I know. We all breath. But there is an art in breathing and focusing on your breath that is calming. When you're meditating that is one of many ways to begin. Hiking or walking outdoors causes this calming affect on me. I find peace and solace wherever I am outdoors. If I'm in the mountains and looking out over a river valley, there is something very spiritual about it. Not only am I getting (and keeping) my body in shape by hiking but I am growing both spiritually and physically.