lemonadestand

I have always been a softie for lemonade stands and was very happy to discover this one a few doors down while heading out for my morning run. This is Murray and his baby sister Maya, and they were the team behind this pretty amazing lemonade stand that was formed to celebrate the summer solstice last week.

The adorable, enthusiastic, and quite brilliant Murray probably thought he enticed me over with his sweet cry of “free lemonade." Of course I would never pass up a lemonade stand, but he didn't know that. As I was getting money out to leave in the donation pitcher, I was delighted when he sweetly "up-sold" me, sharing that "If you give me all the money you have, you can also have a piece of taffy.” Funny, I started to babble about my sugar intake with a 4-ish year old who promptly pressed a piece into my palm and declared, "If you don't want it now, you can save it for later," as I was happily and clearly dismissed for the next customer.

I was grateful as I walked away with a delicious cup of home-grown lemonade. A great kickoff to the summer and a deeper appreciation for the evolution of lemonade stands.

Thank you, Murray! I just found the taffy in my pocket. You made me smile all over again.

I recently returned from a 5 day silent meditation retreat deep in the back country of beautiful and very serene Ojai, California. Going into silence after a busy year is an annual ritual that brings me peace and clarity to wrap up the past year and jump start the new one. I always gain insight, usually in the most unexpected ways , yet one of the most challenging aspects of meditation for me is to consistently bring a beginner’s mind and childlike wonder each time I sit.

My new year’s day began with the perfect reminder as I was spending some down time hanging out with the eclectic mix of peacocks, geese, roosters, and chickens. They were the sweet noise in our silence on this historical family house and farm we were staying on, based at the entrance to a very secluded park with rugged terrain and great trails.

As I was standing there, a local hiker and his toddler son approached the pen, as this very spirited peacock started doing his peacock thing and got beautifully puffed up, animated, and loud. I found and listened with my delighted beginners mind as the questions started rapid fire and dad calmly explained "when the peacock gets all fancy like that he's trying to impress the girl peacocks" .... dead silence from the boy who continued to stare and try to understand .... dad continues after a few minutes with "kind of like when daddy wants to make mommy really happy he puts on a suit and brings flowers" . The boy seemed to get that easily, with no further questions. Then the peacock turned around, started shaking, stomping, and showed us his other side. Dad quickly and easily explained, "As you can see, this side is beautiful too, like when Daddy is grumpy and wears his sweatpants and Mommy loves him anyway, everybody has other sides, and you can just see his clearly." With that, Dad got no more questions.

In our mutual silence, we were then treated to a great peacock show, and I walked away with a shiny new view not only on peacocks but on the two sides to everything. Grateful to start the year with a beginner’s mind.

So beautifully stated....

“If you are going to doubt something, doubt your limits.”

— Don Ward

A pretty sweet message to bring into the new year, especially given the location in Kolkata, India, where superhero references are not an everyday occurrence.

This bit of profound and charmingly misspelled wisdom was scrawled on the red cliff walls leading to the Mehrangah Fort in Jodhpur, India. There are several spots where these mindful messages are painted in Sanskrit and English throughout the drive—a sweet reminder and more inspiring than a typical billboard.

I just returned from an amazing trip to India, where I was exposed to a way of life and way of being I could previously only imagine. We wandered and discovered all kinds of people, places, and things, and the joy, harmony, and peace that we found in utter chaos at every turn continues to inspire and amaze me.

Everywhere we went, the perfect guide appeared and enthusiastically led us through areas we would not have had access to or felt comfortable with. This particular day we were wandering happily, although somewhat lost,  looking for the tannery in the slums of Dharavi when a perfectly dressed, handsome young man adopted us. Abdul Jawwad was thrilled to show off his great English and showed us around while giving us the real deal on the culture as he took us to the tannery. There, he was eager to talk and asked great questions about our lives. He was compelled to get out his brand new laptop (which his family had saved up for six months) because he wanted to share his dreams with me.

I was blown away by his clarity, drive and enthusiasm to share so happily and openly what to most would be considered unachievable dreams given the conditions we were standing in. He had a profound impact on me, and I have no doubt that he will achieve everything on that list... and much much more.

mom

I just returned from a sort of retreat where we were asked to identify our core values, strengths, etc., and my "aha” moment was that creativity has been a consistent thread in all areas and stages of my life.

I was encouraged from an early age to be a creative free spirit by both my parents, and I was a daily witness to the joys of creative bliss from my mom.

The evolution and cycles of her creative exploration and mastery range from a pottery studio in our garage where she taught and whipped out an endless array of dishes, vases and slab art to making three guitars from scratch and then learning to play them. When mom was studying interior design, our dining room table became the hub of the house as she built impeccable 3D scale models of houses and assorted other things.

I always had the best, most perfectly detailed dioramas for my book reports, and the book "Free to be You and Me” was my childhood manual, and I still value and appreciate the lesson and philosophy today.

I am sure I don't tell you enough. Mom, I love you, and I appreciate and am so grateful for the gift of creativity and inspiration you have blessed me with—much more than you will ever know.

Happy Mothers day

by Elliott S. Dacher M.D.

I have this wonderful teacher, my granddaughter. She is a little over two years old. Her mom called the other day to say that little Zoe was waking up at night crying from nightmares and would not sleep in her room. It seems there were cows running all over her room? That would be frightening for any of us.

As I thought about this, I realized that Zoe didn't yet know what a dream was. She did not realize that it was all in her mind and not in her room. So when she was awake, the fear did not go away. The cows were just hiding someplace in her room, perhaps playing peek-a-boo.

Of course, as adults, we all know that nighttime dreams are in the mind, and when we awaken, we do so with a sigh of relief, knowing that dreams are not real but only the product of our imagination.

But as an adult, I similarly act as if my daydreams, whose source is also in my mental imagination, are quite true. My fears, anxieties, judgments, and limitations are a result of my inability to awaken from my adult "dreams," from the over activity of my mental imagination, making the past the present.

One day Zoe will realize that her nighttime dreams are not real. She will be freed from the fears and limitations of her unruly imagination. With grace, perhaps one day I will also be similarly freed from an enslavement to my daydreams and be able to live free in the present moment, as it actually is.

Thank you to my dear teacher, Zoe.

What I am grateful for by Kathy Russell

I am grateful for my neighbors, Ian Kelsey and Megan, whose ages range from 6 to 9 years old. They continue to remind me of innocence, joy, and laughter, and that as an adult, I have learned to take myself much too seriously.

As we spend time together hiking or playing go-fish, they remind me to live in the moment and be happy as they are, because you never know when that moment will be taken away.

This straightforward dose of wisdom seems even sweeter when you consider its location, prominently perched in the back of a pickup truck during a Sunday morning flea market.

Grateful for being open to see the message... however they show up.

Peter

What a wonderful opportunity for one to be able to express one's gratitude to the world and be inspired by others. I'm grateful for everything, as follows:

God

Every day is a gift. I'm grateful to God for my Life, as the Source, for Love, for the Spirit, for the miracle of Creation, the Gift of vision, and the Power for creativity. Thank you God for air to breathe, plants for food, and the beauty and resources of mother Earth-oceans, flowers, trees, and animal.

Humans

My Mother. I'm eternally grateful to my beloved mother for giving me birth, for loving me unconditionally when I couldn't love myself, for carrying me when I couldn't carry myself, and for carrying me when I couldn't carry myself. Mother, I miss you. I try to be strong; I try to hide the pain of your loss from the world, but I cry in secret. Mother, I cry for you everyday-everyday. Why did you leave us so soon? You died young, but you never die. Your spirit lives on forever. I carry you in my heart. I see your face everyday. Though invisible, I know you are with me always. You spirit guide me and I'm grateful. Thank you for giving me life. Thank you for forgiving my errors-even before I ever asked. I love you, Dear Mother.

My Father. I'm grateful to my father for his love, discipline, protection, provisions, and for the gift of education. Dad, thank you for sending me to school. Thank you for paying the fees, for buying those books, uniforms, and shoes.

My Teachers-Thank you for teaching me how to read and write!

Friends and Kind Strangers

I'm grateful for the generosity of friends and kind strangers in America. I came to America with nothing. I knew nobody. But kind strangers carried me on their wings. They fed and housed me. I'm deeply grateful for their trust and hospitality which led to my success in this great country. Several dozens of children are getting help in my village because of them. If they hadn't helped me, I wouldn't have been able to reach out to my village. Thank you friends for the gift of your love-a gift that keeps giving!

Michelle McKee

I'm grateful for the gift and wisdom of Michelle McKee. Thank you for creating this avenue for me to share my gratitude with the world. May God give you more visions and prosper your work. Gratitude heals. This is an amazing initiative that can change the world. I'm honored to be a part of it.

Experiences

I'm grateful for disappointments, they lead to better things. When I was denied a visa for Britain, I got one for the U.S. When my used car was stolen, I bought a brand new one.

America

I'm grateful for the privilege of living in America. Thank you America for the freedom, resources, and opportunity to create and make a difference in the world. I love you, America!

Peter Opagrateful at 42

Quality time basking in the effervescent energy of  a five year old is good for the soul. This is the amazing Greta who I am grateful to have in my life, we had a special date recently and she wanted to paint portraits of herself and her brothers on plates. Notice she gave everyone crowns, (big crowns) and painted her brothers with their tongues sticking out:)Wisdom gained from an afternoon with Greta... anytime there was a "goof" no matter how big or small she said oops! got more paint and simply painted over and moved on...think that thought process could apply to most situations  in life and guess it really is that easy!