Art of Gracious Living #68 - Homeward Bound
"It doesn't matter where you live today - trailer, apartment, or a house. You may be rooming in a motel or seeking santuary in a safe house halfway between your past and your future. You may even be without a roof to call your own, camping out on a friend's couch or community cot; held hostage in a palace or pitching a tent on the dark side of the moon. It doesn't matter. If you're reading this, you're homeward bound." Sarah Ban Breathnach in "Something More"
I love this quote. It speaks so much about our need for home - for a place to belong. Her point is that we are always thinking about home, and going there, wherever that may be.
I love my house, but this is not my dream house. I will one day live in a different kind of house - something in the Queen Anne style, which is my favorite. Those "painted lady" houses in San Francisco are Queen Anne style houses. I love the asymmetrical nature of these large houses, with their gingerbread, bay windows and stained glass. I know they're not "practical," but I love them. So, for me, that is where I'm headed ... my homeward bound destination.
Isn't it lovely that we have the ability to imagine ourselves in another place, another home, another life?
Click this button to listen to the Art of Gracious Living.
Click this button to subscribe to Art of Gracious Living through iTunes.
Click this button to subscribe to Art of Gracious Living through Zune.
posted by Patsy Terrell at 8:45 PM
0 comments
Inviting some friends over for a tea party creates an atmosphere where conversation can flourish. It gives us a way to connect with others, which is an essential for our good health.
Poet David Whyte related a story of a friend saying that the cause of people being tired was a lack of wholeheartedness. It's another way of saying that people should follow their passion.
Each of us has life lessons to learn. One of mine has been that people can only love you as they are capable of loving you, which may not be how you want to be loved. 
Forgiveness is an essential to happiness. In this week's episode I share some of my personal stories of forgiveness, and how to let go of trangressions.
Science has proven that meditation will increase your happiness level. Today's podcast is about various meditation techniques and ways you can incorporate it into your daily life. 
Journaling is one way to make yourself happier, particularly gratitude journaling. In this podcast I talk about various ways you can make journaling part of your everyday life.
Science is giving us insight into how to be happier. Today is the first of a four part series devoted to techniques you can use to increase your happiness level. 
Looking back at the previous year and considering if your life is going the direction you want it to go is a healthy thing to do as we enter the new year. It's a good way to approach making some real change in your life. 
Christmas is a religious holiday for some, and a secular one for others. Regardless of how you celebrate, take time to connect with others and be grateful in this season. 
With the holidays at hand, this is a great time to encourage other family members to tell their stories and to share yours. 
When you have dozens of people coming to your home is not the best time to try out new recipes. Stick to things you know how to do, and keep it simple. 
Buddhists believe in reincarnation, and that being born as a human is a rare and precious thing to be appreciated. Regardless of the religious aspect of this teaching, it's important to appreciate what we can do as humans and to not take our lives for granted. 
I love the holidays and have learned over the years that early preparation is key to enjoying the time fully.
Dr. David Franz, a bioterrorism expert, told a story at a recent lecture about finding a common language and how that facilitated communication between his team and a Russian team in early 1994. This was a turning point in his career, when he came to see science as a common language. 
I recently took a trip with a friend. The idea of being open became a motto for us during our travels. We each had experiences we would not have had left to our own devices because we went along on excursions the other person wanted to do.
So much is made these days about clutter control and clearing your space, but it is important to keep the things that matter to you close. Things that make us feel good, that remind us of pleasant times are not clutter, as the experts are so fond of telling us, they are memories and deserve to be treated with respect. 
It's easy to get caught up in the details of daily life and forget that we have infinite possibilities. We have options that we often don't full consider because we are not looking beyond our current obligations. 
Creative thinking is the ability to apply knowledge to seemingly unrelated situations. It's the reason no knowledge is ever wasted. 
When you're a guest, your job is to create the event. Your host is providing the setting and the circumstances, it is incumbent on you to bring yourself to the event fully. 
When one is a host, some things are required - namely that you are responsible for your party. 
We humans are blessed with the ability to express our affection for each other with words. 
Humans work harder to avoid what we fear than we do to seek what we desire. This means that our fears have tremendous power in our daily lives. 
My friend, Trish, recently returned from a rafting trip through the Grand Canyon with her son, Nick. It was a life-changing experience for them, and a time for real bonding between mom and 20-something son. 
I recently visited the Cathedral of the Plains at Victoria, Kansas. The Art of Gracious Living Podcast this week is about how we all need sacred spaces in our lives. You can listen using the player below.
I was recently asked to give a brief presentation about one of my "core beliefs." I chose to talk about how I believe life is all about the little things that happen in a day.
Loneliness has become an epidemic in the United States. We have more people than ever living in this country and we're increasingly isolated.
We have so few opportunities to have quiet in our lives, but it is essential to leading a gracious life. 
There are two questions you can ask anyone that give tremendous insight into who that person is, what motivates them, what is important to them, and how they're likely to lead their lives. 
Taking time to write down the guiding principles for your life - your Rules for Living - will help you make decisions easily. 
Setting boundaries is an essential for leading a gracious life. Each of us must know what our limits are and how to create a life within them.
We know that children who are connected through simple things like having dinner with their families, are less likely to do drugs. Yet, the number of families who eat together continues to drop.
I have had some incredible experiences because I shared someone else's passion for something. A recent example was riding behind Union Pacific's Steam Engine 844 to do a story. I would not have sought it out on my own but because I knew someone who was passionate about it I was able to share that.
At a conference recently I was reminded how the language we use affects us and those around us. We were talking about Mental Health issues. Someone mentioned that one of the first things people do in any social movement is change the language. She cited the civil rights movement as a case in point.
This week we welcomed a new addition into my family as my great niece had her first child. As we rejoiced at the birth of Mia Isabella, it occurred to me that we should all celebrate our lives every day. 
The momentos we gather give us an indication of what we value.