PEBBLE
Every day, once a day, give yourself a present.
Don’t plan it. Don’t wait for it. Just let it happen.
~Agent Dale Cooper (Twin Peaks), shared by John in Seattle, WA (and also a Cal Poly parent)
BOULDER
When you recover or discover something that nourishes your soul and brings joy,
care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life.
~Jean Shinoda Bolen, shared by Dusty in North Carolina
PONDER
Even when life is super duper tough, small treats can provide a real, measurable boost to your motivation and your mood. Here’s a few examples I thought of just now:
- Crossing paths with a random stranger on the street and briefly exchanging eye contact, head nods and maybe even a smile..
- Being stuck in traffic and feeling behind on life and and then looking over and seeing a billboard or a bumper sticker that elicits a smile or giggle.
- Glancing at an overstuffed inbox and skipping past the “most important” messages and instead opening the email that has a better chance of providing an uplift.
That last one actually happened a few days ago when John messaged me the quote featured as today’s Pebble. I was sitting at my desk feeling really behind on a bunch of stuff when the quote grabbed my attention and piqued my curiosity. I replied immediately and promised him I would first apply it to myself before considering it as a quote for Ripples.
A few minutes later I caught myself identifying various random gifts I could give myself. The first was deciding to cut myself some extra slack since my day wasn’t unfolding exactly as I planned/hoped. Then I let myself focus on some fun tasks first instead of my usual pattern of making myself “earn” the fun stuff by first tending to the less pleasant items on my to-do list. The biggest gift was noticing the unseasonably warm day and spontaneously inventing a walkable errand so I could enjoy an extra dose of outdoor time. In the middle of the work day, even!
I hope you’re already daydreaming about how your day might improve if you open your mind and heart to make room for some good stuff in your life. One treat I can offer you: our upcoming “Resilience Refresh,” an informal zoom chat to explore practical ideas for staying upbeat and productive in hard times. We’re offering these freely to all Ripplers and their guests, with two date/time options to choose from:
Tuesday, March 11, at 7pm eastern (6c, 5m, 4p) or
Thursday, March 13 at 3pm eastern (2c, 1m, 12p)
Whether it’s signing up for an uplifting Zoomy Zoom, a sunshiney stroll, or a goofy billboard, I hope you’ll follow through on Making Room for Good Stuff!
Peace,
Paul
P.S. Some days when I need a more gentle lift, I go back to this simple, acoustic rendition of Rainbow Connection that Kermit the Frog performed back in April 2020.
