100 Lighter Days

Be Tender and Wise

  
Our hearts go out to people in Haiti this morning. We’re grateful a mission team from our community arrived there safely. They reached their destination in Fedja just hours before the earthquake on Tuesday.

While the earth shook, a news stream revealed a woman who wailed, “Oh my God, the world’s coming to an end!” Streets jammed with panicked people. The injured moaned from beneath the rubble. The sky filled with dust.

A Facebook comment asks, “Will this catastrophe help us pay attention to a suffering nation so close to us?”

I pray it will be so.

While our hearts are open and eager to give, let's also be wise. Unfortunately, there are people who have no trouble scamming in a time like this. Do a little homework, so those in need can truly benefit.

I’m sure there are other credible lists, but CNN offers a good one. Click here.

 

Can You See Hope?

 

My friend Amos just came back from an internship in a Ugandan orphanage. When I listen to his stories, at first I think of a hopeless place where children have been permanently scarred by AIDS. Their mothers have died or realized they couldn’t care for a child who needed medical attention. The orphanage’s goal is to bring children back to stable health, so they can possibly return to family members where they’ll be loved even though they can’t be cured.

One child’s story, particularly, touched my heart as I listened to Amos. In his arms, he held a baby named Yuben, whose lungs had filled with fluid. His breathing was labored and shallow much like the rasping of an old man near death. Oxygen tubes delivered air he needed to stay alive, but recovery didn’t seem all that possible. In that hour, Amos cradled and rocked him. Tears streamed down his face. He was firmly seated in a place of deep suffering. Optimism was no match for this scene. What they both needed was hope.

In that frozen moment, Amos instinctively held out his finger for Yuben to grasp. A prayer floated from his lips, “God, hold out just a finger of your love for him to hold.” His other hand rested on the little boy’s chest. “Let him breathe.”

Weeks later, it was obvious that Yuben’s infant mind and spirit had turned a corner. He was gaining weight and breathing on his own.

Amos still fights back tears today when he tells this story. He sees that place of deep suffering. But, he also sees a light-infused time when he and Yuben reached beyond reason into hope.

It's about time!

photo courtesty of Flickr's Creative Commons and ali edwards

Why do I have a love-hate relationship with calendars and day-planners? Danielle La Porte offers an answer on Leo Baubata's zenhabits. What I really want is to feel calm and connected—with family, friends, work, self, and the world out there.

She tells me to identify core areas that are important to me in life, so my calendar respects them. I sorted through Oprah's Best Life categories and checked for ideas in Julie Morgenstern's Time Management from the Inside Out. Finally, I sat down to a cup of java with Jen James, my friend and blogging partner.

An hour [and lots of doodling and chatting] later, we landed on our Top Six:

• Work

• Relationships

• Wellness

• Surroundings

• Finances & Possessions

• Spirituality

Honestly, what really bogs me down is the truth a calendar tells. My right-brain self gets emotional hives just thinking about boxes, check lists and “shoulds.” My neck feels tense as I consider all the space occupied by the word “Work.” But, Danielle suggests I de-stress by finding a way to be as balanced as I can be—while I'm at work. . . as well as in the other areas of life. Good point. I want to experience simplicity, connectedness, freedom, and creativity wherever I am. Interesting.

I might even be able to look at a calendar that lets me do that. I'll mess around with that tomorrow.

What are your Top Six? Leave us a comment. . . and your favorite links.

Let micromovements change your life

  

photo courtesy of Flickr's Creative Commons 

Rather than plunge into improving our lives with the wrath of Brunhilda, choose micromovements --something personal, such as those suggested by Planet SARK , or global as suggested in the Small Act Network. And. . .share your ideas with friends. Like us.

My friend Jen and I discovered when we created our own incremental changes in small blocks of time, lightness started to become a state of mind. . . rather than a number on the scale or a deluge of perfect expectations. Think in terms of 7 minutes. Be gentle, but effective. Pick a few areas of your life, and let us know what worked for you. We need inspiration too. Let it go. . . .

• Want to lose weight? Grab 7 fresh strawberries instead of a cookie.

• Want to get in better shape? Walk for 7 minutes at lunch hour. (Option: partner with a friend.)

• Want to improve your mind and your career? Skim 1 magazine article or online story. (Check out Suite 101 for lots of short, practical articles.)

• Want to make space for spirituality? Take 7 deep, slow breaths and meditate on a simple, focused phrase---several times a day.

• Want to increase your generosity? Give away 1 item today--book, music, magazines, shirt, etc. or . . . collect 1 item each day of the week and put it in a bag. Bring it to the thrift store on Saturday.

• Want to reduce clutter? Get rid of 1 box of stuff you're not using (such as college lecture notes or inactive client files).

• Want better relationships? Spend 7 extra minutes really listening to someone.

• Want to be more effective professionally? Choose 1 simple action to move you closer to one of your top priorities.

What 3 micromovements did you make TODAY?