I think of you often. Especially in the evenings, when I am on the balcony and it’s too dark to write or to do anything but wait for the stars. A time I love. One feels half disembodied, sitting like a shadow at the door of one’s being while the dark tide rises. Then comes the moon, marvelously serene, and small starts, very merry for some reason of their own. It is so easy to forget, in a worldly life, to attend to these miracles.

~ Katherine Mansfield, poet

Take wrong turns. Talk to strangers. Open unmarked doors. And if you see a group of people in a field, go find out what they are doing. Do things without always knowing how they’ll turn out. You’re curious and smart and bored, and all you see is the choice between working hard and slacking off. There are so many adventures that you miss because you’re waiting to think of a plan. To find them, look for tiny interesting choices. And remember that you are always making up the future as you go!

~ Randall Munroe

How many times have you blurted out something in anger, or frustration only to wish that you had kept your mouth shut and your opinion to yourself?  OMG! It happens to me too frequently, leaving me embarrassed and apologizing or feeling like poo! In this article from Lessons for Living, it teaches the importance on being aware so that you can temper yourself and your reactions by just taking a moment.  Breathe. Hesitate. Stop before you react. Think before you speak.

I hope it speaks to you like it did me.

Love and Peace,
Sandy

Learning to Hesitate

A recent luxury car radio commercial, which boasts of a new and smoother 8 speed automatic transmission, uses the announcers halting voice to effectively demonstrate just how frustrating hesitation can be, especially, when we need to be speeding ahead into traffic.
In daily life, however, learning to hesitate at the right moment may be one of the secrets of becoming a happier person.

A major obstacle to happiness often arises from being too impulsive, as when we rush into inappropriate comments, behaviors, and decisions. Hesitating just a moment before going into action can make a big difference in our lives.

Hesitation gives us time to reflect on what we are about to say or do by tuning in to our inner dialogue and making sure that we are talking sensibly to ourselves. Whenever life pushes our buttons, we go on “automatic” with no hesitation at all, and such habitual responses always begin with a thought. If we catch the thought, we can evaluate its usefulness.

This may be as simple as when in rushing to the office, a traffic light catches you, and leaves you sitting in your car wondering, “Why such bad things always happen to me.” (A good example of a negative automatic thought.) Or, upon finally arriving at work, your boss immediately gives you “another” difficult assignment, and all you can think of is how he always picks on you.

With a little hesitation in either instance you have the opportunity to realize that the traffic light has unexpectedly given you a chance to relax, rejuvenate, and enjoy the music on the radio. Hesitating and re-evaluating, you may also understand how much the boss depends on your ability to always get the job done no matter how tough it is. A moment of hesitation and reflection can enable a new attitudinal choice, which means a different behavior and better mood.

Knowing when to hesitate takes intention, awareness, and effort, however, successful hesitation means that you are no longer on automatic. Learn when to hesitate and see if life begins to go better.

Article from Lessons4Living