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I recently completed 24 Continuing Education Credits to renew my State of Alaska Insurance License come the end of this year. Just this evening, I came across a quote I've held onto since attending an Insurance Ethics course back in 2010. And, I find this still resonates . . .
"The reality is that good people desire to be held accountable . . . they understand that success is weighty. Success puts demands on our character . . . good people live by guiding principles because they understand that character is power. They are our North Star, our true identity, our guiding light." - Tom Flick
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"Don't ever feel like the best days are behind you.
Reinvention is the purest form of hope. Make today your best day yet." - Phil Wohl This quote speaks to me of 'reinventions' on many levels: Internal, professional, geographical . . . even physical. I was born a brunette. At the early age of twenty-eight, silver strands started weaving their way through my brown tresses. In my mid-thirties, I slowly started making the transition to blonde and I've, primarily, maintained this color until this last winter. Inspired to embrace the changing seasons of my life, I cropped off my hair to about an inch from my scalp and I'm impatiently waiting for it to grow out. Mae West is noted as saying that, " growing old is not for the faint of heart." I do not think of myself as old nor do I feel old. But there is no denying the physical evidence staring back at me when I look in the mirror - I am aging; lines are forming, jowls are distinct, silver crowns my head. My goal is to reinvent my 'ideas' (that do not serve me well) on the aging process, on growing older. In the last eight months, five people I know have died. I do not yet consider that I am close to the 'finish line' personally, but interfacing so closely with death these past months has set me to thinking - and the main thought that plays upon my mind is that . . . I finish strong. My reinvention of the 'over the hill' concepts in my psyche is still in its evolution. But to summarize a few points that stand out as I observe others grapple with aging; it is important to me that I maintain: A Joyful & A Grateful Heart Mental Acuity Physical Strength A Contented & Adventurous Spirit And that I continually bear in mind that though life is often messy, it is also glorious.  Much Muchier - Clowning Around "You're not the same as you were before," he said.
"You were much more . . . muchier . . . You've lost your muchness." Lewis Carroll Alice In Wonderland Recently, 'motivation's' been a topic of conversation in my social circles; from healthier menus to exercise to spiritual disciplines to living larger. I'm rummaging through old photos for projects I'm working on. And I've come across several much muchier pictures documenting my muchness. So, I've started a small collage of past adventures to inspire personal motivation. Life's responsibilities and trials often squelches passion and zeal. Finding the motivation and inspiration to power through is difficult but imperative for a fuller much muchier quality of life,  Springtime's Growth and Glory "All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today," Down the road from my home is a Nursery I like to frequent during the growing season. Spring before last, I picked up a small pot with a viola plant blooming purple. I plopped it in the ground close to the house and this season, voila, multiplication. The seed pods burst and spray seeds that spread and grow beauty in no particular rhyme or reason. Tulip's growth is interesting as they're planted in the Fall. I buried as many as I could cram into this little plot near my fire pit doubting whether they'd survive a cold snow pack the winter long. To my surprise, come Spring they made a grand appearance. Personal growth seems to often parallel these beautiful blossoms journey; for like them, after a long winter passes the warmth and light of Spring eventually showcases our own growth and glory. Take heart, Spring is on the horizon.  Skilak August 2024 "To the attentive eye, each moment of the year has its own beauty, and in the same field, it beholds, every hour, a picture which was never seen before, and which shall never be seen again." - Ralph Waldo Emerson I've spent more than 40 years exploring this area. I've rafted and fished and camped and hiked here. I taught my children how to drive along its quiet dirt road. No matter how many years pass, I am still struck awe by Alaska's grandeur, no matter the season.
"We swallow greedily any lie that flatters us,
but we sip only little by little at a truth we find bitter." - Denis Diderot  Hike - Girdwood, Alaska 2023 "The magic you are looking for . . . is in the work you are avoiding." - Dipen Parmar
 An after work drive to the river - Sparrevohn, Alaska June 2024 A young father recently shared with me anxiety over his son's sensitive spirit. He expressed concern that he's not adequately equipped to contend with the harsh realities of the world outside their home. Shortly after our conversation, I came across this quote.
"Water is fluid, soft and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard. This is another paradox: What is soft is strong." Philosopher - Lao Tzu This resonates. I fly to remote locations where I work here in Alaska. I am far from the comforts of my home, the familiarity of my family and the gentle companionship of my friends. There are times the pressures require a strength I sometimes wonder how I'll muster. But honestly, I can maintain true to my softer nature in the midst of mandates and demands. "We are not born all at once, but by bits. The body first, and the spirit later . . . Our mothers are racked with the pains of our physical birth; we ourselves suffer the longer pains of our spiritual growth. - Mary Antin
"We find comfort among those who agree with us;
Growth among those who don't." - Frank Clark "The highest reward for a person's toil
is not what they get for it but what they become by it." - John Ruskin  My mom still moving and grooving at 80 years old. March 2024 "We tend to stay away from mourning and dancing. Too afraid to cry, too shy to dance . . . we become narrow-minded complainers, avoiding pain and also true human joy . . . while we live in a world subject to the evil one, we belong to God. Let us mourn and let us dance." - Henri Nouwen
 "Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food." - Hippocrates "People grow through experience
if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built." - Eleanor Roosevelt  Resting along our hike up Wolverine Peek. "The reason to deliberately do hard things is so that when
non-self-elected challenges arrive (and they will), you can tell yourself; 'I don't know how this is all going to turn out, but I am certain I can do hard things.' Don't self-injure. But . . . doing hard things is always worthwhile." - Andrew D. Huberman, PH.D. |
AuthorIn a culture where people resist the idea of anyone speaking into their lives, I feel most fortunate I've people, who care enough for me, they risk speaking into mine. Their words provide a safeguard. And I love them for their commitment to my best. I also appreciate the words of wisdom of others who, though we've never met, share similar perspectives on life. I am drawn to their words as they encourage, inspire, empower. I hope you'll find their words provide you with the same. Archives
August 2025
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