Monthly Archives: November 2016

Take The Road Less Traveled and Don’t Look Back!

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“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” Robert Frost

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Photo Credit: JD Pierre – Thanksgiving road trip – Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi

Robert Frost’s poem, The Road Not Taken is a great expression of personal choice or free will to make our own life decisions. Whether we take the road that seems to be a well-worn path from those who have come before us; or we take the unknown path that is uniquely our own; we get to choose.

Many have analyzed this poem as being one which implies the traveler is fretting over the decision of which road to choose. They also imply that the traveler believes he will regret his choice since he says, “I shall be telling this with a sigh somewhere ages and ages hence…” I want to encourage you to consider the choice in front of you in the context of your life today, a few months from now, a few years from now, and when you are old and gray. Make the best decision you can with the information you have and then don’t look back!

Here’s the poem in its entirety from Wikipedia:

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

For this week’s soundtrack, I’m going with India Arie once again. “I Choose” is the perfect song to set the tone for making the best choices for your life. Enjoy!

Until next week,

Pernà

Happy Thanksgiving!

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“Some people grumble that roses have thorns; I am grateful that thorns have roses.” Alphonse Karr

thanksgivingPhoto Credit: JD Pierre – Pierre Dining Room

On Thursday this week, we will celebrate Thanksgiving. It’s the time of year when we pull our families close over a great meal and express our gratitude. We celebrate the people, experiences, and personal victories that have given us the fuel we need to keep moving forward. I’m always happy to see my family during joyful occasions. I also plan to sneak in a visit to an arboretum or two while we are on holiday. Because after all, we’ll need some exercise to offset all of the great food we will enjoy during the festivities.

I hope your Thanksgiving celebration deepens your connections to friends and family! Don’t forget to make some time to be alone with your thoughts and to strengthen your connection to spirit. Remember it’s important to nurture community and self.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I couldn’t find a specifically themed Thanksgiving song for this week. So, I decided to go with a high energy fun tune…”Can’t Stop the Feeling.” JT and the cast make me want to get my own flash mob together. Enjoy!

Until next week,

Pernà

A Breathe Away from Victory!

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“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Dr. Martin Luther King

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    Photo Credit: JD Pierre – Cockrell Butterfly Center

Well, the election results are in! Can I tell you I was caught totally off guard that Hillary Clinton did not win the election? Luckily, I recently posted a few guidelines we can use to practice accepting the things we can’t change. Although I was mentally prepared to do the work of healing, I was pretty much an emotional wreck. For me, this election symbolized the choice between unity and division. I had to ‘take a knee’ for a couple of days to seek God’s counsel on how to view what just happened in America. What I realized is:

  • Over half of the population chose unity. While there is much work to be done to help improve the margin of Love over Hate; I am encouraged to know that the majority of us want to embrace diversity and live together in harmony.
  • We can use our anger, frustration, concern, and fear to propel us to keep doing the work to unify our country/world.  I received this link from a Facebook friend. It offers some excellent tips on ways we can show up for ourselves and others as we move forward past the election.
  • Most of those who profoundly impacted our Universe, in a positive way, never became president (well Mandela did). So, I pray that we can encourage Hillary to keep working for the improvement of our society; even if she is never elected president.
  • Glass ceilings were meant to be broken. The President of the United States will one day be a woman. I’m convinced it will be in my lifetime!

Since we were just a breath away from victory, I’m offering this week’s soundtrack as an anthem that encourages us to keep moving the ball forward toward unity and justice. Alicia Keys and Jussie Smollett deliver an amazing performance singing “Powerful.”

Until next week,

Pernà

Lack of Resources; Or a Lack of Resourcefulness?

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“The defining issue is not a lack of resources; it is a lack of resourcefulness.” Tony Robbins

“Let death be what takes us; not a lack of imagination.” BJ Miller

Photo Credit: Me - Cockrell Butterfly Center
Photo Credit: Me – Cockrell Butterfly Center

I was binge watching Ted talks this past week when I came across these quotes from Tony Robbins and BJ Miller. I’ve been sitting with them all week. I really need some more time to fully develop a good post on this topic. However, I do strongly agree with the idea that much of what ails us is not that we lack resources; it’s that we have a lack the imagination to effectively use the resources we have.

I’m going to marinate on this topic a little bit longer, and do my best to remember that it’s the little things that make life worthwhile. So, here’s India Arie singing “Little Things” in this week’s soundtrack.

Until next week,

Pernà