I tell wonder-filled stories about hope and healing
“There is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.” ~Vincent van Gogh
Taking care of people is the most noble work we can do. It takes effort and energy, and I’ve always found it be my favorite work in my personal and professional life. I’m beyond lucky to have so many people from so many areas of my life who mean the world to me. They’re my greatest gifts, and every day I’m grateful for them. They make this whole wild ride of life worthwhile.
“3 things students want to hear: I believe in you. You have a purpose. How are you?”
This was posted by Edutopia (George Lucas Education Foundation) this week. While it’s positioned as what we need to tell students every day, it’s something we all need. This is something we should give to others and also expect to receive in return from everyone in our lives. We all deserve this level of care and concern.
Though I’m not a religious person, I do believe passionately in the power of community and love. One of my very dearest friends was dealt an incredible loss last week. If you have any spare thoughts, prayers, and virtual hugs, she and her family could really use them now. Let the goodness flow through you and out into the Universe in the hopes that we can brighten the skies a bit for everyone. Thank you so much.
I love Ryan Adams, and all the more so for quotes like this: “There is nothing wrong with loving the crap out of everything. Negative people find their walls. So never apologize for your enthusiasm. Never ever.”
The negative people I meet—and sadly there are so many of them out there—often think I’m overly enthusiastic, that I’m just too excited about life. And to that I say, “Someday, I hope you realize what you’re missing.”
I do love the crap out of everything—my friends, Phineas, my city, my writing, my creative projects, music, art, books, animals, nature, my home, travel. You name it and I can find something I love about it. Negative people will knock us down; that’s their choice and we can’t control it.Whether we stay down or eventually rise up is our choice and we do control that. Their behavior has nothing to do with us and everything to do with them. Their negativity is a direct reflection about how they feel about themselves, not how they feel about us.
So here’s my advice: take every wall that a negative person throws in front of you and carve a window into it. Crawl through that window and leave those negative people behind.You are not responsible for them. They don’t have anything to offer you and they don’t want the gifts you have to give. That’s their loss, not yours. You deserve to be surrounded by love; don’t settle for anything less.
Yesterday I had my regular call of inspiration and camaraderie with my friend, Sara, one of the wisest people I know. When we hung up the phone, I caught a glimpse of this sunset through a grimy alley in my neighborhood. The light was so rich and intense that it stopped me in my tracks. I ran down the alley and snapped a few photos of the light. I couldn’t get enough of it.
It’s moments like these that remind me that the world we live in is so vast, so incredible. It’s full of magic around every corner if only we will allow ourselves the time and space to see it. It’s not always easy to walk around with your heart on your sleeve, which is where mine has taken up permanent residence. I get knocked around a fair bit. The upside to that is I experience so much more than people who keep their hearts neatly tucked away. The don’t get hurt as much though they don’t love as much either.
Call me crazy, but I’m just fine with the tough times if being open and vulnerable allows me to appreciate sunsets like this, to have friends like Sara, and to experience life in all of its wild and wondrous forms.
Kaufman and Hart were right about so many things, especially this – you can’t take it with you. Everything that you can hold in your hands will eventually break or be tossed aside. I don’t collect things. I don’t even like the idea of having too many things beyond the basic necessities. I am constantly amazed by how few material things I need to love a good life. What I collect and cherish are the things that will last a lifetime: the amazing relationships I have with people and the memories of experiences we have together. So let’s put our attention and energy where it really counts: focused on the people who make our lives so worth living.
Christa Avampato 