My father used to sing the old song “Look for the silver lining whenever clouds appear in the blue.” This always confused me as a child, since clouds very often do have silver-grey edges. But perhaps my childish failure to understand “silver lining” wasn’t so far off. Maybe, rather than trying to remember that “somewhere the sun is shining” we’re better off seeing the beauty in the clouds themselves.
Where have you found unexpected beauty?
Today marks the equinox, the point of balance when day and night are the same length. For deciduous trees, this balance point in the cycle of growth and dying back is a moment of great beauty, the time when their colors shine the brightest.
What balance point are you at in your life? How do the transitions allow you to shine?
It’s always terrifying to launch yourself into the unknown, to experience freefall as the familiar slips away. What can make that experience of falling exhilarating, and not simply heart-stopping, is knowing that you are connected to an anchor—a person, a belief, a sense of self—with an unbreakable rope.
What serves as your anchor when you feel you are falling?
So often apologies from politicians or corporate spokespeople only add insult to the original injury. “I regret that I misspoke.” “I’m sorry that my words were misunderstood.” But a genuine, heartfelt apology, which names the offense clearly and offers restitution, can bring about true healing.
How has an apology—yours or another person’s—made a difference in your life?”
Today Hindus celebrate Ganesh Charthurthi, the birthday of the elephant-headed god Ganesh. One of the traditional prayers to Ganesh translates to: “O Lord Ganesha who has a large body, curved trunk and brightness of a million suns, please remove all obstacles in my work always.”
What particular obstacles would you ask Lord Ganesha to remove from your path
