DROPS OF WISDOM: Enjoy Your Life
Spring greetings from ToDo.
We had the amazing good fortune to experience the solar eclipse from our backyard with friends who came up?for the event. While in silence, during those extraordinary moments, we witnessed the changes in lighting,?experienced the drop in temperature, and were touched by awe with?the wonder of our?natural world.
And now here we are in mid-April. The daffodils are up.?The goldfinches are back. The snow tires are off.?And the bears have woken up.
Thank you for your companionship.?Running the ToDo Institute provides me and Gregg with meaning, structure, friendships, inspiration, challenge and more work than we can possibly do. If you're waiting to hear back from us about something, be a squeaky wheel. Don't hesitate to give us a clear and friendly nudge.
Hoping you have moments of joy and delight tucked into your life.
With love and appreciation,
Linda
Enjoy Your Life
by Trudy Boyle
At the entrance to Pema Chodron’s monastery, on Cape Breton Island, is a sign that reads: “Enjoy Your Life.”
Pema knows, like all of us,?that life isn’t a bowl of cherries. It can be unfair – sometimes in our favor and sometimes not.
However, when we show up for our life with a curious mind, wondering what might happen today, we get to experience more opportunities to appreciate the joy of being alive, helping others, and getting to spend time with those we love (even when they can be a teeny bit annoying).
And we recognize that there will naturally be days more difficult than others. We coexist with those days, doing what we can to mitigate difficult circumstances, while not wasting our energy fretting over the “why me” or "it’s not fair.”
We learn not to take on this burden of “piggyback” suffering and conserve our energy for what we CAN do something about, especially for what brings meaning?and joy to our days — such as delighting in the company of those whom we love, taking steps towards important purposes, and offering a kind word to boost the spirits of others.
Many of you carry terrible burdens and my heart is with you. Life can grind us down. But keep retraining your eyes and hearts and brains to find the light that falls through the cracks. It is worth it. And on the days that you just can’t manage another thing, give yourself a break from constant striving. Take advice from Darlene Cohen, author of?Turning Suffering Inside Out,?who goes to bed on those days and “eats chocolate and watches funny movies.”
Everyone comes to the end of their rope now and then and we just need a little break. Be gentle with yourself. Sometimes it is exactly what we require to start fresh the next day.
Here is the gift of a poem, recited beautifully by?John O’Donohue.?The title means?Blessing?in English. I hope you enjoy it: Beannacht
Today (April 19th) is an important?day around here.?It is the first day of:
April 19 - May 19, 2024
with Gregg Krech ?
领英推荐
Here are 8 reasons why I love this program.?And why I think you will too:
Gregg Krech is a leading expert on Japanese Psychology and the author of 5 books, including the text for this program, A Natural Approach to Mental Wellness: Japanese Psychology and the Skills We Need for Psychological and Spiritual Health .? (The ebook is available through?the program.)
(And if you took the Mental Wellness program before, select “alumni” as your registration choice to receive a 50% alumni discount.)
Something to Ponder
There’s evidence that on average people are checking emails74 times a day, switching tasks every 10 minutes, and that creates what’s been called time confetti . . .?where we take what could be meaningful moments of our lives and we shred them into increasingly tiny, useless pieces.
-- Adam Grant
Monkton, Vermont
Sept. 22 – 28, 2024
with Gregg & Linda Krech
Bavaria, Germany
Oct. 20 - 27, 2024
with Gregg Krech & Sabine Kaspari
This 7-day Residential Certification Program is our most comprehensive educational opportunity.??
The program provides an opportunity for you to step back from your day-to-day life, immerse yourself in the wisdom and beauty of Japanese Psychology, reflect on your life, develop new practices, soften your heart,?challenge your stories,?activate your senses,?savor nature's beauty, and become an integral part of this year’s residential community.
It is a rich and empowering curriculum, drawing mental health professionals, educators, health practitioners, as well as the general public, in search of the best way to spend their "30,000 days".
“Prepare for lots of inspiring teachings?and?thoughtful talks that reach down?into the depth of your being. Expect?many lively debates that make you come alive?100%, experimental cuisine on a daily basis, very interesting dinner table?conversations indeed, tons of warmth and support from the people around you,?a good deal of subtle and sometimes less subtle guidance by Linda and Gregg. Don’t hesitate a second to register for it.?It’s money and time very well spent.”?— Barbara Buri, Switzerland
We'd love to have you join us!
Contact Linda for further information:?[email protected] / 802-453-4440