Meditation isn’t about a quiet mind, it’s about training a distracted mind to remain in the present. Focus on your breathing for one minute (set a timer.) Every time your thoughts wonder, gently bring your focus back to your breath. You may have to do this 10, 20, 30 or more times during those 60 seconds…but eventually you’ll get better. When you do, increase to two minutes, then five, all the way up to 30 minutes or even an hour.


16



Wintergreen snow sledding trip.


6



Never trust your tongue when your heart is bitter. Hush until you heal.


12, 18



Read “Lighter” by Yung Pueblo. Read it every year.


17, 19, 21



Begin colon cancer screening at 40. We have a family history on both sides.


21



Be extra careful when you’re parking or pulling out of a driveway. It’s hard to see little kids or pets.


16



I really want to see Totfino, BC. There’s no one I’d rather see it with than you. xoxo


20



“Success is liking who you are, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” - Maya Angelou


13, 15, 21



Let decency be like a religion to you. Practice it …but don’t preach it.


14



“The only way out is to love yourself. That’s it. That’s all.” - Valerie Bertinelli


10, 13, 17, 21



“I don’t know what I think until I write about it.” - Joan Didion


15



Always hold the door open for the next person.


4-14



1

“You will encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated.” -Maya Angelou


17



Learning to keep your composure and maintain a respectful tone when you’re frustrated/angry/afraid/upset, etc. is a skill. PRACTICE it.


4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 12, 14, 16, 19, 21



Sometimes, no matter how great a thing is it can’t make up for what it’s not.


14, 19, 21



Knowing the “right choice” to make isn’t always easy. Sometimes you have to decide then go for it. Make a choice, then make it right.


17, 21



Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I a Woman" speech.


10



"Discipline is helping a child solve a problem. Punishment is making a child suffer for having a problem. To raise problem solvers, focus on solutions, not retribution.”- L.R KNost


2-15



Do the work. No short-cuts.


14



Maria Shriver has lots of great parenting advice. One of my favorites is (paraphrased): “Children need what you need: to be seen, to be talked to, to feel safe and loved.”


Infant



When you feel sad, mad, confused or in any way upset, go to a quiet place to catch your breath. If you can sit with it and let it tell you what it wants to tell you, then you become its friend. But if you try to deny the feeling, or numb it, it grows much stronger and it fights you.


9, 13, 19



Processing an emotion means you’re not acting on it or avoiding it, you’re just with it. I like to picture it as a person and then imagine having a cup of coffee or a beer with it. Hope this helps you. xoxo


13, 16



Your very existence is a miracle. Countless cosmic events and generations of ancestors had to come together in precisely the right way at precisely the right time for you to be here now. It’s an honor to be who you are. Act accordingly.


13, 15, 18, 20, 21



When it comes to conflict- what is your part in things?


15, 21



When they turn 18 they should have a will, a financial power of attorney and a medical PoA.


17,18



Watch “The Sandlot” together. Great story about friendship and showing up for each other.


8



Mvzkhdkhd


19



No bragging. Don’t toot your own horn.


11, 15, 21



When someone introduces themselves as transgender, it’s no big deal. Simply say “nice to meet you” or “cool.” Then politely ask “What are your pronouns?” And then you know how they prefer to be addressed.


13