BellaOnline Forums Religion and Spirituality Buddhism Do Not Complain for 1 Month

My mantra is “Be the change you wish to see in the world”. This is a distillation of a longer explanation given by Mahatma Gandhi.

His full text was:
“We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do.”

My board of directors:

Haloke from my Wyoming series. She is strong, steady, compassionate, determined, and keeps at something until it is right.

Ariana from my Being Aware medieval book. She is deaf, but she surmounts the challenges and plows on with life. She watches over her gay younger brother and her uncle who drinks, all while striving to find justice for her murdered parents.

Ann Foster, my ancestor who got caught up during the Salem Witch Trials. When Ann’s daughter and granddaughter were accused of being witches, Ann sacrificed herself and said that she was the witch. She was put into jail, at the age of 75, and after a few months in those wretched conditions she died.

I'm trying to do more reading.

That is great - reading is such a powerful way to reduce stress and expand one's mind.

Day 4 of our 30-day Uplifting Words challenge!

What are you grateful for today? Consider your mantra. Check in with your board of directors.

And then it’s time to explore!

Search your favorite image areas. It could be Instagram, Twitter, Google, or whatever. Find art items which sing to you. They could be watercolor paintings, photography, digital art, anything at all. Store links to them so you can “visit” them regularly. Fill your virtual world with beauty!

Feel free to share links or posts below!

Today I'm grateful that I can work from home. It means the moment I woke up I pulled my laptop onto the bed and did my final read-through of my cozy witch mystery. I'm ready to put a first version live! Hurrah! I have a cable TV interview next Wednesday and I want to get a copy in-hand to showcase for that.

My mantra "Be the change you wish to see in the world" is normally on a bracelet I wear. I've managed to lose two now. Maybe the universe needed them for someone else. So I've ordered a third which will be here soon.

My board of directors is a fairly down-to-earth just-get-it-done group. They remind me that whatever challenges I face, others have it far worse. I just need to hunker down and get on with my to-do list!

Here’s an image I love – it’s at the Worcester Art Museum so I can visit it often. It’s by Kandinsky. I love how light and free and playful it is. Full of unexpected ideas.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wassily_Kandinsky

Day 5 of our 30-day Uplifting Words challenge! Join us!

What are you grateful for today? Think about your mantra.

Then think of 3 people who inspire you. Let them know how much you appreciate them!

I’m grateful that I have wonderful friends in the BVAA and in my writing groups who have come together to lend a hand on Saturday. We have two different events going on on Saturday. There’s a fun art festival happening on Sutton Common. We also have our Uxbridge Gallery with pick-ups and drop-offs for a show. Everyone has come together to ensure both events go smoothly! Hurrah!

As for people who inspire me, it's hard to narrow that down to just three. There are so many people in my life who inspire me in so many different ways. Every person has something to teach me.

Jane Nozzolillo is one person. She's in her late 90s and is a writing powerhouse. She only began writing a few years ago and she's already put out two children's books, a children's short story, ten adult short stories, and poetry. She has an incredible sense of wit. I love reading her work. She doesn't let age slow her down - she just plows ahead.

My son James inspires me. He spends his free time in downtown Worcester helping people with nowhere else to turn learn how to talk with their landlords and get issues resolved. He actively invests himself in making their world a better place.

Dawn-Marie Loan Solais followed her dream to open an art gallery in Uxbridge. It is absolutely beautiful. She is doing everything she can to support local artists and to bring beauty to the world. She's encountered challenges and she still plows ahead with a smile.