I’m feeling intrigued about feeling intrigued. I have a desire to know more. You know what it means to go down a rabbit hole—that insatiable desire to learn more. I realize I’m intrigued when I’m digging in for more information, whether about myself, someone else, or a topic.
Isn’t that the same thing as curiosity? I think it is subtly different. Curiosity has a more particular context. Webster defines it as demanding a high standard of excellence that is difficult to satisfy. Whereas intrigue has more to do with the desire to know more from a mysterious or complex perspective.
When I feel intrigued, I feel a yearning. It’s that thing that sparks my interest in something and my heart quickens. My senses sharpen and want to know more. The excitement about it is more intellectual than thrilling. It encourages me to want to explore and learn more.
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Turkey and gratitude: it must be Thanksgiving. Some of you have already celebrated your Thanksgiving this year. In the United States, we’re just getting around to these shenanigans. Yesterday was our holiday, but we historically make a long weekend of it. I practice gratitude year-round, but it is nice to have a day where we focus on being thankful. The traditional eats are nice, too.
I’m grateful to be alive to celebrate this holiday. There was a day in my past when that was questionable. I practice being aware and grateful each year for the grace that allowed me to survive. Home, family, friends, and being able to live my dreams every day are things I also feel grateful for. It’s good to say these things out loud.
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Now who loves feeling jubilation in their bones? I do, I do! It makes me want to jump up and down and this amazing thing happens with my face. It smiles and my eyes twinkle, and laughter seems to just ooze out with no effort. Let’s experiment with feeling jubilation for a bit, shall we? Go ahead, get your jubilation on!
There now. How does that feel? It feels like warmth beaming through my being, and I feel a bit like floating. Imagine your whole body filling with spritzy bubbles. That’s what my body feels like when I feel jubilation. My most recent experience with this (at the time of writing this) was the Boomer Sooner win over the Longhorns. (The one day a year my husband and I cheer for opposite teams.) Squeeeeee! See? My body even makes these fun little squee sounds.
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Don’t we have an interesting history in letters? Sure, you could take this to the level of each A, B, or Z that impacts our history. What I’m referring to is the correspondence we give and get, and how that shapes our history. Yes, the fine art of letter writing. In the digital age, physical letters are less frequent.
My parents collected things during their lifetime. (Don’t we all?) One of their collections, though, I am extremely grateful for. They saved boxes of letters to and from my grandmother—about 5 years of correspondence. Most of it was letters she wrote to her mother; at least once a week, sometimes more frequently. She died when my dad was 2 years old, so I never met her, or her parents.
When my parents made their transition from their home to a smaller, more contained living environment, they shared these letters with me. WOW! I committed myself to reading those letters so I could get to know this part of my family whom I never met. Most of the letters date from the late 1920s to the mid-1930s. A time capsule!
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Are you feeling kind? Kind is one of those feelings, like gratitude, that creates a spirit that people gravitate toward. It feels generous and open. We all enjoy receiving kindness. There’s feeling kind, acting kind, and one-of-a-kind. I’m exploring the feeling today.
My heart and consciousness soften when I feel kind. There’s a connecting-type energy that courses through my being. Sit there for a moment and feel that. That’s a pleasant feeling.
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If this violin could talk, I would love to hear the stories! When I was 13 years old, my family moved to Fort Worth (from Ponca City) and I needed a violin. Charlotte had one collecting dust and loaned it to me. I didn’t know how long the loan would last, but it was good for the moment.
Charlotte’s dad bought a violin for her from a band of gypsies in search of funds for medication. The red violin (painted with barn paint) was gonna get a makeover. In 1933, they refinished the instrument, removing most of the paint. As the story goes, Charlotte hated playing the violin but obliged her parents’ insistence. She was all too happy for the violin to be used by someone who would play it, and I was the lucky recipient.
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I’m liking this! I’m grabbing an interesting feeling out of the bag today; liking. You know, that feeling where you like things. I’ve not put this feeling into words before, but I’m going out on a limb to say it exists. Don’t you like liking things?
There’s a satisfying feeling that comes from liking something. Whether you like the way you feel, or like doing something. When I like something, an interesting alignment occurs. A desire in my heart aligns with an activity or sense of something. When I like something, it seasons the deliciousness of life and that which makes me happy.
When I like, my body feels lighter. I like my job, or having that yummy deli sandwich. I keep going back to the perception of alignment. There is a correlation between liking something and feeding the joy I want to feel in my heart. They resonate together, like milk and cookies. I like you! I enjoy (or as some would spell it, injoy) your company, sharing our life together. Isn’t that a friendly feeling—liking?
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Ever said, “One day I’ll…?” How many times have you said that to yourself? It’s the little bookmark we give ourselves when we set something aside to do or say. Think for a moment about all the things you’ve ‘one day’d’. I wonder how many days are in that bookmark list. I have quite a few on my list, but I’m happy to report that my list is getting smaller and smaller since I retired from my corporate job. Suspicion tells me, though, that there are a good number of days on the list that will not see the light of day.
A couple of reasons to examine our one-day list. One—Are there things on that list that you could do right now that would enhance the quality of your life? Two—Are there things on that list that are no longer relevant?
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Let’s talk about how marvelous feels. I experience feeling marvelous as wonder or astonishment. When I feel marvelous, it transcends mere happiness and feels more like resonating with pure joy. Marvelous, though, differs from joy. It feels more expansive than joy. Joy makes me smile; marvelous makes my whole being smile—inside and out. It is the crescendo that brings all the instruments together in a harmonious climax.
When I feel marvelous, my body feels like it’s floating on a cushion of air. It is warm and tingly and comes from my core, like the touch of the first rays of sunrise. It is a harmonious energy that feels electrifying and soothing at the same time.
Marvelous creates a general feeling of confidence. Unlike arrogance, it is a pure form of self-assurance. My heart feels a profound joy and serenity at the same time. It opens me to find wonder in simple things, similar to a child discovering the savory deliciousness of ice cream.
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When I think about emotional intelligence, I think about knowledge pertaining to emotions. The ability to name emotions and acknowledge them gives us the power to be attuned to how we feel. That knowledge gives us awareness about what’s going on inside ourselves. It also gives us information about how we feel impacts our interactions with others.
How is emotional intelligence different from emotional maturity? In my mind, emotional maturity has more to do with how we use our emotions in our lives. Ever get a shocking emotional response from someone? For me, this is a display of immature emotional knowledge or sensitivity. It’s okay for someone to feel what they are feeling. When someone reacts quickly without understanding their feelings, it can lead to bad outcomes. The receiving end of that is often undesirable.
In contrast, emotional intelligence has more to do with being knowledgeable about emotions. First, understanding what an emotion is and giving it a name gives us a context for understanding what we feel. That knowledge gives us a foundation to explore more about it.
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Nirvana is that deep, sustained feeling of contentment and harmony that comes from a profound connection with yourself and the world. There’s no suffering or desire in this feeling. It is peace-full, and mindful.
Have you experienced moments when you felt completely connected to all of life? I feel this when I’m hiking in the woods. I hear the leaves rustle, the birds conversing, and the sound of my feet as they trod upon the earth. My mind is free to breathe and feel the life in the trees and plants around me. When chaos abounds, I reach for nirvana to calm the wild buzz of energy around me.
When I step into feeling nirvana, my body calms and settles into a sense of acceptance. At the risk of sounding woo-woo, I feel attuned to the vibration of life around me. The energy might be calm, or it might be rambunctious. The key is being engaged with it, realizing I’m a part of it, and understanding how fluid we are. It allows me to feel without resisting or clinging to something.
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Life Gifts
- Sending you oodles of energy noodles.
- I send you pregnant pauses to remember how much you are loved and cared for.
- I send you a warm, relaxing breeze, a comfortable hammock with sounds of water lapping on the shore.
- I send you billowing bubbles of joy.
- Sending you nourishing soup for your soul.
- I send you peaces to resolve the conflicts you’re experiencing right now.
- I send you fresh, fragrant flowers with lots of different colors to brighten your corner of the world.
- I send you wide open spaces big enough for all your dreams to materialize.
- I send you large bundles of gratitude for being who you are, and for being connected with me.
- I send you courage and honor.
- I send you calm, to remember love and caring.
- I send you focus and energy as you write today.
- Sending you calm and peace.
- I send you fireworks of inspiration.
- I send you chortles, giggles, and warm hugs.
- I send you healing energy as you mend your heart and body.
- I send you focus as you practice setting up new routines to support your engagement with your true self.
- Sending you buckets of patience to spill in all the places that need some—be sure to douse yourself with some.
- I send you focus as you practice setting up new routines to support your engagement with your true self.
- I send you moments of pause so that you can remember you are loved and cared for.
- I send you tender, loving arms to hold you in care and love.
- I send you flexibility to allow your writing dream to come to life as you live it.
- I send you healing love and energy.
- I send you inspiration to put thoughts on paper.
- Sending you willing, loving hearts and hands to help you.
- I send you bright-colored flowers that fragrantly shower your surroundings with joy and delight.
- Sending you blankets of love to help you feel safe.
- Sending you loving hands to cradle your tender heart.
- I send you contagious child-like giggles and unstoppable smiles.
- Sending you nourishing rest and mindful body care.
- Sending you a bubble full of love and healing, to hold you and your heart.
- I send you soothing healing.
- Sending you bursts of energy and focus.
- I send you love.
- I send you buckets of smiles to share with everyone you meet.
- I send you a cuddly blanket of appreciation for the beautiful person you are in this world.
- I send you relaxing moments filled with love and caring.
- I send you the deep, rich colors of berries to paint your soul.
- I send you calm as you step back into work from being off for a few weeks.
- Sending you quiet mornings to savor nature and listen to the musings of your heart.
- I send you peaces.
- I send you fruit-full surprises in your journey.
- I send you quiet fields of lavender to enjoy soft, quiet moments.
- I send you comfort, joy and sustenance through your retirement.
- Sending you music to fill your heart with warmth and comfort.
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