{"id":6786,"date":"2012-07-20T08:36:57","date_gmt":"2012-07-20T15:36:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/iamsignificant.ca\/?p=6786"},"modified":"2021-10-18T15:37:35","modified_gmt":"2021-10-18T15:37:35","slug":"45-things-to-live-well-16-20","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iamsignificant.ca\/home\/sole-significance\/45-things-to-live-well-16-20\/","title":{"rendered":"45 Things to Live Well (16-20)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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We continue with the 45 things we can do to live well, and this installment is good ol’ fashioned horse sense. \u00a0Ever wonder how cliches came to be? \u00a0I think cliches are great “suitcase” sayings that are a simple way of expressing a bit of wisdom that has been found to be helpful over time. These cliches can be very rich but sometimes not all that welcome in the heat of a tough situation. \u00a0I think this has more to do with the suitcase than the wisdom it contains.<\/span><\/p>\n

(Oh… when I talk about a “suitcase” sayings, I am\u00a0referring\u00a0to a word or short phrase that when unpacked carries a lot of content – so instead of unloading the contents of our suitcase we simply hand over the suitcase – the phrase – with all it implies. \u00a0A classic example is Authority of Scripture.)<\/span><\/p>\n

To thine own self be true<\/strong> – Polonius’s words to Laertes in\u00a0Shakespeare’s Hamlet. “This above all: to thine own self be true,\u00a0And it must follow, as the night the day,\u00a0Thou canst not then be false to any man.<\/em>” A classic way to say always be honest with yourself and others. \u00a0Be true to who you are and who you are becoming. Part and parcel of this authenticity is honesty with others.<\/span><\/p>\n

Say “I love you” to your loved ones as often as possible. \u00a0<\/strong> I am amazed at how important these three little words can be. \u00a0I have seen these words bring a profound sense of healing or reconciliation and provide the\u00a0inspiration\u00a0for overcoming some profound obstacles. \u00a0I have seen how saying I love you along with actions of love breath new life into one who is\u00a0withering\u00a0from\u00a0loneliness, depression, and\u00a0estrangement. Let those you love know they are loved with words and action.<\/span><\/p>\n

Be yourself<\/strong>. \u00a0You are created uniquely and wonderfully! While what the world wants is to hammer you into\u00a0conformity, into its image, what the world needs<\/span> is for you to be authentically and uniquely you! \u00a0To this end, I am reminded of a quote by St. Therese of Lisieux:<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cThe splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the lily<\/span>
do not rob the little violet of it\u2019s scent nor the daisy of its simple charm.<\/span>
If every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

When travelling, pack light<\/strong>. \u00a0As anyone who does a fair bit of travelling will tell you – pack light! \u00a0Only bring something if it is essential! \u00a0Walking through airports, train stations and\u00a0navigating\u00a0taxi’s, sidewalks and escalators are much easier with less baggage. \u00a0Funny how this is true for our inner life – pack light! \u00a0Leave all the baggage behind and get on with living. \u00a0Shame, guilt, and unforgiveness – deal with them and leave them behind as these are always too awkward to carry\u00a0through\u00a0life for long!<\/span><\/p>\n

Clean up after yourself as you go<\/strong>. \u00a0I love to cook, and the kitchen is my friend, and often, when cooking, you can’t help but make a mess. \u00a0I used to leave the cleanup until I was done, but the problem was I was more interested in enjoying my culinary creation. \u00a0When I was done enjoying it, I was often too full and too tired to clean up. \u00a0 The mess would sometimes sit overnight and greet me the following day! \u00a0Who wants to wake up to that?!<\/span><\/p>\n

I have discovered a rhythm of clean as you go that\u00a0incorporates\u00a0the cleaning as a part of the preparation – not rocket science but simply being deliberate to do some cleanup in between the various prep stages. \u00a0Put the spices back in the\u00a0cupboard\u00a0as soon as you’re done with them, prep dishes and utensils rinsed and in the dishwasher as soon as I done with them and quick wipes of counters and working surfaces. \u00a0The net result is there is way less to clean up at the end! \u00a0This works in a number of settings, the workshop to the office. \u00a0 It also works with relational situations. \u00a0If there is a conflict and perhaps you have offended someone, or they have offended you, it is often a good idea to address these issues quickly. \u00a0 Failing to do so almost always results in bigger, messy\u00a0tangles – relational mess often spreads!<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We continue with the 45 things we can do to live well, and this installment is good ol’ fashioned horse sense. \u00a0Ever wonder how cliches came to be? \u00a0I think cliches are great “suitcase” sayings that are a simple way of expressing a bit of wisdom that has been found to be helpful over time….","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":7117,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[58,63,167,196,221,343,553],"class_list":["post-6786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sole-significance","tag-authentic-living","tag-balance","tag-everyday-spirituality","tag-forgiveness","tag-grace","tag-love","tag-wholeness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iamsignificant.ca\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iamsignificant.ca\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iamsignificant.ca\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iamsignificant.ca\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iamsignificant.ca\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6786"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/iamsignificant.ca\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6786\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iamsignificant.ca\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iamsignificant.ca\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iamsignificant.ca\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iamsignificant.ca\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}