in a little over 24 hours. I was lucky enough to be invited to be a part of this spectacular episode. I can’t wait until Monday afternoon when the world will know what happens! Stay tuned…
Loss
May 3, 2010 Leave a Comment
What a cheery and happy title for a Monday morning, huh? But stay with me here because it really is all about hope and optimism with me. Over the weekend I was reading the latest issue of O, The Oprah Magazine and particularly delighted in Martha Beck’s column. Beck details the ten life lessons you should “unlearn.” I found myself highlighting practically every other word. This, of course, helped me decide that this may be inspiring to you all, as well.
Having experienced a double whammy of loss recently and being painfully aware that loss is inevitable in life, it is helpful and optimistic to see the silver lining. Loss teaches us some very valuable lessons and helps open our hearts to love and appreciation. It teaches us how to heal and how to live.
Beck writes:
Ten years ago I still feared loss enough to abandon myself in order to keep things stable. I’d smile when I was sad, pretend to like people who appalled me. What I now know is that losses aren’t cataclysmic if they teach the heart and soul their natural cycle of breaking and healing. A real tragedy? That’s the loss of the heart and soul themselves. If you’ve abandoned yourself in the effort to keep anyone or anything else, unlearn that pattern. Live your truth, losses be damned. Just like that, your heart and soul will return home.
Whether the loss you are experiencing is the death of a loved one, the end of a relationship, or the distance of friends, it is important to understand and appreciate the cycle of breaking and healing. Loss does not define us, it does not make us unlucky or cursed, it is simply a part of life. Yes, it is probably the most difficult part of life, but it is one that helps us learn and grow and strengthens us. From loss we learn that we are stronger than we ever believed possible.
Getting Your Sexy Back
June 16, 2009 Leave a Comment
Today’s episode of Oprah was “How to Get Your Sexy Back” and was filled with plenty of Before & After moments. This was one of my favorites…especially because I really, really want that dress! But seriously! How amazing does this woman look?! What I loved most about this makeover episode is that it focused on using what you’ve got and putting the most into YOU! There have been so many makeover shows where people are losing hundreds of pounds and changing their lives. I am immensely impressed by these courageous acts, but at the same time I would love to see more immediate changes, things people can do in a day, a week, a month. I am an impatient person and seeing ways that you can change your life instantly is always fun.
Ambition
June 23, 2008 2 Comments
About a year ago I made an ambitious decision. I decided that I would read every book selected by Oprah’s Book Club. Unfortunately, life got in the way, as it tends to do, and I continuously put off my goal.
Well, now I’m back …and more motivated then ever. Because here’s the difference, not only am I going to read every book on Oprah’s list…but I’m going to see how each book relates to my life at the time I am reading it. I am going to see how much I learn about myself, my life, my surroundings and my own thoughts while exploring the lives of others in Oprah’s selections. Something has to be said for books that have sold millions of copies and a woman who has changed the face of reading. We all know how hard it is to get a book chosen by Oprah, so what is it that makes these books different and life changing?
I have started with what I thought to be the most ambitious of the list…and also one of the most recent, THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH by Ken Follett. THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH is a book written about the building of a church in medieval times. If I can find a way to learn something about myself from this book, then I will believe in miracles and the power of pursuing the unattainable. The book also happens to fill up nearly 1,000 pages. I chose to start my Oprah Project with this particular book, at this particular time (beginning of summer) for a reason. It is now up to me to determine what that reason was and how it will affect my life.
I am looking forward to this journey for no other reason than I will get to explore books I would not normally have read and learn something about myself along the way.
Here is the breathless description of PILLARS OF THE EARTH from Oprah’s website; In the quest to build the greatest Gothic cathedral ever known, a struggle between good and evil erupts – turning church against state and brother against brother.
