I can only scratch my head and wonder what people must have thought back in 1970 when Ann Owens began explaining the benefits of yoga to her friends. I know anxiety and stress were alive 45 years ago, but it all seems like a more simple time. Just the image of people from Myers Park – on mats – in a church – doing Downward Facing Dog is more than I can take in.
At the start, I thought I knew how the future would turn out. After all, I did what the textbooks said to do – make a business plan, draft pro-forma statements – step by step. But the books failed to say what Curt said, “Now go to work!”
Thank God, life, and the universe for everyone and everything sent your way. Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend …
I had always liked VW’s. I enjoyed the cozy feel, crank windows, stick shift, and the mystery that goes with not having a gas gauge. I have great memories from my years with my little blue Beetle. It is sad when a dream dies – even sadder when the cause of death is corporate betrayal.
Glenda had not been in the job long and people were already talking about her. She was pleasant, smiling, and greeting everyone by name. Each guest got her undivided attention and still she answered the phone with a smile by the second ring. One day a small sign appeared at her desk …
It was in church. I kept wanting to sit closer and closer to the pulpit. My wife finally asked, “Why way up front … do you need hearing aids?” Wade Kirkland has become the perfect partner for my hearing journey. He takes time to listen, to understand and to present various solutions, even letting me ‘test-hear’ before settling on the best solution.
The maple tree was there all along; overshadowed by a tall oak growing a few feet away. When the oak got sick I was sad, but it had enjoyed a long life providing a home for generations of birds and squirrels and bearing witness to many changes to its surroundings. In many ways, the oak had become too privileged over the years …
Exercise for seniors is even more important than for my younger friends. You can’t live in today’s world without getting the message; but do we listen? It seems some of us get it, and some of us just don’t.
In searching Charlotte for local art, I soon realized that knowing where to look was just as important as knowing what I was looking for. I answered where to look at Dilworth Artisan Station, a building dedicated to providing space for working artists; now the only remaining question was just what particular style was best for our home.
Sometimes you need to take a step back, other times a step forward is best, but when you lose a leg, just thinking ‘steps’ takes courage. Family and friends offer help, doctors and therapists give suggestions, but it was hard for Janelle Tuck Lenhart to trust their advice, especially since they all had two healthy legs. Her case was different. She felt alone.