Derrick Weston

“When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people.”
― George Saunders

“Routine activities we normally miss Choose one of the following (or another of your own choosing), and each day for the next week, see if you can remember to pay attention while you are doing it. You do not have to slow it down, or even enjoy it. Simply do what you normally do, but see if you can be fully alive to it as you do so. Brushing your teeth Walking from one room to another at home or work Drinking tea, coffee, juice taking out the garbage Loading the washing machine or dryer Write your own choices here     Try this as an experiment with the same chosen activity each day for this week. See what you notice. The idea is not to make you feel different, but simply to allow a few more moments in the day when you are “awake.” Go at your own pace when doing your chosen routine activity, for example: Brushing your teeth: where is your mind when you are brushing your teeth? Pay careful attention to all the sensations—the toothbrush in relation to the teeth, the flavor of the toothpaste, moisture building up in the mouth, all the movements required to spit, etc. Showering: pay attention to the sensations of the water on your body, the temperature and the pressure. Notice the movements of your hand as you wash and the movements of your body as you turn and bend, etc. If you decide to take some of your showering time to plan or reflect, do so intentionally, with awareness that this is where you have decided to focus your attention. Next week, feel free to continue this experiment with a different activity.”
― Mark Williams, Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
― Howard Thurman

“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.”
― Audrey Hepburn