2-25-2022

 

Mary’s Minute

“Freedom and happiness are found in the flexibility and ease with which we move through change.”

                                                                        —  Buddha

We all know people who just roll with anything, while others do not deal with change very well and often find themselves stressed.  Personally, I think I am somewhere in the middle of the spectrum.  I have always been proud of myself for enjoying change, but let’s face it, change is not always fun. 

Some changes are major and part of life – our kids moving away from home -- growing older -- retiring!  Other changes are just part of our everyday life and can be good, bad, or neutral.  It isn’t life-shattering that I had to change my dinner plans with friends last night because of icy roads, but it was a change. 

With every change – whether watching my baby drive off across the country or being late for an appointment because of traffic, I know I have a choice.  I can roll with the change with ease and flexibility, or I can wallow in sadness, anger, and regret.  They all pay the same, but the ability to be flexible and embrace change, pays off with the priceless dividend of a happier existence. 

I am not sure that the last few years have really brought more change for me or whether I am just more cognizant of it.  Either way, I am thinking a lot about life changes.  Thinking of life changes makes me think about all change and how I handle it.  Of course, Buddha is correct in advising that happiness comes from navigating change with ease.  I have made it a personal goal!

                                                                                          Have a great week!

                                                                                                    Mary                

            

2-18-2022

 

Mary’s Minute

“No matter how educated, talented, rich or cool you believe you are, how you treat people ultimately tells all.” 

                                                                          ~ Anonymous

Like many parents, my sister, Amy, often posts first day of school pictures of my adorable niece and nephew.  It makes me smile seeing Jack and Ellie over the years.  What really makes me smile is the advice that my sister gives them each year, “Work hard and be kind.”  Aunt Mary may be a bit biased, but Jack and Ellie are quite accomplished 13 and 15-year olds.  They do very well in school and excel in their current extra-curricular activities:  Ellie in dance and Jack in swimming and water polo, but what sets them apart is that they take their mom's advice and they are kind and hard working!

Much in life is a matter of circumstance.  Some people are born with natural athletic ability or superior intellect.  Some people are given more opportunities than others.  Whether we call it being blessed or fortunate, we must admit that many of us have advantages that were in a sense gifted to us by the universe.  There are advantages (and disadvantages)  that are out of our control.

What we can control is how hard we work and how we treat people.  As Amy says to Jack and Ellie, “Work hard and be kind.” 

How we treat people – all people – matters.  I appreciate educated, talented, rich, and cool people, but what I notice and what counts to me is how we treat people. 

We do not have control over many aspects of our life, but we have power over how we treat people!  It is exciting to know that while we may fall short because of our circumstances, we all have the opportunity to shine by treating each other with kindness.

                                                                       Have a great week!

                                                                                                 Mary                

2-11-2022

 

Mary’s Minute

 I know some people make fun of Valentine’s Day for being a commercialized coup to boost the economy.  I have to agree the estimated $24 billion that is expected to be spent this year for gifts seems ridiculous, but the idea of a holiday devoted to love seems divine to me. 

Of course, love is associated with romantic feelings, but it is so much more than that.  When I think of love, I think of my dad who in our family had phrases that we quote often nearly 30 years after his death.  He often said, “Treat the people you love the most the best.”  He also said, “Remember what Jesus said, ‘Love one another.” 

I also think of Mother Teresa who said, “Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.”

Ahh… love!  Treating people with genuine care and concern is a gift.  Love is forgiving -- love is selfless.  As parents, there truly is no limit to what we would do for our children – because of love.  Imagine if that same feeling could spread to all areas of our lives.  Maybe we won't change the world, but Mother Teresa also said, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”

We do not have to be in a romantic relationship or to buy into the commercial hype of the holiday to appreciate love.  Love is a very special way of feeling – both to love and to be loved.

And, so on Valentine’s Day and always, I wish you LOVE!

                                                       Have a great week!        

                                                            Mary

                                                          

2-4-2022

 

Mary’s Minute

Have you heard of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)?  Admittedly, I don’t understand how it works or what it will do.  I do know it is a really big deal, considered a successor to the great Hubble Telescope.  My son, Bill, is very fired up about it, and I recently had conversation with him about it. 

One of the things about the JWST that makes it special is that it has a coronagraph, which allows it to block out light from stars in order to see the planets around the vert distant stars.  Since Bill is really passionate about exoplanets, this feature has him really excited! 

Another advantage that Bill explained to me about telescopes in general is that they collect light so that we can see in dark places.  In other words, sometimes we need more light to see objects in space, and sometimes we need to block the light in order to see objects around the bright light. 

And if that isn’t enough about light, Bill also explained that another feature of the JWST is that it sees a different wave length of light, using infrared.  In this way, it can see a different class of objects than what we have been able to study in the past.    

I know I am rambling about a topic I know very little about, so I will get to my metaphorical pondering about light.  Often when we are trying to figure things out, we use the strategy of traditional telescopes by collecting more light to see the same things, but more clearly.  The JWST reminds us that sometimes we need to block out the brightness or the obvious in order to see things we might not have otherwise seen.  And finally, there is yet another metaphor that the JWST provides.  Just like the JWST is using infrared light to see things not visible to regular light, we may need to imagine things that are not even visible from our current vantage point. 

To summarize my thoughts, in order to see things in our life clearly, sometimes we need to look at it more closely in the same way (more light) we have been looking; other times we need to block out completely what we thought was helping us (blocking out the light from the bright start to see the tiny planets around it); and finally, sometimes we need to look at it in totally new way (with new light).

Keeping with the space analogy, the sky is the limit!  Keep dreaming and thinking of the world and your potential in new ways in order to do more and be more, just like JWST will help us discover things we may not have imagined in space.

                                                               Have a great week!

                                                                                  Mary