Category Archives: Memories

Attending to and amplifying our senses in the moment

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Attending to and amplifying our senses in the moment helps us capture and keep our memories.

—Calm App Reflection

Barry with his Son-in-law and grandkids

During our Father’s Day holiday, we were fortunate to celebrate with beautiful weather and time swimming with family.  After sunscreen is applied, it’s the wet stuff until Mother Nature calls!

Following these quick breaks and a fast bite, it’s right back into the pool to dive for colorful plastic rings, float on tubes, and some chicken, star, rocket practice for our 2 ½ year old granddaughter.

As the day wound down, my grandchildren were given a gift from their older cousins. Inside a hatbox sized container were a variety of superhero capes and masks that they were clearly too old for, at the ages of 10 and 11.

In minutes both kids — and some of us older kids — were playfully dancing together to make a memory we’ll never forget.

EXERCISE:

Where and when were you last fully tuned into your senses?

How did this amplification of the moment help you capture this never to be forgotten event?

“The great man is the one who does not lose his child’s heart.”

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“The great man is the one who does not lose his child’s heart.”

—Mencius, Ancient Chinese Confucian philosopher

Image from Unsplash by Lauren Lulu Taylor

The Pocono Mountains are a special place for me. For the first eleven years of my life, I went to summer camp there with my family. My dad was the camp director and we all had a two-month vacation, first staying with my mom and then as campers.

The camp was sold at that point and it wasn’t until I was 24 that I rediscovered this special area by buying into a time share which we’ve used for the past 40 years.

This year, we had the extra special treat of have both our adult children — now 36 and 38 — along with our two delightful grandchildren to relive and renew our child’s hearts.

EXERCISE:

What people, places, and things help you tap into the exciting and playful aspect of life?

Rewind and review the game tapes of your life

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Rewind and review the game tapes of your life to improve your future efforts.

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by Andy Benham

In professional sports it’s common practice to review game tapes of past performances to get ready for upcoming games. Most teams also evaluate their competition to create strategies for winning based on the strengths and weaknesses of their next opponent.

How can your magnificent mind play back your own personal and professional efforts? How good is your memory at capturing the specific moments where breakthrough insights were offered?

Unfortunately, the game tapes of our lives can be distorted by time. Things become blurred or erased completely over the years unless we find a more permanent way of recording our observations.

EXERCISE:

How could you use a journal, notebook, cell phone, or an alternative tech tool to review your days?

Consider doing weekly, monthly and yearly reviews to capture more of the knowledge and wisdom offered by life.

Take off the armor of adulthood and re-discover the joy of your inner child.

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Take off the armor of adulthood and re-discover the joy of your inner child.

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by Luca Di Giovine

The holiday season is special. Whatever holidays you celebrate, take a trip down memory lane to reflect on some of your most precious moments from your youth.

How did you celebrate these occasions and who were the people that joined in on the fun?

Although many people and organizations put their heads down to finish the year strong, this is also often a time when we extend our days off with those we’ve saved.

With these extended blocks of time, we can more easily remove our armor of adulthood and play like we did as kids.

EXERCISE:

How and in what ways will you shed the armor of adulthood this holiday season?

What joyful activities will help you re-discover your playful side?

If some help is needed, look to the little ones in your life for some coaching.

Lest We Forget

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The September 11, 2001 attacks—commonly known as 9/11—were four coordinated Islamist suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States. Here are some quotes for your consideration on this important date.

Image from Unsplash byAidan Bartos

“If September 11th has taught us anything, it’s certainly that the world has never been so interdependent. It is impossible to be an island of prosperity in a sea of despair.”
—Bono, Singer and activist

“If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate.”
—Dandy Dahl, wife of United flight 93 pilot, Jason Dahl

“For me and my family personally, September 11th was a reminder that life is fleeting, impermanent, and uncertain. Therefore, we must make use of every moment and nurture it with affection, tenderness, beauty, creativity, and laughter.”
—Deepak Chopra, Author

“Even the smallest act of service, the simplest act of kindness, is a way to honor those we lost, a way to reclaim that spirit of unity that followed 9/11.”
—Former President Barack Obama

EXERCISE:

How will you honor this date? What kindnesses and acts of service can and will you offer in the spirit of unity today?

The best kind of laughter is laughter born of a shared memory

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“The best kind of laughter is laughter born of a shared memory.”

—Mindy Kaling, American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and producer

Image from Unsplash by Surface

How familiar are you with the work of Carol Burnett? If you are a boomer like me, you made a point to never miss her variety show during her eleven-year run near the top of the TV ratings.

Her work was definitely family friendly, and I can vividly recall all of us crowding around our single TV to laugh together until our sides hurt.

A few weeks ago, Wendy and I got to relive many of these hilarious moments as a star-studded group of her friends got together to celebrated Carol’s 90th birthday.

The closing song on her show always began: I’m so glad we had this time together, just to have a laugh and sing a song……

EXERCISE:

Take a few minutes to recall some of your own laugh-filled memories. Note the people who shared these belly laughs and happy times and consider giving them a call to reminisce.

As we grow older, real beauty travels from the face to the heart,

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“As we grow older, real beauty travels from the face to the heart, appeal turns to charm, hurt to wisdom, and great moments to shared memories. The true beauty of life is not how happy you are now, but how happy others are because of you.”

—Author Unknown

Image from Unsplash by Logan Weaver

How old are you?

When was the last time you took a good look in the mirror?

How does your self-appraisal compare when you view yourself from the inside versus the outside?

Without question, entropy is having its way with all of us and many of us are grasping desperately for our younger days.

Today’s quote can be a wonderful way to re-frame our perspective on the aging process.

It helps us see what we’ve been given and gained with all the days gone by.

EXERCISE:

How can you more fully embrace the process of aging and look to the happiness you have fostered in the lives of others along the way?

When you see somebody taking a photo of their friends

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“When you see somebody taking a photo of their friends, offer to take the shot for them so that they can be in the picture.”

—David Perell, writer, podcaster, and writing instructor

Image from Unsplash by Cristina Zaragoza

With the availability of better and better smart phones, I have been seeing far fewer actual cameras.

The days of family portraits seem like a thing of the past. Except for weddings and other significant celebrations, our cell phones do a pretty good job.

To be included in photos with our friends many folks lean on a selfie strategy. Even with very long arms and those awkward selfie sticks, the results can often fall short.

EXERCISE:

How would offering to take a photo for others or asking for some assistance yourself create even better memories with family and friends over the holidays and in the coming year?

Veterans Day 2022

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Veterans Day 2022

Image from Unsplash by Sir Manuel

Who among you—or who do you know—who has served in the military? Today is Veteran’s day, a U.S. federal holiday honoring the veterans with us right now. Most of us have celebrated it our entire lives, but it was not originally so.

This holiday started as a day to reflect upon the heroism of those who died in our country’s service in World War I, and was originally called Armistice Day—in honor of the official signing of the Armistice that ended “The War to End all Wars,” at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. In 1954, it was changed to Veterans Day to account for all veterans, in all wars.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has declared “honor” as the theme for the celebrations this year. Honor reflects the military value and tradition of answering the call to duty.

My family and I honor all those across this great land who have served our country, and ask that you will, as well.

EXERCISE:

Who can you reach out today to a friend, neighbor, or family member who has served? Let them know that today you are grateful for them and their service to the country.

Aging mindfully and gracefully involves embracing the law of impermanence.

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Aging mindfully and gracefully involves embracing the law of impermanence. Each thought, emotion, and sensation can be a portal to all kinds of new discoveries.

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by Kelly Sikkema

It’s funny the experiences we store in our memories.

One that stands out for me is getting my first-grade report card from Mrs. Gray. I received an “E” in work habits with the comment Barry is a nice boy but he needs to pay closer attention. Distractability seemed to follow me and other students—mostly boys—throughout grade school, until I applied to my dad’s alma mater, Central High School. I distinctly remember buckling down to be eventually accepted, which made my dad very proud.

At that time in my life, I realized being mindful and focused was a source of accomplishing the things I desired. What has been your experience of the passage of time?

EXERCISE:

To what degree have you embraced the law of impermanence over the years? How is the aging process and your mindfulness efforts opening new portals of discovery?