MERTON

LEARN TO REST

BREATHING UNDERWATER

MAKING THRIVING OUT OF SURVIVING

LINCOLN

JUST BE YOU

MARLEY

GOETHE

DARWIN

NOTICING

I've been thinking a lot lately about gratitude. And how it's practice in my life have made things so abundant and generally full of joy, even in otherwise tragic times. I know so many that have a propensity for gratitude, and I wondered aloud recently about how this was developed. How could we become more intentional about gratitude? It occurred to me, and this is not an original thought by any means, that this intentionality comes down not to feeling the emotion so much as noticing those things that will make us grateful. If we see these things, the gratitude kind of comes for free. And this requires some focus...a means of bringing circumstances that may otherwise be missed to the forefront of our minds.

For example, my friends, Sarah Christ and Linnea Olson take beautiful pictures that often call upon us to see something ordinary and experience the extraordinary. Interestingly, their practice calls these beautiful things to their own minds, but their sharing also calls us all to take notice and to similarly find extraordinary things that we are thankful for even in our ordinary day to day. I love seeing these pictures in my social media streams. My friend Samantha Mixon frequently points out those that contribute so much to our community, including celebrations of those that we have lost. In doing so, she calls upon us all to notice these gifts and to be grateful for these folks, both living and gone, that have made things just a little bit better for us all. Chris Draft took his personal loss of his beloved wife and turned it into noticing survivors. What a generous feat! He also shines light on doctors and researchers who are working everyday to make our lives both longer and more comfortable. We look to those survivors and to those medical professionals to give us hope, to give us what it takes to get up everyday and move forward even when we don't feel like it. For this, I am profoundly grateful.

I help myself notice things to be grateful for, to bring these things front of mind, in at least two ways. I like to jot things down in a simple journal or share things on social media. And as a family, when we sit for dinner together, we have a ritual of sharing our "gratefuls." It works wonders in helping to reframe those days that are particularly tough. The secret to noticing is that if you earnestly look around you, you'll find things to be grateful for everywhere you look. How do you notice? Who else helps you notice? I'd love it if you would share your thoughts below. In fact, I'd be grateful.

Why?

A sneak peek at some new Living Wide swag that will be available soon. In order to gain traction, an idea has to answer the most basic question: why? And here, the answer is simple. By living wide, you live well. And it's our mission to bring that simple goal into everyone's reach.

Positive, Effective, Unstoppable Determination

You've done it before and you can do it now. See the positive possibilities. Redirect the substantial energy of your grief and turn it into positive, effective, unstoppable determination.

Ralph Marston

#yes
#determination
#intention
#keepmoving

Shared from the amazingly inspirational Jeannie Kern.

Fake Camus

In the midst of struggle, I found there was, within me, an invincible peace.
In the midst of tears, I found there was, within me, an invincible joy.
In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.
And that makes me happy.
For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me,
within me, there’s something stronger - something better, pushing right back.

Albert Camus

So, this quote (and there are several versions floating around) is often mistakenly attributed to Albert Camus. Turns out that none of them are his work. He did write about the midst of winter and an invincable summer, and perhaps seeking economy of words, he thought that enough. Other anonymous authors seemed to think his words needed elaboration, and more than a few have taken a crack at it. Setting the authorship of specific words aside, it is a beautiful idea, an idea that was his, and is oh so true. When we open our hearts, incredible strength can be mustered in the darkest of times. And when this strength is directed in ways that are productive and personally meaningful (that is, living wide) it’s amazing what can happen.

The Huff Project getting it done!

Leading the way in creating awareness and supporting research.

https://www.newschannel5.com/news/local-news/school-patrol-huff-project

Living Wide Sets Up All-Too-Temporary Outpost in the Greek Isles

A small, but dedicated Living Wide exploratory team launched a mission to the Greek Isles this week. While Living Wide shirts were seen on various islands, the team briefly landed on Patmos and made the grueling climb to the monastery where they made a new friend, Thea, who lives there and cares for the nearby ancient windmills. While sadly, our outpost could not be permanent, Thea assures us that it can remain in spirit and that she will be following our efforts. She reminds us all not to miss signs from God and to recognize all the amazing miracles of life that are happening all around us (See Noticing, above.) Candles were lit for many individuals among us and for the entire Living Wide family. Welcome, Thea.

Living Wide Runs the Largest 10K in the World

A well-tuned team of Living Wide athletes took on the Peachtree 10K with about 62,000 of our closest friends. What an amazing event and so well organized and managed. We had a great time! We agreed to doing this again next year, so think about signing up for 2019 soon.

Living Wide Converges on Mt. LeConte at 6593 Feet

Living Wide threw a pop-up party on the top of Mt. LeConte in the Great Smoky Mountains. Great folks, great Living Wide advocates came from far and wide to climb 5 miles to the top of LeConte. One of the most beautiful hikes you can imagine. Some bunked for the night on the top and others visited for a while and then headed back down in the same day. If you have never hiked LeConte, you should definitely put it on your "Living Wide" do list. Visit our Instagram site (https://www.instagram.com/welivewide/) for many more amazing pictures.

Taking time to notice.

There are so many amazing things to experience if we only take the time to notice. Some are right in your own backyard.

On the Shortness of Life

The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs upon tomorrow and loses today…
The whole future lies in uncertainty: live immediately.

Seneca, On the Shortness of Life

By "immediately," of course, Seneca meant "wide." And it's good advice for all of us, whether we are fighting poor health, or not.

It's not what you gather

It's not what you gather,
But what you scatter
That tells the kind
of life you live.

Handed down from Helen Walton

I just learned this from my friend Lori Drummer Armistead, whose work with the Walton Family Foundation is guided by this principle every day. Scattering is a very WIDE approach to life.