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Rabbi Zusya said, "When I die, I know God won't criticize me for not having been Moses. Instead, he will ask, 'Why weren't you Zusya?'" We should all be brave about being ourselves.
Category Archives: Reasons to Live
Celebrate Your Variance
On the greater variance side, we find the artists, the change agents, the thinkers, the sexually adventurous, the loonies, all the people who give life some entertainment value. Continue reading
Posted in creativity, Reasons to Live
Tagged being yourself, bell curve, change, climate change, cooperation, evolution, evolutionary psychology, mean, sheep, statistics, survival, variance
2 Comments
Unwanted Blessings
When painful things come to you, look deeper. They may be blessings in disguise. When my friend Nora was 24, she married Fredrik, her tall, good-looking high school sweetheart. She supported him through medical school and residency in San Francisco, … Continue reading
Posted in healing, Reasons to Live, Self-Care Support
Tagged acceptance, blessings, Call the Midwife, disability, disabled parking, happiness, healing, migraines, Saint Teresa
9 Comments
Giving It Away
“Live for yourself, you will live in vain. Live for others, you will live again.” – Bob Marley, “Pass It On” Elzéard Bouffier was a shepherd who brought a whole blighted district in Provence, in the foothills of the Alps … Continue reading
Posted in Reasons to Live
Tagged books, Camden, children, contribution, forests, Giono, giving, Lao Tzu, Maathai, patience, trees
3 Comments
Strange Survival Stories
Inspiration is taking the week off. (I think she went skiing at Lake Tahoe with Hope.) Instead, I’ve got two stories of people surviving for unusual reasons. If they’re too quirky for you, come back in a couple of weeks. … Continue reading
The Power of Acceptance – as told by Job
If any Bible story speaks to people with chronic illness and other long-term miseries, it’s got to be the Book of Job. Job’s story is about the healing power of acceptance. As presented in Job, the idea of “God” might … Continue reading
Posted in Reasons to Live
Tagged acceptance, bible, chronic illness, depression, Job, religion, submission
4 Comments
The Power of Pets
Julie walked slowly in to a San Francisco multiple sclerosis support group I led, leaning on her walker. Her first line of introduction was, “I don’t know why I’m here. It’s not like you can help me or anything.”