When in transition we hold onto the hope that the future will bring something different from the past or the present. Emily Dickinson said: “Hope is the thing with feathers
that perches in the soul.”

When I left one career for another, I felt like I was “in flight” from one branch to another—not sure if the next one would hold. I stayed on the first branch a very long time until my soul assured me that the next branch would most likely be steady.

Hope nudged me from one to the other and brought unexpected joy and surprises. What perches in your soul?

When I was a little girl, I remember that my mother would stop at odd moments and then stretch her body somehow and make a sound. I always wondered what on earth she was doing. Now I think I understand. She was using her body to change her disposition.

Perhaps one of us four children just tracked in mud from outside or she just realized she did not have beans to go with the hotdogs. The stretch and the sound through her body gave her a small window to shift to a different next step.

The body, obviously always with us, provides a vehicle for us use to transform stress into a more flexible and open option. Stretch today at the onset of distress and notice how your body can take you in a new direction

We are all teachers and learners—just by the way we conduct our everyday lives.

A friend wrote to us about the return of cancer to her partner’s body: “So, we ask for your prayers of healing and strength.  We do not view cancer as an enemy but as a reminder to be fully alive this day.  We are living one day at a time with grateful hearts for our dear family and friends who show the tenderness and care of our loving God.”

We teach and learn from one another in ways we do not begin to comprehend. May we all be fully alive this day.

Leaders set moods. You witness this in any meeting. When the appointed leader displays a “bad mood” then this tends to infect others. Soon the meeting seems to be spiraling downward.

We can take responsibility for our moods and shift to another way of being in the moment. This begins with examining what we are saying to ourselves and then having some strategies to make a change. This is a hairpin turn.

Here are some ways to make a mood change: Change your physical posture—there is a connection between our body and our moods; Consider who you hang out with—if possible—as moods are contagious; Play some music. And remember that we cannot avoid our moods.

The turn occurs when we observe what is going on, make a choice to change and move to this new place available within us.