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A Lesson from the Porch
"The
porch helps me to see I'm my own White Knight."
Renewal Day, not a
widely known holiday, is celebrated on May 4th. In addition to
renewing friendships with old friends and reconnecting with family
members, this is also a day to begin self-renewal. The demands of
life often get in the way of our taking care of ourselves. May is also
designated as Mental Health Month. The theme this year is Live
Your Life Well,
with a focus on helping people to manage stress and major life change
better. What a great connection to Renewal Day.
According to Mental
Health America,
"with increasing economic troubles piling on to the stress of work
and family demands, more and more Americans are suffering." The
Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, Life Evaluation sub-section, reports
on an individual's perception of their life to-date and belief in the
future. The report labels individuals as Thriving, Struggling,
or Suffering. The report for March 2009 indicates 52.2% of the
nation is Struggling. In March of 2008, the majority of Americans were
identified as Thriving.
These data suggest the importance and value of self-renewal.
These numbers,
while alarming, are not surprising given all the outside factors that
impact our lives. It may be, you're doing just fine.
What about that old friend or family member you haven't talked to in a
while? Renewal Day provides us a great opportunity to call or
email just one of those people. It might be the ray of sunshine they are
looking for right now. Someone said, "Life is not about waiting for
the storms to pass...it's about learning to dance in the rain!" No
one escapes adversity in their life. How we react to our adversities
helps determine whether we're thriving, struggling, or suffering. Will we
take the time to learn how to "dance in the rain?" Being
grateful for who we are, where we are, and what we have helps find that
ray of sunshine we may have been pursuing for a long time and enables us
to begin the dance. One word, gratitude, can greatly
improve our attitude!
The wonderful author Sarah Breathnack wrote, "When we choose not to
focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the
abundance that's present...we experience heaven on earth."
Renewal Day is also
a perfect day to take time to reflect about our own well-being. While we
are not in control of all that happens around us, by taking the time to
know ourselves, we take control of our life. One lesson I learned while
writing Lessons from the Porch: A Gathering Place for Telling Our
Stories
(STEC Publishing, 2003), is that I am my own White Knight. I am capable
of being the best guide on my journey through life. By accepting the
responsibility of being my own White Knight, my awareness of my personal
power increased. I learned I am in control of my outlook and my outlook
decides my future.
A few years ago, I
read an article about a ninety-five year old who understood the meaning
of being his own White Knight. Clair Duckham was preparing to ride his
bike in the two-day "Hilly Hundred", a 100-mile bike ride up
and down some very grueling hills in southern Indiana. In the article,
the owner of a bike shop in Clair's hometown commented about one of his
favorite customers: "Here he is in what would be considered the
winter of his life, but he acts and thinks like it's the spring of his
life." Clair shared these thoughts, "Find things you love to do
and make sure you do them - don't just think about it...And never hold
anyone else responsible for your happiness. Your happiness can be
enriched by the people and things around you, but it has to come from
inside yourself to start with."
On May 4th, make
time to reflect about "you."
Recognize you are
your own White Knight, responsible for your outlook and your future.
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