Thursday, December 21, 2023 1:57 PM
One of my favorite mantras that I live by is “when life throws you lemons…make cranberry juice.” Lemons represent life’s challenges, while cranberry juice, which is sweet, represents life’s joys. The difficulty here is that life’s lemons are obvious, range from annoying to lifethreatening, and cannot be ignored. Life’s joys (cranberries), may be very small or large as well.
How can you accept a fleeting moment of joy into your heart if you’re in the middle of one of life’s many complications? Would you even notice the cranberry? I’ve decided to look for, and accept, cranberries into my life and heart regularly. And to document it. The tool I’m using is the Empathy Journal. I created the Empathy Journal to encourage the user to set monthly goals, reflect on accomplishments, and note positive impacts on others. One of my goals for November is to wat
Wow, we’ve had SPECTACULAR sunsets here in Pacifica this month. Every time I go watch the ocean at sunset, I find myself marveling about how lucky I am to live in such a stunningly beautiful part of the world. I love it here and if I have any negative thoughts or need to navigate through a life challenge, this regular cranberry can reframe my attitude so that I am in a better
place to deal with it.
Here are my pages from this month. Don’t be shy about venting if something is bothering you. Venting works! Monthly goals should be stated in a positive perspective, i.e., I will eat an apple every day, instead of I will not eat brownies. Documenting your positive impacts is a great way to remind yourself of all the good you do! Or, honestly it may be a wake-up call for next month
Keeping up the Empathy Journal can lift your spirits, keep you organized and encourage you to do something fun or uplifting regularly! Digital or printed Empathy Journals are available at ImpactofEmpathy.net. Different animal designs are available. Pick the one you like the most!
