Advice from an Aunt

As is our custom, we write and share things with each other. So when I read the advice sent to me by my Aunt through marriage, I felt it was worthy of sharing on this blog. Consider it a creedo to happiness and wisdom:


1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.
2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to.
3. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to __________ today.'
4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli , almonds & walnuts.
6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
7. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.
9. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
11. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does..
12. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
13. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
14. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'
17. Forgive everyone for everything.
18. What other people think of you is none of your business.
19. GOD heals everything.
20. However good or bad a situation is, it will change..
21. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch!!!
22. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
23. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________.
Today I accomplished _________.
24. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.
Please send this to everyone you care about.

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Our first Australian Spring.

Of all the things we have experienced thus far in Canberra;
The seasons are remarkable. It is mid October, a few weeks into Spring.
The Floriade Event in Canberra truly brings the beauty of flowers in the thousands.
We've never seen anything like it. It attracts thousands of people all over Australia. It's a privilege to have it minutes away. The air here, especially after a gentle Spring rain, is fragrant with fresh flowers and plants. Scroll down to the bottom of this page to see some images from Floriade.
I can't quite imagine what Christman during the Australian summer will be like.
Right now, it's a full moon and floral carpeted gardens which capture my fancy.

Newest Images

Putting down some roots in Canberra

After nearly four months here, we have accepted a house to rent for a short time over the next several months. We came here taking no furnishings, only clothes, electronics, some household goods and linens. It will be interesting to experience the home of our own for a while. Up until now, we have found house-sitting to be a very economical way to settle in Canberra. One can learn more of the community this way, at a fraction of typical housing cost. Now we will have a bigger bite to swallow each month. Alond the way, we adopted the mindset that "anywhere we happened to be together, was home." We determine what home is between us. It's reassuring to consider it is the people we care for which create a home. Things come and go, and so do places. It is what we take along within our hearts that matter.