Tag Archives: nature

It’s Only Skin-Deep

Are you aware of deeper positive character attributes we automatically apply to an attractive face?

Here’s a great Psychology Today article on beauty and its effect on our psyche: The Surprising Power of a Beautiful Face. A short quote: “[what psychologists call] the halo effect causes one trait (e.g., beauty) to drastically color your perception of all other traits. If you think someone is beautiful, you are also likely to assume they’re smart, ambitious, interesting, etc. We’ve all made these assumptions before, for good or ill.”

We are hard-wired to judge based on appearances

The assumptions we make are evidently hard-wired labels in our brains. So we can be forgiven – at least a little bit. As an interesting exercise, the next time you see a beautiful or handsome face, observe your thought process. Do you quickly assume the person is also intelligent, educated, polite, nice, etc? Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of beauty and love, is laughing in her heaven. She knows, beauty has exerted power for eons.

Beauty is a big subject, with many facets (faces?) to be explored. For example, historically physically attractive politicians in public office seem to be more easily trusted by the population. Particularly in these cases, it behooves us to look deeper. These are people who are steering public policies and our future.

Inspirational Quote:

“It is amazing how complete is the delusion that beauty is goodness.” ~ Leo Tolstoy


© Susan L Hart 2021 |  Friendly comments welcome | Photo courtesy 1643606, Pixabay

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Where the Light Enters

2020 was the year of the wounding. 2021 will be the year of more light. Will we achieve it overnight? Not sure about that… Is anything truly worthwhile achieved that fast? The awakening of humanity is huge.

I believe it depends on how many people awaken and how quickly. The wound is LOSS – the sudden taking away of so much that is dear to us. Many are already awakening. The light is trickling in. Soon it will be a stream, then a river, until finally the floodgates burst wide open.

I know, some days it doesn’t feel like it, but we are on a brilliant path. Take heart and stay the course. Be the light.

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More inspirational quotes:

“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.”
~ Anton Chekhov

“To shine your brightest light is to be who you truly are.”
~ Roy T. Bennett

“All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.”
~ St. Francis Of Assisi,

“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that receives it.”
~ Edith Wharton

“It’s so much darker when a light goes out than it would have been if it had never shone.”
~ John Steinbeck


© Susan L Hart 2021 |  Friendly comments welcome | Photo courtesy Free-Photos Pixabay

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Little by Little

When life feels too overwhelming to deal with, “little by little” is an excellent methodology that keeps us moving forward. Also known in motivational circles as “chunking it down”, it’s a method of taking anything that feels insurmountable and down-sizing it to bite-size pieces.

Write down on paper whatever feels too daunting, then divide it into small pieces that feel manageable. Organize the pieces into a plan consisting of steps and stages, then immediately dig in and begin. Accomplishing that crucial first small step gives us enthusiasm and motivation to move on to the next one, then the next, and on it goes until that overwhelming monster is vanquished.

Lately I notice from social media comments that the world’s turmoil is immobilizing people from accomplishing even the simplest of daily tasks. “Little by little” is a way to overcome inertia and reclaim power over our lives.

This sense of empowerment gives us peace of mind, plus the confidence to envision and implement what we want for the future. We can’t let the problems of the world beat us. And, we won’t!

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© Susan L Hart 2021 |  Friendly comments welcome

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Hope Springs Eternal

I see people I love deeply disheartened and losing hope. I’m here to tell you, that is why I write. I’m holding a light for the beauty, our love, the joy of life, our strength and determination. I’m here to gather a community of people who believe in goodness, ethics, family, building a fulfilling life, finding their happiness together. That’s my mission.

It quite frankly hurts me to see the loss of heart in humanity. That’s after just one year of constant news of illness, death, lock downs, people losing businesses, etc. It makes me wonder where we will be in another year. The doomsdayers are not holding out much hope for us. They keep moving the line, changing their story, telling us constantly we have no hope unless they give it to us.

Not true! We write our story. We decide what life will be.

Do you feel that you have a mission in this time of tremendous change? It is something to think deeply about. We are seeing a split in society. I think one of the defining lines is who will rise to not only raise the bar for themselves (claim their joy and fulfillment in this life), but also they aspire to help their fellow humankind to reach for theirs. Even small acts of daily kindness and understanding ripple outward and make a big difference. We must help each other not only to have hope, but to find that strength within ourselves to be self-determining and shape our lives with vision and intention.

I love this quote by author Neil Gaiman:

“May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you’re wonderful, and don’t forget to make some art – write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.”

Never lose hope. Find the determination in your heart and mind to make your life good, no matter what. Reach for the stars.

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© Susan L Hart 2021 |  Friendly comments welcome | Photo courtesy Jill Wellington and josephredfield, Pixabay  

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Where is The Joy?

Where did the joy of life go? Joy gives us a feeling of lightness of being. It’s an expression, I believe, of our true natural state, but even in “normal times” it gets buried beneath the problems of life. Joy is relief from those heavy feelings that we inevitably must deal with in our daily lives, and lately those have multiplied exponentially.

How do we reclaim our joy, right here, right now? (We must actively do this, while we still remember what that state feels like.) If you are currently restricted from those activities that bring you joy, then carve out a bit of quiet time in your day to close your eyes and play them like short movies in your mind. As you watch the pictures roll through your mind, tune into the happy and joyful feeling(s) within you as you observe. Let the movie flow throughout your body.

Further, rather than treating it just as a replay of the past (which keeps us stuck in the past), imagine yourself doing those things (as well as new things you desire to experience) again in future. Strong feelings and images are very powerful when combined with intention to manifest what we desire.

This is extremely important! If we constantly focus on the negative narrative in the news, we are actually helping with our minds to manifest it. I don’t know about you, but I’m getting pretty sick of the doomsdayers trying to create my future!

We can also help each other to do this. For example, I have a good friend who started a social media group, and she shares beautiful pictures of the Alps in Europe – the gorgeous scenery, the activities, the famous spots to visit in a cluster of countries – and together the members of the group protect and keep alive the beauty of life.

Only you can decide what may bring you some relief from this current feeling of oppression. This is very subjective and personal. This is a memory that brings me great joy and makes me feel light of heart, without fail.

The Magic of Dragonfly

The magical dragonfly is a fond girlhood memory of summer for me. Paddling around the lake on sultry afternoons, I loved to watch their iridescent colors flitting among the graceful lily pads. They captivated me. There was a purity and magic about these tiny gossamer creatures. They seemed to occupy a mysterious, unseen world, to which for a few moments I was privy.

Peace and a feeling of the goodness in the world were mine, and they still are when I close my eyes and revisit this memory. I also strongly connect to a feeling of freedom.

There is extensive symbology attributed to the dragonfly in various cultures. For such a tiny creature, it sure has made a big impression on us. More reading on dragonfly symbology here: The Meaning of a Dragonfly: What Does a Dragonfly Symbolize?

Whatever brings you joy and however you would like to envision your future, commit to fiercely protecting this vision in your mind. Work on manifesting the future you want, rather than letting someone else create your future for you. In this time of great change, it is absolutely essential.

Inspirational quote:

“…What if the point is to stop, then,… and listen to the birdsong, to watch the dragonflies hover, to look at your lover’s face, then up at the undersides of leaves moving together in the breeze? What if the point is to invite these others into your movement, to bring trees, wind, grass, dragonflies into your family and in so doing abandon any attempt to control them? What if the point all along has been to get along, to relate, to experience things on their own terms? What if the point is to feel joy when joyous, love when loving, anger when angry, thoughtful when full of thought? What if the point from the beginning has been to simply be?”  ~ Derrick Jensen, A Language Older than Words


© Susan L Hart 2021 |  Friendly comments welcome

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