Live Inspired!
Inspirational Color Quote of the Week: Colors Blue and Green A Walk That’s real “Give me the clear blue sky above my head, and the green turf beneath my feet, a winding road before me, and a three hours' march to dinner - and then to thinking! It is hard if I cannot start some game on these lone heaths.” -- William Hazlitt (author/social commentator) What do you think? There’s more going on in this image than you’d expect. Here he is; Mr. Hazlitt is walking along-- enjoying the clear blue sky above his head, the green turf beneath his feet and an interesting winding road ahead. He’s a good describer. You can almost see him traversing—step by step-- the terrain, and because I too am energized by long walks (ok he refers to it as a march), the image leads me to want to also get out there and join him on the trail. And here’s another intriguing part you don’t quite expect. Though he’s clearly enjoying the natural world, it’s not all 100% positive. We don’t know exactly why in the first place Mr. Hazlitt is taking such a long walk/march. Regardless, he’s out there alone on the path. At the same time as he’s clearly happy to be out in nature, he’s also a realist, and he’s willing to acknowledge its difficulty. Hey three hours is a long time to be out there. Especially so when you’re by yourself. As he says, you have to play games to keep things interesting on “these lone heaths.” But apparently and on balance, Mr. Hazlitt enjoys the endeavor. The nature image rings true for me. He calls to me to get out there. At the same time, he’s reminding me of perhaps a more important point and one that’s easy to lose track of. Even as we really really enjoy something—a person, an activity, a situation—hey things aren’t always all good. For Mr. Hazlitt, there’s the loneliness of a long trek. Or perhaps you feel really close to someone—your partner, a really good friend—well, as meaningful as the relationship is, there are times you’re going to be annoyed with them or in some way hit some negativity. What does that mean? Well, it’s so easy to blow that negativity out of proportion, forgetting all the positives that go with it. Hmm, what about that attitude of gratitude that often can be hard to cultivate? Alternatively we don’t always acknowledge the negative pieces are there; we like someone or something so much we sometimes fail to address issues or differences or things we don’t want to really “see.” We ignore situations that perhaps we could make better if we only took some steps to address change. In the end Mr. Hazlitt is encouraging us to focus on something even more important than a wonderful walk in nature. He’s reminding us to get real. There’s good and less good parts to any relationship or situation. Let’s put all our cards on the table to acknowledge what’s good and then take time to do the work to make it even better. How do these ideas resonate with you, and what are one or two ways in the next day or so you could take some action on that basis?
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AuthorI am a Life Coach, a Color Wisdom Card Practitioner, and yes, even a Professor (political science, State University of New York at Albany). I use the Color Wisdom Cards to support clients in exploring priorities and taking concrete actions to stay on track with the goals they set. Because in my own life I have overcome a lot of self-doubt, I want to work with people towards more confidence and self-empowerment. You can do it! What is it you want to do? Categories
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June 2021
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