August 2025

August Thought of the Month

"The first step to not being afraid is to see things as they really are."

~ Puff the Magic Dragon

People used to say that if someone ignores or dilutes the harshness of life, they were looking at the world through rose colored glasses. While that might make them feel better, in the long run the damage that oulook can do is enormous. It's like building on a floodplain while pretending the water will never rise.

Life can be scary and we can't always avoid those times. Pretending they aren't happening is the worst thing we can do. Living in self deception blinds us to the signs we'd normally see that help us brace for the times when things go wrong. Better to look over those deceptive lenses, face the reality on the other side, and give that rosey viewpoint a better purpose.

Use it to envision the reality we want and inspire us to find ways to help bring that better world into being. As long as we remember to do more than dream, we take the brakes off what's possible.

Our strength comes whem we face life as it is and deliberately work to make it better rather than live as if it were something it isn't.

[Thought and image design by Elaine C. Oldham]