8keysccliving

“I have no special talent, I am only passionately curious.” Albert Einstein Ha! Hard not to think of Einstein as immensely talented! But it is amazing where curiosity will lead you.  When you follow your curiosity new vistas often open. Have you noticed how much more fun curious people seem to have? Many of us […]

  “Exercising skills for sensitivity and understanding.” We all like to believe we are sensitive and understanding. And that hopefully by adulthood, we’ve learned appropriate boundaries around those attributes. So what is the quote really about? To me it is about curiosity and connection – and using these to expand and deepen our world. There

Transcendentalist philosopher Henry David Thoreau wrote in his book, Walden, in 1854, “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation.” Thoreau’s writing speaks to a human tendency to avoid risk,  play it safe, “settle” into complacency. It doesn’t happen all at once. We didn’t start out in childhood feeling resigned to life circumstances. We were excited

We are taught early on to separate truth from fiction, to identify what is “real”, to compartmentalize in order to function. When we talk about creativity however, this concept becomes a bit tricky and blurs the edges of reality and imagination. According to Blodgett and Genn, (one of our resources for some background on creativity),

One of the pluses of creative activity is the opportunity to attach oneself to the miracle of nature. In spite of our immersion in a technological world, we are surrounded by nature. Creative activity gives us an excuse to immerse ourselves in it every day. Due to the floods and heat waves of the recent

“The most exhausting thing you can do is to be unauthentic.” I really smiled when I read  this quote from Anne Morrow Lindbergh. Most of us grew up learning pretty quickly what was acceptable thinking, feeling and behavior, and what was not. And yet we are all very unique individuals – how do we balance

With the normal demands of life, work and family,  our attention is being constantly both demanded and fragmented. To focus on one’s own needs, desires, and aspirations can feel like a selfish indulgence.  And yet, as a magnet on a friend’s refrigerator states: “You might as well be you, everyone else is taken!”  And that

 I have always enjoyed those moments in springtime, when I’m able to witness birds gathering their nesting materials…. a bit of soft moss from my planter boxes, a fluff of dryer lint, maybe some found string or other material to weave into their nests. It’s a unique collection. We build our own unique collections for

This is Artemis of Ephesus, sister of Apollo and Goddess of Fertility. To me (Patty), she symbolizes all the generous nurturing the Universe offers to our need to create. All cultures and religions have myths and stories solidified into icons. They are visual representations of a concept that cannot quite be explained in words. Whether

We are in the season of celebrating – Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, graduations, birthdays, Fourth of July – whew!               Holidays and celebrations are times for us to stop and acknowledge a positive change, person or event with gratitude, joy, and remembrance. We may have established traditions that have been part of