Ideas and tips to get along and get stuff done------------ --yDecember 21, 2023

Lighten Up!

If I could write a two-word prayer. If I could have a two-word motto. If I could choose two words to guide me everywhere and through anything, these would be the words: lighten up.

For one thing, these two words remind me to choose light over dark. Positive over negative. Joy over misery. And it helps to remember that I actually have a choice. I can choose to look at my glass as half full or half empty. I can choose to look at the good aspects of the situation, or the bad. I can choose to look for good things in you. Quakers speak of the light of God that’s in every person.

When walking down a street I can choose to walk on the sunny side. Have you heard the old song Keep On the Sunny Side? Linked is the Loretta Lynn version, but there are many. The words are pretty great, and shown in the video.

The two words also remind me to be light on my feet. Be nimble. Ready to adapt. Not too stuck in my ways. Be adaptable to change. I don’t have to be weighted down with poor self-images or old heavy ideas. I can see things in new light and in new ways. I can change my mind.

Lastly, these words remind me to not take myself too seriously. Have some fun. Crack a smile. See the lighter side of things. My friend Ray used to say, “there are no big deals.”

As we consider the return of the sun, the brighter days ahead, these are excellent words to live by. Happy Solstice Everyone!

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Together We Decide makes the Best Books list!

Kirkus Reviews just announced that Together We Decide, An Essential Guide for Making Good Group Decisions is one of the best Indie Books of 2023.

From the Kirkus Review: The book’s tone is direct and personal, with clear explanations and apt metaphors.

Freshley makes a strong case for the value of inclusivity and provides specific actions aimed at fostering a culture in which every group member feels welcome and heard. To that end, he advocates collaboration, consensus-building, and establishing clear and transparent procedures, among other strategies.......It’s packed with a wealth of inspiring ideas and practical information.

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Have you heard about the Nationhood Lab?

It's a pretty cool project, directed by Maine's own Colin Woodard.

Based at Salve Regina University, the Nationhood Lab is focused on counteracting the authoritarian threat to American democracy and the centrifugal forces threatening the federation’s stability.

The project delivers tools with which to describe and defend the American liberal democratic tradition and better understand the forces undermining it. The project enhances understanding of the big questions that have always bedeviled American nationhood: Who are we as a nation? Where did our nation come from? For what reasons do our states and regional cultures remain together as a nation? These questions are again central to the future of our federation and for the prospects for the American dream and the equality of opportunity promised in our founding documents.

The map is based on Colin Woodard's book American Nations and explains a lot about why we are so divided these days; and always have been.

Learn all about the Nationhood Lab right here.

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Librarians are facilitators. They help people learn new things. They are welcoming to all. They build community. They help people belong.

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