=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= PEBBLES =o=o=o=o=o==o=o

Happiness comes through doors you didn't even know you left open.
-source unknown, submitted by Lori L.

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= BOULDER =o=o=o=o=o=o=o

If you observe a really happy man, you will find him building a boat,
writing a symphony, educating his child, growing double dahlias or
looking for dinosaur eggs in the Gobi Desert. He will not be searching
for happiness as if it were a collar button that had rolled under the
radiator, striving for it as a goal in itself. He will have become aware
that he is happy in the course of living life twenty-four crowded hours
of each day.
-W. Beran Wolfe

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= PONDER =o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o

In between speaking adventures in Wisconsin, Indiana, and Iowa, I
have been finding myself pondering the notion of helping people find
happiness. I sometimes feel like people come to hear a motivational
speech to find the "happiness secret" and even though I believe there
to be no secret (or if there IS a secret we all know it but often
forget it) sometimes I feel pressure to provide that secret. This
week, Leslie came across the above boulder and I think it serves to
remind us that happiness does not work well as a goal, it is
something that happens in the midst of your crazy life!

So, however crazy your life is this week…..don't worry about
finding happiness…..let it find you!

Peace,
Paul

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=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= PEBBLES =o=o=o=o=o==o=o

Uncertainty is hope for the strong and concern for the weak.
-source unknown, submitted by Joe R., Milwaukee, Wisconsin

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= BOULDER =o=o=o=o=o=o=o

Uncertainty and mystery are energies of life. Don't let them scare you
unduly, for they keep boredom at bay and spark creativity.
-R.I. Fitzhenry, submitted by Julie B.

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= PONDER =o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o

About two years ago, a college student was handed a ripples card from
our original "Deck of Inspiration" that said "Never Give In. Never.
Never. Never. Never." He appreciated this quote from Winston
Churchill, as he had recently been diagnosed with cancer. He has
been carrying the card around in his wallet ever since as he bravely
faced a roller coast ride of diagnosis, surgery, chemotherapy,
waiting, hoping, diagnosis, surgery, chemotherapy, hoping (oh, and
through it all he has been LIVING, LOVING AND BEING!).

Unfortunately the ride continues even though he was given a clean
bill of health just a few weeks ago; next week he begins radiation
treatment after being rushed into brain surgery last week.

His difficult journey serves to remind us that it can be difficult to
find hope amid the uncertainty. Let's send positive ripples out into
the world this week to help all of us who are facing uncertainty find
a big splash of hope.

Peace, and healing,
Paul

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=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= PEBBLES =o=o=o=o=o==o=o

The soul should always stand ajar, ready to welcome the ecstatic experience.
-Emily Dickinson, submitted by Judy A., Carbondale, Illinois

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= BOULDER =o=o=o=o=o=o=o

Without continual growth and progress,
such words as improvement,
achievement, and success
have no meaning.
-Benjamin Franklin, submitted by Bev P.

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= PONDER =o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o

This week included some time with my friends at CUNA Mutual Group as
well as a return trip to Kettering University in Flint, Michigan to
help students explore strategies for a successful first year of
college. It is worth reminding them, and all of us, that success
arrives at our doorstep only with heaps of "growth and progress."
Some of us are finding bountiful amounts of growth and progress in
our lives so it is our job to simply hang on and enjoy the ride.
Others may want to jump start their lives by shaking things up with a
big change. Which camp are you in?

Whether you are hanging or shaking, I urge you to enjoy your week!

Paul

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=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= PEBBLES =o=o=o=o=o==o=o

The journey in who you once were
and who you are now becoming
is where the dance of life really takes place.
-Barbara D'Angelis, submitted by Dustin N.

Too many people overvalue what they are not
and undervalue what they are.
-Malcolm S. Forbes, submitted by Gerry M.

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= BOULDER =o=o=o=o=o=o=o

Accept everything about yourself-
-I mean everything.
You are you and that is the beginning and the end-
-no apologies, no regrets.
-Clark Moustakas, submitted by Gerry M.

To realize your true measure, you must wait for the right moment and the
right conditions. When the time comes, you are awakened as if from a
dream. You understand that what you've found is your own and doesn't
come form anywhere outside.
-Buddhist Sutra, submitted by Ryan W.

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= PONDER =o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o

No pondering this week…just a double helping of pebbles and
boulders and a wish for an awesome week!

Peace to you,
Paul

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