Posts by Sue Watson

“Optimism is a happiness magnet. If you stay positive, good things and good people will be drawn to you.” Mary Lou Retton Having an optimistic outlook is a powerful emotion that provides great coping skills in times of stress.  Having a more positive outlook on life doesn’t stop difficult times and/or situations, BUT it does…

“If a man cannot understand the beauty of life, it is probably because life never understood the beauty in him.”  Criss Jami Compassion is a lovely word and it’s meaning is the sympathetic consciousness of others distress together with a desire to alleviate it (Merriam-Webster Dictionary).  I think that it is a human trait to…

“Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. The consciousness of loving and being loved brings a warmth and a richness to life that nothing else can bring.” Oscar Wilde This week’s topic is warmth and with this I mean the warmth that we…

“Toilet paper is like an unreliable bridge, you are gonna have to walk across mud valley from time to time.”  Nuclear Circus This week’s topic is reliability and for me, this is a form of trust and preferences for people who have shown up in the past and have proven their skill and their ability…

“Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction, and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives, the cumulative experience of many masters of craftsmanship.”    William A. Foster This week we are discussing quality, and this is a very much needed item in…

“Without commitment, you cannot have depth in anything, whether it’s a relationship, a business or a hobby.” Neil Strauss Commitment is such a strong word and yet we cannot complete anything without this. I had a break from mosaics last term as I tried to catch up with my therapy training, however, this did not…

“Humor is almost always anger with its make-up on.”  Stephen King A sense of humour can be a wonderful thing, as sometimes life throws us curve balls and we either laugh or cry!  So, perhaps Stephen King’s quote does have some truth to it! My sense of humour has definitely needed to kick in this…

“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” Albert Einstein Flexibility is a wonderful thing, not only for the body but also the mind and both have been stretched over the past two weeks in preparation to relocate my clinic to its forever home. Not only did I need to coordinate with my helpers…

“Curiosity is, in great and generous minds, the first passion and the last.”  Samuel Johnson Watching my grandies recently has reminded me that us adults often lose our curiosity as life gets busier.  Watching their joy at receiving a gift and then noting their expressions as they open and wonder what it could be. I…

“It is wrong and immoral to seek to escape the consequences of one’s acts.” Mahatma Gandhi This week we are exploring the act of taking responsibility and what that means.  Responsibility is being accountable or the opportunity or ability to act independently and make decisions. For our family at this time of the year, we…

“One’s doing well if age improves even slightly one’s capacity to hold on to that vital truism: “This too shall pass.” Alain de Botton This week we are discussing resilience and what this means. For me, resilience is the inner strength that we all have that helps us in times of stress or crisis.  It…

“Sometimes the best things are right in front of you; it just takes some time to see them.” Gladys Knight This week we are discussing appreciation and how this can improve not only your life, but that of others. Being appreciated or appreciating the people that you interact with, lifts moods.   I spoke with a…

“Nothing is fair in this world. You might as well get that straight right now.” Sue Monk Kidd The topic for this week’s discussion is “fairness”.  I’m not speaking about what you get dished out, as life can be unkind and unfair at times, but how YOU treat others in this world.  Are you a…

“When you are making a success of something, it’s not work. It’s a way of life. You enjoy yourself because you are making your contribution to the world.” Andrew Grantelli We are investigating the aspect of contribution this week, contributing to the community or society in which we work and live.  From a young age,…

“Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.”   Lao-Tzu Today is “World Kindness Day” and this has me thinking of when I have been the recipient of someone’s act of kindness and the enormous joy that this brought to me. Many years ago, one of my clients passed…

“We can’t be afraid of change. You may feel very secure in the pond that you are in, but if you never venture out of it, you will never know that there is such a thing as an ocean, a sea. Holding onto something that is good for you now, may be the very reason…

“Art is both creation and recreation. Of the two ideas, I think art as recreation or as sheer play of the human spirit is more important.” Lin Yutang This week we are exploring recreation, and for me – this is the time I spend outside my work, and it includes a range of things; time…

“But grief makes a monster out of us sometimes . . . and sometimes you say and do things to the people you love that you can’t forgive yourself for.”  Melina Marchetta It has taken me all week to complete this musing about grief and I only realised yesterday, it is because I am still…

“A further sign of health is that we don’t become undone by fear and trembling, but we take it as a message that it’s time to stop struggling and look directly at what’s threatening us.”  Pema Chodron It is now three years since the beginning of my breast cancer journey, and I am more than…

“One person caring about another represents life’s greatest value.”  Jim Rohn Being a carer can be a rewarding AND also difficult at times, especially if you are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days per week.  It can also be many roles; you may be the partner and the carer, the parent and the…