Month: December 2020

Monday, December 7

Today is Monday, December 7, 2020. It is International Civil Aviation Day, a day to thank all those who make it possible for us to fly.

Delights in December. Use the Daily Gift of Vitality, to allow a moment to pause and connect with what delights you. We will provide prompts and ideas along the way.

After allowing moments of quiet, close out the moment with a smile & put your arms outstretched, overhead. Think about and recognize a gift of kindness from someone. It can be a stranger or someone you know.

    • Holding the door open.
    • Letting you go ahead in line.
    • Sending you a note of gratitude.
    • Picking up something you dropped.
    • Cooking or sharing a hot beverage with you.
    • Forwarding a funny meme or cartoon.
    • Texting or calling you to check in and see how you are doing.

Focusing on how others share kindness can generate more random acts of kindness towards someone else.

An inspirational quote by Maya Angelou, “When you learn, teach. When you get, give.”

Photo by: Vitaly Sacred

Recharge yourself when you repeat:    

“I am [*Name*]. I am human. My mind, my body, and my spirit are connected, and I am a part of a global community. I love myself and others because I have kindness and love in my heart and soul. As I think about those I love and care for, I send loving kindness and compassion to all people. We are all human. We can create positive energy together.”

The Mindfulness Activity to practice this week to create Calm Moments:  

    • Straighten your spine. Roll your shoulders back and down, smile to yourself, & relax your jaw.
    • Take slow deep belly breaths, allowing your stomach to rise with each breath in and relax with each breath out. You may find that each breath gets better and better. Allow your shoulders to relax on each exhale.
    • Relax your jaw. Gently bring your chin down to your chest, release your jaw muscles. Your mouth may open slightly.
    • Lift your head back up, leaving your jaw muscles loose and down towards your chest. Your mouth may open further.
    • Gently, lift your jaw up to close your lips and let your jaw stay relaxed. Smile and let your calm jaw muscles rest a bit more.

With gratitude and appreciation for all beings,

Naomi Parrella, MD & Fran Lee, FNP 

Friday, December 4

Today is Friday, December 4, 2020. On an island off the coast of Australia, there are Maremma sheep dogs protecting a colony of the smallest penguins from extinction from foxes.

Delights in December. This month use the Daily Gift of Vitality, to allow a moment to pause and connect with what delights you. We will provide prompts and ideas along the way.

Engage in your hobby or create a new one:

    • Sketch, paint, color in your coloring book
    • Create music, listen to music or record your practice
    • Knit, crochet, needlepoint or sew
    • Sculpt, carve or engage in woodworking
    • Invent recipes, cook favorite foods, make beer
    • Add to your journal, write a blog post or work on a book
    • Fix an engine, build that model trainset, launch the model rocket
    • Go fishing, hiking or take time for bird watching
    • Learn about the night sky using an app to help you identify what you are seeing
    • Take photos, create a photo album or scrapbook
    • Explore a museum (even online), read a book, learn a new language
    • Play solitaire with real cards, work on a puzzle, etc.

An inspirational quote by Colin Wilson, “The mind has exactly the same power as the hands: not merely to grasp the world, but to change it.”

Photo by Hudson Hintze (NOT a Maremma sheep dog)

Recharge yourself when you repeat:    

“I am [*Name*]. I am human. My mind, my body, and my spirit are connected, and I am a part of a global community. I love myself and others because I have kindness and love in my heart and soul. As I think about those I love and care for, I send loving kindness and compassion to all people. We are all human. We can create positive energy together.”

The Mindfulness Activity to practice this week to create Calm Moments:  

    • Straighten your spine. Roll your shoulders back and down, smile to yourself, & relax your jaw.
    • Take slow deep belly breaths, allowing your stomach to rise with each breath in and relax with each breath out. You may find that each breath gets better and better. Allow your shoulders to relax on each exhale.
    • Open hands and rotate palms out and shake out and shimmy your shoulders. Smile.

With gratitude and appreciation for all beings,

Naomi Parrella, MD & Fran Lee, FNP 

Wednesday, December 2

Today is Wednesday, December 2, 2020. The “Forest Man of India,” Jadav Payeng (1963-) has been planting trees for over 40 years since he was a teenager and he has created a forest of over 1,360 acres on once barren land. Tigers, elephants, rhinos, monkeys, deer, birds, and various other animals now call Molai forest “home.”

Delights in December. This month, use the Daily Gift of Vitality, to allow a moment to pause and connect with what delights you. We will provide prompts and ideas along the way.

Do something that makes you giggle. Here are some ideas to get started:

    • Spend time with a young child.
    • Play with a loving pet.
    • Talk to your funny friend, family or coworker.
    • Listen to a favorite comedian, funny podcast or audiobook.
    • Check out the “Humor” sections of websites that have fun visual posts like Pinterest.
    • Watch a movie or show that is listed in the “Comedy” genre.
    • Watch a baby or child giggling uncontrollably; there are many clips online.

An inspirational quote by Heidi Wills, “We can choose to be affected by the world or we can choose to affect the world.”

Photo by: Trevor Pye

Recharge yourself when you repeat:    

“I am [*Name*]. I am human. My mind, my body, and my spirit are connected, and I am a part of a global community. I love myself and others because I have kindness and love in my heart and soul. As I think about those I love and care for, I send loving kindness and compassion to all people. We are all human. We can create positive energy together.”

The Mindfulness Activity to practice this week to create Calm Moments:  

    • Straighten your spine. Roll your shoulders back and down, smile to yourself, & relax your jaw.
    • Take slow deep belly breaths, allowing your stomach to rise with each breath in and relax with each breath out. You may find that each breath gets better and better. Allow your shoulders to relax on each exhale.
    • Open hands and rotate palms out and shake out and shimmy your shoulders. Smile.

With gratitude and appreciation for all beings,

Naomi Parrella, MD & Fran Lee, FNP