"Time spent in self-reflection is never wasted—it is an intimate date with yourself." Paul TP Wong

As we approach the new year, it's a perfect time for reflection. The Roman god Janus, with his two faces symbolizing both the past and the future, can guide us in this process. With the help of AI, here are some insightful questions that Janus might have come up with to help us learn from the past and prepare for the future. These questions might also inspire ideas for the upcoming 'Word for the Year' project.

 

1. "As I gaze at your path through this year, what 3 truths about yourself emerged that you didn't see before?"
2. "Which 3 mountains did you climb this year that once seemed insurmountable? Tell me the story of how you reached each peak."
3. "When you look back at this year's journey, which 3 footprints did you leave that make your heart swell with pride?"
4. "If you could send a message through time's doorway to your past self standing at last year's threshold, what wisdom would you share?"
5. "Which 3 moments from this year would you preserve in eternal memory if you could, and what makes them shine so brightly?"
6. "As you crossed each season's threshold this year, what 3 gifts were placed in your hands that filled your heart with gratitude?"
7. "Standing at this doorway between years, what dream whispers in your heart for the path ahead? What first step will you take toward it?"

This final question bridges the reflection on the past year with intention-setting for the future, embracing Janus's unique ability to look both backward and forward at once. Also these questions may also help you come up with the upcoming "Word for the Year" Project!

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End of Year Reflection Care Package

Take a Super Reflection on this past year! Download it (it's free!)

https://yearcompass.com/gb/

End of Year Meditation ~ Reflect & Accept

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8Htf7tXtlw 

Rock & Roll Songs that make me reflect on (my) Life

Landslide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WM7-PYtXtJM

Gentle on my Mind: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfMnNqn-hKg

Both Side Now : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hr64MxYpgk

In My Life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBqqeqcJM_0

What songs would be on your list?

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Wishing you a most beautiful YEAR wherever this may find you!

Focus on self-reflection. For it is within that you will find the light you seek

This week's quote reflects the inspiring message of the song "Clouds" (see below). They both share common themes of resilience, hope, and the importance of cherishing every moment, offering powerful messages of making the most of life's precious moments.  

"This holiday season, may we rise above life's storms like clouds so we can turn ordinary moments into extraordinary memories. Remember to hold our loved ones close, and make every moment count, for even in life's most challenging moments, the love we share lights the path to brighter tomorrows."

 Harry Soosaar

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Holiday Care Package ~ Three Videos and a Meditation

Over the years, I have been inspired by Zach Sobiech, a young man who faced osteosarcoma with remarkable courage until his passing in 2013. His uplifting song "Clouds" lives on through a beautiful tradition at the Mall of America, where thousands gather each December to sing in his memory. As we enter the holiday season, let his example of finding light in dark times inspire us to cherish each day and support one another.

Clouds Choir, Mall of America; 2024

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guooaJ6lGI8

Clouds Choir, Mall of America; 2013

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLhUS_QjcZY

About Zach Sobiech

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NjKgV65fpo&t=79s

Meditation of the Week: A 20-Minute Holiday Meditation for Presence, Love and Light
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMTLrmHKjKA

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To all Worldwide Quote of the Week Members, I wish you...  "Haid joule ja head uut aastat"; "God Jul and (Och) Ett Gott Nytt År"; "Buone Feste Natalizie":  "Feliz Navidad"; "Nollaig Shona Dhuit"; "Joyeux Noël"; "Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan"; "Saint Dan Fai Lok"; "Froehliche Weihnachten"; "Kala Christouyenna" ; "Een Plesierige Kerfees"; "I'd Miilad Said Oua Sana Saida"; "Merry Christmas"; "Happy Hanukkah" Enjoy this week's quote and Care Package!

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Wishing you a most beautiful holiday wherever this may find you. 

What if the true spirit of Christmas isn't wrapped in paper and tied with a bow? As the Grinch, a creature of ill will, grapples with this question, a profound realization emerges!  

And he puzzled and puzzled, ’till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before!
“Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store.
Maybe Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more!”
Dr. Suess, How the Grinch Stole Christmas

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 This week's Care Package for the Holidays 

10 Cozy Winter Reads to Get You in the Spirit of the Season

https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/christmas

The History of Christmas Music

https://www.britannica.com/art/Christmas-carol

The Science of Happiness and the Holidays

https://www.bluezones.com/2019/12/science-says-celebrating-holidays-could-make-you-happier/

A Holiday Spirit Podcast

https://podcasts.apple.com/gh/podcast/the-holidays/id165444583

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Wishing you a most beautiful day wherever this may find you!

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A Grinch Haiku

Thoughts swirl in the mind, 

Christmas whispers deeper truths, 

More than what stores find.  

 Are you ready for the fast approaching Holidays with its overwhelming faster pace and whirlwind of events, responsibilities and emotions?  To help navigate this bustling time, let's draw inspiration from last week insightful quote by Harry Soosaar and apply it to this upcoming about Holiday Season...  

A SUPERCOOLHAPPYLOVEBEING Approach to the Holiday Season...

Celebrate the holidays with a blend of gratitude, generosity, mindfulness and joy
Focus on creating meaningful connections and memories
Embrace self-acceptance without judgment
Find joy, happiness and peace where you in the present moment
Focus on creating meaningful connections and memories.  
And while you're giving to others, make this the time to give to yourself as well.

Harry Soosaar

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This Week's Holiday Care Package

Meditation: Finding Peace During the Holidays

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laNxaUdoTZQ

Article: The Practice of Using December for Retreat, Reflection & Letting Go

https://zenhabits.net/december-retreat/

Article: 25 Simple Ways to Take Care of Yourself Over the Holidays

https://bemorewithless.com/take-care/

A Podcast Playlist To Help You Survive The Holidays

https://www.npr.org/2019/11/22/781584008/podcasts-to-help-you-survive-the-holidays

Some Holiday Music:

Christmas Porch Ambience Relaxing Christmas Jazz Music with Snowfall & Fireplace

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grQl_OaN2BQ

Warm Winter Night with Jazz Instrumental 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL-NlWeWJPM

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Wishing you a most beautiful day wherever this may find you! 

 "Are you a 'SUPERCOOLHAPPYLOVEBEING'?" Harry Soosar’s lighthearted but insightful quote invites us to embrace a joyful, self-accepting approach to life. Instead of striving for some distant goal, let’s find happiness and peace in the present moment through joy and self-acceptance.  

"No path leads to enlightenment ~ so forget the path!
Be a  SUPERCOOLHAPPYLOVEBEING   and accept yourself fully and find joy in the now!
Be happy with who you are, where you are, and what you have. 

Remember, enlightenment isn't a destination, it's a state of being."

Harry Soosaar

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This Week's Care Package

Meditation of the Week; The Present Moment
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHU2sjyD5MM&t=73s 

Articles: The Present Moment
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/422-power-present-moment-george-bickerstaff-4yibe/
https://kimbecking.com/the-power-of-being-present-and-living-in-the-moment/

Rock & Roll Homeroom; Songs of the Present Moment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y66j_BUCBMY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jlI4uzZGjU  
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Wishing you a most beautiful day wherever this may find you
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REMEMBER...

Embrace self-acceptance without judgment
Find joy, happiness and peace where you in the present moment

Enlightenment isn't a destination, it's a state of being. 
Be a  SUPERCOOLHAPPYLOVEBEING  !    

 A post from 11/18

Have you ever wondered about the true impact of your actions on the world? This week's quote suggests that the greatest change we can make might not be in the lives of others, but within ourselves.

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This Week's Care Package; Curated just for you!

Meditation of the Week: Just Be
https://lnkd.in/e5hR7hPs

Article: How to Change the World: One Person Can Make a Lasting Impact
https://lnkd.in/eTUFkT2v

Rock & Roll Homeroom, Song of the Week
https://lnkd.in/eNJjE7-B

An interesting article on the concept of  Vorfreude
https://lnkd.in/ehzx49gS
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Wishing you a most beautiful day wherever this may find you!

Remember: Your kindness can transform you more than those you help.

In the US, Thursday marks our Thanksgiving holiday and the center of this day is thankfulness and gratitude for all the good things in life (and there are many!).  This week's quote by Melody Beattie offers a powerful reminder of the transformative power of gratitude. Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy the spirit of the occasion!

 

 

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.  It turns what we have into enough, and more.  It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.  It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.  Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow."
 Melody Beattie
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This Week's Care Package

A Gratitude Meditation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyUy9w953L0

Article; Thanksgiving: From Local Harvests to National Holiday

https://www.si.edu/spotlight/thanksgiving/history

Rock & Roll Homeroom: Top 13 Hard Rock Songs for Thanksgiving

https://hardrockdaddy.com/2015/11/26/top-13-hard-rock-songs-for-thanksgiving/

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Wishing you a most beautiful day and Thanksgiving, wherever this may find you!

 Today, on Veterans Day, we honor the brave Americans who have served our country. This annual commemoration, held on November 11th, recognizes the sacrifices made by our military personnel. As President John F. Kennedy  noted with this week's quote, let's honor our veterans not just with words of thanks, but by living up to the ideals they fought to protect.  

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget 

that the highest appreciation is not to utter words 

but to live by them.”  John F. Kennedy

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Article: About Veterans Day

https://www.uso.org/stories/3212-why-is-veterans-day-on-november-11th-what-to-know-about-the-history-of-this-federal-holiday

Article: 4 Stories of Service in Honor of Veterans Day

https://www.uso.org/stories/2912-4-stories-of-service-in-honor-of-veterans-day

Veterans Day Songs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP1zrYDSdT0&list=PLMvTZ68Ih9BEBmN2JKHfJzLlBB3-3c7GE

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On a Personal Note...

On this Veterans Day, I would like to say thank you to all our veterans, past, present, and future - especially my dad, my uncles Kevin and Gerard, and my cousin Chris. But I also want to recognize my mother's story, as it is intertwined with my father's military service.  

As World War II was drawing to a close, my parents met in the small southern German town of Geislingen. My father, of course, arrived there serving in the U.S. Army. But my mother had a much different journey. Born in Estonia, she fled to Germany as a young woman to escape the rapidly advancing Soviet Army.

By chance, she met my father. With his help, and her ability to speak several languages, she secured employment with the Military Government as an interpreter working with displaced persons. It was there that they fell in love and married. The rest, as they say, is history!

My mother's journey as a refugee, and her subsequent service working with the U.S. Military, is a testament to the shared sacrifices and contributions of both veterans and their families. On this Veterans Day, I'm honored to recognize them all.

Ever feel like the more you learn, the more you realize you don't know? I certainly do! Socrates understood that with this week's quote. He reminds us that wisdom comes from recognizing the vastness of what we don’t yet know and embracing the journey of lifelong learning!

"Wisdom tends to grow in proportion to one’s awareness of one’s ignorance."
Socrates

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This Week's Care Package curated just for you!

Meditation of the Week: Receive Wisdom from your Higher Self
https://.youtube.com/watch?v=auyMU3Zg948

Article: Why You Need Wisdom And How To Be (More) Wise—According To Science

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tracybrower/2021/03/28/why-you-need-wisdom-and-how-to-be-more-wise-according-to-science/

Songs about Wisdom; Rock and Roll Songs of the Week

After the Gold Rush; https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=d6Zf4D1tHdw

Hallelujah; https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=YrLk4vdY28Q

Brilliant Mistake; https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=SfICbSL6Vm0

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Wishing you a most beautiful day wherever this may find you!

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A way to wisdom...

Embrace Curiosity | Seek Out Diverse Opinions | Be Open to Feedback | Listen Actively