When you discover something that nourishes your soul and brings joy, care enough about
yourself to make room for it in your life. -Jean Shinoda Bolen
Spanish Word for the Month: Feliz Navidad~Merry Christmas [Pronounced: Fay-lees-gnaw-vee-dawd]
December 10, 2002
Dear Friends and Family,
December has been a month for reflecting. The passing of this year signifies various milestones; a year of growth, learning, adventure, and challenges. It also marks times of struggle that come from being far from home and far from the familiarity of our “other” life. The New Year represents a sense of anticipation knowing that we will be home in less than eight months as we are planning to come home for Shawn’s sister’s wedding in July 2003 and that will complete our two year commitment.
We just finished reading a book my dad sent us called, The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People: What Scientists Have Learned and How You Can Use It, by Dr. David Niven. For a change in our monthly updates we decided to share a few of our favorite insights from the book that have uplifted and encouraged us in our journey. We hope this will serve as one of many positive Christmas reflections for your month. The book is divided into 100 short passages that are illustrated with clear examples and include straightforward explanations of the science behind the topic (the following excerpts are taken directly from the book copyright 2001 HarperCollins).
SIMPLE SECRET #1
Your life has purpose and meaning. You are not here just to fill space or to be a background character in someone else’s movie.
SCIENTIFIC STUDY: Studies of older Americans find that one of the best predictors of happiness is whether a person considers his or her life to have a purpose. Without a clearly defined purpose, seven in ten individuals feel unsettled about their lives; with a purpose, almost seven in ten feel satisfied. Lepper 1996