a daily blog on well-being and how to feel better by Mark Barger Elliott…

I was on a walk last night at sunset and heard geese overhead. As the citrus mint smell of conditioner yesterday unexpectedly was comforting, this sound was sustaining as it reminded me in life there are always seasons – some perplexing and turbulent, others full of flight and joy. And I also thought of the…

I don’t often put conditioner in my hair. But yesterday after a run, I decided to and then did something I’d never done before – I brought the conditioner up to my nose and smelled it. Usually, I put it right on my hair and miss that step. This might sound silly, but I was…

I remember my father once reflecting on how when someone dies all those thoughts, insights, and experiences are lost. His point was recognizing the finite aspect of one’s life. I came across the same thought from Martha Graham recently who added with this insight we should not to waste our time or be timid with…

A few days ago I came across the story of an male emperor penguin who was standing on the beach in the small town of Denmark in Western Australia, about 2,100 miles from where one might expect to find it, in Antarctica. Why was he there? Dee Boersma, a professor of biology at the University…

I came across a lovely quote by Lao Tzu last night: “wonder into wonder, existence opens.” I’ve had quite a few conversations with people lately who feel numb. A path that can lead us back to feeling again is to notice the wonders that appear before us every day. It might sound like a cliché,…

Meaning, I was reminded this morning, is not something we find, but something we make. We construct meaning out of events in our lives, books we read, films we see. We weave it together from dreams, memories, and photographs on our phone. Sometimes we change the sequence of elements with which we construct meaning. We…