Author: justathoughtbypat

The Walk to Albany Post Road

“When you’ve spent two years trying to wiggle just one toe everything else is brought into proportion.” ~ Franklin Roosevelt I have a suggestion when you’re at the end of your rope and feeling: Down and out Paralyzed in fear Questioning the future Imagine yourself taking a short walk down the driveway of Franklin Roosevelt’s Hyde Park home to the Albany Post Road.  It’s just … Continue reading The Walk to Albany Post Road »

The Power of Thoughts

I read a quote (uncredited) the other day that caught my attention: “Never blame anyone in your life. The good people give you happiness, the bad people give you experience, the worst people give you a lesson, the best people give you memories.” It struck me that when I look into the mirror in the morning all four characters stare back: the good, the bad, … Continue reading The Power of Thoughts »

The Gift of Silence

The following post was originally published February 4, 2017. I worked hard to perpetuate my stupidity for half my life. The other half has been spent gathering up my loose marbles. This marble gathering experience describes my process of recovery.  For me, recovery has been 95% recovering parts of myself that I lost along the way.  This has entailed: Challenging my ingrained biases Harnessing my … Continue reading The Gift of Silence »

Seeing the World with Clear Eyes

[This is an edited version of the post, “A Thoughtful Heart,” originally published February 27, 2016.]    L “A heart weary of hate cannot learn to love.” I came upon this quote, credited to a Russian poet, in a New York Times article written by Mikhail Shishkin, “How Russians Lost the War.”  He was decrying the manner in which the Russian authorities were ratcheting up … Continue reading Seeing the World with Clear Eyes »