The Skinny Buddha

resolutions for tomorrow? i’m sure i will wake every day of 2014 with at least one daily resolution...but what do i want to feel every day? 

i could write a checklist of motivational, inspiring, thought-provoking goals but nah…i just want to feel what my favorite old woman is feeling. she calls herself the ‘old gray mare’. she just recently was moved to a nursing home. on my first visit i quietly sat waiting for her to awaken. this wonderful woman who taught me how special the little things in life were. how silliness can blossom any day with fun and laughter. how important it is to be sentimental. how busy people are happy people. how standing on your head will get you a lot of attention. 

so as i watch this beautiful frail woman sleeping i notice a very weathered pair of slippers by her bed. i think-my gosh I should buy her a new pair of slippers. maybe something prettier to keep her aging feet warmer. she was always so meticulous about what she wore—very grace kelly. very 1975 burberry and brooks brothers button down blouses. always quietly dignified...so she wakes. we talk and giggle. i love my sweet aunt so much. then i ask about her slippers with holes on the inside and on the bottom. they are like cardboard-hardly room for her toes. i volunteer to get her a new pair. no way she says. her husband gave them to her and she doesn’t want them moved from the side of her bed. they are perfectly placed so she can swing her legs over and rest her soles on the tops of them. yes her very soul. a widow for decades and she still wears and cherishes the gift of a simple pair of now old worn out slippers. i wish you could have seen the look on her face. undying adoration. that is a resolution for every day of every year.

xx,

the skinny buddha

(picture via the skinny buddha's iphone)