This week and for the next few weeks, unless for some reason I'm side-tracked, let's sip some lemonade on the porch with some ancients...who are in fact, quite modern. These guys are the Stoics.

...Got your lemonade? Now get these books and sit awhile with me for some excellent reading and study!

Here are the Stoics we will be considering together:

Marcus Aurelius's Meditations (translated by Gregory Hays) -- LOVE this!  I can see why Bill Clinton reads this every year.  It's a joy to read.  I am inspired by it!  This particular edition flows beautifully. The introduction and notes that Gregory Hays includes in this publication are thorough without being highbrow.

Seneca's Letters from a Stoic -- This is the paperback version of this classic. And wow! Is it amazing! When you want to read the classics, choose the Penguin Classic version. That's not me selling something, this is really very good. (The Modern Library editions are usually excellent, too.)  Here are just a couple of quotes from Seneca to whet the appetite:

"Nothing, to my way of thinking, is better proof of a well ordered mind than a man's [person's] ability to stop just where he is and pass some time in his own company."

"It is not the person who has too little who is poor, but the one who hankers after more."

Epictetus's Encheiridion (or simply, The Manual), translated by Thomas W. Higginson -- This little book has played a disproportionately large role in the rise of modern attitudes and modern philosophy. And Thomas Higginson's translation is beautifully rendered for the contemporary audience without losing the ancient's wisdom and clarity.

 

Other resources to inspire and intrigue you!

The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance and the Art of Living, Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman -- The Daily Stoic offers 366 days of Stoic insights and exercises, featuring all-new translations from the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, the playwright Seneca, or slave-turned-philosopher Epictetus, as well as lesser-known luminaries like Zeno, Cleanthes, and Musonius Rufus. Every day of the year you'll find one of their pithy, powerful quotations, as well as historical anecdotes, provocative commentary, and a helpful glossary of Greek terms.

The Art of Living: The Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness and Effectiveness, Epictetus and Sharon Lebell -- This is Ms. Lebell's modern-day interpretation of Epictetus's Encheiridion.  It is a great starting place for someone who doesn't want to slog through anything remotely ancient.  And that's a bit unfortunate because this text doesn't need any updating.  It's so thoroughly a classic, it almost transcends time.

 

Announcements:

We just had the book launch for You Are All That: Creating a Great Life with Affirmations. Reading the Stoics lately reminds me just how critical our perceptions are, as well as our internal workings that interpret our world and emotions.  This little book fits perfectly into the mix. I didn't plan the launch and my recent podcasts to this end, but the timing is perfect. Please pick up copies of this "little book with a lot of impact" and share. Our world will be much brighter for us and our communities if we started with our own positive thinking.

Don't forget to review Hooray Weekly to get your free book, Hooray for You: 365 Get-Up-and-GO-GO Quotes for Your Year! Find the details on the Home Page of Hooray Weekly's podcast!

 

Some moments are so precious they leave an imprint on you for life.  This moment is a collection of moments--really, two years worth. As of this week, Enzo, the greyhound, our wonder-boy and beautiful soul has been with our family for two years.  Join Lee Ann as she talks about Enzo and her wish for a better self and kinder world.

Nothing worth having can be had quickly.  Life is not something to be cheapened with tricks or second-rate dabbling.  We are all prone to want to get to the goal or end point as fast and efficiently as possible.  But is a life worth living to be traveled the same way that we manage to manipulate a paperclip into many different uses?  Hacking our way through our days is a disservice to our lives. Mastering life and living is a much different concept to Lee Ann than is our current market bent toward "life hacks" and "life hacking."

Two Announcements from Lee Ann:

1.  The Hooray for You: 365 Get-Up-and-GO-GO Quotes for Your Year give-a-way has been extended to Monday, July 17th at 11:59 p.m.  Lee Ann mistakenly gave the wrong dates in the podcast last week!  So here's what you need to know:

-- Write a review of Hooray Weekly in iTunes (something that will make your Mom proud).

-- Send an email with your mailing address to Lee Ann (click here)

-- Get your FREE book of Hooray for You: 365 Get-Up-and-GO-GO Quotes for Your Year and accept our humble gratitude!

2.  The official book launch for You Are All That: Creating a Great Life with Affirmations is this week. So grab your copies at www.hoorayweekly.com or at Amazon.  It's not "Stuart Smalley-ish"...not the 90's version of "I'm good enough. I'm smart enough. And dog-gone-it, people like me." It's all-Lee Ann--'upbeat without being sickeningly sweet...'

Keeping the clutter and icky chatter from your (internal) home can be tough.  That's why today's conversation is a no-brainer addition to plucking out and replacing the negative in our minds.  Our forebears and favorite coaches have left us with inspiring words.  Let's put them to good use!  Sprinkle words of wisdom into your day and find more positive thoughts flooding your mind.  

We have so much coming at us in our hours--all the feeds from the 24/7 news cycle to Facebook, Linked In, Instagram...and Twitter--why not add or replace those feeds with something that will truly FEED us?  Let's make sure that we are filling up our tanks with positive influences and keeping our internal spaces clear of negativity.

Quotations from Hooray for You: 365 Get-Up-and-Go-Go Quotes for Your Year to nibble on:

Day 119:  "Never bend your head.  Hold it high.  Look the world straight in the eye." --Helen Keller

Day 190:  "Happiness walks on busy feet." --Anonymous

Day 282:  "For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone." --Audrey Hepburn

Day 316:  "What you seek is seeking you." --Jalal ud-Din Rumi

Day 350:  "Ours is a life of action, of vigorous performance of duty.  We must live in the harness, striving mightily.  We must run the risk of wearing out rather than rusting out."  --Theodore Roosevelt

Day 365:  "This is the true joy of life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one, the being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making me happy.  I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and, as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can.  I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live.  I rejoice in life for its own sake.  Life is no brief candle to me.  It is a sort of splendid torch which I've got to hold up for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations." --George Bernard Shaw

⇒ Don't forget to REVIEW Hooray Weekly in iTunes by MONDAY, JULY 17th, 2017 to get your FREE COPY of Hooray for You: 365 Get-Up-and-Go-Go Quotes for Your Year!⇐

Here's how to leave an iTunes rating or review for Hooray Weekly from your iPhone or iPad:

Launch Apple's Podcast app. (That's the purple app that looks like an ice cream cone with circles above it...or that's what it looks like to me!)

Tap the Search tab. (Touch the magnifying glass icon.)

Enter the name of the podcast you want to rate or review. (Type in Hooray Weekly.)

Tap the blue Search key at the bottom right.

Tap the album art for the podcast.  (Tap the cover art with Lee Ann's picture on it...It should be the first one to pop up.)

Tap the Reviews tab.

Tap Write a Review at the bottom. (This is just under the Ratings and Review stars.)

Enter your iTunes password to login.

Tap the Stars to leave a rating.

Enter title text and content to leave a review.

Tap Send.

Send me, Lee Ann, an email at [email protected] to let me know that you left a review so I can send you a free copy of Hooray for You!  And yes, Hooray for You and THANK YOU for taking the time and effort to send a little love out to me.  You are a gift!

To live a good and happy life, the Cherokee elder warns his grandchild to feed the "good wolf".  And Jesus gives us the Beatitudes as a marvelous template for how to feed our better selves (the good wolf).  

Notes from Lee Ann's midrash on the Beatitudes (with particular attention given to the first beatitude of Matthew 5:3):

Put exclamations all over the text instead of making the beatitudes a series of statements.  In the Greek, there are no "blessed ARE"s!

Instead of "Blessed are the poor in spirit...Blessed are the meek," try, O the joy of the poor in spirit, of the mourners, of the gentle, of those who sincerely care for what is right and good, of those pure in heart, of those who make peace, of those tormented by fear!   Feels different, doesn't it?

Matthew 5:3--O the joy of the poor in spirit: theirs is the kingdom of Heaven

"Poor in spirit" = those who are empty or those who empty themselves like a bowl; those who are curious and know that they do not know it all; those who are beginners; those who want more than the material things of this world.

"Theirs IS the kingdom of Heaven" = our treasure is here and now; we are responsible for what we get and how we respond.

The spiritual life controls everything.  The kingdom of heaven is here now.  The presence of God and Spirit is here with us, among us.  The treasure is here, but it’s up to the seeker, to each of us to make our world a heaven on earth.  We are responsible for what we get and how we respond.  Remember the two wolves.  The wolf that appears is the one that we are feeding.  The good wolf appears when we have opened ourselves, emptied ourselves of the love of money, property, vanity, fear…emptied ourselves of arrogance, self-absorption, emptied ourselves of our certainty.  When the bowl is empty it can be filled…and filled with treasure that is beyond our wildest imagining.  This is a good beginning place…to have a beginner’s spirit that is open, hopeful, expectant, curious and loving.  Let your bowl be empty and fill it carefully with good things because the contents of your bowl will attract one of two wolves.  Let it be the good wolf.  May your life be the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth.

If you want to connect with Lee Ann, ask questions or suggest ideas for the podcast and community, please contact her HERE.

Moments are defined as--

a :  a minute portion or point of time

b :  a comparatively brief period of time

a :  present time

b :  a time of excellence or conspicuousness

In this new segment of Hooray Weekly, Lee Ann shares small, yet significant moments to gnaw on and consider.  And reminds us of our shared present that surely is a delight and wonder, if we will only stop and pay attention.   

This first "moment" was with my little neighbor.  She taught me a lovely lesson about love...and partying!

Let Lee Ann know how you are and how she can serve you through this podcast.  Write her at [email protected].

No one can avoid the anxiety that plagues the U.S. and the world at this moment in time.  But we can, and must, hold fast to the good.  Lee Ann wrestles with a small portion of the Sermon on the Mount for today's episode to help us through these anxious moments of 2017.  

Listen in and share with a friend.

And when you have a moment, drop us a line.  Let us know how we are doing, what you'd like to learn more about on your spiritual path or maybe share a story with us.  We'd love to connect.  You can reach Hooray Weekly at [email protected].

Today’s a bit of a neighborhood day, a Mister Roger's day...an introduction to your host and friend of Hooray Weekly, Lee Ann Hopkins.  We are incorporating a bit of last week’s theme, it’s kind of like “coming out”—sharing things that are perhaps hidden and unknown to the public.

It's Pride Month!  Few communities embrace their true nature better than the LGBTQ community. Today, Lee Ann opens this celebratory time with a challenge to all: live out proud and loud as WHO. YOU. ARE. There's only one you. None of which should ever be hidden away, since secrets can be incredibly harmful.  In fact, it's spiritually honest to be out as who you are. Take it from a modern-day, true-to-oneself pop icon, Lady Gaga...And if not from her, then a 13th century Beguine sister, Mechtild of Magdeburg.

From Lady Gaga's "Born This Way":

"I'm beautiful in my way

'Cause God makes no mistakes

I'm on the right track baby

I was born this way

Don't hide yourself in regret

Just love yourself and you're set

I'm on the right track, baby

I was born this way."

 

From Mechtild of Magdeburg's spiritual poetry:

A fish cannot drown in water,

A bird does not fall in air.

In the fire of its making,

God doesn't vanish:

The fire brightens.

Each creature God made

Must live in its own true nature;

How could I resist my nature,

That lives for oneness with God?

A peaceful Ramadan to all who are fasting and rejoicing at the start of this month-long celebration.  May this month be purposeful, meaningful and prayerful for you and yours.

And for those in the United States, may you have a safe Memorial Day weekend and holiday.

In this Memorial Day weekend episode, I give you three poems that show us the way forward, as we re-member, re-order, honor and live with the losses that are front-and-center for each of us individually and communally.  The violence and war that have taken our precious ones demands that we go beyond borders and contrivances of family and nation to heal and to hope.  I focus on three poets and their poems in this episode.  They are Elizabeth Alexander's "Praise Song for the Day", Czeslaw Milosz's "Encounter" and Walt Whitman's "O Me! O Life!"  Listen to these incredible poets' wisdom!  (Check out the links to their poetry if you want to find more of their work. It's worth it to take a peek!)

Praise Song for the Day -- Elizabeth Alexander

Each day we go about our business,

walking past each other, catching each other’s

eyes or not, about to speak or speaking.

 

All about us is noise. All about us is

noise and bramble, thorn and din, each

one of our ancestors on our tongues.

 

Someone is stitching up a hem, darning

a hole in a uniform, patching a tire,

repairing the things in need of repair.

 

Someone is trying to make music somewhere,

with a pair of wooden spoons on an oil drum,

with cello, boom box, harmonica, voice.

 

A woman and her son wait for the bus.

A farmer considers the changing sky.

A teacher says, Take out your pencils. Begin.

 

We encounter each other in words, words

spiny or smooth, whispered or declaimed,

words to consider, reconsider.

 

We cross dirt roads and highways that mark

the will of some one and then others, who said

I need to see what’s on the other side.

 

I know there’s something better down the road.

We need to find a place where we are safe.

We walk into that which we cannot yet see.

 

Say it plain: that many have died for this day.

Sing the names of the dead who brought us here,

who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges,

 

picked the cotton and the lettuce, built

brick by brick the glittering edifices

they would then keep clean and work inside of.

 

Praise song for struggle, praise song for the day.

Praise song for every hand-lettered sign,

the figuring-it-out at kitchen tables.

 

Some live by love thy neighbor as thyself, 

others by first do no harm or take no more 

than you need. What if the mightiest word is love?

 

Love beyond marital, filial, national,

love that casts a widening pool of light,

love with no need to pre-empt grievance.

 

In today’s sharp sparkle, this winter air,

any thing can be made, any sentence begun.

On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp,

 

praise song for walking forward in that light.

 

Encounter -- Czeslaw Milosz

We were riding through frozen fields in a wagon at dawn.

A red wing rose in the darkness.

 

And suddenly a hare ran across the road.