by pattyptakkogutek | Oct 24, 2016 | inspiration
Oftentimes we get so caught up in our daily routines that we fail to remember just exactly who we really are. Most days we drag ourselves out of bed, don the clothes preparing to check the items off the “to do” list. We rarely skip through our days with abounding joy,...
by pattyptakkogutek | Oct 17, 2016 | inspiration
Strolling through the streets on Catalina Island taking in all the window displays, my eyes and mind were captured by this one brightly colored tee shirt. It read: “Wherever you go, there you are.” I laughed thinking how ridiculous or how sublime, I couldn’t quite...
by pattyptakkogutek | Oct 10, 2016 | inspiration
School of Life At the very beginning of my doctorate studies, the counselor prepared me for the onslaught of academia pressures to earn this degree. He gave me 3 rules to remember that would make my journey a little easier, ensuring program completion. I think that we...
by pattyptakkogutek | Oct 3, 2016 | inspiration
Ever hear this from your mother? “Everything in moderation.” My mom preached that religiously as the “secret” to a happy life. As I’ve made my own way I’d like to modify mom’s admonition to read, “Everything in balance.” Balance is the key. We are like the circus...
by pattyptakkogutek | Sep 19, 2016 | inspiration
Your Stomach Ache May Not Be Indigestion! Do you listen to your gut feel? Do you stand firm on your intuition or do you let “outside” sources drag you away from your intended flight path? The movie, Sully, with Tom Hanks is not only a great thriller of adventure but...
by pattyptakkogutek | Sep 13, 2016 | inspiration
Have you seen the movie, “Florence Foster Jenkins”? Based on a true story, Florence thinks that her supposedly well-trained, well-coached operatic voice is worthy of a performance in Carnegie Hall; nonetheless, when reality strikes, she brings the house down in...
by pattyptakkogutek | Sep 6, 2016 | inspiration
As we flip the calendar into September, I’m getting excited for fall….football, cool air, colorful leaves, and routine. I don’t know about you but I’m always more than ready to return to my routine, my comfortable rut! Guess I’ve always been a creature of habit....
by pattyptakkogutek | Aug 30, 2016 | inspiration
We like to think that we would be thought of as loving, charitable people. We donate our time promoting a worthwhile cause. We contribute our money to help people in need. And we even go out of our way to assist others. But those are our choices. The causes we promote...
by pattyptakkogutek | Aug 22, 2016 | inspiration
Does practice of religion ever cross over the line to superstitious behavior? This question hit me in the face as we were touring the old city in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Describing this particular old church our insightful guide, informed us that it was built after the...
by pattyptakkogutek | Aug 15, 2016 | inspiration
Do you look at the past as a long lost friend, yearning for the “good old days”? Do you pine for the days past when you physically, mentally, emotionally were at the “top of your game”, in your mind? Physically you could run miles before tiring. Mentally you could...
by pattyptakkogutek | Aug 8, 2016 | inspiration
Do you ever feel like you are in a rut, plodding through the same thing, day in and day out? Perhaps you feel like a rat running in his little treadmill of everyday activities, responsibilities, and tasks to accomplish? It may be that those lofty goals of joyful...
by pattyptakkogutek | Aug 2, 2016 | inspiration
Summer is here and so is the anticipation of summer vacations. After the humdrum routine of work pressures, family responsibilities, and checking off the daily “to-do” lists, we all need a break. We eagerly yearn for the carefree, schedule free, diet-free, throw your...
by pattyptakkogutek | Jul 26, 2016 | inspiration
People seem “edgy”, short tempered! Maybe the testy, hot, “dog days of summer” are taking their toll…. Maybe the adverse political environment is spilling over into our everyday lives….. Maybe our overcrowded calendar brings undue and unreasonable pressure upon us…....
by pattyptakkogutek | Jul 18, 2016 | inspiration
Just once I’d like to wake up and really find “Peace On Earth”. I pray for it, sing out about it, and scurry around trying to find “peace on earth”. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your...
by pattyptakkogutek | Jul 12, 2016 | inspiration
Every day I pray, “Not my will, but thine be done”. Many times God’s will and mine are juxtaposed leaving me struggling with “why”. I think the simple answer can be found in two straight lines. Many people wear a cross around their neck. Some are plain and simple in...
