The Hit List - Ben Franklin Tranquility

I’m almost done with my journey through Ben Franklin’s 13 Virtues.  If you don’t what I’m yammering about – I’m a big Ben Franklin geek and have been fascinated with his 13 Virtues for some time. So I decided to live ‘em, one month a time.  (More here.)

Last month, my virtue was: Tranquility.

Mr. Franklin says this about Tranquility: “Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.”

Here’s what happened:

I actually live a pretty serene life.  Seriously.  There’s not a lot of drama happening in my world.  I’ve engineered it to be that way.

BUT I tend to overwork and that sometimes leaves my nerves jangled. Plus, I’m plugged in.  Like…constantly.  So my version of peace is kinda bogus when you think about it.

It was time to get my inner peace on, guys.

What I did differently this month:

I went on a real vacation.  Which meant: having all my work DONE before leaving.  This allowed me to unplug completely.  (Well, I still had my cell with me and did a tiny bit of work but not my usual grueling ten hour days.)

Then…the biggie: I’m a high volume tarot reader, which means I read…a LOT.  Not just my phone sessions but also loads of email readings.  Most days, I love the heck out of it.  But lately?  I’ve been getting too many email readings.  Way too many. Which meant being strapped at the computer for hours a day, typing away.  My wrists were not digging this. Some mornings, I would wake up and feel really stressed at the work load before me when I opened my inbox. Something needed to give.

I had begun taking down the button for email readings on the weekends a while back. But now I realized that I also needed to start limiting the amount I do on my “on” days.  I took a minute to determine how many I could feasibly and happily do in a day without pushing myself to burn-out status.

Then…I started taking the button down every time I reached full capacity.

Tranquil?  You betcha. (Although some clients were not happy with me.)

This one small move chilled me out to the max and made my work load doable ‘n peaceful.  And yes, I’m going to stick with it.  Because serene feels good, peeps.

Tranquility & Tarot –  your affirmation for the month:

I have a right to peace and harmony.

hermit

 

What about you?

bigstock-Benjamin-Franklin-hand-on-hip-21364109Are you ready to bring more Tranquility into your life?

What would that look like? Where will you begin?

Maybe it’s taking more time off. Or perhaps avoiding political arguments and debates during this ultra-sensitive election season. Or maybe your version of tranquility may be simple bubble baths every night.  Calgon take me away!  Whatever floats your serenity boat, go for it!

If you’d like to join me as I continue my journey through Ben Franklin’s Thirteen Virtues, feel free! This month (August) I am tackling Chastity.  Which means my old man is going to be out o’ luck!  Ha ha!  Um…well, probably not.  I’ll let you know how this one works out next month.

I hope you enjoyed my ongoing exploration of the Thirteen Virtues.

Here’s a cool B-Franklin quote that sums up tranquility nicely: “He that would live in peace and at ease, must not speak all he knows nor judge all he sees.”  Hmmm…I guess shutting my mouth and not being all critical ‘n stuff might be another way to get tranquil.  Ha ha!  I’ve got work to do on that!

taozen-tranquil

Other stuff:

Waste not, want not: Italy is looking to make food waste a thing of the past.

So you wanna invite an acquaintance for coffee – but then have these thoughts running through your mind.

Go Courtney: Tarot of the Boroughs is in Smithsonian Magazine!

Aint’t no Oz shit going on here: Norway treats its prisoners way differently than we do.

Hmmm: little girls who love to pole dance.

Photographer and Warhol buddy Billy Name has passed away.

Good read: On Korryn Gaines and Black Women Who Dare to be Defiant.

Let’s mummify Barbie!  Now this is the kind of kid activities I’m all about!

True dat: The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up – for Moms.

Ashley Graham can’t win: she is getting flack for being too fat…and too thin.

Fierce AF: meet the 2016 US Women’s Olympic Gymnastics.

Check out this post from my gal, Brianna Saussy over at Modern Creative Life: Motherhood, Magic and How to Meet the World with Hope.

Real Talk Radio’s Nicole Antoinette is talking about body image, questioning your beliefs and more with the always awesome Susan Hyatt.

This dead dude got two obituaries – one from his wife and one from his girlfriend.

How not to mourn a deadly terrorist attack on social media.

Loving this from Hilary Parry: natural isn’t supernatural – why ESP isn’t extrasensory.

This is SO on my wish list: Bread Illustrated: A Step-By-Step Guide to Achieving Bakery-Quality Results At Home.

Also on my wish list: The Universe Has Your Back: Transform Fear to Faith by Gabrielle Bernstein.

This looks interesting: Worthy: Boost Your Self-Worth to Grow Your Net Worth by Nancy Levin.

Another one: Moonology – Working with the Magic of Lunar Cycles by Yasmin Boland.

 

What I’m Grateful For:

Cold fronts

Air conditioning

Days getting shorter

Organic berries

Spontaneous moments of joy

 

Soundtrack for 8/6/16:

I Got the Keys by DJ Khaled ft. Jay Z, Future

Blessings!

Theresa

© Theresa Reed | The Tarot Lady 2016

images from stock photography, personal collection, and flickr commons

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