Are We There Yet? vol. 124

Sometimes it’s hard to be an optimist. When life is coming at you a hundred miles per hour and the news focus is on all that’s wrong in the world, our sympathetic nervous system is pushing us to have heightened awareness of dangers, even those that really don’t impact us. We also tend to build the challenges we do face to have much greater significance than they might deserve. In other words, every fear is magnified. 

It might be easy to just succumb to those fears and withdraw into our own little worlds but that could dampen all the joy we experience from new encounters, environments and the unexpected. So, we have a choice – withdraw into the comfort of our regular surroundings or to fight back against our fears and seek out that joy about which I just spoke.  As Nelson Mandela said “may your choices reflect your hopes and not your fears.“  

Take care and stay safe.

VIDEO:

1883 (Paramount+)

A prequel to "Yellowstone," "1883" follows the Dutton family as they flee poverty in Texas and embark on a journey through the Great Plains to seek a better future in Montana. Real-life couple Tim McGraw and Faith Hill star as James and Margaret Dutton, while Sam Elliott portrays Shea Brennan, a tough cowboy who has sadness in his past. Other cast members include Isabel May, LaMonica Garrett and Dawn Olivieri. Billy Bob Thornton will guest star and Tom Hanks makes a cameo in a Civil War flashback scene.