choice

A lifetime of little choices

I grew up on a set of books called “ValueTales”.  They’re a collection of stories published in the 70’s retelling the stories of famous people from the perspective of a little voice inside their heads, or “invisible friend”.   Their little friends are of course, a bit corny, but the stories themselves are solid portrayals of the values built into their character by struggling through the moment by moment decisions of real life.  They break down the larger accomplishments of these iconic people, who changed the world, into themes of consistent choices that shaped the people they became and ultimately, the way they impacted the world.

Over the years, those stories randomly pop in my mind as I encounter difficult circumstances.

They filled my little girl head with hope and curiosity and perspective.  In the middle of struggles I never knew I’d face, or could even really comprehend, some of these characters and …

by Crystal Gornto Female Social Entrepreneurs Inspirational Leaders Inspirational Women Love In Action Loving Others Loving Yourself The Journey Through Life Leave a comment chat
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Two options

Waking up to a world in this much pain can cause even the strongest among us to want to pull the covers back over our heads or make a mad dash for the safety of the hills.  Some days the news of the plight of our fellow humans is almost unbearable.  It devastates us.  It breaks our hearts.

It makes us angry. 

I’m currently reading Brené Brown’s book, “Braving The Wilderness, The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone.”  It is simultaneously poking me in all the uncomfortable places, while giving me a sense of being completely understood and seen.  It intrigues me to the core, in my tireless work for connection and community between women, because she gets right to the core of the lines that divide and isolate us.

As much as we think it’s anger, it’s really pain.  

“Most of us were not taught how to recognize pain, …

by Crystal Gornto Inspirational Words Love In Action Loving Others Loving Yourself Roadblocks in Life The Journey Through Life Leave a comment chat
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It’s a Choice

This word, choice.  Over the last few days, it keeps popping out at me in books, blogs, social media posts and even back to school paperwork.

It seems like everywhere I look, I keep seeing this word.  

There are so many chances in life for us to make choices.  But often we miss them, because they’re disguised. Sometimes they’re disguised in emotional reactivity.  Like when I almost instantly yell “STOP IT!” as soon as the boys start to argue over a Nerf bullet for the 15th time today.  When I do that, I miss my chance for a choice.

Because I don’t pause long enough to look for it.

Sometimes choices are disguised as a long, hard journey to a place you’ve never been.  Like when you’re faced with an opportunity to do something generous and meaningful, but the finances just don’t line up.  You can keep waiting for the right circumstances to …

by Crystal Gornto Inspiration Love In Action Purpose Roadblocks in Life The Journey Through Life Leave a comment chat
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If anyone can do it, you can

When it was time to head home after one of our family adventures last, Oaks found himself in a predicament.  The path he and Scott rode down to the creek on was covered in tall “weeds” that apparently didn’t bother him on the way down.  But when it came time to head back up, they looked a little more daunting.  So he decided to take his bike up the concrete embankment on the underside of the bridge, in his water-filled mud boots.  I offered to throw his bike in the back of the jeep and give him a ride, but he was insistent.  My instinct was to demand that he ride up with me, because we were all hot and tired, and ready to get home.

But I paused, and consciously made a different choice. 

Of course it would have been easier for him to ride with me.  We would have gotten home …

by Crystal Gornto Inspiration Loving Yourself Roadblocks in Life The Journey Through Life Leave a comment chat
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Choose your legacy

I don’t know how he does it, but my dad seems to make it to almost all of the boy’s ball games (& all their cousin’s games too!).  It doesn’t matter if it’s rain or shine.  Inside or out.  Soccer, football or basketball.

When that whistle blows, he’s usually sitting on the sideline.

He’s an encourager.  Over all these years, he’s looked for the best in people and learned how to encourage them to see it too.  He notices even the smallest wins or minor improvements and celebrates them.  He sees what makes people special and he’s trained himself to find the opportunity to speak it.

Guess how he sees it?

He keeps showing up.  Game after game.  Weekend after weekend.  Eyeball to eyeball.  He’s paying attention.  He’s looking for the good.

It’s his lifeblood.

As we were driving away from a game this weekend, I was thinking about how special that is for our boys.  That over their …

by Crystal Gornto Inspirational Words Love In Action Love in Family Loving Others Priorities The Journey Through Life Leave a comment chat
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Inquiring minds want to know

I’ve been trying to give the boys more responsibility lately.  I might be way behind on this one, I have no idea, but at the grocery store, they’re each getting a list of things to retrieve for our cart.  It’s painstaking and funny at the same time.  (My apologies to any Kroger shoppers who have been mowed down by boys in flip-flops racing through the isles, it quickly becomes a race – always a race.)

Until we reach checkout.

At checkout, it’s all hands on deck.  Gum, candy, water… anything and everything becomes fair game for a plea bargain.  But this time, as soon as we reached the conveyor belt, they dropped their respective groceries, not for gum or candy.  They were choking from laughter of a picture of Hillary’s apparent before and after, weight gain pic.

Now to them, a before and after is like before dinner and after dinner.  They’re imagining something like …

by Crystal Gornto Loving Yourself Priorities The Journey Through Life Leave a comment chat
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