The Reflective Pen

Simple Wisdom – Because Life Can Be Complicated

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  • Life Challenges

    The Beauty of Boredom-Embracing Slow Days as Spiritual Space

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    man waiting in reflective practice, doubt and prayer - boredom

    What if boredom isn’t a problem to solve—but an invitation? We’re taught early on that boredom means something’s wrong. We should be doing more, moving faster, staying busy.…

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    Ardis Mayo
  • Dekker

    Wisdom from Dekker: What Our Pets Leave Behind (and What They Don’t)

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    Dekker, the dog who has a lot of wisdom

    Wisdom from Dekker: What Our Pets Leave Behind (and What They Don’t) As I, known by all as Dekker, lie in my favorite sunspot by the window, I…

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    Ardis Mayo
  • Spiritual Growth

    Gardening as a Teacher of Prayer–The Rhythm of Planting, Pruning, and Waiting

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    yellow flower as example of a tiny thing held in cupped hands, gardening prayer

    Gardening as a Teacher of Prayer--The Rhythm of Planting, Pruning, and ... Suppose prayer isn’t something you say at all. Suppose it’s something you grow — quietly, stubbornly,…

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    Ardis Mayo
  • Aging,  Life Challenges

    Aging to Perfection

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    aging and illness

    Suppose for a moment that aging were entirely optional. That you could hit pause at 45, keep the skin taut, the knees bendy, the memory sharp. Would you…

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    Ardis Mayo
  • Dekker

    Dekker Writes Again

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    Dekker sleeps on organ pedals, rest

    Slowing Down, Stretching Out, and Smelling What Matters  As I (Dekker—service dog, squirrel whisperer, and expert in naps) stretch out in a sunny patch on the floor, I…

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    Ardis Mayo
  • Aging,  Life Challenges

    When Life Hands You a Diagnosis— How to Receive, Accept, and Keep Living (and Laughing)

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    Doctor with crossed arms delivering a difficult diagnosis

    How do you keep living when you receive a difficult diagnosis? Suppose for a moment that your body was a house, and one day, you found a crack…

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    Ardis Mayo
  • Aging,  Life Challenges

    Say Goodbye Without Regret 

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    Couple standing at cemetery saying; goodbye; growing whole not old

    What does it mean to say goodbye when there’s still time—but not enough of it?I recently lost a dear friend. We had one of those slow goodbyes, the…

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    Ardis Mayo
  • Spiritual Growth

    Mind Reading – Did You Ever Wish For It?

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    Woman with questioning face wonders about sound of silence. mind reading

    When I have difficulty understanding someone, I have thought that if I knew mind reading, I would be able to understand better.

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    Ardis Mayo
  • Dekker

    Wisdom from Dekker

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    Dekker, service dog posing on granite slab

    As I, known by all as Dekker, lie here in my favorite sunspot by the window, I think about the curious human problems people ask me about.

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    Ardis Mayo
  • Aging,  Life Challenges

    The Stories We Carry

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    Woman sitting in the power of silence on a mournain peak, stories wondering if she were religious, learning to be a human being

    Some stories we tell ourselves over breakfast each morning. Others we pack away in boxes labeled 'someday.' Which of yours are weighing you down, and which ones are…

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    Ardis Mayo
  • Aging

    Lessons From Your Younger Self

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    dressing up as a child who wants to grow up, the person your younger self needed

    Suppose for a moment that you could send a message across time to your younger self... What would you say? What wisdom would you offer from the vantage…

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    Ardis Mayo
  • Aging,  Life Challenges

    How Old is “Old”

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    old aging tree trunk

    Are you old yet? Or more to the point—do  you worry about getting old? And exactly how old is ‘old?’ I have asked myself these questions over the…

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    Ardis Mayo
  • Dekker

    Dekker Writes Again

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    Dekker A service dog with all the answers

    Once a month the task of producing a blog post is turned over to Dekker, a class-A service dog who much prefers to contemplate people problems than abide…

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    Ardis Mayo
  • Creativity

    Write your Story

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    a typewriter showing the words "the best way is just to start' as guidance on how to write ardis mayo

    When my father died at a relatively early age from a brain tumor, I remember standing at his grave wanting to hear more about the stories I had…

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    Ardis Mayo
  • Aging,  Life Challenges

    Growing Whole, Not Old: Embracing Spiritual Evolution in Later Life

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    aging woman with kind eyes- whole not old

    The journey to growing whole begins when society expects us to start winding down. While wrinkles deepen and hair whitens, something remarkable happens beneath the surface—

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    Ardis Mayo
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Recent posts

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