I grew up with positive sayings adorning the walls inside our house – way before they were in vogue. Not to judge this era, I love these modern & beautiful images, they continue to be ready reminders to pause and reboot my thoughts. But when I was growing up, Dad wrote these mantras with his thin red marker on rectangular cards all over his home office. When I began to dabble in calligraphy as a teen, he had me re-write some of them. Dad was always striving to become a better version of his self and he used these sayings as guides. Growing up these messages have woven through me, and picked me up when I was down, given me an inner faith to believe in myself and comforted me to continually feel close to my Dad who passed away when I was 18.

Last time I was at my family home I found one of his sayings and brought it back with me. “I choose to think only what I want to experience.” I have kept this on my dresser ever since and see it every morning. My latest series exploring childhood wonderment speaks to this. At first glance, this yellowing rectangular card is very ordinary and plain with my Dad’s simple handwritten statement in thin red marker and could be quickly dismissed. But pause and really look, take in these quiet words.

“I choose” “to think” ONLY what “I want to experience”.

Then, Wow. That really is an incredible message. Actually extraordinary!

Young children race into the world wide eyed looking for the next amazing thing. And they find them so readily! A plain rock, glows in their eyes, while bubbles drift magically above them, clouds appear in glorious shapes, the list is endless. They make this choice and they don’t just want to experience these extraordinary moments, they KNOW inside that they are out there. It is just a matter of WHEN they will appear.

Ahhh, now what a glorious way to begin the morning! Today I am very grateful for the father who strived to choose his experiences.

I encourage you to inject “I choose” into your day!