Author Archives: mrssmithslifeunexpected

The linear flow of time is irrevocable. It moves forward without our input or say. Greater sages than I have written on the march of time. I don’t know that I have much to add. What I do propose is a gentle reminder that what is temporal fades with the march of time. The hoursContinue reading “Changing of the Seasons”

Life can get terribly crazy at times. Over the last couple of years it has totally gone off the rails for many of us. Some have faced devastating changes to their circumstances and others have made choices to change the direction of their lives. Still others have been faced with unexpected challenges amongst the greatestContinue reading “Be Still”

A community is defined as a group of people living in the same place. It is also defined as groups of people who have things in common. We are members of several communities. I can think of several I belong to, my Isshinryu community, my church community, my workplace community, and my hiking community areContinue reading “Community”

It is so very easy to get caught up in the noise of modern day life. The Information Age is living up to its moniker. We are being bombarded with so much information. Much of the information coming our way is contradictory and polarizing. Shades of grey have faded and the world is being presentedContinue reading “Live in the Day”

There are some things that just come without much effort. And then there are those things that just won’t come no matter how much we want them to. For many years, I wanted to learn Martial Arts. I was a high school athlete, then I was a young mother who worked full time, then IContinue reading “Strive for Excellence”

Building a foundation is tedious, exacting work that will only be seen indirectly. The quality of the structure sitting on the foundation will directly reflect the quality of the foundation. When I looked up the steps to build a foundation, I knew at once I was not the person a body would want on thisContinue reading “Building a Foundation”

In the days of the ice ages, when Neanderthal roamed Eurasia, survival depended on extraordinary effort. When survival is at stake, extraordinary effort is not so extraordinary, it is just what one does to survive. Imagine for just a moment what it was like to gather with a few small groups of hunters trying toContinue reading “Be Legendary”

As I stood for this photo op I had no idea my hike was about to go off in a direction I really did not want go in. The day had started out magnificently. The weather was fine, the trail though steep towards the top, was totally manageable. I had had a few indications thatContinue reading “The Unexpected”

Work is defined as an activity involving mental or physical effort to achieve a purpose or result. To work, or to toil or to labor is to engage in an activity with purpose. I have worked since my teens. I can remember looking for my first job full of excitement, it was a part ofContinue reading “Work”

All journeys start somewhere. And there are many analogies to life in the things we do on a daily basis. When starting out on a hike, I am usually pumped. I can’t wait to get to the trailhead, I can’t wait to step out of the Jeep and begin. At the beginning of everything thereContinue reading “A Path Through the Woods”