What about this?

photo by Linnell Chang

In the movie Forrest Gump, the main character repeatedly tells people that his mother always said, “Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”  In life each chocolate represents an adventure, an opportunity, a decision, a lesson, etc. You may not like what you’ve bitten off, but you had a choice and you made a decision. Good or bad, there’s always another piece of chocolate waiting for you.

#1 – Tiny Wisdom
From the site Tiny Buddha comes this tiny bit of wisdom on starting anew:

One of the greatest misconceptions in life is that we are somehow powerless to let go of what’s behind us. That we have to carry regret, shame, or disappointment, and that it has to dictate how today will unfold, at least on some level. It doesn’t. At any moment, you can let go of who you’ve been and decide to be someone new – to do something differently. It won’t always be easy, but it is always a choice you can make. You can either dwell and stay stuck, or let go and feel free. Give yourself space to fill with good feelings about the beautiful day in front of you – and the beautiful tomorrow you’re now creating.

#2 – Sharp or Dull, Serrated or Plain?
My father owned grocery stores and when he started in the business, he was both the produce man and the meat butcher for them. Having received professional butcher training, he taught his children how to identify the best cuts of meat, how to slice and bone meat, how to cook the different types and cuts of meat, and how to select, respect, and use knives skillfully. One of his bits of knife-wisdom is, “Keep your knives sharp, because you’re more likely to cut yourself on a dull knife than a sharp one.” This Hone Your Chops: the Chef’s Guide to Knives infograph is a nod to my Dad. Thanks Dad!

#3 – You’re Benched!
You wouldn’t mind being benched, if you could sit on one of these benches! Click on this link to see a photo series of amazingly creative benches for indoors and outdoors that are made from new and repurposed materials. Who said being benched was boring?

Kenan Wang twist bench

#4 – Best Reads in 2013?
Books are like chocolates, because you can’t tell by the cover what’s inside. Browse through The Huffington Post’s Best Books of 2013?: Our Picks For The Year’s Biggest Reads and see if a few don’t catch your fancy.

#5 – Beginning Again
“No matter how hard the past, you can always begin again.”
Buddha

Enjoy your first weekend in January!

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