Tuesday Walk & The Four Agreements

Sometimes all it takes to revive is to take a walk on Tuesday afternoon. After a very gray day I noticed the sunshine had fought its way out so the office took our 'daily walk', which lately hasn't been happening each day. A walk, along with the beautiful scenery of the Eagle River and the fall leaves really reminds you to count your blessings.

Autumn gives me a sense of renewal. The reason is that I always think of the fall as a new beginning, a new school year, a chance to reflect on what matters to you. I'm re-reading the book, "The Four Agreements," which seems to be resonating with me even more than the first time I read it.

Basically, "The Four Agreements," are:
1. Be impeccable with your word -- What's interesting about this one is the explanation of what impeccable actually means, "without sin." The author Ruiz says: "a sin is anything that goes against your self. When you are impeccable, you take responsibility for your actions, but you do not judge or blame yourself."
2. Don't take anything personal -- The point is made that you chose what you believe. If you take something personal, you're buying into someone else's beliefs and opinions. "Whatever you think, whatever you feel, I know it is your problem and not my problem."
3. Don't make assumptions -- This one is so true. Ruiz says, "We make an assumption, we misunderstand, we take it personally, and we end up creating a whole big drama for nothing."
4. Always do your best -- This is one that I have always tried to follow, but this passage spoke volumes as well: "Under any circumstance, always do your best, no more and no less. But keep in mind that your best is never going to be the same from one moment to the next. Everything is alive and changing all the time, so your best will sometimes be high quality, and other times it will not be as good...Your best will also change over time. As you build the habit of the four new agreements, your best will become better than it used to be."

I'm doing my best, one day at a time. What do these agreements say to you?