perseverance – Page 2 – Melissa Schlies

Looking Back: What I Learned in 2020

For all of us, 2020 will go down as the year of COVID. Memories of people stocking up on toilet paper, empty shelves at the grocery store, and masks becoming a regular necessity, are now forever a part of our story. The pandemic has been the overarching atmosphere in which we’ve seen people band together and fall a part over issues such as racism, health care, politics, conspiracy theories, and even restrictions over COVID itself. The pandemic has been the overarching atmosphere in which we’ve seen people band together and fall a part... Yet in the midst of all the [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-12-23T18:18:18+00:00December 28th, 2020|Categories: Acceptance, Change, Character, gratitude, Learn, perseverance, Social Distancing|Comments Off

For the Person Asking “Why Even Bother Celebrating Christmas?”

For many of us, when things don’t go the way we want, our first response is, “What’s the point?” Why should we continue with our plans if they can’t happen the way we want them to? Why should we even bother? Since buying our house earlier this year, in the middle of COVID, I’ve been tempted to think this way many times. Only for all of us, this defeatist attitude stems not from our plans being changed. Rather it is our desires that drove us to make our plans in the first place. My struggle to keep from throwing in [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-12-15T15:27:06+00:00December 14th, 2020|Categories: Acceptance, Christmas, Faith, grief, Habit Making, Holidays, Hope, perseverance, Practice, Preparation, Waiting|Comments Off

When It All Gets Too Much

This week, I hate rainy days. It could be because after coming home from visiting my family, and doing some big house projects with Tony, everything slowed down. Then last Wednesday and Thursday, it rained making the world feel like a very dark place. Bad thoughts always seem to know when to come knocking. Bad thoughts always seem to know when to come knocking. Heavy, painful feelings bubble up when there’s nothing holding them down. And all of us have seasons when we actually don’t want things to let up, because we’re afraid of what will happen when we finally [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-11-15T23:42:40+00:00November 16th, 2020|Categories: Balance, Depression, grief, Health, perseverance, Self Care|Comments Off

When You Find Yourself in a Desert

Two summers ago, when travel was still fun and easy, Tony and I went to California. We began our trip by eating our way through San Francisco, and staring at the Gold Gate Bridge. Then, before wrapping our trip up in Sonoma, we camped in Big Sur. We crossed Bixby Bridge. Pitched our tent in the middle of redwoods. And spent quite a few afternoons and evenings walking the gorgeous beaches. We saw the purple sand, and even spotted a few dolphins. But in the middle of it all, we noticed something strange: Our hands felt different. They were still [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-10-27T13:33:29+00:00October 26th, 2020|Categories: Change, Faith, Hope, perseverance, Waiting|Comments Off

This Isn’t the Season

Last week, on a cool fall morning, Tony and I walked down the streets of our new city. Though we’ve been here about a hundred times over the past fifteen years, I still say, “New” because we live here now. We’re no longer visiting. That day, we were heading to do our annual screening for our health insurance. When we arrived, we checked in with the receptionist. Then one at a time, we went into a small room where the technician drew the curtain. She measured our height, waist, and—the part I was dreading—our weight. But as she said my [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-10-22T00:39:09+00:00October 22nd, 2020|Categories: Acceptance, Balance, Body Image, Change, discipline, Failure, Health, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, perseverance, Practice, Self Care|Comments Off

On Turning Four, and Celebrating Small Wins

Last Friday, melissaschlies.com quietly turned four. I hadn’t planned on mentioning it. After all, who celebrates four years? Typically, anniversaries are commemorated in fives. Not only that, but I thought I’d be further along in my writing journey by now. When I hit “publish,” on my first post, I had big dreams. Mostly of writing books. But also of creating a space on the internet to help others grow, find hope, and also, pursue their purpose. And, to some extent, I do feel we’re beginning to do that last part. Only sometimes, when we have big goals, it makes it [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-09-30T22:32:02+00:00October 5th, 2020|Categories: Courage, Creativity, gratitude, Hope, perseverance, Success|Comments Off

Say Yes To Hard Things

Our canoe made a soft scraping sound against the sand as we arrived on the shore of our next portage. Quickly, we jumped out and lifted the canoe slightly, to drag it onto the small beach. We attached our paddles to the inside, and then began to unload. Tony helped me lift my first pack onto my back. His brother, Mike, and our sister-in-law, Wendy, had arrived a few minutes before. Wendy was already loaded up, and heading down the trail. I grabbed a bucket and a folding table, then followed her. I walked as fast as I could, swatting [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-09-17T14:02:29+00:00September 21st, 2020|Categories: Beauty, Courage, perseverance, Travel|Comments Off

The Real Secret to Creating A Sense of Balance In Your Life

Baking bread is one of my favorite creative endeavors. Kneading dough is therapeutic. And the smell of bread baking in the oven is heavenly. Only, when I first began learning how to make bread, it wasn’t great. In fact, I wouldn’t use the words “therapeutic” or “heavenly” to describe my experience. Honestly, using the words “melt down,” would be more accurate. At least, if we’re talking about the day I tried to make Challah bread to bring to a friend’s house for Easter. Yes, I had ignored the cardinal rule—never try a new recipe on anyone other than your family—but [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-08-19T10:09:16+00:00August 20th, 2020|Categories: Acceptance, Balance, Body Image, discipline, Failure, Habit Making, Health, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, perseverance, Practice, Routines|Comments Off

The Surprising Way to Keep Living in the Midst of Difficult Change

About twenty-five hundred years ago, the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus said, “The only thing that is constant is change.” It makes me wonder what he would have thought of 2020. The year in which the only thing besides change that seems constant, is the spread of COVID. We still haven’t seemed to rid ourselves of it, so the changes to our daily lives have been endless. “The only thing that is constant is change.” --Heraclitus In our state alone, the rules of social distancing have been modified numerous times. Just last week, I learned I’ll have to take a COVID test [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-07-29T22:59:30+00:00July 30th, 2020|Categories: Change, Courage, grief, Health, Hope, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, perseverance, Self Care|Comments Off

What You Don’t Know About The Change You Want

On a cloudy day back in February, Tony and I drove down a street we’d never been before. We passed our destination, then quickly I pointed out an ally at the end of the block. Tony took a left and found a parking spot, like it had been there waiting for us all along. We got out of the car, then walked back to the main road, and turned the corner. We walked toward the house we were there to see. Coming from the opposite side of the block, our realtor was walking toward us with a smile on her [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-07-26T20:57:47+00:00July 27th, 2020|Categories: Change, Faith, grief, Hope, perseverance, Waiting|Comments Off

For the Person Asking “Why Even Bother Celebrating Christmas?”

When It All Gets Too Much

When You Find Yourself in a Desert

This Isn’t the Season

On Turning Four, and Celebrating Small Wins

Say Yes To Hard Things

The Real Secret to Creating A Sense of Balance In Your Life

The Surprising Way to Keep Living in the Midst of Difficult Change

What You Don’t Know About The Change You Want

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