From skeptic to steady use, the shift didn’t happen all at once. At first, essential oils seemed like just another trend, easy to dismiss and easy to ignore. But with time, one small step led to another. A single bottle became a simple daily habit, and those small, consistent choices gradually became part of everyday life in my home.
There was no need to rush the process. I started small and simply discovered what I enjoyed using and what fit naturally into my routine. Over time, those little additions became familiar parts of my home—nothing complicated, just small habits that stuck.
Essential oils are drawn from plants, flowers, and herbs, carrying the natural aroma and character of the source they come from. Their scents can create a calming atmosphere and gently lift the mood, making them a simple addition to everyday routines. Used thoughtfully, they can become part of moments that invite pause, focus, and a sense of balance.
Many people include essential oils as a way to support daily rhythms such as managing stress, encouraging rest, and maintaining steady energy. While they are not a cure or replacement for care, they can complement a balanced lifestyle in a natural, approachable way. There may be a gentler path.
Sometimes the shift isn’t sudden, but gradual. Small, everyday challenges like stress, restless sleep, or low energy can quietly build over time, making things feel heavier than they once did. It can begin to feel like moving uphill, where each step takes a little more effort than before.
Across many cultures and generations, people have turned to simple, plant-based oils as part of their daily routines—used in ways that encourage calm, support balance, and create moments to reset. While not a solution on their own, these gentle practices can be one small step toward a steadier, more supported path forward.
One of the most memorable stories from The Art of Happiness that reflects the quote “A calm mind brings inner strength and self-confidence, so that’s very important for good health.” is the story of a Tibetan monk who endured years of imprisonment and torture yet emerged with unshaken peace and inner strength.
The Story of the Tibetan Monk
During a conversation, the Dalai Lama shared the story of a Tibetan monk who had been imprisoned by the Chinese government for nearly 20 years after the invasion of Tibet in 1959. The monk had been tortured, starved, and subjected to brutal conditions in a Chinese prison camp.
When the monk was finally released, he traveled to India and met with the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama, knowing the suffering he had endured, asked him,
“What was the greatest danger you faced during your time in prison?”
The monk replied, “The greatest danger I faced was losing my compassion for my captors.”
What This Story Teaches Us
Despite experiencing unimaginable suffering, the monk maintained a calm mind and inner strength. He understood that if he allowed anger, hatred, or fear to take over, he would have lost his inner peace and self-confidence—which, in turn, would have destroyed his mental and physical health.
Instead of focusing on his suffering, he focused on compassion, forgiveness, and maintaining a peaceful state of mind. He survived the ordeal not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually intact.
Today is my birthday. It is fun to see the nice things people can do for you. Modern technology has made it very easy to reach out to people. My wife will usually send me a very nice Facebook message with a picture of me. I think it very sweet of her. Many people will reach out to me with kind words.
One year one of the lunch ladies at my school saw a birthday post my wife sent me, then replied with her own message that read, “Happy Birthday and beware today! When I left to go to work I was surprised with two pieces of cake from my wife on the front seat of my car to take to work with another sweet note. She is so thoughtful. By the time I got to work I went from having a great day to a spectacular one.
When it was time for lunch to start the lunch lady made me a poster that said “Happy Birthday Mr. Fish with balloons. When each grade level was lined up waiting to get their food she said “make sure you say happy birthday to Mr. Fish today.” So out of 730 students at the school I think I heard Happy Birthday 900 times. When the fourth grade students came into the lunchroom they spontaneously started singing “Happy Birthday,” I was touched. It was very fun talking, and interacting with students.
I got to thinking about this experience when I realized how important it is to treat people how you want to be treated. Some of the students I talked to have never talked to me before, and several students wanted to give me a hug. Many years ago I decided to always give students respect even when you don’t feel they are respecting you. This simple act of kindness has paid off many times over. I love the students, and I know they love me.
·An elderly woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck.
One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.
At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.
For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water..
Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments.
But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.
After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream.
‘I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.’
The old woman smiled, ‘Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side?’
‘That’s because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them.’
For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table.
Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.’
Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it’s the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding.
You’ve just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.
SO, to all of my cracked pot friends, have a great day and remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path! God Bless You all!!!
The truth is, that all of the “STUFF” here on earth we work so hard to buy and accumulate..does not mean a thing. At the end of the day…people will be cleaning out our “STUFF”, going thru our “STUFF”, figuring out what to do with all of our “STUFF”….this “STUFF” we’ve accumulated in our life. The only thing of value that remains are the memories and what we deposit into others. May we all learn to spend less time accumulating “STUFF” and spend way more time making memories.
I have to live with myself, and so I want to be fit for myself to know, I want to be able, as days go by, Always to look myself straight in the eye; I don’t want to stand, with the setting sun, And hate myself for the things I have done.
I don’t want to keep on a closet shelf A lot of secrets about myself, And fool myself, as I come and go, Into thinking that nobody else will know The kind of a man I really am; I don’t want to dress up myself in sham.
I want to go out with my head erect, I want to deserve all men’s respect; But here in a struggle for fame and pelf I want to be able to look at myself. I don’t want to look at myself and know That I’m bluster and bluff and empty show.
I can never hide myself from me; I see what others may never see; I know what others may never know, I never can fool myself, and so, Whatever happens, I want to be Self-respecting and conscience free.
A gentleman was walking through an elephant camp, and he spotted that the elephants weren’t being kept in cages or held by use of chains. All that was holding them back from escaping the camp, was a small piece of rope tied to one of their legs
As the man gazed upon the elephants, he was completely confused as to why the elephants didn’t just use their strength to break the rope and escape the camp. They could easily have done so, but instead, they didn’t try at all. Curious and wanting to know the answer, he asked a trainer nearby why the elephants were just standing there and never tried to escape.
The trainer replied; “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.”
the only reason the elephants weren’t breaking free and escaping from the camp was over time they adopted the belief that it just wasn’t possible.
Moral of the story: No Matter how much the world tries to hold you back, always continue with the belief that what you want to achieve is possible. Believing you can become successful is the most important step in actually achieving it.
