TODAY'S QUOTE:
"Don't let negative people determine your self-worth."
Denis Waitley
Negatives function as drains, while positives operate like fountains. Negative people can quickly suck the life out of you, even in the best of times, but when they criticize their words cut soul-deep. Tender hearts get crushed under the weight of a heavy tongue, and if it is wagging in the mouth of someone you love it is hard not to believe the messages it delivers.
Love is not meant to deflate; to insulate, inflate, and elevate are loving actions, none of those can be accomplished by using negative means. How could a minus add anything of value to a friend or loved ones journey? Hard truths can be gently said, if it is your place to voice them, but most would be much better left unuttered. Examining your motives, with an open mind and a closed mouth, might save everyone a lot of agony.
If you are on the hearing end of derogatory remarks do not instantly swallow them as if they are factual. If you love the one talking it makes it harder to ignore. The person speaking may have an agenda that depends on your taking the baited hook they cast your way, but be a fish with a clue and swim on by.
I received the following as an email. It was a joke with some great advice mixed in, so I deleted the foolishness that made me laugh, and share here the profound that made me think. I added a new flash movie to this post, under title, just click it to watch. Enjoy, pay it forward, and as always.... think about it.... let it grow... then decide!!!
In ancient Greece (469 - 399 BC) Socrates was widely lauded for his wisdom. One day the great philosopher came upon an acquaintance who ran up to him excitedly and said, "Socrates, do you know what I just heard about one of your students?"
"Wait a moment," Socrates replied. "Before you tell me I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."
"Triple filter?"
"That's right," Socrates continued. "Before you talk to me about my student let's take a moment to filter what you're going to say. The first filter is truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"
"No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and..."
"All right," said Socrates. "So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my student something good?"
"No, on the contrary..."
"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, even though you're not certain it's true?" The man shrugged, a little embarrassed. Socrates continued. "You may still pass the test though, because there is a third filter - the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my student going to be useful to me?"
"No, not really"
"Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither True nor Good nor even Useful, why tell it to me at all?"
Keep this philosophy in mind the next time you either hear, or are about to repeat a rumor.
Friday, June 30, 2006
Thursday, June 29, 2006
A Friendly Leveled Nose
TODAY'S QUOTE:
"Always hold your head up, but be careful to keep your nose at a friendly level."
Max L. Forman
There is such a fine line between walking with confidence and prideful striding, crossing it can be a very humbling experience. Life has a special way of punishing vanity. Conceit isolates, while self-assurance elevates. Anything totally ego based is selfish, both by nature and by design.
Imagining ourselves as truly superior, quickly erodes our perspective. Perfection is simply not a possibility, yet an egocentric person will claim it as their surname. Viewing so few as being worthy of peer status leaves little chance of developing any real friendships, anyone good enough to be considered a contemporary is certainly smart enough to recognize a peacock. Life should have some sort of balance and symmetry, but extremes of any sort instantly disable our equilibrium. An ego maniac is rarely rational enough to achieve any sense of balance.
Thinking too little of yourself does the same thing in reverse. Nothing derails confidence and takes the wind out of our sails more quickly or completely than a negative self-image. The real truth is that most of us are either less important than we imagine or more precious than we realize, depending upon our nature and the input received from whoever shares our space.
Sometimes we get positive encouragement, sometimes we are overburdened with negatives. We think much less of ourselves when we suffered constant censure, but there comes a point when we have to stop believing the bull-shit and start believing in ourselves. We should not feel better than anyone else, but if effort is put into improving our balance, we can certainly feel better about ourselves. Making peace with who we really are keeps our heads erect and our noses at a much friendlier level.
"Always hold your head up, but be careful to keep your nose at a friendly level."
Max L. Forman
There is such a fine line between walking with confidence and prideful striding, crossing it can be a very humbling experience. Life has a special way of punishing vanity. Conceit isolates, while self-assurance elevates. Anything totally ego based is selfish, both by nature and by design.
Imagining ourselves as truly superior, quickly erodes our perspective. Perfection is simply not a possibility, yet an egocentric person will claim it as their surname. Viewing so few as being worthy of peer status leaves little chance of developing any real friendships, anyone good enough to be considered a contemporary is certainly smart enough to recognize a peacock. Life should have some sort of balance and symmetry, but extremes of any sort instantly disable our equilibrium. An ego maniac is rarely rational enough to achieve any sense of balance.
Thinking too little of yourself does the same thing in reverse. Nothing derails confidence and takes the wind out of our sails more quickly or completely than a negative self-image. The real truth is that most of us are either less important than we imagine or more precious than we realize, depending upon our nature and the input received from whoever shares our space.
Sometimes we get positive encouragement, sometimes we are overburdened with negatives. We think much less of ourselves when we suffered constant censure, but there comes a point when we have to stop believing the bull-shit and start believing in ourselves. We should not feel better than anyone else, but if effort is put into improving our balance, we can certainly feel better about ourselves. Making peace with who we really are keeps our heads erect and our noses at a much friendlier level.
THINK ABOUT IT
LET IT GROW
THEN DECIDE
CLICK ON THE TITLE TO VISIT
SISTERHOOS SUPPORT
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
I Claim The Right
TODAY'S QUOTE:
"I claim the right to contradict myself. I don't want to deprive myself of the right to talk nonsense, and I ask humbly to be allowed to be wrong sometimes."
Federico Fellni
I claim all those rights as a human, yet examined a bit closer a contradiction is not always what it seems. Nonsense has a valid place and time, and being wrong is not a crime any of us is ever free of committing at periodic intervals. They are every humans birthright, but we should try to limit their use to a controllable level. A proper balance is the position to strive for, reaching it takes forethought and dedication to understanding yourself then making yourself understood.
A contradiction is defined as an opposition between two conflicting forces or ideas. Sometimes, when we contradict ourselves it is because we have not fully examined what we really think, so we wobble this way and that in the most irritating fashion. Sometimes we say something and only then think about all the implications involved and flip the script to rearrange our point of view. Changing our minds in mid-stream, can be our way of setting things right, not simply a fickle nature in action.
Talking nonsense is therapeutic in the most delightful way, if it is purposely done at the right moment, and not just a mindless around the clock babbling. Our minds should be hooked to our mouths, and the former ought to be engaged before the latter is given free rein. Saying the first thing that pops into our brain is asking for trouble. A few seconds of pondering can often save us a fat lip or puzzled frowns from anyone standing near enough to hear whatever is said that would have been much better off left unuttered.
Mistakes are certain, looking at them as opportunities to learn helps make them far less torturous. Many can be avoided by keeping our traps shut and our options open for as long as possible. We should not rush to decide things, or too quickly take a stand. Eating crow is not a pleasurable meal, it tastes like shit, is hard to swallow, and leaves the most bitter taste in your mouth.
"I claim the right to contradict myself. I don't want to deprive myself of the right to talk nonsense, and I ask humbly to be allowed to be wrong sometimes."
Federico Fellni
I claim all those rights as a human, yet examined a bit closer a contradiction is not always what it seems. Nonsense has a valid place and time, and being wrong is not a crime any of us is ever free of committing at periodic intervals. They are every humans birthright, but we should try to limit their use to a controllable level. A proper balance is the position to strive for, reaching it takes forethought and dedication to understanding yourself then making yourself understood.
A contradiction is defined as an opposition between two conflicting forces or ideas. Sometimes, when we contradict ourselves it is because we have not fully examined what we really think, so we wobble this way and that in the most irritating fashion. Sometimes we say something and only then think about all the implications involved and flip the script to rearrange our point of view. Changing our minds in mid-stream, can be our way of setting things right, not simply a fickle nature in action.
Talking nonsense is therapeutic in the most delightful way, if it is purposely done at the right moment, and not just a mindless around the clock babbling. Our minds should be hooked to our mouths, and the former ought to be engaged before the latter is given free rein. Saying the first thing that pops into our brain is asking for trouble. A few seconds of pondering can often save us a fat lip or puzzled frowns from anyone standing near enough to hear whatever is said that would have been much better off left unuttered.
Mistakes are certain, looking at them as opportunities to learn helps make them far less torturous. Many can be avoided by keeping our traps shut and our options open for as long as possible. We should not rush to decide things, or too quickly take a stand. Eating crow is not a pleasurable meal, it tastes like shit, is hard to swallow, and leaves the most bitter taste in your mouth.
THINK ABOUT IT
LET IT GROW
THEN DECIDE
CLICK ON THE TITLE TO VISIT
SISTERHOOD SUPPORT
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
At What Cost
TODAY'S QUOTE:
"It's not what you pay a man, but what he costs you that counts."
Will Rogers, 1879-1935, American Humorist and Entertainer
The personal cost of every encounter, with our fellow man, is worth so much more than any amount of cash involved. Some people bankrupt on all levels; some cost only in coin, but deposit freely in ways much too precious to calculate. The possible combinations are limitless in number and as unique from one another as snowflakes.
There is no way to assess beforehand just what kind of outcome will occur at any given time. The mystery is part of the driving force that moves us toward one another. Our own personal needs figure into it too; if brain surgery is needed calling a plumber is asking for a bad outcome. Seeking the proper assistance is half the battle won, and most of the war guaranteed.
Nowadays with the anonymity of the internet we are often out on a limb before we even hear the saw cutting into our perch. I was badly burned, but it did not stop me from believing in my fellow-man. It did not shake my confidence in myself either; all it did was prove that in this one case I paid a staggering price for NOTHING. Hell, that happens to all of us from time-to-time.
Learning from it then traveling on is the only way to get rid of the bitter taste. Faith has proved me right, often enough to allow me the honor of controlling the final cost of each encounter. I refuse to add to the bill by giving into negatives. Disappointment is only important in the lessons it teaches, so in a twisted way it pays its own price for its brief journey inside my orbit.
I thank God every day for that bitter disillusionment and the price I paid. If I had held onto that dead horse, I would have been in the wrong place to discover what I possess now. God bless the broken road that led me here. Travel swiftly through the bitter times, they hold nothing worth keeping once the lesson is fully learned. A better tomorrow is fairly earned by living through all the less than perfect yesterdays.
"It's not what you pay a man, but what he costs you that counts."
Will Rogers, 1879-1935, American Humorist and Entertainer
The personal cost of every encounter, with our fellow man, is worth so much more than any amount of cash involved. Some people bankrupt on all levels; some cost only in coin, but deposit freely in ways much too precious to calculate. The possible combinations are limitless in number and as unique from one another as snowflakes.
There is no way to assess beforehand just what kind of outcome will occur at any given time. The mystery is part of the driving force that moves us toward one another. Our own personal needs figure into it too; if brain surgery is needed calling a plumber is asking for a bad outcome. Seeking the proper assistance is half the battle won, and most of the war guaranteed.
Nowadays with the anonymity of the internet we are often out on a limb before we even hear the saw cutting into our perch. I was badly burned, but it did not stop me from believing in my fellow-man. It did not shake my confidence in myself either; all it did was prove that in this one case I paid a staggering price for NOTHING. Hell, that happens to all of us from time-to-time.
Learning from it then traveling on is the only way to get rid of the bitter taste. Faith has proved me right, often enough to allow me the honor of controlling the final cost of each encounter. I refuse to add to the bill by giving into negatives. Disappointment is only important in the lessons it teaches, so in a twisted way it pays its own price for its brief journey inside my orbit.
I thank God every day for that bitter disillusionment and the price I paid. If I had held onto that dead horse, I would have been in the wrong place to discover what I possess now. God bless the broken road that led me here. Travel swiftly through the bitter times, they hold nothing worth keeping once the lesson is fully learned. A better tomorrow is fairly earned by living through all the less than perfect yesterdays.
THINK ABOUT IT
LET IT GROW
THEN DECIDE
CLICK ON THE TITLE TO VISIT
SISTERHOOD SUPPORT
Monday, June 26, 2006
Word Calisthenics
TODAY'S QUOTE:
"Wit has truth in it; wisecracking is simply calisthenics with words." Dorothy Parker, 1893-1967, American Writer
Words are wonderful tools. Every emotion under the sun can be invoked instantly by words spoken, heard, or read. One of the best uses is humor, and the spark ignites in an ever widening circle as others just naturally join in with the nonsense that one truly witty phrase can inspire.
Irony is one of my favorite styles of humor, using it as a measure most things can be seen as worthy of a chuckle or two at their expense. Ironic topics teach us to not take everything so seriously; often dry humor removes the stinger from a pesty situation, making it much less threatening to contemplate.
A well-put witty notion can be like a snowball rolling downhill, picking up speed as it travels. I have seen dozens of people transformed into quivering jesters, with tears running down their faces, by some of the strangest inane statements. A whole mass of people with the same foolish notion become as one, each trying to outdo one another, and nobody within earshot is immune to its healing magic.
When life seems too burdensome, there is nothing quite as welcome as a belly laugh to get some perspective. Giving into doom and gloom only weighs down an already too heavy load, but laughter gives us more energy for carrying whatever we must. Mirth is as beneficial to the spirit as a daily workout is to the body. Exercise your wit and it will transform a sagging spirit to buff and beautiful in seconds flat.
"Wit has truth in it; wisecracking is simply calisthenics with words." Dorothy Parker, 1893-1967, American Writer
Words are wonderful tools. Every emotion under the sun can be invoked instantly by words spoken, heard, or read. One of the best uses is humor, and the spark ignites in an ever widening circle as others just naturally join in with the nonsense that one truly witty phrase can inspire.
Irony is one of my favorite styles of humor, using it as a measure most things can be seen as worthy of a chuckle or two at their expense. Ironic topics teach us to not take everything so seriously; often dry humor removes the stinger from a pesty situation, making it much less threatening to contemplate.
A well-put witty notion can be like a snowball rolling downhill, picking up speed as it travels. I have seen dozens of people transformed into quivering jesters, with tears running down their faces, by some of the strangest inane statements. A whole mass of people with the same foolish notion become as one, each trying to outdo one another, and nobody within earshot is immune to its healing magic.
When life seems too burdensome, there is nothing quite as welcome as a belly laugh to get some perspective. Giving into doom and gloom only weighs down an already too heavy load, but laughter gives us more energy for carrying whatever we must. Mirth is as beneficial to the spirit as a daily workout is to the body. Exercise your wit and it will transform a sagging spirit to buff and beautiful in seconds flat.
THINK ABOUT IT
LET IT GROW
THEN DECIDE
CLICK ON THE TITLE TO VISIT
SISTERHOOD SUPPORT
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Whatever You Can
TODAY'S QUOTE:
"Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it: Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The art of dreaming is a humans saving grace, without some sort of image of something dream-worthy it is all too easy to become hopelessly overcome by life. Without day dreams of a better tomorrow, today would often be too brutal to contemplate. But a vision is only that, and nothing more, unless solid steps are taken to create it as reality.
As children we use our imaginations constantly, fine tuning them to a flawless point. I can recall countless times when kids from my neighborhood and I created a world all of our own, without the aid of the fancy gadgets they have today. We role played through years of summer days and most of the magic came from the creative thinking of young minds. Somewhere between childhood and adulthood too many of us misplace that ability or smother it, until all that is left is the distant memory of a time when anything seemed possible.
We forget how much power a dream can possess. We forget to believe that they can come true, and without faith we simply cannot manufacture enough energy to breathe any life into them. We forget often enough to make dreaming at all pointless. The remembering comes hard, but the magic is still there waiting for us to recapture its wondrous spell.
Dream large and small, short and tall then do what it takes to see one of them as your reality. Reach as high as you can then pull yourself up above where you stand now. Soar upon the winds of a real awakening and before long what was lost will find you. Have faith in yourself and create a life worth dreaming about.
"Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it: Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The art of dreaming is a humans saving grace, without some sort of image of something dream-worthy it is all too easy to become hopelessly overcome by life. Without day dreams of a better tomorrow, today would often be too brutal to contemplate. But a vision is only that, and nothing more, unless solid steps are taken to create it as reality.
As children we use our imaginations constantly, fine tuning them to a flawless point. I can recall countless times when kids from my neighborhood and I created a world all of our own, without the aid of the fancy gadgets they have today. We role played through years of summer days and most of the magic came from the creative thinking of young minds. Somewhere between childhood and adulthood too many of us misplace that ability or smother it, until all that is left is the distant memory of a time when anything seemed possible.
We forget how much power a dream can possess. We forget to believe that they can come true, and without faith we simply cannot manufacture enough energy to breathe any life into them. We forget often enough to make dreaming at all pointless. The remembering comes hard, but the magic is still there waiting for us to recapture its wondrous spell.
Dream large and small, short and tall then do what it takes to see one of them as your reality. Reach as high as you can then pull yourself up above where you stand now. Soar upon the winds of a real awakening and before long what was lost will find you. Have faith in yourself and create a life worth dreaming about.
THINK ABOUT IT
LET IT GROW
THEN DECIDE
CLICK ON THE TITLE TO VISIT
SISTERHOOD SUPPORT
Saturday, June 24, 2006
The Greatest Good
TODAY'S QUOTE:
"The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches but to reveal to him his own."
Benjamin Disraeli
I know people of great value who for one reason or another doubt their own worth. I speak gently of the jewels I see sparkling here and there amid the fresh wounds and old scars that mark their travels. I offer a point of view that comes from long sight. My eyes do not simply scan the surface and dismiss someone in crisis as deserving of their burden. I look beyond the debris and clutter of the storm, overlooking the image of victim that they portray and see so clearly what can be if they choose to remove the costume they wear. Hell, there comes a point where it is up to you to change your footwear, no matter who put your feet inside of those cement shoes in the first place. What matters is how to move forward and the blame game is useless fuel, all it creates is more dead bitter space.
I used to walk in the same posture of defeat, head down, feet dragging; I know what an effort it takes sometimes to just breathe in and out. When life kicks you in the teeth often enough you start to expect it and somewhere along the line you lose any true sense of self. I been there and will never go back down that dead-end road. When I am very lucky someone shuffling along raises their head and sees their true reflection in my eyes. When they can match what they see with what I do it is a victory for both of us, but it takes faith in the worth of the journey and effort of the deepest kind to guarantee their transformation.
I try to let people come to the point of effort on their own terms, pushing what I see down a clutched throat is too hard and yields much less benefit than encouraging them to swallow at the speed that is most comfortable. I attempt to stay mostly silent, except for what I write here, unless asked point-blank, but I stand firm beside those who wish to have me nearby. I am not a miracle worker, but I have watched many being performed. Lives changed in my arena have changed me and how I view all who travel within my range of vision.
Hope is my tool of choice, I use it often and produce it without trying. I place it here freely for use by all who come for their daily fix. Nobody close to me is without merit; each earned their special place in a different fashion, but all are valuable beyond what they realize. I am acquainted with swans in tranformation mode, and mice who have learned to roar like lions, and stompers who struggle to glide more smoothly without losing any of their attitude, and true seekers of understanding who study constantly to find true enlightenment. I know and love many walking wounded in various stages of healing. My life is peopled with warriors of many kinds, from yummy mummy's to brightly tighted knight's and I see their beauty even when they do not.
"The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches but to reveal to him his own."
Benjamin Disraeli
I know people of great value who for one reason or another doubt their own worth. I speak gently of the jewels I see sparkling here and there amid the fresh wounds and old scars that mark their travels. I offer a point of view that comes from long sight. My eyes do not simply scan the surface and dismiss someone in crisis as deserving of their burden. I look beyond the debris and clutter of the storm, overlooking the image of victim that they portray and see so clearly what can be if they choose to remove the costume they wear. Hell, there comes a point where it is up to you to change your footwear, no matter who put your feet inside of those cement shoes in the first place. What matters is how to move forward and the blame game is useless fuel, all it creates is more dead bitter space.
I used to walk in the same posture of defeat, head down, feet dragging; I know what an effort it takes sometimes to just breathe in and out. When life kicks you in the teeth often enough you start to expect it and somewhere along the line you lose any true sense of self. I been there and will never go back down that dead-end road. When I am very lucky someone shuffling along raises their head and sees their true reflection in my eyes. When they can match what they see with what I do it is a victory for both of us, but it takes faith in the worth of the journey and effort of the deepest kind to guarantee their transformation.
I try to let people come to the point of effort on their own terms, pushing what I see down a clutched throat is too hard and yields much less benefit than encouraging them to swallow at the speed that is most comfortable. I attempt to stay mostly silent, except for what I write here, unless asked point-blank, but I stand firm beside those who wish to have me nearby. I am not a miracle worker, but I have watched many being performed. Lives changed in my arena have changed me and how I view all who travel within my range of vision.
Hope is my tool of choice, I use it often and produce it without trying. I place it here freely for use by all who come for their daily fix. Nobody close to me is without merit; each earned their special place in a different fashion, but all are valuable beyond what they realize. I am acquainted with swans in tranformation mode, and mice who have learned to roar like lions, and stompers who struggle to glide more smoothly without losing any of their attitude, and true seekers of understanding who study constantly to find true enlightenment. I know and love many walking wounded in various stages of healing. My life is peopled with warriors of many kinds, from yummy mummy's to brightly tighted knight's and I see their beauty even when they do not.
THINK ABOUT IT
LET IT GROW
THEN DECIDE
CLICK ON TITLE TO VISIT
SISTERHOOD SUPPORT
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Reap No After-Sorrow
TODAY'S QUOTE:
"Conquer your foe by force, you increase his enmity; conquer by love, and you will reap no after-sorrow."
Fo-Sho-Hing-Tsan-King
This quote has such depth. I have seen it in action in my own life, so I know the truth it foretells. Force implies wrestling of body or mind; one opponent overpowering the other... one left prone in the dirt... the other towering above. To allow goodwill to direct the actions of your spirit and the moving of your lips often alters the ones you are dealing with from foe to friend, leaving no bitter residue behind for either to swallow.
Synonyms for the word conquer are: dominate, overpower, subdue, subject, subjugate, vanquish. These are all powerful words with negative definitions, unless they are used in the context of conquering a negative inside of yourself. To place any other person in the subjective role by force enslaves them and slaves have such a nasty habit of rebelling.
Enmity is defined as hatred which may be open or concealed. Either way it will rise again to bite the one it is directed toward, while damaging the one who harbors it inside the deepest recesses of their being. A bit of restraint and patience can eliminate the need for any after-sorrow on either side. Even if it does not help your foe, it will always benefit you.
"Conquer your foe by force, you increase his enmity; conquer by love, and you will reap no after-sorrow."
Fo-Sho-Hing-Tsan-King
This quote has such depth. I have seen it in action in my own life, so I know the truth it foretells. Force implies wrestling of body or mind; one opponent overpowering the other... one left prone in the dirt... the other towering above. To allow goodwill to direct the actions of your spirit and the moving of your lips often alters the ones you are dealing with from foe to friend, leaving no bitter residue behind for either to swallow.
Synonyms for the word conquer are: dominate, overpower, subdue, subject, subjugate, vanquish. These are all powerful words with negative definitions, unless they are used in the context of conquering a negative inside of yourself. To place any other person in the subjective role by force enslaves them and slaves have such a nasty habit of rebelling.
Enmity is defined as hatred which may be open or concealed. Either way it will rise again to bite the one it is directed toward, while damaging the one who harbors it inside the deepest recesses of their being. A bit of restraint and patience can eliminate the need for any after-sorrow on either side. Even if it does not help your foe, it will always benefit you.
I have found that former enemy's, treated with gentle hands, can become very loyal friends. One of my most trusted once held the title of enemy, and if I had treated him as he treated me it would have ended so differently. Both of us are happy now that one of us showed some restraint at the time of our many battles. I saw a hidden good and it unfolded to blossom into what is now a treasured friendship.
To respect the boundaries of anyone you are in conflict with instantly leaves space for compromise. I talk gently to people even when they do not do the same to me. I do not take instant offense at things said out of anger and frustration. I attempt to stay balanced even when others are not. I have found that to do so helps my state of mind and also leads to a spot where real communication can and mostly always does occur.
When we use hate or resentment as fuel we only build a fire that is out of control in seconds flat. The person you direct it toward may counter with a similar blaze. Two negatives, pointed from opposing sides causes an explosion in each persons soul. When the smoke clears, on the battlefield, whatever hate each felt at the beginning is magnified to measures beyond description. The war never ends there, no matter who won the battle.
To respect the boundaries of anyone you are in conflict with instantly leaves space for compromise. I talk gently to people even when they do not do the same to me. I do not take instant offense at things said out of anger and frustration. I attempt to stay balanced even when others are not. I have found that to do so helps my state of mind and also leads to a spot where real communication can and mostly always does occur.
When we use hate or resentment as fuel we only build a fire that is out of control in seconds flat. The person you direct it toward may counter with a similar blaze. Two negatives, pointed from opposing sides causes an explosion in each persons soul. When the smoke clears, on the battlefield, whatever hate each felt at the beginning is magnified to measures beyond description. The war never ends there, no matter who won the battle.
THINK ABOUT IT
LET IT GROW
THEN DECIDE
CLICK ON THE TITLE TO VISIT
SISTERHOOD SUPPORT
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
The Six Most Important Things
TODAY'S QUOTE:
"Every evening, write down the six most important things that you must do the next day. Then while you sleep your subconscious will work on the best ways for you to accomplish them. Your next day will go much more smoothly."
Tom Hopkins
I used to follow this advice, but I do not write things down anymore. Nowadays my list is penned with thoughts upon the surface of my mind. I am a good list maker, but I am an even better list misplacer. I need a list to function at a healthy level. I believe when we list things, we are drawing up a contract with ourselves, and most of us do our best to accomplish what is put to paper.
I think maybe six is a bit lofty for anyone who is easily overwhelmed. The unmotivated will see it as torture if there is nothing except chores listed there. So if you suffer from either condition take heart, simply reduce the number to fit your nature and include a delight among the tasks.
I see the whole list in a blurry way, focusing all my attention on whatever task I am working on, until I can mark it finished. I get straight out of bed and begin doing... often I am done with an item or two before I am even wide awake. During the day, if my feet begin to drag, I imagine a delight that is next in line and use it as a way to accelerate. There are tricks to getting bothersome things done, I use all of the ones I know and am constantly looking for others. The best way for me to face a day is with an agenda, I simply could not be trusted to get anything done otherwise. I map the journey then lean with the curves.
"Every evening, write down the six most important things that you must do the next day. Then while you sleep your subconscious will work on the best ways for you to accomplish them. Your next day will go much more smoothly."
Tom Hopkins
I used to follow this advice, but I do not write things down anymore. Nowadays my list is penned with thoughts upon the surface of my mind. I am a good list maker, but I am an even better list misplacer. I need a list to function at a healthy level. I believe when we list things, we are drawing up a contract with ourselves, and most of us do our best to accomplish what is put to paper.
I think maybe six is a bit lofty for anyone who is easily overwhelmed. The unmotivated will see it as torture if there is nothing except chores listed there. So if you suffer from either condition take heart, simply reduce the number to fit your nature and include a delight among the tasks.
I see the whole list in a blurry way, focusing all my attention on whatever task I am working on, until I can mark it finished. I get straight out of bed and begin doing... often I am done with an item or two before I am even wide awake. During the day, if my feet begin to drag, I imagine a delight that is next in line and use it as a way to accelerate. There are tricks to getting bothersome things done, I use all of the ones I know and am constantly looking for others. The best way for me to face a day is with an agenda, I simply could not be trusted to get anything done otherwise. I map the journey then lean with the curves.
THINK ABOUT IT
LET IT GROW
THEN DECIDE
CLICK ON THE TITLE TO VISIT
SISTERHOOD SUPPORT
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Better Planning
TODAY'S QUOTE:
"I find it fascinating that most people plan their vacations with better care than they plan their lives. Perhaps that is because escape is easier than change."
Jim Rohn
This is a scary thought, because it is so incredibly true. A person must continue to grow and change or we simply exist in a kind of zombie state of mind. We all seek escape from things, but the most certain and lasting freedom comes from facing the things that are inspiring our need to get away.
Ignoring something does not make it invisible. The truth is that the longer you avoid facing something the larger it grows. It feeds on the fear it produces, and flashes into mind just enough to keep you irritated. I have come to accept the fact that if a worry is thought of even one time, I better solve it or get used to hearing it again and again. Sometimes the only solution is acceptance of a bitter fact, but until it is faced there is no way to get any peace of mind.
I have been knocked down more times than I can calculate, but so far I have gotten up one more time than I have hit the dirt. Hell, to just lay there means the other guy wins. I demand the right to fight on. The experience of being hyper aware of what goes on inside of me during any crisis has given me a clear understanding of my strengths. I know with certainty that nothing on earth will ever make me hopeless enough to just turn belly up in surrender.
Change is brutal sometimes, but if the alterations are positive the final fit is flawless. It does not happen overnight, which takes the pressure of time out of the endeavor. What rate of speed matters hardly at all, if it is forward. The road to change has the most marvelous people on it, so finding someone to walk beside is a simple matter. When your soul sings in perfect harmony with a fellow traveler then the journey gets much easier. Those who walk as one should treat it as a blessing and take comfort from its unconditional qualities. Sometimes that is all we have to hold onto, but its strength is always equal to the task.
I want to use this space to thank all the people that people my life and make my journey easier in troubled times and joyous at every interaction. I got something special in my email and put it here, under the title. I want to echo its message. It made me ponder my own personal battlefield in a whole new light. Thank you, all the many warriors I know. One's like me who fight on even when weary beyond exhaustion. It is an honor to share the field with such as your mighty number. It's a hell of a battle isn't it??
"I find it fascinating that most people plan their vacations with better care than they plan their lives. Perhaps that is because escape is easier than change."
Jim Rohn
This is a scary thought, because it is so incredibly true. A person must continue to grow and change or we simply exist in a kind of zombie state of mind. We all seek escape from things, but the most certain and lasting freedom comes from facing the things that are inspiring our need to get away.
Ignoring something does not make it invisible. The truth is that the longer you avoid facing something the larger it grows. It feeds on the fear it produces, and flashes into mind just enough to keep you irritated. I have come to accept the fact that if a worry is thought of even one time, I better solve it or get used to hearing it again and again. Sometimes the only solution is acceptance of a bitter fact, but until it is faced there is no way to get any peace of mind.
I have been knocked down more times than I can calculate, but so far I have gotten up one more time than I have hit the dirt. Hell, to just lay there means the other guy wins. I demand the right to fight on. The experience of being hyper aware of what goes on inside of me during any crisis has given me a clear understanding of my strengths. I know with certainty that nothing on earth will ever make me hopeless enough to just turn belly up in surrender.
Change is brutal sometimes, but if the alterations are positive the final fit is flawless. It does not happen overnight, which takes the pressure of time out of the endeavor. What rate of speed matters hardly at all, if it is forward. The road to change has the most marvelous people on it, so finding someone to walk beside is a simple matter. When your soul sings in perfect harmony with a fellow traveler then the journey gets much easier. Those who walk as one should treat it as a blessing and take comfort from its unconditional qualities. Sometimes that is all we have to hold onto, but its strength is always equal to the task.
I want to use this space to thank all the people that people my life and make my journey easier in troubled times and joyous at every interaction. I got something special in my email and put it here, under the title. I want to echo its message. It made me ponder my own personal battlefield in a whole new light. Thank you, all the many warriors I know. One's like me who fight on even when weary beyond exhaustion. It is an honor to share the field with such as your mighty number. It's a hell of a battle isn't it??
THINK ABOUT IT
LET IT GROW
THEN DECIDE
CLICK ON THE TITLE TO VIEW
SOMETHING INCREDIBLY MOVING
Monday, June 19, 2006
Commitment to Excellence
TODAY'S QUOTE:
"Desire is the key to motivation, but it's determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek"
Mario Andretti
Motivation is a problem for any human who has been brought to their knees often enough to cause a natural aversion to putting themselves in harms way. Trying becomes an enemy, failure an expectation, and desires get smothered as soon as they surface. Why want something you cannot have? Why try for something outside of your reach? Without desire there is no motivating force to inspire forward motion.
They become like the students in the back of class who sink deep into their seats, hoping to be totally ignored until the bell rings and they can escape. Life becomes a burden if it is not really lived, but without desire or motivation it remains at the breathe in breathe out and hope the air runs out soon stage.
I know about pain and the overcoming of it, I once was that person scrunched down in the back row. It took me forty years to begin to unfold and move nearer to the front of the room. Since then I have tossed many lifelines to fellow travelers, but unless someone is willing to grab hold whatever I do does no good. The agony of seeing someone drift away is intense, my own sense of failure at such moments is overwhelming, but hope cannot be force fed.
I found my way back from the edge. I KNOW hope and self-awareness can unlock the prison doors. I KNOW that to believe in yourself is to validate your RIGHT to the pursuit of happiness. I KNOW that the road back is brutal, but at least it is not a dead end. The possibilities are there, like a field of wildflowers, but you cannot make a bouquet without picking them one-by-one. What you tell yourself will dictate what you end up with; say you amount to nothing and you will end up empty handed by default, say you matter and the volume of blooms you can hold will be limitless.
I had to remind myself often that I mattered, knowing that act will become fact if it is practiced with a determination to create it as your reality. I had to silence many voices inside my head, but the hardest to control was my own. I had bought into bull-shit for so long that I was close to certain that the bull-shitters were correct in their assessment of my worth. But inside my weary brain there rested one small shining grain of hope; I grabbed ahold and built a life around it, knowing that to surrender would be sure suicide even if I continued to breathe.
I will not just meekly take whatever life hands me, folding under the pressure that is part of this journey. I will thrive no matter what happens to me or around me, because safely sheltered deep inside my soul is that grain of hope I discovered long ago. I exercise it every day, inside my own mind and heart, but also within the limitless boundaries of Journey's End.
"Desire is the key to motivation, but it's determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek"
Mario Andretti
Motivation is a problem for any human who has been brought to their knees often enough to cause a natural aversion to putting themselves in harms way. Trying becomes an enemy, failure an expectation, and desires get smothered as soon as they surface. Why want something you cannot have? Why try for something outside of your reach? Without desire there is no motivating force to inspire forward motion.
They become like the students in the back of class who sink deep into their seats, hoping to be totally ignored until the bell rings and they can escape. Life becomes a burden if it is not really lived, but without desire or motivation it remains at the breathe in breathe out and hope the air runs out soon stage.
I know about pain and the overcoming of it, I once was that person scrunched down in the back row. It took me forty years to begin to unfold and move nearer to the front of the room. Since then I have tossed many lifelines to fellow travelers, but unless someone is willing to grab hold whatever I do does no good. The agony of seeing someone drift away is intense, my own sense of failure at such moments is overwhelming, but hope cannot be force fed.
I found my way back from the edge. I KNOW hope and self-awareness can unlock the prison doors. I KNOW that to believe in yourself is to validate your RIGHT to the pursuit of happiness. I KNOW that the road back is brutal, but at least it is not a dead end. The possibilities are there, like a field of wildflowers, but you cannot make a bouquet without picking them one-by-one. What you tell yourself will dictate what you end up with; say you amount to nothing and you will end up empty handed by default, say you matter and the volume of blooms you can hold will be limitless.
I had to remind myself often that I mattered, knowing that act will become fact if it is practiced with a determination to create it as your reality. I had to silence many voices inside my head, but the hardest to control was my own. I had bought into bull-shit for so long that I was close to certain that the bull-shitters were correct in their assessment of my worth. But inside my weary brain there rested one small shining grain of hope; I grabbed ahold and built a life around it, knowing that to surrender would be sure suicide even if I continued to breathe.
I will not just meekly take whatever life hands me, folding under the pressure that is part of this journey. I will thrive no matter what happens to me or around me, because safely sheltered deep inside my soul is that grain of hope I discovered long ago. I exercise it every day, inside my own mind and heart, but also within the limitless boundaries of Journey's End.
THINK ABOUT IT
LET IT GROW
THEN DECIDE
CLICK ON THE TITLE TO VISIT
SISTERHOOD SUPPORT
Sunday, June 18, 2006
To Be Alive
TODAY'S QUOTE:
When we were children, we used to think that when we were grown-up we would no longer be vulnerable. But to grow up is to accept vulnerability... To be alive is to be vulnerable.
Madeleine L'Engle
The down side of this is instantly evident, pain is certain at whatever stage we are at in life, but then again so is joy. Sometimes it is blessing, sometimes it is curse; I figure, really living is a crazy combination of those two extremes.
Reality can travel from the highest mountaintop to the deepest valley in the time it takes to blink. The other direction is more than possible too, making being as alive as possible well worth the risk. Experiencing even one moment of perfect happiness is worthy of the pain of the journey to get there.
Odds are good that the price will seem high at the time of payment, but once joy hits like a lightning bolt the cost matters not in the least. Any bliss should be slowed to a crawl and absorbed fully, no matter its duration. The mind will take magical snapshots, when joy reaches a certain level, complete in every breathtaking detail, and their images stays vivid over time.
It does not matter at which point in life that understanding occurs. The full life often feels like many lifetimes in one. The ending of one to reach the next is not always voluntary, but it is certain that to really live today, letting go of yesterday is mandatory. Take the past joys, abandon the pain and begin anew. Why look behind so hard that all the possibilities in front are ignored? True joy could be standing just a forward step away.
The point may come when all that is left is the scrapbook created during a lifetime. What is inside its weathered cover is the sum total of the journey. When the book is opened it seems best to have pages worth turning slowly. Here's to living every moment as if were the last and taking tons of pictures.
When we were children, we used to think that when we were grown-up we would no longer be vulnerable. But to grow up is to accept vulnerability... To be alive is to be vulnerable.
Madeleine L'Engle
The down side of this is instantly evident, pain is certain at whatever stage we are at in life, but then again so is joy. Sometimes it is blessing, sometimes it is curse; I figure, really living is a crazy combination of those two extremes.
Reality can travel from the highest mountaintop to the deepest valley in the time it takes to blink. The other direction is more than possible too, making being as alive as possible well worth the risk. Experiencing even one moment of perfect happiness is worthy of the pain of the journey to get there.
Odds are good that the price will seem high at the time of payment, but once joy hits like a lightning bolt the cost matters not in the least. Any bliss should be slowed to a crawl and absorbed fully, no matter its duration. The mind will take magical snapshots, when joy reaches a certain level, complete in every breathtaking detail, and their images stays vivid over time.
It does not matter at which point in life that understanding occurs. The full life often feels like many lifetimes in one. The ending of one to reach the next is not always voluntary, but it is certain that to really live today, letting go of yesterday is mandatory. Take the past joys, abandon the pain and begin anew. Why look behind so hard that all the possibilities in front are ignored? True joy could be standing just a forward step away.
The point may come when all that is left is the scrapbook created during a lifetime. What is inside its weathered cover is the sum total of the journey. When the book is opened it seems best to have pages worth turning slowly. Here's to living every moment as if were the last and taking tons of pictures.
THINK ABOUT IT
LET IT GROW
THEN DECIDE
CLICK ON THE TITLE TO VISIT
SISTERHOOD SUPPORT
Friday, June 16, 2006
Silent Destiny
TODAY'S QUOTE:
No trumpets sound when the important decisions of our life are made. Destiny is made known silently.
Agnes DeMille
The silent times of true soul searching are sacred. Where else would you go to ponder something as magical as destiny, than the depth of your soul? The gentle surroundings there can take the worst sting out of most painful situations, or multiply joy to limits that are almost orgasmic in intensity. Contemplation of anything of true import has clarity that cannot be reached anywhere else, because the only voice you hear there is your own.
Finding the route to your destiny is simple when you look for it soul-deep; a path with heart is a phrase a wise man used that instantly caught my attention as being a flawless way of describing a worthy avenue. We all alter the lives of everyone we touch, whether for good or evil is the only uncertainty. If we imagine we give nothing worth receiving then chances are good that we have a deep well to draw from that we have never really tapped. Humans who only take never even bother with such thoughts, so if you are thinking along those lines you are half way home already.
I know some who think their passage is pointless, but they could not be more mistaken, although convincing them of that fact is like trying to move a mountain using chopsticks. I see so clearly not only their reality, but also their possibilities. It may seem to some that I am simply naive, but this too is a falsehood. I see with the eyes of a craftsman, viewing a weather beaten house. I see what is, what was, and what can be; each is different, the first cannot be changed, the second is pointless to contemplate for long, but the last is most important, yet it is given the least attention. What can be is what I see first, eclipsing all other considerations, and if that makes me naive in some minds then I just figure they are too short-sighted to really have a clue anyway.
A house can be rebuilt from the ground up and so can people. The only reason either does not get done is because of the effort involved in the tasks. Hell, it is hard to change, even brutal at times. The parallel between remodeling and remolding is similar enough to be mind-boggling when you think about it.
In both cases you have to:
1- tear out and replace what has been weakened by time and the elements.
2- pay the price asked for whatever will make it a place worth inhabiting.
3-spend long hours cleaning up the mess that a work in progress inspires.
The list continues, but my mind has already gone on to some wonderful differences I would like to point out. In the case of a human restoration there are things that do not apply, and thank God for that I say.
1- You do not have to apply for a building permit.
2- You do not need a blueprint.
3- You do not need any tools that you do not already possess.
4- What was does not lock you into any set pattern.
5- What the neighbors think matters not a bit, since they will continue to see you as who you were long after you are who you were meant to be.
This list goes on too, but to place all I can come up with here will not encourage you to take the concept further on your own terms and see the big picture as it applies from your unique point of view. Some will read this and instantly see it as truth, others will doubt on in total oblivion. Some will let it breathe life on a spark of hope and build a roaring fire to better see its reality. Some will read the words then pffftttt and try to forget their challenge. Some will start ripping out walls and others will simply pick up their chopsticks and continue mountain-moving one pebble at a time.
No trumpets sound when the important decisions of our life are made. Destiny is made known silently.
Agnes DeMille
The silent times of true soul searching are sacred. Where else would you go to ponder something as magical as destiny, than the depth of your soul? The gentle surroundings there can take the worst sting out of most painful situations, or multiply joy to limits that are almost orgasmic in intensity. Contemplation of anything of true import has clarity that cannot be reached anywhere else, because the only voice you hear there is your own.
Finding the route to your destiny is simple when you look for it soul-deep; a path with heart is a phrase a wise man used that instantly caught my attention as being a flawless way of describing a worthy avenue. We all alter the lives of everyone we touch, whether for good or evil is the only uncertainty. If we imagine we give nothing worth receiving then chances are good that we have a deep well to draw from that we have never really tapped. Humans who only take never even bother with such thoughts, so if you are thinking along those lines you are half way home already.
I know some who think their passage is pointless, but they could not be more mistaken, although convincing them of that fact is like trying to move a mountain using chopsticks. I see so clearly not only their reality, but also their possibilities. It may seem to some that I am simply naive, but this too is a falsehood. I see with the eyes of a craftsman, viewing a weather beaten house. I see what is, what was, and what can be; each is different, the first cannot be changed, the second is pointless to contemplate for long, but the last is most important, yet it is given the least attention. What can be is what I see first, eclipsing all other considerations, and if that makes me naive in some minds then I just figure they are too short-sighted to really have a clue anyway.
A house can be rebuilt from the ground up and so can people. The only reason either does not get done is because of the effort involved in the tasks. Hell, it is hard to change, even brutal at times. The parallel between remodeling and remolding is similar enough to be mind-boggling when you think about it.
In both cases you have to:
1- tear out and replace what has been weakened by time and the elements.
2- pay the price asked for whatever will make it a place worth inhabiting.
3-spend long hours cleaning up the mess that a work in progress inspires.
The list continues, but my mind has already gone on to some wonderful differences I would like to point out. In the case of a human restoration there are things that do not apply, and thank God for that I say.
1- You do not have to apply for a building permit.
2- You do not need a blueprint.
3- You do not need any tools that you do not already possess.
4- What was does not lock you into any set pattern.
5- What the neighbors think matters not a bit, since they will continue to see you as who you were long after you are who you were meant to be.
This list goes on too, but to place all I can come up with here will not encourage you to take the concept further on your own terms and see the big picture as it applies from your unique point of view. Some will read this and instantly see it as truth, others will doubt on in total oblivion. Some will let it breathe life on a spark of hope and build a roaring fire to better see its reality. Some will read the words then pffftttt and try to forget their challenge. Some will start ripping out walls and others will simply pick up their chopsticks and continue mountain-moving one pebble at a time.
THINK ABOUT IT
LET IT GROW
THEN DECIDE
CLICK ON THE TITLE TO VISIT
SISTERHOOD SUPPORT
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Implications
TODAY'S QUOTE:
"I believe that every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty."
John D. Rockefeller
The things we think we own all too often own us. I have spent the last year changing my attitude about my possessions. Nowadays there are very few things I would carry forward into any new location. Most of them are reflections of a past I no longer reside inside of, letting them belong to others will be more of a relief than a heartache. The sign posts they represent are outdated and cobweb covered, even their memory is faded to a degree where I would have to struggle to view them with any clarity.
Like clothes that no longer fit or whose fashion has outlived its heyday, they mostly hang untouched and forgotten. Fashion often has a rebirth, but whatever hangs in the cupboard I left behind has no hope whatsoever of ever being worn by me again. The moving on in life demands that we discard whatever slows us down, so I will not pack my trunk with useless weight or I will never get where I hope to go.
I will keep the things that reflect what I have accomplished so far. I will keep the items that will further my journey. I will cherish the happy memories, however few, of a long ago time without dragging along the ones that would only keep on wounding a heart that is all to tired of pain. I will go on from here, carrying a lighter load and try to minimize the number of THINGS I place undo importance in owning. When it is all said and done, the treasures inside matter the most and it is no burden to take them wherever you travel.
"I believe that every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty."
John D. Rockefeller
The things we think we own all too often own us. I have spent the last year changing my attitude about my possessions. Nowadays there are very few things I would carry forward into any new location. Most of them are reflections of a past I no longer reside inside of, letting them belong to others will be more of a relief than a heartache. The sign posts they represent are outdated and cobweb covered, even their memory is faded to a degree where I would have to struggle to view them with any clarity.
Like clothes that no longer fit or whose fashion has outlived its heyday, they mostly hang untouched and forgotten. Fashion often has a rebirth, but whatever hangs in the cupboard I left behind has no hope whatsoever of ever being worn by me again. The moving on in life demands that we discard whatever slows us down, so I will not pack my trunk with useless weight or I will never get where I hope to go.
I will keep the things that reflect what I have accomplished so far. I will keep the items that will further my journey. I will cherish the happy memories, however few, of a long ago time without dragging along the ones that would only keep on wounding a heart that is all to tired of pain. I will go on from here, carrying a lighter load and try to minimize the number of THINGS I place undo importance in owning. When it is all said and done, the treasures inside matter the most and it is no burden to take them wherever you travel.
THINK ABOUT IT
LET IT GROW
THEN DECIDE
CLICK ON THE TITLE TO VISIT
SISTERHOOD SUPPORT
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Deep Listening
TODAY'S QUOTE:
Deep listening is miraculous for both listener and speaker. When someone receives us with open-hearted, non-judging, intensely interested listening, our spirits expand.
Sue Patton Thoele
The art of listening involves more than just the ears; eyes, mind, heart, and soul are mandatory to truly absorbing all that is said and at least some of what is not. I hear better when I listen with my eyes too, and anyone who looks at me when I am talking to them always receives the most of what is centered inside of me.
There is nothing that will make me go instantly silent faster than to see a listeners eyes grow dim, signaling inattention as surely as if they put out a neon sign. On the other side of the scale there is nothing that will inspire my urge to say something worth hearing faster than the light of true interest in their gaze. Deep-listening blesses both the speaker and the listener.Deep listening is miraculous for both listener and speaker. When someone receives us with open-hearted, non-judging, intensely interested listening, our spirits expand.
Sue Patton Thoele
The art of listening involves more than just the ears; eyes, mind, heart, and soul are mandatory to truly absorbing all that is said and at least some of what is not. I hear better when I listen with my eyes too, and anyone who looks at me when I am talking to them always receives the most of what is centered inside of me.
The one hearing does not have to say a word to do pure magic. Comfort is instant and soul-deep. Listening well, but gently means you suspend judgment. People need at least one person that they can speak to without editing every word. Unconditional ears are such a treasure to have at our disposal. When you are very lucky, the same person returns the favor and trusts you enough to say the things that are hidden deep inside of them without worry of any censure.
Every lasting relationship, of any sort, has deep-listening at its core. Trust and love are great building blocks, but without the sound structure of true communication the richess and depth of the whole structure suffers. I thank God for the deep listeners I know, loving them enriches me in ways that are priceless beyond description. You all know who you are and why I love you; life has taught me to voice my appreciation of each of you often and well. If I mean half as much to you as you mean to me, I am very lucky indeed.
THINK ABOUT IT
LET IT GROW
THEN DECIDE
CLICK ON THE TITLE TO VISIT
SISTERHOOD SUPPORT
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Knowing
TODAY'S QUOTE:
Next to knowing when to seize an opportunity, the most important thing in life is to know when to forego an advantage.
Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881), The Infernal Marriage (1834)
Knowing how to act in any given situation takes real knowledge that we often do not bother obtaining. We gaze at the surface and believe that is all there is, when just a peek behind the facade will reveal so much more than the obvious. We rush too much, like this is a race, and miss so much in the mad dash to the finish line.
Making every day a little life helps adjust your vision, so the little things of great import do not get so easily overlooked. Sight is relative; the direction you point your attention is where you see the most of whatever scenery surrounds the thing centered inside your gaze. The length of time you glance and the intensity of the attention you pay earns you knowledge or robs you of it, according to your determination to really see and understand the landscape.
I received a notice of a new flash movie and enjoyed it very much. In a lot of ways it shows you how to adjust your vision to a more reliable setting. I placed the link under the title, so just click it and enjoy. Pass it on, pay it forward, and help someone regain their sight.
Next to knowing when to seize an opportunity, the most important thing in life is to know when to forego an advantage.
Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881), The Infernal Marriage (1834)
Knowing how to act in any given situation takes real knowledge that we often do not bother obtaining. We gaze at the surface and believe that is all there is, when just a peek behind the facade will reveal so much more than the obvious. We rush too much, like this is a race, and miss so much in the mad dash to the finish line.
Making every day a little life helps adjust your vision, so the little things of great import do not get so easily overlooked. Sight is relative; the direction you point your attention is where you see the most of whatever scenery surrounds the thing centered inside your gaze. The length of time you glance and the intensity of the attention you pay earns you knowledge or robs you of it, according to your determination to really see and understand the landscape.
I received a notice of a new flash movie and enjoyed it very much. In a lot of ways it shows you how to adjust your vision to a more reliable setting. I placed the link under the title, so just click it and enjoy. Pass it on, pay it forward, and help someone regain their sight.
THINK ABOUT IT
LET IT GROW
THEN DECIDE
CLICK ON THE TITLE FOR THE FLASH MOVIE
I AM ALIVE
Monday, June 12, 2006
Our Angry Enemy
TODAY'S QUOTE:
Anger is the real destroyer of our good human qualities; an enemy with a weapon cannot destroy these qualities, but anger can. Anger is our real enemy.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Anger is defined as belligerence aroused by a real or supposed wrong (personified as one of the deadly sins). Living with it is akin to having a cancer of the soul. The negative emotions it inspires eats away at all the healthy tissue it touches, doing much more harm to the person feeling it than anyone it is aimed toward.
The fact is that most people you actively hate get more pleasure out of the agony it brings to you than they do anything else. It always comes to my mind that hating them pleases them somehow, which makes me drop it like I would a red hot coal. The last emotion I want to inspire in anyone I am irritated with is pleasure. Let them get their cheap thrills at someone else's expense, whatever they did to cause my displeasure in the first place is plenty of pain to feel from one source.
Being angry at a situation does no good either, it just makes the hardship grow inside you until it is so huge it is overwhelming. If anger solved anything I would allow it, but growing an obstacle to greater height just makes it impossible to overcome. Oh, do not misunderstand me, I believe there are many things worthy of anger. I just know that dwelling on them in that fashion only makes it harder to find a solution or accept as reality if no solution is possible.
I feel it when it is valid then let it go and move on. I change it if possible, accept it if not, but to allow it to rule my actions or ruin my life is a total waste of time and effort. It scatters our thoughts as surely as if we had set a bomb off inside of our brain. It keeps all wounds seeping. It breaks our hearts and shrivels our souls. It is like quicksand, sucking us under with such speed that there is no escape.
I wish the world were a gentler planet, so I do what I can to make that happen. I know that to make my portion of it less brutal, I must let go of the negatives. If I lay down my anger and turn it over to a higher hand to sort out then my surrounding are gentler. I may not see the result of his judgment, although I never doubt there will be one, but I do see the benefit inside my personal space. I do not have to wait to view the good that comes; it is instant, it is soul deep, and it is completely empowering.
Anger is the real destroyer of our good human qualities; an enemy with a weapon cannot destroy these qualities, but anger can. Anger is our real enemy.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Anger is defined as belligerence aroused by a real or supposed wrong (personified as one of the deadly sins). Living with it is akin to having a cancer of the soul. The negative emotions it inspires eats away at all the healthy tissue it touches, doing much more harm to the person feeling it than anyone it is aimed toward.
The fact is that most people you actively hate get more pleasure out of the agony it brings to you than they do anything else. It always comes to my mind that hating them pleases them somehow, which makes me drop it like I would a red hot coal. The last emotion I want to inspire in anyone I am irritated with is pleasure. Let them get their cheap thrills at someone else's expense, whatever they did to cause my displeasure in the first place is plenty of pain to feel from one source.
Being angry at a situation does no good either, it just makes the hardship grow inside you until it is so huge it is overwhelming. If anger solved anything I would allow it, but growing an obstacle to greater height just makes it impossible to overcome. Oh, do not misunderstand me, I believe there are many things worthy of anger. I just know that dwelling on them in that fashion only makes it harder to find a solution or accept as reality if no solution is possible.
I feel it when it is valid then let it go and move on. I change it if possible, accept it if not, but to allow it to rule my actions or ruin my life is a total waste of time and effort. It scatters our thoughts as surely as if we had set a bomb off inside of our brain. It keeps all wounds seeping. It breaks our hearts and shrivels our souls. It is like quicksand, sucking us under with such speed that there is no escape.
I wish the world were a gentler planet, so I do what I can to make that happen. I know that to make my portion of it less brutal, I must let go of the negatives. If I lay down my anger and turn it over to a higher hand to sort out then my surrounding are gentler. I may not see the result of his judgment, although I never doubt there will be one, but I do see the benefit inside my personal space. I do not have to wait to view the good that comes; it is instant, it is soul deep, and it is completely empowering.
THINK ABOUT IT
LET IT GROW
THEN DECIDE
CLICK ON THE TITLE TO VISIT
SISTERHOOD SUPPORT
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Turning Tides
TODAY'S QUOTE:
When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you until it seems that you cannot hold on for a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.
Harriet Beecher Stowe
The giving up spot should always be in a place of power, where thoughts are sensible and the reasons for jumping ship outnumber the ones for standing pat. A place of panic or pity is not the location to make choices that may affect the quality and direction of your life. Decisions made during crisis are often the wrong ones, because of all the negative emotions and thoughts that attack at such times.
There is a time for giving up on some things, but to end something in the midst of high drama just exacerbates the problems to a level that often leaves us no turning back spot once reason returns. I try not to over-react. If negatives attack I go for a walk or perform a mindless task and direct my concentration there as if my life depended upon the scenery I pass or the dust bunnies I chase.
I have an aversion to giving up, thinking that one more day... or hour... or minute just might finally earn me a victory. In life failures are so easy, all you have to do is nothing and they fall into your lap. Successes are hard, sometimes brutally so... but that is what makes them so sweet. Dreams lived are the most beautiful things life has to offer, but they do not come free of cost. Imagining something does not give it breath. A spark will not start a fire if there is nothing there to ignite.
Gathering the ingredients for a healthy blaze is not always an easy thing. Life can be a cold place and the landscape is often barren, but to willingly lay down and freeze is unconceivable to me. If there is nothing to build on where you are, walking in circles will not make magic. Move on to someplace that offers more in the way of likely fuel, and build a fire you can sit beside in comfort. Once it blazes bright, glance sideways and say hello. :)
When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you until it seems that you cannot hold on for a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.
Harriet Beecher Stowe
The giving up spot should always be in a place of power, where thoughts are sensible and the reasons for jumping ship outnumber the ones for standing pat. A place of panic or pity is not the location to make choices that may affect the quality and direction of your life. Decisions made during crisis are often the wrong ones, because of all the negative emotions and thoughts that attack at such times.
There is a time for giving up on some things, but to end something in the midst of high drama just exacerbates the problems to a level that often leaves us no turning back spot once reason returns. I try not to over-react. If negatives attack I go for a walk or perform a mindless task and direct my concentration there as if my life depended upon the scenery I pass or the dust bunnies I chase.
I have an aversion to giving up, thinking that one more day... or hour... or minute just might finally earn me a victory. In life failures are so easy, all you have to do is nothing and they fall into your lap. Successes are hard, sometimes brutally so... but that is what makes them so sweet. Dreams lived are the most beautiful things life has to offer, but they do not come free of cost. Imagining something does not give it breath. A spark will not start a fire if there is nothing there to ignite.
Gathering the ingredients for a healthy blaze is not always an easy thing. Life can be a cold place and the landscape is often barren, but to willingly lay down and freeze is unconceivable to me. If there is nothing to build on where you are, walking in circles will not make magic. Move on to someplace that offers more in the way of likely fuel, and build a fire you can sit beside in comfort. Once it blazes bright, glance sideways and say hello. :)
THINK ABOUT IT
LET IT GROW
THEN DECIDE
CLICK ON THE TITLE TO VISIT
SISTERHOOD SUPPORT
Saturday, June 10, 2006
A Human Journey
TODAY'S QUOTE:
We are not human beings on a spiritual journey. We are spiritual beings on a human journey.
Stephen R. Covey
This is true, although some of us never realize the importance of being spiritual. I do not equate being spiritual with any certain organized religion. The dictionary lists religion as being a definition of spiritual, but in my book it has more to do with the spirit itself. Whether or not it is housed inside a religious persons body is of little concern to me. We each possess one even if we never enter a church.
We are soul based and its health or sickness reflects upon all our many parts. Keeping it healthy is something that we often ignore. We stumble along sick at heart, and weary of mind without knowing that by paying attention to what is going on deep inside will give us relief. We look for a pill to fix it or seek someone special to fill the emptiness inside of us, when we would be better off tending to it the good old fashioned way.
Simply listen to what it tells you and it will lead you to what it needs to be cured of the things that ail it. Validate it by paying attention to the wisdom it possesses. Embrace its eternal quality and value its strength. Give it what it seeks and peace will belong to you in ways you never imagined. Defend it and it will be a haven, no matter what else is clamoring for attention in your life.
We are not human beings on a spiritual journey. We are spiritual beings on a human journey.
Stephen R. Covey
This is true, although some of us never realize the importance of being spiritual. I do not equate being spiritual with any certain organized religion. The dictionary lists religion as being a definition of spiritual, but in my book it has more to do with the spirit itself. Whether or not it is housed inside a religious persons body is of little concern to me. We each possess one even if we never enter a church.
We are soul based and its health or sickness reflects upon all our many parts. Keeping it healthy is something that we often ignore. We stumble along sick at heart, and weary of mind without knowing that by paying attention to what is going on deep inside will give us relief. We look for a pill to fix it or seek someone special to fill the emptiness inside of us, when we would be better off tending to it the good old fashioned way.
Simply listen to what it tells you and it will lead you to what it needs to be cured of the things that ail it. Validate it by paying attention to the wisdom it possesses. Embrace its eternal quality and value its strength. Give it what it seeks and peace will belong to you in ways you never imagined. Defend it and it will be a haven, no matter what else is clamoring for attention in your life.
THINK ABOUT IT
LET IT GROW
THEN DECIDE
CLICK ON THE TITLE TO VISIT
SISTERHOOD SUPPORT
Friday, June 09, 2006
A New Door
TODAY'S QUOTE:
All beginnings require that you unlock a new door.
Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav
This quote is so true, but adding to that theme... often you have to lock an old door to move forward, as well as turning a key in a new one. Hell, sometimes you have to nail it closed, wall it behind solidly placed bricks, dig a moat, and fill it with man eating varmits to keep yourself safe from whatever lurks on the other side. There are times when you lock it and can hear someone struggling with the knob and trying to insert a key of their own. Once your back is firmly turned, you are safe enough... but one glance backward can undo all your hard work if you are not determined enough to keep going forward.
I have seen some people use a revolving door that leads nowhere sane but they continue spinning in place for years, even though they are never satisfied where it leads them. I did that myself for much too long to waste more time now on the same fools errand. I may spin for a time, if the reward seems worth the effort... but after a few mighty turns I say screw this and jump to solid ground. Slam, insert, turn, twist, and run like hell is a much saner list of actions than spinning in place till you fall over.
A dead horse will not rise, no matter the force used to kick it. Sleeping dogs should be tiptoed by or shot in the head to save you a brutal bite. The past is not worth repeating, unless it was of some fun the first time around. And life goes on and on and endlessly on, so why walk the same tired path to nowhere worth being when so much territory is still unexplored?
All beginnings require that you unlock a new door.
Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav
This quote is so true, but adding to that theme... often you have to lock an old door to move forward, as well as turning a key in a new one. Hell, sometimes you have to nail it closed, wall it behind solidly placed bricks, dig a moat, and fill it with man eating varmits to keep yourself safe from whatever lurks on the other side. There are times when you lock it and can hear someone struggling with the knob and trying to insert a key of their own. Once your back is firmly turned, you are safe enough... but one glance backward can undo all your hard work if you are not determined enough to keep going forward.
I have seen some people use a revolving door that leads nowhere sane but they continue spinning in place for years, even though they are never satisfied where it leads them. I did that myself for much too long to waste more time now on the same fools errand. I may spin for a time, if the reward seems worth the effort... but after a few mighty turns I say screw this and jump to solid ground. Slam, insert, turn, twist, and run like hell is a much saner list of actions than spinning in place till you fall over.
A dead horse will not rise, no matter the force used to kick it. Sleeping dogs should be tiptoed by or shot in the head to save you a brutal bite. The past is not worth repeating, unless it was of some fun the first time around. And life goes on and on and endlessly on, so why walk the same tired path to nowhere worth being when so much territory is still unexplored?
THINK ABOUT IT
LET IT GROW
THEN DECIDE
CLICK ON THE TITLE TO VISIT
SISTERHOOD SUPPORT
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Amended Philosophy
TODAY'S QUOTE:
"If you want to amend your errors, you must begin by amending your philosophy."
Jim Rohn
Philosophy is defined as any personal belief about how to live or how to deal with a situation. A person's own philosophy belongs to them alone and is shaped by their nature and life experiences. It is internal, yet ever altering by the things happening to or around them, like a kaleidoscope that shifts its color and design with each twist of their perception point.
Because it belongs to each individual and is internally situated we can and should examine it often. Just having beliefs, but never questioning them or their location leaves us half blinded by any situation that is out of our control, making us much too reactionary. If you fly too low, on auto-pilot, and a mountain suddenly appears there is nothing to do except crash land by default. We cannot control all of the things that suddenly materialize in our lives, but we have more control over our reactions than most of us realize.
Old attitudes do not just dry up and drop off, like spent flowers when new buds appear, but must be pruned by the person who owns the territory in which they are planted. Weeds will crop up on their own. Other people will try to plant in any space you leave undefended or untended. Without care nothing stays healthy for long. It just seems a foolish thing to not pay close attention to what is deep inside, since it alters everything we do and every step we take.
"If you want to amend your errors, you must begin by amending your philosophy."
Jim Rohn
Philosophy is defined as any personal belief about how to live or how to deal with a situation. A person's own philosophy belongs to them alone and is shaped by their nature and life experiences. It is internal, yet ever altering by the things happening to or around them, like a kaleidoscope that shifts its color and design with each twist of their perception point.
Because it belongs to each individual and is internally situated we can and should examine it often. Just having beliefs, but never questioning them or their location leaves us half blinded by any situation that is out of our control, making us much too reactionary. If you fly too low, on auto-pilot, and a mountain suddenly appears there is nothing to do except crash land by default. We cannot control all of the things that suddenly materialize in our lives, but we have more control over our reactions than most of us realize.
Old attitudes do not just dry up and drop off, like spent flowers when new buds appear, but must be pruned by the person who owns the territory in which they are planted. Weeds will crop up on their own. Other people will try to plant in any space you leave undefended or untended. Without care nothing stays healthy for long. It just seems a foolish thing to not pay close attention to what is deep inside, since it alters everything we do and every step we take.
THINK ABOUT IT
LET IT GROW
THEN DECIDE
CLICK ON THE TITLE TO VISIT
SISTERHOOD SUPPORT
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
A Created Life
TODAY'S QUOTE:
I do believe it is possible to create, even without ever writing a word or painting a picture, by simply molding one's inner life. And that too is a deed.
Etty Hillesum
That is a deed, indeed. Acceptance of the status quo is a kind of zombie walk through life, where you just act upon whatever facts are presented to you. Everyone has an agenda and buying into everyone else's without even knowing what your own is, means you are forever doomed to failure. So many of us have no clue about what we really think or believe. I know because I was once like that in the extreme.
Nowadays, I know more about myself than I often want to, but good or bad at least I have a clue. I have strong opinions about things that affect my soul. Many brutal lessons have taught me to give special honor to the voice that screams when I get too close to the edge of losing self, but I refuse to sweat the small shit.
Ask me what I want for dinner and I will say I do not care. I want to fill the empty space so that it will not pester me with hunger pains, but what I place there is not something I really think about. Ask me where I want to go and I will most often not have a real opinion on that either. I am satisfied inside my three feet of personal space. If I am secure linking it to another persons, where I rest at any given time really matters not all that much.
I do not get bored when I am alone. I am always exercising my brain in one way or another. Take away my pen and paper and I will find a book that challenges my mind. No books in sight and I will sink deep into thought and find satisfaction there. I am excellent company for myself and an undemanding guest inside of the space others invite me into.
Long ago, I erased the graffiti other people had written inside of me. Back then I was not ever at ease. It is truly impossible to find peace when the people you love demand you be a certain pattern to please them and change its style every time you get close to achieving their goal. Shadow boxing is a pain in the ass when the shadow is you and your punches are directed by others. Creation comes from the inside out. The sky is the limit, when you paint your own masterpiece, using colors you create on a canvas that belongs to you alone.
There comes a time when you admit that the flaws are a part of the picture. There comes a point where you learn to like yourself enough to say to the people viewing what you have become... "Take it or leave it, but do not paint your own design over mine." Try creating your own picture. Life is not a paint by numbers experience. Coloring in someone else's book does not make it your creation.
I received the following as an email. Sharing its message here is my delight. Enjoy and pass it on. Pay it forward, folks.
The Daffodil Principle
Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, "Mother, you must
come to see the daffodils before they are over."
I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake
Arrowhead.
"I will come next Tuesday," I promised a little reluctantly on her
third call.
Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy.
Still, I had promised, and
reluctantly I drove there.
When I finally walked into Carolyn's house I was welcomed by the
joyful sounds of happy children. I delightedly hugged and greeted my
grandchildren.
"Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in these
clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these
children that I want to see badly enough to drive another inch!"
My daughter smiled calmly and said, "We drive in this all the
time, Mother."
"Well, you won't get me back on the road until it clears, and then
I'm heading for home!" I assured her.
"I was hoping you'd take me over to the garage to pick up my car."
"How far will we have to drive?"
"Oh...just a few blocks," Carolyn said. "But I'll drive. I'm used
to this."
After several minutes, I had to ask, "Where are we going? This
isn't the way to the garage!"
"We're going to my garage the long way," Carolyn smiled, "by way
of the daffodils."
"Carolyn," I said sternly, "please turn around."
"It's all right, Mother, I promise. You will never forgive
yourself if you miss this experience."
After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and
I saw a small church. On the far side of the Church, I saw a hand
lettered sign with an arrow that read, "Daffodil Garden."
We got out of the car, each took a child's hand, and I followed
Carolyn down the path. Then, as we turned a corner, I looked up and
gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight. It looked as though
someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it over the mountain
peak and it's surrounding slopes.
The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great
ribbons and swaths of deep orange, creamy white, lemon yellow, salmon
pink, and saffron and butter yellow. Each different-colored variety was
planted in large groups so that it swirled and flowed like its own river
with its own unique hue. There were five acres of flowers.
"Who did this?" I asked Carolyn.
"Just one woman," Carolyn answered. "She lives on the property.
That's her home."
Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house, small and modestly
sitting in the midst of all that glory.
We walked up to the house. On the patio, we saw a poster. "Answers
to the Questions I Know You Are Asking" was the headline.
The first answer was a simple one. "50,000 bulbs," it read. The
second answer was, "One at a time, by one woman. Two hands, two feet,
and one brain." The third answer was, "Began in 1958."
For me, that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of
this woman whom I had never met, who, more than forty years before, had
begun, one bulb at a time, to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an
obscure mountaintop. Planting one bulb at a time, year after year, this
unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. One day
at a time, she had created something of extraordinary magnificence,
beauty, and inspiration.
The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest
principles of celebration. That is, learning to move toward our goals
and desires one step at a time--often just one baby-step at time--and
learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time.
When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of
daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We
can change the world.
"It makes me sad in a way," I admitted to Carolyn. "What might I
have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five or
forty years ago and had worked away at it 'one bulb at a time' through
all those years? Just think what I might have been able to achieve!"
My daughter summed up the message of the day in her usual direct
way.
"Start today," she said.
She was right. It's so pointless to think of the lost hours of
yesterdays. The way to make learning a lesson of celebration instead of
a cause for regret is to only ask, "How can I put this to use today?"
Use the Daffodil Principle. Stop waiting;
Until your car or home is paid off;
Until you get a new car or home;
Until your kids leave the house;
Until you go back to school;
Until you finish school;
Until you clean the house;
Until you organize the garage;
Until you clean off your desk;
Until you lose 10 lbs.;
Until you gain 10 lbs.;
Until you get married;
Until you get a divorce;
Until you have kids;
Until the kids go to school;
Until you retire;
Until summer;
Until spring;
Until winter;
Until fall;
Until you die...
There is no better time than right now to be happy.
I do believe it is possible to create, even without ever writing a word or painting a picture, by simply molding one's inner life. And that too is a deed.
Etty Hillesum
That is a deed, indeed. Acceptance of the status quo is a kind of zombie walk through life, where you just act upon whatever facts are presented to you. Everyone has an agenda and buying into everyone else's without even knowing what your own is, means you are forever doomed to failure. So many of us have no clue about what we really think or believe. I know because I was once like that in the extreme.
Nowadays, I know more about myself than I often want to, but good or bad at least I have a clue. I have strong opinions about things that affect my soul. Many brutal lessons have taught me to give special honor to the voice that screams when I get too close to the edge of losing self, but I refuse to sweat the small shit.
Ask me what I want for dinner and I will say I do not care. I want to fill the empty space so that it will not pester me with hunger pains, but what I place there is not something I really think about. Ask me where I want to go and I will most often not have a real opinion on that either. I am satisfied inside my three feet of personal space. If I am secure linking it to another persons, where I rest at any given time really matters not all that much.
I do not get bored when I am alone. I am always exercising my brain in one way or another. Take away my pen and paper and I will find a book that challenges my mind. No books in sight and I will sink deep into thought and find satisfaction there. I am excellent company for myself and an undemanding guest inside of the space others invite me into.
Long ago, I erased the graffiti other people had written inside of me. Back then I was not ever at ease. It is truly impossible to find peace when the people you love demand you be a certain pattern to please them and change its style every time you get close to achieving their goal. Shadow boxing is a pain in the ass when the shadow is you and your punches are directed by others. Creation comes from the inside out. The sky is the limit, when you paint your own masterpiece, using colors you create on a canvas that belongs to you alone.
There comes a time when you admit that the flaws are a part of the picture. There comes a point where you learn to like yourself enough to say to the people viewing what you have become... "Take it or leave it, but do not paint your own design over mine." Try creating your own picture. Life is not a paint by numbers experience. Coloring in someone else's book does not make it your creation.
I received the following as an email. Sharing its message here is my delight. Enjoy and pass it on. Pay it forward, folks.
The Daffodil Principle
Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, "Mother, you must
come to see the daffodils before they are over."
I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake
Arrowhead.
"I will come next Tuesday," I promised a little reluctantly on her
third call.
Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy.
Still, I had promised, and
reluctantly I drove there.
When I finally walked into Carolyn's house I was welcomed by the
joyful sounds of happy children. I delightedly hugged and greeted my
grandchildren.
"Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in these
clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these
children that I want to see badly enough to drive another inch!"
My daughter smiled calmly and said, "We drive in this all the
time, Mother."
"Well, you won't get me back on the road until it clears, and then
I'm heading for home!" I assured her.
"I was hoping you'd take me over to the garage to pick up my car."
"How far will we have to drive?"
"Oh...just a few blocks," Carolyn said. "But I'll drive. I'm used
to this."
After several minutes, I had to ask, "Where are we going? This
isn't the way to the garage!"
"We're going to my garage the long way," Carolyn smiled, "by way
of the daffodils."
"Carolyn," I said sternly, "please turn around."
"It's all right, Mother, I promise. You will never forgive
yourself if you miss this experience."
After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and
I saw a small church. On the far side of the Church, I saw a hand
lettered sign with an arrow that read, "Daffodil Garden."
We got out of the car, each took a child's hand, and I followed
Carolyn down the path. Then, as we turned a corner, I looked up and
gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight. It looked as though
someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it over the mountain
peak and it's surrounding slopes.
The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great
ribbons and swaths of deep orange, creamy white, lemon yellow, salmon
pink, and saffron and butter yellow. Each different-colored variety was
planted in large groups so that it swirled and flowed like its own river
with its own unique hue. There were five acres of flowers.
"Who did this?" I asked Carolyn.
"Just one woman," Carolyn answered. "She lives on the property.
That's her home."
Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house, small and modestly
sitting in the midst of all that glory.
We walked up to the house. On the patio, we saw a poster. "Answers
to the Questions I Know You Are Asking" was the headline.
The first answer was a simple one. "50,000 bulbs," it read. The
second answer was, "One at a time, by one woman. Two hands, two feet,
and one brain." The third answer was, "Began in 1958."
For me, that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of
this woman whom I had never met, who, more than forty years before, had
begun, one bulb at a time, to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an
obscure mountaintop. Planting one bulb at a time, year after year, this
unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. One day
at a time, she had created something of extraordinary magnificence,
beauty, and inspiration.
The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest
principles of celebration. That is, learning to move toward our goals
and desires one step at a time--often just one baby-step at time--and
learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time.
When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of
daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We
can change the world.
"It makes me sad in a way," I admitted to Carolyn. "What might I
have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five or
forty years ago and had worked away at it 'one bulb at a time' through
all those years? Just think what I might have been able to achieve!"
My daughter summed up the message of the day in her usual direct
way.
"Start today," she said.
She was right. It's so pointless to think of the lost hours of
yesterdays. The way to make learning a lesson of celebration instead of
a cause for regret is to only ask, "How can I put this to use today?"
Use the Daffodil Principle. Stop waiting;
Until your car or home is paid off;
Until you get a new car or home;
Until your kids leave the house;
Until you go back to school;
Until you finish school;
Until you clean the house;
Until you organize the garage;
Until you clean off your desk;
Until you lose 10 lbs.;
Until you gain 10 lbs.;
Until you get married;
Until you get a divorce;
Until you have kids;
Until the kids go to school;
Until you retire;
Until summer;
Until spring;
Until winter;
Until fall;
Until you die...
There is no better time than right now to be happy.
THINK ABOUT IT
LET IT GROW
THEN DECIDE
CLICK ON TITLE TO VISIT
SISTERHOOD SUPPORT
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Wondering
TODAY'S QUOTE:
"People travel to wonder at the height of the mountains, at the huge waves of the seas, at the long course of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars, and yet they pass by themselves without wondering."
Saint Augustine
The first fifty years of my life were spent in a mostly stationary location, although I have traveled many miles in the two years since that time, and for that I am grateful. The trips I have taken are important, but without the one I took at forty none of them would ever have occurred. The most profound journey of my lifetime began on my fortieth birthday and continues today. It has led me to discoveries that some people never make about life and about themselves.
I had passed myself, lost myself, sold myself short for all those years before my awakening. Every day since I have tried to stay alert to what is going on inside of my secret garden and what prompts whatever is occurring, not for simple curiosities sake, but for the sake of survival of self. I do not travel perfectly there, mistakes are a common human condition and I am all to human. I journey with determination to get the most good out of every step, and that is the best I can do.
Travel by all means, if you have the chance, but visit the most important place on earth once and a while too. The secrets you reveal, the treasures you will find make for a much richer life, no matter what your circumstances. Lighten your baggage whenever possible. Slow your steps to absorb the scenery inside then alter what offends your eye. Walk with pride where it is safe to be whomever you really are then ease that person into the real world. Listen to the drummer deep inside, balance lightly on the balls of your feet then dance to the tune only you can hear.
"People travel to wonder at the height of the mountains, at the huge waves of the seas, at the long course of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars, and yet they pass by themselves without wondering."
Saint Augustine
The first fifty years of my life were spent in a mostly stationary location, although I have traveled many miles in the two years since that time, and for that I am grateful. The trips I have taken are important, but without the one I took at forty none of them would ever have occurred. The most profound journey of my lifetime began on my fortieth birthday and continues today. It has led me to discoveries that some people never make about life and about themselves.
I had passed myself, lost myself, sold myself short for all those years before my awakening. Every day since I have tried to stay alert to what is going on inside of my secret garden and what prompts whatever is occurring, not for simple curiosities sake, but for the sake of survival of self. I do not travel perfectly there, mistakes are a common human condition and I am all to human. I journey with determination to get the most good out of every step, and that is the best I can do.
Travel by all means, if you have the chance, but visit the most important place on earth once and a while too. The secrets you reveal, the treasures you will find make for a much richer life, no matter what your circumstances. Lighten your baggage whenever possible. Slow your steps to absorb the scenery inside then alter what offends your eye. Walk with pride where it is safe to be whomever you really are then ease that person into the real world. Listen to the drummer deep inside, balance lightly on the balls of your feet then dance to the tune only you can hear.
THINK ABOUT IT
LET IT GROW
THEN DECIDE
CLICK ON THE TITLE TO VISIT
SISTERHOOD SUPPORT
Monday, June 05, 2006
Regardless Sense
TODAY'S QUOTE:
Hope is definitely not the same thing as optimism. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.
Vaclav Havel (b. 1936)
It would be so much tidier if only things that made perfect sense came true. Less people would die, because all senseless deaths would be impossible. Relationships would be lifelong, because the right people would recognize each other, for all the right reasons. Pointless existencess could not occur, because everyone would have hope and that keeps us humans striving when the chips are down. The hope for a better tomorrow is a powerful tool to get you through a less than perfect today.
I could keep going on endlessly with examples, but that in itself would be pointless. I 'spect ya got the idea, and are turning it over in your own mind by this point. Life is not that way, and never will be. But...hope makes it worth the effort, and sometimes when we are very lucky or very determined our hopes do come true. Mine have often enough for me to gladly cling to them when I have nothing else to keep me afloat.
I am optimistic by nature and by design. To not think the best is possible is to guarantee it will never happen. We defeat ourselves inside our minds first then it just radiates outward. I have watched enough people create the very things they fear by actions that could be easily avoided, to know that some thrive only on misfortune and all its many negative layers. I will never follow their lead, no matter what happens to me good or bad.
Give me hope and I will struggle onward. One grain of hope can divert a raging river of trouble. One gust of hope can send you soaring over any obstacle no matter its height. One glimmer of hope can light the way through even the darkest tunnel. If you do not possess any then pretend that you do and soon you will. I pray that there is enough of it laying around inside the peaceful boundaries of Journey's End to give at least a small dose to all who visit here.
Hope is definitely not the same thing as optimism. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.
Vaclav Havel (b. 1936)
It would be so much tidier if only things that made perfect sense came true. Less people would die, because all senseless deaths would be impossible. Relationships would be lifelong, because the right people would recognize each other, for all the right reasons. Pointless existencess could not occur, because everyone would have hope and that keeps us humans striving when the chips are down. The hope for a better tomorrow is a powerful tool to get you through a less than perfect today.
I could keep going on endlessly with examples, but that in itself would be pointless. I 'spect ya got the idea, and are turning it over in your own mind by this point. Life is not that way, and never will be. But...hope makes it worth the effort, and sometimes when we are very lucky or very determined our hopes do come true. Mine have often enough for me to gladly cling to them when I have nothing else to keep me afloat.
I am optimistic by nature and by design. To not think the best is possible is to guarantee it will never happen. We defeat ourselves inside our minds first then it just radiates outward. I have watched enough people create the very things they fear by actions that could be easily avoided, to know that some thrive only on misfortune and all its many negative layers. I will never follow their lead, no matter what happens to me good or bad.
Give me hope and I will struggle onward. One grain of hope can divert a raging river of trouble. One gust of hope can send you soaring over any obstacle no matter its height. One glimmer of hope can light the way through even the darkest tunnel. If you do not possess any then pretend that you do and soon you will. I pray that there is enough of it laying around inside the peaceful boundaries of Journey's End to give at least a small dose to all who visit here.
THINK ABOUT IT
LET IT GROW
THEN DECIDE
CLICK ON THE TITLE TO VISIT
SISTERHOOD SUPPORT
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Disappointment or Doom
TODAY'S QUOTE:
"You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try."
Beverly Sills
There are no guarantees in life; any attempt at anything has a measure of risk to it, but no attempt at all is a sure way of spending your life running in place. I know disappointment well. Sometimes it seems very fond of spending time with me, visiting often dressed in different costumes, but always wearing the same tired old frown. I never invite it to linger, knowing well its longing to take over any territory that it inhabits for longer than a passing moment or two.
I am not frightened by the possibility of failure, it is as much a part of life as rainy days. I am not put off by the thought of landing on my face in the dust, because even if I do fall I will not linger long in that prone position. Getting back up and moving on is an exercise I seem to have a talent for, it must be the practice makes perfect rule of thumb that keeps my jumping up muscles strong. I may wish I did not have to use the talent so often, but I am thankful to possess it when I am making use of its healing properties.
I try because I must, so many wasted years gives me much less time to squander than most people possess. I attempt my hearts desires, because a satisfying life will not just land on my doorstep by chance. Really living takes action. Standing still for too long simply makes it all the harder to move forward, so I struggle on lest I grow roots where I am and miss out altogether where I could be with just a bit of effort.
"You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try."
Beverly Sills
There are no guarantees in life; any attempt at anything has a measure of risk to it, but no attempt at all is a sure way of spending your life running in place. I know disappointment well. Sometimes it seems very fond of spending time with me, visiting often dressed in different costumes, but always wearing the same tired old frown. I never invite it to linger, knowing well its longing to take over any territory that it inhabits for longer than a passing moment or two.
I am not frightened by the possibility of failure, it is as much a part of life as rainy days. I am not put off by the thought of landing on my face in the dust, because even if I do fall I will not linger long in that prone position. Getting back up and moving on is an exercise I seem to have a talent for, it must be the practice makes perfect rule of thumb that keeps my jumping up muscles strong. I may wish I did not have to use the talent so often, but I am thankful to possess it when I am making use of its healing properties.
I try because I must, so many wasted years gives me much less time to squander than most people possess. I attempt my hearts desires, because a satisfying life will not just land on my doorstep by chance. Really living takes action. Standing still for too long simply makes it all the harder to move forward, so I struggle on lest I grow roots where I am and miss out altogether where I could be with just a bit of effort.
THINK ABOUT IT
LET IT GROW
THEN DECIDE
CLICK ON THE TITLE TO VISIT
SISTERHOOD SUPPORT
Saturday, June 03, 2006
Stillness
TODAY'S QUOTE:
In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you.
Deepak Chopra
Silence of the soul is a treasure beyond compare. Once found it is like a force field, surrounding you and keeping the worst of the pain away. Money cannot buy it, poverty cannot destroy it, and trouble cannot do more than slightly dent its surface. It comes from knowing yourself and accepting your faults. It comes from seeing your imperfections, smoothing the ones you can and coming to terms with the rest. It comes from valuing your own personal space and respecting everyone else's space as well.
Deeply held silence gives a quiet place to reflect upon things without the echo of any voice except your own. A higher hand can reach there without any effort, but a heavy hand does not have a chance of entering the secret garden of your soul once you set up the boundaries that keep it sound proof.
When a heartache or worry is given to me, deserved or not, I take it to that quiet place and deal fairly with it as soon as possible. I either accept or reject blame without shame knowing that I never set out to hurt others. I either devise a plan for solving a problem or decide there is no solution and accept it as reality. I deal with what is going on inside of me because of external things out of my control. All my best lessons are learnt inside that peaceful place, the most brutal truths faced, the good and the bad are given equal space and consideration.
I am FAR from perfect, but then I have never claimed perfection. I just know that I believed for too long the voices that told me I was not worth much. I accept whatever portion of the blame I deserve for my abuse and the abuse of my children. I have come to terms with that part of my life and have moved on. The beginning of my odyssey toward acceptance was finding the silent space and using it as wisely as possible. It served me well through both brutal days and brighter ones.
It is not a place that you should only visit when life has you by the short hairs. To simply use it as a spot to dump your sorrows would all too soon make it a place of dread. Joys should be invited too. Everything examined inside its boundaries has a clarity that cannot be achieved anywhere else on earth. All things of import should pass through its gates for processing, so that the most good can be gotten out of all that touches you. I make time to visit every day, if only for a short time, to regain my balance. It is not a place to hide inside of, it is a place where you can learn how to thrive.
In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you.
Deepak Chopra
Silence of the soul is a treasure beyond compare. Once found it is like a force field, surrounding you and keeping the worst of the pain away. Money cannot buy it, poverty cannot destroy it, and trouble cannot do more than slightly dent its surface. It comes from knowing yourself and accepting your faults. It comes from seeing your imperfections, smoothing the ones you can and coming to terms with the rest. It comes from valuing your own personal space and respecting everyone else's space as well.
Deeply held silence gives a quiet place to reflect upon things without the echo of any voice except your own. A higher hand can reach there without any effort, but a heavy hand does not have a chance of entering the secret garden of your soul once you set up the boundaries that keep it sound proof.
When a heartache or worry is given to me, deserved or not, I take it to that quiet place and deal fairly with it as soon as possible. I either accept or reject blame without shame knowing that I never set out to hurt others. I either devise a plan for solving a problem or decide there is no solution and accept it as reality. I deal with what is going on inside of me because of external things out of my control. All my best lessons are learnt inside that peaceful place, the most brutal truths faced, the good and the bad are given equal space and consideration.
I am FAR from perfect, but then I have never claimed perfection. I just know that I believed for too long the voices that told me I was not worth much. I accept whatever portion of the blame I deserve for my abuse and the abuse of my children. I have come to terms with that part of my life and have moved on. The beginning of my odyssey toward acceptance was finding the silent space and using it as wisely as possible. It served me well through both brutal days and brighter ones.
It is not a place that you should only visit when life has you by the short hairs. To simply use it as a spot to dump your sorrows would all too soon make it a place of dread. Joys should be invited too. Everything examined inside its boundaries has a clarity that cannot be achieved anywhere else on earth. All things of import should pass through its gates for processing, so that the most good can be gotten out of all that touches you. I make time to visit every day, if only for a short time, to regain my balance. It is not a place to hide inside of, it is a place where you can learn how to thrive.
THINK ABOUT IT
LET IT GROW
THEN DECIDE
CLICK ON THE TITLE TO VISIT
SISTERHOOD SUPPORT
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