A landscape can sing about God, a body about Spirit.  Dag Hammerskydal "Markings" 1953

 If we take care of the moments, the years will take care of themselves.

 

Maria Edgeworth

 

I am out with lanterns, looking for myself.

–EMILY DICKINSON

letter, January 1856

It is said that before entering the sea

a river trembles with fear.

She looks back at the path she has traveled,

from the peaks of the mountains,

the long winding road crossing forests and villages.

And in front of her,

she sees an ocean so vast,

that to enter

there seems nothing more than to disappear forever.

But there is no other way.

The river can not go back.

Nobody can go back.

To go back is impossible in existence.

The river needs to take the risk

of entering the ocean

because only then will fear disappear,

because that’s where the river will know

it’s not about disappearing into the ocean,

but of becoming the ocean.

~ Khalil Gibran

 

THE SECRET, ALICE, IS TO
SURROUND YOURSELF WITH
PEOPLE WHO MAKE YOUR
HEART SMILE. IT'S THEN,
ONLY THEN, THAT YOU'LL
FIND WONDERLAND.

                                                    Lewis Carroll

 We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down.

–KURT VONNEGUT

If This Isn't Nice, What Is?

 

“In the midst of hate, I found there was, within me, an invincible love.
In the midst of tears, I found there was, within me, an invincible smile.
In the midst of chaos, I found there was, within me, an invincible calm.
I realized, through it all, that…
In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.
And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.”
— Albert Camus

 

Do not look back. And do not dream about the future, either...Your duty, your reward—your destiny—are here and now.

–DAG HAMMARSKJOLD

Markings

 

Mix a little foolishness with your prudence: it’s good to be silly at the right moment.

–HORACE

Odes

 

Desiderata: Original Text

This is the original text from the book where Desiderata was first published.

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

by Max Ehrmann ©1927

You Learn by Jorge Luis Borges

 

  

You Learn (by Jorge Luis Borges)

After a while you learn the subtle difference
Between holding a hand and chaining a soul,
And you learn that love doesn’t mean leaning
And company doesn’t mean security.

And you begin to learn that kisses aren’t contracts
And presents aren’t promises,
And you begin to accept your defeats
With your head up and your eyes open

With the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child,
And you learn to build all your roads on today
Because tomorrow’s ground is too uncertain for plans
And futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.


After a while you learn…
That even sunshine burns if you get too much.
So you plant your garden and decorate your own soul,
Instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.

And you learn that you really can endure…
That you really are strong
And you really do have worth…
And you learn and learn…

With every good-bye you learn.

 

 

Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness; I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it.

–SOREN KIERKEGAARD

Letter, 1847

 I shall never have the garden I have in my mind, but that for me is the joy of it; certain things can never be realized and so all the more reason to attempt them.

–TWYLA THARPE

The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life) 

 

Nor will I then thy modest grace forget,

Chaste Snow-drop, venturous harbringer

of Spring, And pensive monitor of fleeting years!

William Wordsworth

 

The salvation of man is through love and in love.
 

–VIKTOR FRANKL

 

They always say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.

–ANDY WARHOL

 

Things do not change; we change.

–HENRY DAVID THOREAU

 

Reject your sense of injury and the injury itself disappears.

–MARCUS AURELIUS

What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace. ~Agnes M. Pahro

 

Mantra #1: Be here now, and breathe. -- Life often leads us on journeys we would never go on if it were up to us. Don’t be afraid. Trust the journey, and give yourself credit for your resilience and how far you’ve come this year. You’ve lived, you’ve learned, you’ve survived all your bad days, and you’re still here growing. So just remind yourself right now: You are not your bad days. You are not your mistakes. You are not your scars. You are not your past. Be here now... and breathe.

Mantra #2: This is the beginning. -- Everything in life—every situation and every relationship—has to come to an end eventually. It’s important to appreciate and accept the end of an era—to walk away sensibly when something has reached its inevitable conclusion. Letting go, turning the page, moving forward, etc. It doesn’t matter what you call it, what matters is that you leave the past where it belongs so you can make the best of the life that’s presently available to be lived. This ending is not THE END, it’s just your life beginning again in a new way. It’s a point in your story where one chapter fades into the next.

Mantra #3: In your present response is your power. -- The goal isn’t to get rid of all your negative thoughts, feelings, and life situations from this past year. That’s impossible. The goal is to change your response to them. The first step? Anchoring yourself in the present. Because no matter what, you can always fight the battles of today. It’s only when you add the infinite battles of yesterday and tomorrow that life gets overly complicated.

The bottom line is, despite the real world challenges you face, the biggest and most complex obstacle you will ever have to personally overcome is your own mind. In other words, you aren't responsible for everything that happens to you in life, but you ARE responsible for undoing the self-defeating thinking patterns that these undesirable experiences create.

 

Marc & Angel