It’s been a while since I posted so it’s time for me to say something. What you get is a handful of good quotes & ideas I’ve run across lately. Along with assorted news tidbits. In no particular order.
“Doubt yourself and you doubt everything you see. Judge yourself and you see judges everywhere. But if you listen to the sound of your own voice, you can rise above doubt and judgment. And you can see forever.”
- Nancy Lopez
In Spanish, the verb “to hope” also means “to wait.” It implies an expectation which is a nice perspective while you hope. And wait. No matter how long it takes.
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Watch this awesome video from Ted.com! Ms. Brown is a superb speaker and makes excellent points about connection, authenticity, vulnerability, and joy.
Many smart people think with their brains. They perceive, analyze, compare, join disparate ideas, theorize, and experiment. They often reach quick conclusions that sound reasonable as the information falls into place inside their head.
Thinking – depending on how careful the thinker is – can have weak spots, too. Thinkers can get sloppy. Like reaching conclusions too quickly and then clinging to them rather than continually seeking new information and adjusting opinions accordingly. Just because something sounds reasonable doesn’t make it correct, and opinions may gravitate toward previous experience and perceptions, which may have little or nothing to do with new information and situations.
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In the past few weeks I’ve run into a couple of those magical people whose presence alone seems to shift reality to a higher plane. Everything suddenly feels lighter, easier, more clear. I laugh more easily. Ancient wounds stitch together and heal effortlessly. Life seems worth living.
I’ve known a few such people in my life. I met the first one, Laura, when I was 16; though it took many years to fully appreciate her influence on me.
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Lately I’ve been more keenly aware of human suffering. Another neighbor came down with cancer and it’s not a gentle thing. I ran into an old friend today who told me she got diagnosed with some disease that will turn into cancer in ten years if she ever eats anything white again (okay, not quite that extreme, but close). I see kids struggling to figure out how to just be okay, adults with anxieties they can’t quite shake, tons of people wondering how they’re going to pay the bills for the next year, and today, when the ad for my Christmas books went out to 200,000 people, the web page it drove people to was down almost ALL DAY. I was gone, ironically, at a book signing at the university book store, or I might have noticed.
Way to put that in perspective, eh? My little problems are NO. BIG. DEAL. That’s what I wanted to say today.
Sure, I was disappointed. That glitch probably cost me hundreds of dollars which I could certainly use. Or not. I’ll never know. All I can do is sigh, maybe say “Darn it,” and continue on. Seriously, it’s no big deal.
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I was reading a book this morning and came across the word “growth.” In general, I’m a huge fan of that word. Maybe because I need it. I need it to get to who and where I want to be. And whenever I get some, then everything gets better.
Today I had a very different reaction. I’m so tired of that word. So tired of all the growing. Of all the continuous effort to cram new & improved ideas into my head, and take the old ineffective ones out. Of all the lofty peaks to climb, only to summit and discover another series of peaks before the true mountain top that offers the view I long for.
The lessons are great, of course, and I can see the improvements happening in my life, but I’m bad about slowing down and being patient. If there’s somewhere I want to get, I’d rather hurry up and get there first and THEN stop, breathe, and enjoy the view! Life is short, and I hate to think that I’m wasting any with anything less than wonderful beauty, peace, joy, love, adventure, and purpose.
Lucky for me, today’s next lesson was different. I wish I had learned this one better years ago. Instead of requiring effort, this one removes it. Instead of making me tired, it lets me breathe easier.
The lesson: Let Go. Of everything. Ev. Er. Y. Thing.
In particular, here’s a heart-felt thank you to Brian, Fred, Samantha, Melanee, Natalie, Sarah, Shaelyn, AnnaMarie, Kirsten, Chris, Karol and Dixie, for doing what you do and being who you are and for your recent significant contributions to the quality of my life. I love you guys!
This year has, for the most part, sucked. It has been hard and hard on me. I’m not saying it’s not my own fault, I’m just saying I won’t be sad to see it go. I have to say this now in case everything miraculously improves before New Years.
There. Just felt like saying so. Good bye and good riddance, 2010. Here’s to a happier new year.
P.S. I hope all of you wholeheartedly disagree with me, and that you had a splendid year filled with happiness, success, growth, support, blessings and love!
This book was recommended to me and I’m only 22 pages in, but it has already changed my life. It has clarified things I’ve sensed but not fully understood recently, and provided effective new ways to see the universe that I never considered.
I’ll summarize an example here, which may include some of my own thoughts, which, if not fully explained, don’t worry, the book doesn’t (yet) go *quite* so deep and you can enjoy it on many levels:
1. The universe, made of particles/waves as we now know, is, in essence, made of light. “Matter is frozen light,” somebody once explained.
2. Jesus tells the author that the essence of her being is love.
3. Therefore, it follows that love = light = the highest truth of everything. In other words, if you could really see how things are, you would automatically love them.
Okay, as I try to relate all this, I’m seeing how much of my own thoughts and experience are woven into it. Continuing…
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