12 posts tagged “inspirational”
'MAYA ANGELOU'S' BEST POEM EVER
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..
enough money within her control to move out
and rent a place of her own, even if she never wants to or needs to...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....
something perfect to wear if the employer, or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..
a youth she's content to leave behind....
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
a past juicy enough that she's looking forward to
retelling it in her old age....
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .....
a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
one friend who always makes her laugh... and one who lets her cry...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....
a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a recipe for a meal, that will make her guests feel honored..
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..
a feeling of control over her destiny...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to fall in love without losing herself..
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to quit a job, break up with a lover, and confront a friend without; ruining the friendship...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
when to try harder... and WHEN TO WALK AWAY...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
that she can't change the length of her calves,
the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents..
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
that her childhood may not have been perfect...but it's over...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
what she would and wouldn't do for love or more...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to live alone... even if she doesn't like it...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW.. .
whom she can trust,
whom she can't,
and why she shouldn't take it personally...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
where to go...
be it to her best friend's kitchen table..
or a charming Inn in the woods...
when her soul needs soothing...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
What she can and can't accomplish in a day...
a month...and a year...
Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect.
It means that you have decided to look beyond the imperfections
Randy Pausch's battle with cancer ended this morning.
Randy,
Thank you for leaving the world a better place through your legacy.
You have inspired the world. May your last message resonate through people's hearts enough to call them action to live a life worth living and to pass on your message through their words and their actions.
Thank you for allowing God to use you and speak through you.
You will be remembered and you will be missed. Unfortunately, people like you don't come around too often.
Perhaps that will now change....through your message.
Rest in peace.
|
June 6, 2008 At The Feet Of The Divine Laying Our Burdens Down
We all know the feeling of walking through life as if we are carrying the huge burden of our worries and stresses on our backs and shoulders, struggling to keep moving forward. There is no real way to move freely and fluidly in such a situation, and we are all longing to lay our burdens down. Just imagining that it would be possible to do such a thing can be enough to elicit a sigh of relief and a feeling of lightness. The human imagination is a powerful tool, and we can use it to take journeys to faraway places without ever leaving our home. Because of this, we too can lay our burdens down at the feet of a divine being such as the great Mother, Buddha or a mountain. Releasing ourselves from that which we can’t handle on our own. No matter how smart we are, how capable we are, or how hard we work, no one can single-handedly cope with all the worries that we tend to take on in the course of our lives. And, we aren't designed to do so. Our wellbeing depends upon our ability to hand over that which we can no longer carry by ourselves.Visualizing yourself carrying your burdens to the feet of someone or something much bigger than you can be a powerful daily practice. To begin, sit with your eyes closed and envision an all powerful, supremely comforting being in what ever form that takes for you, standing at the end of a road. See yourself carrying a large sack, box, or other container, imagining that all your worries are inside it. Watch as you make your way to the being of your choice, and lay your baggage down at their feet. Allow yourself to feel the lightness and relief of this action, express your gratitude, and surrender. You will be amazed by how this simple meditation can liberate you from a burden you were never meant to carry
For more information visit dailyom.com
This article is printed from DailyOM - Inspirational thoughts for a happy, healthy and fulfilling day. |
|
© 2004-07 DailyOM - All Rights Reserved
No portion of this site can be reprinted without express permission
Another great quote that so applies to the journey of working out, getting in shape, and losing weight.
(although somes the "work" of working out, getting shape, and losing weight feels miserable as we are making ourselves strong! LOL! ...but staying out of shape and/or heavy is only going to continue to make us miserable anyway so why not work at changing the situation!)
When I was quite young, my father had one of the first telephones in our neighbourhood. I remember well the polished, old case fastened to the wall. The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box. I was too little to reach the telephone, but used to listen with fascination when my mother used to talk to it. Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an amazing person her name was "Information Please" and there was nothing she did not know. "Information Please" could supply anybody's number and the correct time.
My first personal experience with this genie-in-the-bottle came one day while my mother was visiting a neighbour. Amusing myself at the tool bench in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer. The pain was terrible, but there didn't seem to be any reason in crying because there was no one home to give sympathy. I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger,
finally arriving at the stairway.
The telephone! Quickly, I ran for the foot stool in the parlor and dragged it to the landing. Climbing up, I unhooked the receiver in the parlor and held it to my ear. "Information Please," I said into the mouthpiece just above my head. A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear.
"Information"
"I hurt my finger..." I wailed into the phone. The tears came readily enough now that I had an audience.
"Isn't your mother home?" came the question.
"Nobody's home but me," I blubbered.
"Are you bleeding?" the voice asked.
"No," I replied. "I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts."
"Can you open your icebox?" she asked. I said I could.
"Then chip off a little piece of ice and hold it to your finger," said the voice.
After that, I called "Information Please" for everything. I asked her for help with my geography and she told me where Philadelphia was. She helped me with my math. She told me my pet chipmunk, that I had caught in the park just the day before, would eat fruit and nuts. Then, there was the time Petey, our pet canary died. I called "Information Please" and told her the sad story. She listened, then said the usual things grown ups say to soothe a child. But I was unconsoled. I asked her, "Why is it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring joy to all families, only to end up as a heap of feathers on the bottom of a cage?" She must have sensed my deep concern,
for she said quietly, "Paul, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in." Somehow I felt better.
Another day I was on the telephone. "Information Please."
"Information," said the now familiar voice.
"How do you spell fix?" I asked.
All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. When I was nine years old, we moved across the country to Boston. I missed my friend very much. "Information Please" belonged in that old wooden box back home and I somehow never thought of trying the tall, shiny new phone that sat on the table in the hall. As I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversations never really left me. Often, in moments of doubt and perplexity, I would recall the serene sense of security I had then. I appreciated now how patient, understanding, and kind she was to have spent her time on a little boy.
A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane put down in Seattle I had about half-an-hour or so between planes. I spent 15 minutes or so on the phone with my sister, who lived there now.
Then, without thinking what I was doing, I dialed my hometown operator and said, "Information, please."
Miraculously, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well.
"Information."
I hadn't planned this, but I heard myself saying, " Could you please tell me how to spell fix?"
There was a long pause. Then came the soft spoken answer, "I guess your finger must have healed by now."
I laughed, "So it's really still you," I said. "I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time."
"I wonder," she said, "if you know how much your calls meant to me. I never had any children and I used to look forward to your calls."
I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and I asked if I could call her again when I came back to visit my sister.
"Please do," she said. "Just ask for Sally."
Three months later I was back in Seattle. A different voice answered, "Information."
I asked for Sally. "Are you a friend?" she said.
"Yes, a very old friend," I answered."
"I'm sorry to have to tell you this," she said. "Sally had been working part time the last few years because she was sick. She died five weeks ago."
Before I could hang up she said, "Wait a minute. Is your name Paul?"
"Yes."
"Well, Sally left a message for you. She wrote it down in case you called. Let me read it to you." The note said, "Tell him I still say there are other worlds to sing in. He'll know what I mean."
I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant.
Never underestimate the impression you may make on others. Whose life have you touched today? Why not pass this on, I just did.
Author Unknown
I am not invincible.
Not to take for granted that people will be around forever.
I am funny.
I have good instincts.
Chaos is a good thing.
I dislike status quo.
People come into your life for a reason….and sometimes just for a season.
To counsel with people who have the fruit on their tree and not from someone with just opinions.
A wise man has many counselors.
Change can be good.
There is a reason for why I learn differently and why I am so methodical.
The key, in life, is to be thick-skinned and soft hearted, not thin-skinned and hard hearted.
Its ok to let people inside your walls.
Being shy is equivalent to putting up a wall (that you aren’t aware of).
You aren’t a failure if you make mistakes. You are only a failure if you quit.
Garbage in = Garbage out (thoughts, words, actions…)
The people you think are perfect…..aren’t.
The greatest legacy we can leave this world is what we leave behind us to carry on.
Raising better children is what makes a better future for everyone.
While you remember every hurt, sting, and bad thing that happened to you, not everyone else does (with respect to you) or remembers it differently.
Birds of a feather do flock together….this applies to turkeys as much as it does to eagles. (who do you hang out with?)
Friends, who can’t be happy for you, aren’t really your friends.
Not all friends are meant to be lifelong friends.
Asking for help is not a sign of weakness
Just being rich won’t make you happy….but neither will being broke.
Exercise is necessary evil….and not really evil at all (it just feels that way).
Many people love me for who I am….eventhough I don’t understand that or why that is!
That only I can make me happy. Its what inside me that counts.
Just because someone doesn’t agree or believe in something…doesn't make something less true.
People will blind themselves to the truths they can't or won't accept. Fear or ignorance is usually their driving force.
Fear is a prison. Our fears are, most often, worse that the reality. There is freedom in facing our fears.
Personal perspective is personal reality. Personal reality is not always the true reality.
True strength is not muscular or how much power we have over others. True strength is the power we have over ourselves. True strength is quiet, understanding, and compassionate.
Happiness is measured by how often we laugh on a daily basis. (How often do you laugh?)
That I influence and affect those around me more than I realize….when I am up and when I am down.
Living a quiet, mediocre, average life is not what God designed for me or had in mind for any of us.
Crisis and chaos happen in our life to shake up our status quo and get us out of our rut.
I am often standing in my own way.
Writing helps clear my mind.
I am still a sickie so I was able to get some more reading time in today and finish this one which is one of the 10 books I had on the go....now only 9! haha...I am crazy! :)
Another gem I found in an old folder......
Love vs Infatuation
Infatuation is instant desire - one set of glands calling to another.
Love is friendship that has caught fire. It takes root and grows, one day at a time.
Infatuation is marked by a feeling of insecurity. You are excited and eager but not genuinely happy. There are nagging doubts, unanswered questions, little bits and pieces about your beloved that you would just as soon not examine too closely. It might spoil the dream.
Love is the quiet understanding and mature acceptance of imperfection. It is real. It gives you strength and grows beyond you - to bolster your beloved. You are warmed by their presence, even when they are away. Miles do no separate you. You have so many wonderful little films in your head that you keep replaying. But near or far, you know that they are yours and you can wait.
Infatuation says, " We must get married right away. I can't risk losing them. "
Love says, " Be patient. Don't panic. Plan your future with confidence. "
Infatuation has an element of sexual excitement. Whenever you are together you hope it will end if sexual intimacy.
Love is not based on sex. It is the maturation of friendship that makes sex that so much sweeter. You must be friends before you can be lovers.
Infatuation lacks confidence. When they are away, you wonder if they are cheating. Somtimes you check.
Love means trust. You are calm, secure, and unthreatened. They feel your trust, and it makes them even more trustworthy.
Infatuation might lead you to do things you will regret, but love never steers you in the wrong direction.
Love is elevating. It lifts you up. It makes you look up. It makes you think up. It makes you a better person that you were before.
Was cleaning up and found some old folders...and found a few gems. Here is one:
If I really cared....
I'd look you in the eyes when you talk to me;
I'd think about what you're saying rather than what I'm going to say next;
I'd hear your feelings as well as your words.
If I really cared....
I'd listen without defending;
I'd hear without deciding whether you're right or wrong;
I'd ask you why, not just how and when and where.
If I really cared....
I'd allow you inside me;
I'd tell you my hopes, my dreams, my fears, my hurts;
I'd tell you where I've blown it and where I've made it.
If I really cared.....
I'd laugh with you but not at you;
I'd talk with you and not to you;
And I'd know when it's time to do neither.
If I really cared....
I wouldn't climb over your walls;
I'd hang around until you let me in the gate;
I wouldn't unlock your secrets;
I'd wait until you handed me the key.
If I really cared.....
I'd love you anyway;
But I'd ask for the best that you can give
And gently draw it from you.
If I really cared.....
I'd put away my scripts;
And leave my solutions at home;
The performances would end;
We'd be ourselves.
