Tag: reflections

Happiness Is Like a Butterfly

Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you. Author unknown, printed in “The Literary American,” 1848. (Credit- Quote Investigator)

brown butterfly perched on pink flower
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

I have difficulty finding a favorite quote to share because I have many.  I store bits wisdom from a variety of people and sources.  First and foremost I often quote my parents and grandparents, especially to my younger generation. Its the Wisdom of the Elders.

Through the years I’ve memorized quotes from the Bible and preachers; from educators and authors – even quotes from “the mouth of babes.”  As we know kids say the truth no one else dares to. 

These quotes and special thoughts are put away in seemingly random places in my mind, but they are usually available when I need them. I often sprinkle them among the sentences in my writings to endorse a point or a statement of my own.  The particular quote above, I got from my daughter many years ago, as she explained the tattoo on playing peek-a-boo on her hip, but that’s a story for another day.

The quest for happiness seems an obsession of the human race since the beginning of time.  People don’t realize that happiness is not something that can be measured by the pound or the yard and you can’t keep it in your pocket or on a shelf.  It means different things to different people.  Happiness is more of a state of being. I have seen people strive for one thing or another, thinking that it would lead to happiness only to be sorely disappointed. “I thought, once I didn’t have to worry about money … or when I lose weight… or once I was married or finished my education…”  It’s sad that along the way they rushed by and possibly missed those moments that would have made them happy.  

All those aspirations and dreams are worth the effort, but we must remember to keep our eyes, ears and above all our hearts opened to the showers of blessings that fall upon us when we least expect it.  An old friend left me with a thought that I always remember, a simple truth, a quote I’ve used often – a lesson learned.  “Enjoy each great moment as it comes, you don’t know when the opportunity will come again.” 

I leave you with this, when you think happiness is out of reach, sit for a moment in the quietness of gratitude and fill your heart with the sweet moments you have lived.  A smile from a stranger, a hug from a friend, the wonders around you like a butterfly on your shoulder; those memories will sustain you to continue your journey until you reach your destination because they help you remember there is good in the world. 

Day Five: Hook ’Em With a Quote’    #everydayinspiration

Blog-Our-notions-about-happiness-entrap-us...

Grand Central Station

Blog Grand Central Station

 

I can’t remember the last time I was at Grand Central Station.  If I had to guess, it was probably on my way home for the weekend in my freshman year in college.   I grew up in New York City – the borough of Brooklyn to be exact.  As a teenager and young adult, I rode the subways at all hours of the day.  I was never afraid – I guess that’s the gift of the foolishness of youth.  I remember the splendor of this transit station; the bright lights, the Tiffany clock, the marble that withstands time. blog sardines in a can from monicore at Pixabay I remember crowds on the trains and the streets in the City, but I don’t recall it like a sardine can of people but I saw it the last time I was there.  I certainly have no memory of armed National Guardsmen at all large transit stations.   It’s like another world, another lifetime. 

I can see myself standing against the wall waiting for my train and watching all the people.  Everything around me is a blur of people walking quickly by – just as the photographer caught it.  There is a pulse to this place, a strong almost frantic rapid pulse. The noise level makes me crave at least five minutes at the shore early in the morning; just by looking at the picture my soul longs to synchronize with the rhythm of the waves rolling in an out on the beach. 

Who are these people?  Where are they going in such a rush? What or who is waiting for them?   Was that me of another era?  I remember someone complaining once that I walked too fast.  My response?  “I’m a New Yorkah, whadda you want?”  That was years ago.  Now I pick up the pace just only when I want to get my heart rate up.    

What about the National Guardsmen? They are looking at these people too with different questions; with sharper eyes.  Their presence everywhere reminds us of unknown dangers that have become part of our lives.  Do they have mixed feelings because they crave some action in their otherwise boring day?  I am reminded of the most recent school shooting.  Are more armed officers at the school honestly the answer?  Public schools are cutting down on personnel such as nurses, counselors, and teachers of the arts.  They are spread thin throughout their counties in all parts of the country.  Resources, in general, are scarce in our public schools, and yet the only answer is to arm more people in the school.

And then in the blink of an eye, I’m back at my desk, pounding on my keyboard, in the quiet space I’ve carved for myself.   Like the song from Roger’s and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, “Then I’m glad to be back in my own little corner; All alone in my own little chair.”

Day Four: A Story in a Single Image;  #everydayinspiration

A List for Everyday Inspiration

Things I like 

  1. Watching pelicans fishing at the beach. They are not known for their grace, but they fly over the water with such skill and precisely the right spot they dive straight down and come up with a fish. 
  2. Sunrise – especially on a crisp morning by the beach or over the mountains.
  3. Laughing until my belly hurts
  4. Spending time with family
  5. Historical novels
  6. History – in order to understand today
  7. Learning about different cultures. The more I learn, the more I realize we are not so different.
  8. Acoustic guitar, Flamingo guitar
  9. Singer-songwriters because they usually tell a story
  10. Old radio shows like Allen and Burns or Abbott and Costello
  11. The Cello
  12. Celtic music
  13. Salsa, Bachata – Latin music
  14. Dogs and cats – even though I have allergies
  15. Making up dishes with whatever food is in the cabinets and the fridge
  16. Local raw honey
  17. Oatmeal power pancakes
  18. Going out with friends to listen to live music
  19. Making up stories of things that catch my eye or my ear.
  20. REAL ice cream
  21. Hawaiian style pizza
  22. Watching live shows – especially musicals.
  23. Sitcoms 
  24. Movies and TV shows that depict seniors as very much alive and active like “Grace and Frankie.”
  25. Walking – brisk walking for daily exercise. Strolling if I’m walking the dog or sightseeing and exploring.
  26. Yoga – I’ve been at beginner level Yoga for half a lifetime. It suits me just fine.
  27. Old Country Gospel songs
  28. Meeting new people
  29. The summer rain – not hurricane season, just the warm afternoon showers.
  30. Seeing animals in their natural habitat.
  31. Museums
  32. Spiritual faith practice and some of the traditional religious rituals and customs.
  33. Hanging out at someone’s house to create something together.
  34. Poetry – doesn’t need to rhyme – a rhythmic verse will do
  35. Looking at old family pictures and keepsakes
  36. Looking at a situation from all sides. Put my feet in someone else’s shoes
  37. Singing with my heart and soul – to get lost in the words and melody
  38. The full moon and a clear sky full of stars.
  39. Watching the first snow. Feels like one is in a snow globe. 
  40. Walking on crisp freshly fallen snow, without freezing wind
Make a list
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

  Working to improve; I chose to write a list of things I like.  I set my timer for forty-five minutes of free thought writing.   Turns out this is still all about me.  #everydayinspiration

 

I write because…

I have stories to tell. I write because I want to make a difference in someone’s life. My head is full of ideas. Some are reality-based; they are the stories of people I’ve met who touched my life in some way. Some stories are what-ifs that swim around in my brain. I see something or someone that catches my eye and that sparks my curiosity. I wonder what’s beyond or why does it happen that way. Sometimes I see things and am overwhelmed with emotion, and I need to stop and sort it out.

I believe we all share a human experience and we learn from those who’ve gone before and even those who are coming up after us.  If we choose to learn, age teaches us but does not give us all the answers. Everyone who crosses our path affects our life in some way. They leave something behind – either a gift or a lesson.

I have worked with people in different aspects of my life in various roles, and I have learned a lot about the human experience. If something I write helps one person take another look at a problem in their life, I will have served a purpose.
#everydayinspiration

Another work group to improve my writing.  Please bear with me.

Everybody Plays the Fool

Infect

When I saw today’s prompt, Infect, two blog topics popped into my mind, nasty oozing boils or sunshine and lollipops. I’ve been giving a lot of thought to where I want to go with my blog.  In recent days I read a great post by Leo the Nerdy Lion, encouraging new bloggers to find their passion, to find a voice and success will follow. He writes with humor, so I took it to heart.  Whether it’s to encourage writing, the arts or simply to be the best, we’ve probably all heard the saying “Find something you love to do, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.” (Author Unknown from Quote investigator)

Infect – influence somebody’s feelings; to communicate an emotion such as enthusiasm or fear to somebody

I originally started writing this blog to vent and rant about politics and religion, but every time I start going down that path, it gets dark.  While politics and religion are things I’m passionate about, I don’t want to be stuck with the type of message.  Some days I may write about faith practices and social issues but generally,  I want to send out messages of faith, hope, love, and light in all shapes and sizes.  We all travel in that continuum of feelings from happiness to gloominess back and forth during our lives.  Where we stop or get stuck and which way we choose to go forward from there is so important.  

This morning I received a notification from an internet radio station with another subscription offer.  The gimmick was to put in the year of your graduation, and they will play all the top hits of that time.   Why not take a stroll down memory lane this morning?  “Everybody plays the Fool” was the first song and undoubtedly the one I could write about today.  I’d been blog surfing the last few nights, and among many creative, well-written blogs, I found a few broken hearts on the mend.  When I heard the song I chuckled, ain’t that the truth I thought.  Lots of us have been there.  Most of us manage to survive and move on in some manner. 

Today I want to infect you with hope, faith, love, and light.  Truly the most important is love.  Love yourself.  I’m not telling you anything new, you’ve heard it before.  I’m not talking about your looks or your style, your status – just you.  That presence inside that has love to give and wants love in return. Get to know that person.  Sometimes we walk around this earth, and we try to be everything to everyone.  We morph into what we think people want us to be and give what we think people want from us, but we don’t take time for ourselves to know ourselves, to love ourselves. 

When we make time to know ourselves, we can take a step back and look at our life objectively.  We are not afraid to ask the tough questions of ourselves or others.  We are not scared of the answers.  Whether in our personal lives or work, we all go into each relationship with certain expectations, certain assumptions.  We assume certain things are true for the others involved.  These assumptions can sabotage our relationships. Keep in mind that each person’s mind is coming from a different place.  Yes, you may have lots in common, but as I’ve said before our life experiences make us all unique in how we respond to specific situations.   You don’t know exactly what the other person is thinking or feeling.  Someone once told me “just because someone doesn’t love you the way you want, doesn’t mean they don’t love you with all they have to give.”   If there is nothing left in the box, it’s empty.  Don’t take it personally; there is nothing left to give.   

That being said, another wise friend told me: “enjoy each moment because you never know when the opportunity may come again.” Can you look back at your experience and find that there were enjoyable moments, maybe even moments that took your breath away?  Were there moments in which you gave love with all your heart and moments when you felt special and loved?  Keep that with you.  It is what it is, one particular moment in time and your life goes on.  The chances are that if you had that much love to give, your cup is still full and you have more to give.  There are different ways to share that gift.  Love has different shapes and sizes.  It may be another romantic relationship but don’t limit yourself to the possibilities. Look around; people are sharing love and addressing different needs all over the world.  Know yourself.

So why does everybody play the fool?  Why is it that fools fall in love?  Why do fools rush in? Some of it is hormones plain and simple.  The other reasons?  We believe in dreams and have faith in the future.

“To everything, there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven.”  Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Why does it hurt?  For the same reasons, because we lost our faith in our dreams when what we expected did not come to fruition the way we thought.  Change the pattern, re-write the story.   

“Do not cry because they are past!  Smile, because they once were!” (L. Jacobowski- courtesy of Quote Investigator)

 

PS- In addition to my Christian base faith, some of the ideas I have adopted in my life are from Dr. Miguel Ruiz books Four Agreements, the Mastery of Love and The Fifth Agreement.  You may recognize some concepts in my writing from time to time.

Reflections of A to Z Challenge April 2018

Blog A-to-Z Reflection [2018]

A few days after I had started blogging again, a blogger I follow posted her theme reveal for the April 2018 A to Z Challenge. https://promptlings.wordpress.com/2018/03/19/a-to-z-challenge-2018-theme-reveal/.   As I read her post, I got excited because this Challenge sounded like a perfect way to develop the habit of writing every day. My life is less hectic now, and I felt there was really no excuse but to be consistent with my writing.  I knew the exercise would help me to be more disciplined.  I also enjoy and actually fare better, when I am working with a team or in a community. I thought this was perfect!

Without much thought to the process, I clicked the link and signed up.  I did not post on all twenty-six letters, but I was glad that I was able to get as much done as I did.  The A to Z Challenge April 2018 did serve its purpose for my personal goals.  I have made blogging part of my daily routine.  I didn’t get much feedback, but I did enjoy exploring other blogs.  Because of my limited experience with blogging, I learned a lot from the different styles of writing, and of course, I enjoyed the creativity.  It also encouraged me to take more pictures when I am out and about. 

There were some issues that made the A to Z Challenge more demanding than it needed to be.   The first was I was sick the first week of the challenge and the next week I was trying to catch up until I convinced myself that was not necessary.  I breathed a sigh of relief and moved on.  Second, my theme was broad and not clear – even to me.  I chalk it up to the fact that I really had no clue what I was doing when I signed up, and I had no overall plan.   Sometimes I felt like I was on Sesame Street trying to find a prompt from random words for the “letter of the day.”   Somedays it was amusing to me as I sang … “the letter of the day is here…” in my head of course.   I was able to come up with a post whether from my unfinished work or an idea that popped into my head while humming that tune all morning.

The only negative thing I can say is that for some reason I did not feel connected to the group.  Perhaps I misread the instructions, and as I indicated I earlier, I didn’t understand the process.  I tried to get back to the original page where I had signed up to review the instructions, but I could not find it.  I did not understand it was a page outside of WordPress.com.  I did not get the daily badges with a different letter each day.  I still don’t understand much about the spreadsheet or how to post to a community page.  I’m hoping this will get there. 

Overall, there is no question that I would do it again.   Thanks so much to the hosts for organizing it; looks like there was a lot more behind the scenes work than I realized. I’m hoping I can get things straight for next year.   Looking forward to 2019.   Lindi Roze