Lifetime Quotes

Tucked away on the shelf in my office is my book of quotes. This little leather-bound book contains the many quotes that I have been saving over the years, and ones that speak to me now and then. I consider them my road map in life and I often turn to them just to remind myself of things I may have forgotten. Today I want to share some of my favorite quotes with you. My favorite has always been a Persian Proverb that says, "Trust in God, but tie your camel." Here are some others:

"If you have no enemies, you have never done anything." (observation by my father.)

"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."
(Quote sent to me by my mother in 1978)

"I am too much of a sceptic to deny the possibility of anything." T.H.Huxley (1828-1895)

"Sometimes even to live is an act of courage." Seneca (4B.C.-A.D.65)

"A really busy person never knows how much he weighs." Edger W. Howe (1853-1937)

"Blessed are the forgetful, for they get the better, even of their blunders." Friedrich Nietzche ( 1844-1900)

"There is only one thing about which I am certain, and this is that there is very little about which one can be certain." W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965)

"This above all; to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man." William Shakespeare. (1564-1616)

"The secret of a good old age is simply an honorable pact with solitude." Gabriel Garcia Marquez
(1928-?)

"We don't receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us, for it is a point of view about things." Marcel Proust (1871-1922)

"In comedy, the best actor plays the part of the droll, while some second rogue is made the hero or fine gentleman. So, in this farce of life, wise men pass their time in mirth, while fools are only serious." Jonathan Swift (1667-1745)

"Noble deeds and hot baths are the best cures for depression." Dodie Smith (1896-?) Who is Dodie Smith???

"The afternoon of human life must have a significance of its own and cannot be merely a pitiful appendage of life's morning." Carl Jung

WINTER STILLNESS

Out my kitchen window, all is quiet

In this midwinter darkness before dawn

Not a bird or rabbit about

Although footprints in the snow

Show me that they are nesting nearby

Hibernating like bears on this winter day

Bundled together against the cold.

And even the wind is not stirring the trees

As all is frozen and still

The sun is not yet visable

But slight light below the gray sky

Gives promise for the day

The brown shrubs and stubs

Stick up from the ground

Where in spring

Green leaves and flowers abound

But not today.....

One color that is still around

Is the prairie grass, which has not

Shed its color of ashen brown

Along with the fir and birch trees

Which give some delight

Their needles and trunks green and white

The chickadees that play in my bushes

Have gone

Their urge to flee, feels just like mine

But on my kitchen window sill

Are the paperwhites I planted in early December

Blooming for the first time today

So a ray of sunshine comes into my heart

And now, with joy, I begin my winter day.

Martin Luther King Day

Today is Martin Luther King Day and I would like to remember him and all the others in history who courageously took the path of non-violence against adversity. I have often heard the human race referred to as "just below the angels," but, often I think that we are really "just above the apes." But we should not despair; we are evolving, and some day, if we survive, we will come to a more peaceful existence. Once a wrote a poem to this effect and I will share it on this special day.

YOU WANTED A MORE PERFECT WORLD

You wanted a more perfect world
You didn't understand
That we are not yet capable
As man
To live a world without hate
A world without fear
A world without war
That rather than being
A little less than angels
We are just above the apes
Like our brothers and sisters of the jungle
Who scratch and bite and hate
To protect their clan, their tribe
Their territory
With the most vicious of intents

You wanted a more perfect world
But you didn't understand
That man has not yet evolved
Above a primal state
To a place
Where love and peace and
Inclusion is the measure of the day

And we have many decades left to travel
To this enlighted state
But, there is reason for hope
As Jane Goodall who lived among our mates
Has said,
We are all a part of the upward movement
In our actions of today
So even though,
You wanted, you expected better
From your fellow man
Don't despair
What you and I do today will
Actualize
Realize
A future world of peace

Recently I was honored with the inclusion of my essay in my High School's (Summit Country Day) book, THIS I BELIEVE, which came out this Christmas season. The book includes essays from students, teachers, alumni, administrators, and parents connected to the school, and includes written testimony to a particular thought or thing one believes in, thus, the title, THIS I BELIEVE. In my essay I said that I believe in taking reasonable risks in life, and getting out of our comfort zones to have a more fulfilling and meaningful life. I talked about going to Africa to serve in the Peace Corps back in the 60ies, and though, I (and everyone else) knew very little about Africa at the time, I overcame my fear, and went. It was one of the most enriching experiences of my life. I have now read many more of the essays in this book of which there are about 50. I wanted to list some of the things that people believe in and wrote about. If you were to write an essay on this subject, what would it say you believed in?

I BELIEVE IN:
*trusting yourself
*hands
*opportunities
*listening
*inner strength
*creating a place of peace and serenity
*that we are all the same underneath
*being grounded
*second chances
*power of humor
*democracy and freedom
*waiting
*finding your own happiness
*parents
*our stories
*goodness of people
*running
*my garden
*we know nothing
*family
*to whom much is given, much is expected
*responsibility
*each of us has a life purpose beyond what we do for a living
*people are shaped by their past
*payback
*everyday miracles
* personal philanthropy
*the joy of sound
*God's plan
*the power of a greeting card, note or letter
*teachers
*we are all called to serve
*sports teaches life lessons
*success transfers
*character
*not having regrets
*importance of staying connected
*being yourself
*education
*love
*Santa Claus (Read, "Yes Virginia; There is a Santa Claus"
*laughter
*

A great big Happy New Year to all. It always seems a little strange to me to think of our lives in blocks of years. If you think about it, January 1st is just the day after December 31st, but we do place significance on these milestones, I guess, as a way to see where we have been, and to enjoy, even for a brief time, the hope that the new year will bring good things our way. So far, I am waiting; the new year brought news that my daughter lost her job due to the economy and this past Sunday, we were attending a funeral. I think I will back up my new year to February 1st and see if things start out better from there. In any event, I continue to experience many blessings in my life, so I am not complaining. One of the highlights so far for me this new year is seeing the movie, Invictus and if you have not seen it, I highly recommend it! It is about a chapter in the life of Nelson Mandala after his 27 year imprisonment in South Africa when he first became the new South African president after Apartheid. It is also the story of his wisdom in supporting the all white (except one) national rugby team, revered by the whites and hated by the blacks in the first steps toward creating a multi-racial country. In support of this team, Mandala manages to bring together whites and blacks in the common interest of supporting and cheering for this team all the way to the final championship. This film is an inspiration, as is Nelson Mandala at age 91, a prophet in our midst, I think. Invictus is the name of the poem that Nelson Mandala read to himself every day during his imprisonment and from which he took great courage. He kept his spirit alive with the words from this poem, the last two lines which say, "I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul." Like Victor Frankel, in the concentration camps, Nelson Mandala did not let his captors, capture his soul. This movie will inspire you, guaranteed.