human beings
Shared Wisdom: Collected Works
Although my creative Muse was on vacation or dormant for the last couple of months, scraps of paper with scribbled words still accumulated on my desk, in my handbag, and in the car. All carried words of wisdom that somehow continue to make their way to me. I’ve decided that one of my missions in life seems to be to share as much collective and collectable wisdom as I can. So here’s the latest and the greatest!
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life, by what we give.” Sir Winston Churchill
“You and I share the serenity of understanding – a warm glow in the silences between us. When we have talked and
talked and come to the end of words, the speech of our hearts continues on………… Anonymous
“If I have achieved anything in my life it is because I have not been embarrassed to talk about God.” Jim Forest
“If you wish to travel far, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness and fear.” Cesare Pavese
“Your spiritual growth does not happen when you are peaceful and content. It happens when you get angry, sad,
greedy, jealous, critical, impatient. It happens when you lose your “spiritual mask” and realize that you are not
superman or –woman, but just an ordinary human being learning how to love.” Paul Ferrini
“No matter what age you are, or what your circumstances might be, you are special, and you still have
something unique to offer. Your life, because of who you are, has meaning.” Barbara De Angelis
“The lure of the distant and difficult is deceptive. The great opportunity is where you are.” John Burroughs
“You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it true. You may have to work
for it, however.” Richard Bach
“Woman must come of age by herself ………. She must find her true center alone.” Ann Morrow Lindbergh
“Live your life each day as you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance towards the summit keeps
the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vantage point.” Harold B. Melchart
“Happiness exists more in small conveniences or pleasures that occur every day than in great pieces
of good fortune that happen but seldom in the course of life.” Benjamin Franklin
Here’s to the next time. May I wish you all a peaceful, healthy, abundant and joy-filled 2012!
Shared Wisdom: Words From Others
Once again it is my pleasure to share words of wisdom from others that I seem to find at every corner and in every moment of my journey, many of them at just the exact moment that I need them.
- “Truth is such a rare thing; it is delightful to tell it".” (Emily Dickinson)
- “One thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.” (Albert Schweitzer)
- “I pray thee, O God, that I may be beautiful within.” (Socrates)
- “Do whatever comes your way to do as well as you can. Put a good deal of thought into happiness that you are able to give.” (Eleanor Roosevelt)
- “Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.” (James M. Barrie)
- “From every human being there rises a light that reaches straight to heaven and when two souls that are destined to be together find each other,
their streams of light flow together, and a single brighter light goes forth from their united being.” (Unknown – used by Michael Podesta, Calligrapher)
- “No man is an island entire of itself; Every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.” (John Donne)
- “You can lay the foundation of a friendship in a matter of moments, but it is a work of time to build a monument.” (Madelyn Watt)
- “Every human being, of whatever origin, of whatever station, deserves respect. We must each respect others, even as we respect ourselves.”
(U. Thant)
- “Were there no God, we would be in this glorious world with grateful hearts and no one to thank.” (Christina Rossetti)
- “Don’t be afraid to take big steps. You can’t cross a chasm in two small jumps.” (David Lloyd George)
- “Some goals are so worthy, it’s glorious even to fail.” (Unknown)
- “Why was man created on the last day? So that he can be told, when pride possesses him: God created the gnat before thee.” (The Talmud)
- “No one is so rich that he does not need another’s help: no one is so poor as not to be useful in some way to his fellow man.” (Pope Leo XIII)
I hope you enjoy these quotations and that they prove to be as helpful to you as they have to me.
Taking Care of Spirit, Body, and Mind
We are very special beings. We have been created by Spirit – the Supreme Being who has created all. Some people refer to this Supreme Being as God, others as The Great White Spirit, yet others as Allah, or simply Creator. There are many names given to this one Being who brought the whole universe into manifestation.
Because we have been created by Spirit we are spiritual beings, carrying at our core the very imprint, the essence of our Creator. We call this core our soul. It is that intimate, sacred part of ourselves that we cannot actually see but without which we would not exist. It is that intimate and sacred part of us which cannot be touched. Our bodies may be beaten and broken, but no one can touch our soul.
As human beings we are pretty much aware of our bodies. And if we aren’t, today’s media certainly makes us very aware of them. At worst, the media tries to make us conform our bodies to the image that various money-making corporate businesses try to impose on us. Many of them succeed. At best, the media encourages us in various ways, some good, some bad, to take care of our bodies, reminding us that we only have the one body which has to last us a lifetime.
The human mind is that which truly sets us apart from all the other creatures that inhabit this planet. With our minds we have the power of choice. We are able to make decisions to be good or bad, to be kind or mean, to be truthful or dishonest, to be respectful of others or not. Our minds can be constantly expanded through education and experience so that we can reach our full potential as human beings.
To be a positive, fully functioning human being we need to take care of all three areas of our humanity. The question is, how? There are many answers to this and I will attempt to offer but a few from my own personal experience. One thing I have learned is that it is important to continue to take care of myself on all three levels all of the time. In other words there has to be equilibrium in my striving to be the best person I can be. I have also discovered that I am not yet capable of doing this perfectly, and probably never will be in this life.
The operative word here is striving. As long as I continue, on a daily basis, to make my best effort, to put one foot in front of the other, then I am doing OK. Let me share with you here some of the things that I do in order to take care of my Spirit, my Body, and my Mind.
– Spiritually I make quiet time for prayer and meditation, I read books that invite me to grow spiritually, I cultivate friends who are on a spiritual path and spend time in discussion with them, and I belong to a faith-based community for formal worship in a church setting. All this I do to enhance and increase the relationship that I have established with the God of my understanding.
– On the physical level I try to take care of my body in many ways. The obvious ones are good nutrition in the form of healthy, balanced meals and plenty of water, and some form of exercise to maintain flexibility, strength and balance. One important factor for me regarding exercise is that it must be something that I truly enjoy and I need to have some variety so I don’t get bored and consequently quit. Going the extra mile for my body, I try to incorporate such things as receiving massage or Reiki on a regular basis. I take long hot baths with special oils and salts, and I apply wonderful moisturizing lotion to my skin often. I also feel so good after a visit to my hairdresser and, Oh the bliss of a pedicure or manicure!!
– Mentally I stimulate my mind by reading good books: not just “educational” books but wonderful novels too that give me great pleasure. Personally I choose to go to a museum or art gallery from time to time and I just love watching a good play or musical, especially comedy, or listening to a concert. Hobbies are wonderful excuses for stimulating the brain and helping to keep us mentally alive and active, and there are so many to choose from. And let’s not forget good conversation which is where some of those friends that I mentioned earlier come in useful. Besides, isolation is a slow killer while good company is better than a daily multi-vitamin.
Above all, be gentle and patient with yourself. You are on a journey. Take time to appreciate the scenery and make frequent stops along the way to enjoy majestic moments, to explore avenues of interest in your life, or just to take a rest. And let me encourage you to be aware that this is your life and you have a right to be happy. But happiness does not just drop out of the sky. Like most things that are worthwhile, it needs to be worked towards. If we are optimally healthy and happy, we will be so much more capable of dealing with anything that life throws us – in an appropriate manner. Persevere, the end result is joy!!