I think therefore I am - René Descartes (1596 – 1650)
Image Source: Wikipedia
This sprang from the conclusion that while what he was thinking might be wrong, the fact that he was thinking proved that he existed.
After he was satisfied that he did, indeed, exist, he went on to ponder in what form he existed. He knew himself to exist as a thinking thing but at that point was not sure whether he actually had a body. Perhaps he did not have a mirror in which to see himself. But philosophically speaking, he may not trust what his eyes beheld...or did he have eyes? I don't pretend to understand philosophy, but I believe that it calls for deep thinking. That is the reason for many of the quotes I choose...to make us think beyond just the surface, or the face value of the words. This post goes out today to my nephew who graduated this past weekend with degrees in philosophy and mathematics. Chris, we are very proud of you and your accomplishments.
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Life is the sum of all your choices. - Albert Camus
This week we wrap up a month of quotes exploring everything from where we are, where we went and what we did when we got there. We discovered why the grass may be greener wherever we are not. Last week we learned that every step of our life journey leads us to where are today. In conclusion, we are where and who we are at this moment in time, and everywhere we go and everything we do makes us who we are at any moment in time.
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It's where we go, and what we do when we get there,
that tells us who we are. - Joyce Carol Oates
This week we have another quote dealing with where we are. This time we focus on the journey and how it affects who we are when we get there. It is the in-between moments that fill our lives and ultimately defines us. Like the branches on this tree, our path can change course many times during our lives, and each branch represents another step in our journey toward becoming who we are.
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"There" is no better than "here." When your "there" has become a "here," you will simply obtain another "there" that will again look better than "here."
Last week's quote brought to mind this one from the Chicken Soup for the Soul story, Rules for Being Human by Cherie Carter-Scott. I read this to my husband and said I thought it was a lot like the grass always being greener on the other side of the fence. His take on this is that everything that makes us who we are goes with us so that when we are finally on the other side of the fence and look back, the side from where we came is the one that looks greener now. So the green-ness of anywhere is dependent more on us than the place itself. Just a little food for thought to twist your head around on a Monday morning. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.
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And remember, no matter where you go, there you are. - Confucius
I've heard this quote for years, and often pause to reflect on it's simple meaning. This means that there is your here and this could be be restated to say that "no matter where I go, here I am".
So are you there or here? That depends entirely on perspective. From your point of view, wherever you are is your here, but your neighbor sees you there. However, both of you are both here and there even if you are standing next to each other, since two people cannot occupy the same exact space at the same time. Your here is his there and vice versa. Confused? Confucius says, wherever you go, there you are!
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In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, for in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed. -Khalil Gibran
Spring is a beautiful time of year made even more special by spending time with good friends. I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend - I know I did.
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Look not at the days gone by with a forlorn heart. They were simply the dots we can now connect with our present, to help us draw the outline of a beautiful tomorrow. - Dodinsky
It is now Spring here in the Northern Hemisphere, and with Spring comes renewal both in nature and humanity. With the onset of warmer weather, more daylight and the blossoming of the trees and flowers comes a sense of anticipation and rejuvenation. This is often accompanied by the occasional bout of Spring fever and/or allergies. Today's quote reminds to look back, not with sadness, but with the knowledge that the past led to the present and both help us prepare for the future. Unlike the game we played as children where all the dots were numbered and everyone got from the beginning to the end along the same path, there are many different ways to get from where we've been to where we are going. Let's pause for a moment of reflection and make the connections that will lead to our beautiful tomorrow.
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Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing. - Abraham Lincoln
While there are many people and events that influence you, no one is going to be more instrumental to your success than you. It is up to you to be your biggest champion, to come to terms with and resolve any issues that stand in the way of your goals.
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The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails. - William Arthur Ward
This is a variation on whether the glass is half full or half empty with one difference. In addition to the half-empty pessimist and the half-full optimist, we have the realist. The realist is the one who views all the angles and adapts to the current situation. This lake is particularly fickle, and the wind can be blowing one minute and dead the next. The boat next to you may catch the wind and leave you sitting still. The realist looks at the surrounding conditions and makes the appropriate adjustments.
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Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the ax. - Abraham Lincoln.
Okay, who thinks this has anything to do with chopping down a tree? Maybe it's about always keeping your axes sharp? I think it is about being prepared for the task ahead. If you have a project to complete or problem to solve and are running on a deadline, it pays to take some time to prepare so you are not working out the solution on the fly. Bottom line... being prepared will help you accomplish your tasks more easily.
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I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.― George Washington Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power. ― Abraham Lincoln
What do both these quotes have in common? Character. Lincoln said, "Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing." What is Presidents Day? A day off work, sales and special events? Before we rush out for 10% off this or 30% off that, let's take a look at what Presidents Day really is. It all started with the death of George Washington, the first president of the United States, in 1799. The following year began the celebrations of his birthday on February 22. It was signed into law as a holiday in 1879 and was the first to honor an individual American's life. Abraham Lincoln's birthday, February 12, is celebrated in some states as a state holiday, but the rest combine the celebration of both Washington and Lincoln on Presidents Day. Today it is commonly accepted as a celebration of all U.S. presidents, although some lawmakers object to this. They feel that grouping Washington and Lincoln with less successful presidents minimizes their legacies.
Some presidential trivia:
Washington's picture first appeared on the one dollar bill in 1869.
Lincoln's picture was chosen for the five dollar bill in 1914.
Washington was opposed to political parties, Lincoln was republican.
Washington was inaugurated in two cities, New York and Philadelphia.
Lincoln was Presbyterian, Washington was Episcopalian.
Lincoln's picture is on both the penny and the five dollar bill.
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In memory of Dean Smith, who passed away February 7, 2015, may your skies always be Carolina Blue.
If you make every game a life and death proposition, you're going to have problems. For one thing, you'll be dead a lot. - Dean Smith What to do with a mistake - recognize it, admit it, learn from it, forget it. - Dean Smith Dean Smith was a legend, not only at UNC, or in the ACC, he was a basketball icon. He was not only a master of the game, but a caring leader, well loved by his players. “All of that is credited to him,” Michael Jordan once said of his career. “It never would have happened without Coach Smith.”
“I can’t put his impact on me into words,” Phil Ford said of Smith. “I don’t know where I’d be without him in my life. He’s been such an influence on me, and a friend and a brother and a father figure…Before I chose North Carolina, I felt that Coach Smith would be there for me my entire life. I was right.”
"Coach Smith was one of the most influential people in my life, and his passing brings me great sadness. However, he was a great man and someone I loved and respected greatly, and I celebrate the fact that I knew him and had him in my life for as long as I did." Mitch Kupchak, Lakers General Manager and former UNC player. Not only was he loved by his players, he was admired and respected by the coaches he faced on the court. Mike Krzyzewski on Dean Smith's passing: "We have lost a man who cannot be replaced." Coach K went on to say "...his greatest gift was his unique ability to teach what it takes to become a good man. That was easy for him to do because he was a great man himself." Over the years I probably watched hundreds or even thousands of hours of basketball, listening to it on the radio when the game was not televised. I shouted for joy when they won and fell silent when they lost. Most years there were more wins than losses, and I clearly remember the 1982 championship game. I was seated on the floor in front of the TV with a rolled up newspaper in my hands. I alternated between barely breathing and shouting the house down. When the final buzzer sounded, shredded paper rained down around me. Another game that stands out is the 1974 game between Duke and Carolina. UNC was 8 points down with 17 seconds left on the clock, and they won the game. Here is a clip of that fantastic finish.
Draw a small circle on a piece of paper. This represents the defense, or your comfort zone. Then draw a larger circle. This represents the offense, or all the amazing things you'd like to try but aren't comfortable with. See the disconnect? Let's merge those two circles and that intersection is your new end zone, or goal. You don't want to be left sitting on the sideline, so whether it's trying something new, conquering a fear by facing it, or just going to a Super Bowl party when you know zero about football, get out there and stretch your territory. Sure, you may fumble or even drop the ball, but you will still be a champ because you tackled something new or daunting. Congratulations to the New England Patriots on last night's Super Bowl victory.
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This is day 16 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Please join me as we share a month of reading, writing and discovery. Today's topic is 10 Years Ago, I was probably ___.
The year was 2005, we had just gotten through 15 months of insanity where hubby traveled on business 2-3 weeks at a time. I happened to read a small ad in the newspaper about a new wine shop that had opened up near us. We weren't all that much into wine at the time, due mostly to lack of knowledge and places that held tastings. That was about to change...but that's not all that changed. We started going to the wine tastings on Saturday afternoons, and it was not only educational, it was a social thing. The owners formed a chapter of the American Wine Society which we joined. There were wine dinners, live music and later Friday night get togethers at the wine shop. Unfortunately the local business was not enough to sustain them, and they had to close the shop. On the last of these gatherings we decided that we wanted to keep this going, so now we get together about once a month, bringing food and wine to share. We've been doing this for nearly 8 years. We have had dinners, taken trips, had parties, gone to weddings and rang in the New Year. A number of us even attend the same church now. All because I saw this one little ad in the newspaper. Was it fate, karma? I don't know, but I don't think it was just chance. Whatever the reason, I'm grateful for and value all these friendships tremendously.
So what was I doing 10 years ago? A lot less. Cheers!
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This is day 11 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Please join me as we share a month of reading, writing and discovery. Today's topic is Word for the year.
Words have no power... which you do not give them. - Bruce McAllister The Village Sang to the Sea: A Memoir of Magic Words are just an assembly of letters. Once we assemble the letters into words, we give them a definition. Now that the words have meaning, we use them to communicate. This is where it gets tricky. You know the saying "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me"?
I see two ways of looking at this. False, of course words can hurt me. Just think of all the cruel things that are said that diminish our self-esteem, leave us feeling isolated, even humiliated. This happens when we allow the words to have that power.
Or it's true, and words cannot hurt me... if I don't let them. If we can put aside the hurtful words, we take away their power. This is not an easy thing to do and many people suffer from careless, thoughtless or malicious remarks.
For this challenge, we were supposed to focus on a word for the year. Since we're just getting started I don't know which words will be trendy this year. Last year these ten words made the short list: Culture, Nostalgia, Insidious, Legacy, Feminism, Je ne sais quoi, Innovation, Surreptitious, Autonomy, Morbidity.
This is my list.
What is your word (or words) for the year? No time to comment? Please click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.
This is day six of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Please join me as we share a month of reading, writing and discovery. Today's topic is What is "chill" and how do I do it?
There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want.
The definition of "chill" is to relax or hang out. Relax means to spend time resting or doing something enjoyable, especially after you have been doing work.
How you do it depends on you. The concept of relaxing is different for each person. Maybe you like to listen to classical music, curl up with a good book and/or cat, take a walk, or head to the beach.
Chilling doesn't necessarily mean doing nothing. Some people relax by working. Not working at their everyday jobs, or doing chores, but by working at their hobbies like painting, scrapbooking, or gardening (not to be confused with toiling in the hot sun). In today's world sometimes relaxing doesn't come easy. We feel guilty if we're not being productive or if we aren't marking off all the items on our never-ending "to do" list. Stress can be a 24/7 problem, interfering with our rest. That makes it all the more important to add "relax" to our list of things to accomplish. Yes, sometimes it is necessary to schedule down time. Here are some of the health benefits* of relaxation:
Helps protect your heart.
Helps protect you against getting colds.
Helps boost your memory.
Helps protect you against depression.
Helps you make better decisions.
These are just five of the many reasons to add some rest and relaxation to your day planner. So whether it's taking in an afternoon matinee or lying on your back watching the clouds, take some time to just chill - it's good for you!
*Read more here. No time to comment? Please click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.
This is day one of the January writing challenge hosted by P.J. at the 'lilhoohaa blog. Please join me as we share a month of reading, writing and discovery. Today's topic is Spilled Milk. Since today is Monday, it's time for my weekly quote, and most obvious is:
Don't cry over spilled milk. - Benjamin Franklin
This was also attributed earlier to 17th British historian, James Howell.
It is thought that this phrase stems from European folklore which holds that fairies like milk and will drink up any spills left behind. I guess that's saying not to worry if milk is spilled because the fairies will clean it up. I wonder if they had chocolate milk? February 11, 2015 is "Don't cry over spilled milk day". Who knew? In celebration, let it serve as a reminder to not stress over things that have happened which we cannot change. The past is just that...the past. Let's not waste energy worrying about it, and look forward to a new day, and a new year, with a positive attitude. No time to comment? Please click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.
We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day. - Edith Lovejoy Pierce
New Year's resolutions are overstated and overrated. Rather than put pen to paper and list all that we hope to begin, change or achieve, let's take the blank pages of the New Year and give ourselves permission to live one chapter at a time.
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