Showing posts with label Quote of the week. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quote of the week. Show all posts

Monday, August 10, 2015

The Slow Lane

I regret less the road not taken than my all-fired hurry along the road I took. - Robert Brault


It's not so much which road you take, as what you do on the way. It is like taking the Interstate in an effort to get where you're going fast versus taking some back roads and just enjoying the ride. 

Sometimes life is better in the slow lane, so no matter which one of life's roads you're on, take time to appreciate the journey.



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Monday, August 3, 2015

It's Your Life

Sometimes I lie awake at night and I ask, "Is life a multiple choice test or is it a true or false test?"...Then a voice comes to me out of the dark and says, "We hate to tell you this but life is a thousand word essay. ― Charles M. Schulz


Life is not a series questions and even if it was, they could not be answered with a simple Yes or No, or choosing by A, B, or C. 

Life is a series of events and experiences that cannot be expressed in monosyllables or by filling in the blanks. Lives well lived can produce not only thousand word essays, but literally fill volumes.

It's your life to live and your story to tell.






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Monday, July 27, 2015

The Little Elf


I met a little Elf-man, once,
Down where the lilies blow.
I asked him why he was so small, 
And why he didn't grow.

He slightly frowned, and with his eye
He looked me through and through.
"I'm quite as big for me," said he,
"As you are big for you."

- John Kendrick Bangs

Don't judge people by what you expect them to be. Give them a chance to be who they are and maybe both your lives will be richer.



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Monday, July 20, 2015

Nobody's Perfect

A good garden may have some weeds. Thomas Fuller


You weed your garden today and tomorrow you find you still have weeds. Our imperfections are like weeds. We will never be free of them. Not to worry, nobody is perfect and just as we still get a good crop from our garden in spite of the weeds, and we can be good, productive people in spite of our imperfections.

Let's accept each other, flaws and all, and watch our garden flourish.




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Monday, July 13, 2015

Watching the Waves

My connection to the earth is reinforced 
through the rhythm of the waves. - Mike Dolan

St. Augustine Beach, June 2015

I often refer to this as recharging my internal batteries. To sit and gaze at the ocean relaxes both body and soul. Maybe it is the rhythm of the waves, or the layers of sand, water and sky, or the life-sustaining power of the ocean. Whatever the cause, the effect is the same.



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Monday, July 6, 2015

St. Augustine Highlights


The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. - St. Augustine

St. Augustine is the nation's oldest city, founded by the Spanish in 1565, and named after the Catholic saint, St. Augustine. Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles named the area thusly since land was sighted on the day of the feast celebrating St. Augustine.

Our destination.
It had been many years since I had been to St. Augustine, and then we were merely passing through on our way to Daytona. I was pretty excited to get to spend time exploring the city and basking on the beach...well I don't actually bask anymore, but still it was great to hang out and watch the waves.




Our traveling companions, with my hubby in the back.

Everything in Twos - two couples, two cars, two kids (theirs) and two condos. Ashley and I had been looking forward to the day when we could all vacation together. This year it became a reality.

The gang
Where we stayed.
Pier Point South Condos at St. Augustine Beach on Anastasia Island. Our unit came with everything we needed, including beach towels and chairs. A big thank you to the thoughtful owners for such a well-provisioned condo.


Pier Point South Condos
What we did.
We struggled with high temperatures and high humidity so to see more of the city with less effort, we took the Old Town Trolley tour. You paid one price for three days of rides, getting on and off as much as you like. Our first stop was the St. Augustine Distillery. We all agreed that a tour, free tasting and A/C would be a welcome break from the heat.

After a brief tour of the distillery, we were taken to the tasting room. There we were treated to a Florida Mule made from their own vodka, and their version of a gin and tonic, again made from their gin. Everyone was offered a sample of both the gin and vodka neat. This was my first distillery tour and spirits tasting.


St. Augustine Distillery
On another day we toured the San Sebastian Winery. We arrived in time for the tasting that was just starting. We were given our choice of two wines on each round and we decided I would take one and hubby the other so we could both taste each wine. The first two were a dry white made from several of Florida's hybrid grapes and a dry red described as full-bodied, but I felt it was rather light. These were the driest of the wines offered. There were several made from their Native Muscadine grape, which were sweeter. Lastly we were served cream sherry and port styled wines.


San Sebastian Winery


We climbed the St. Augustine lighthouse which is 165 feet tall with 219 steps to reach the circular walkway around the tower just below the lens. This tower was constructed in 1874 and was automated in 1955.


St. Augustine Lighthouse

The view from the top was fantastic in all directions from the Atlantic to historical St. Augustine.


At the top - all 219 steps.

No trip involving water would be complete without a boat ride. We cruised the scenic waterways of St. Augustine aboard the Victory III. Visitors have been cruising these waters since the early 1900s seeing such sights as the Bridge of Lions and the St. Augustine Lighthouse.


The bridge of Lions

Scenic Cruise
Where we ate.
A unanimous favorite was the Conch House restaurant. Fish tacos, fish and grits, blackened Wahoo and fried shrimp were among some of the entrees we ordered. We also sampled conch fritters, gator bites and hot wings. We sat at large picnic tables beneath thatched huts overlooking the marina. As we enjoyed our lunch, we watched wading birds fishing for theirs.


In the hut at the Conch House


The Conch House - a view from above.

The Sunset Grille, about a block from our condo, served up tasty fare as well. We shared fish sandwiches and fish and chips outside on several evenings.

Sunset Grille
Other places we ate at along the beach were Antonio's for pizza, Rita's for Italian ice (the mango was delicious), The Salt Life, and Little Margie's. In town we had breakfast at The Bunnery, and lunch at the Ice Plant (next to the distillery).

Stay tuned for my manatee adventure!



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Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Friendship

Let’s swear each with our pinky
We’ll be the best of friends
Until we are old and wrinkly!


Good friends and good times make memories for a lifetime.




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Monday, June 8, 2015

On Photography

The negative is the equivalent of the composer's score, and the print the performance. - Ansel Adams

While many of our pictures are in digital format today, there is still the relation between composer and the performer. Our cameras are the instrument, we are the composer and the images are the collaboration and the star of the show.

There are many different reasons for taking pictures. Some photographers spent thousands of dollars and as many hours looking for just the right shot, catching the light and trying to capture what their eyes behold.


I like to capture moments to relive them later. Memories of what we saw can fade with time, but when we see the pictures, they come alive again. It matters not whether it was the perfect shot or the highest quality, it triggers the senses.


Sometimes it is not what you are photographing as much as it is the feeling you get from looking at it. Something as simple as the way the light hits a tree, or plays with the shadows. I've been taking pictures since I was a kid, and this is only something I've learned in the last few years. 


There are many wonderful photographers who share their work online, and the one who has inspired me the most is the talented lady at The Smitten Image. I used to try and get as much into a picture as possible and now I know that sometimes less is more. Thanks Hilary!


These were all taken with my Canon Powershot SD1200.



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Monday, June 1, 2015

Quote of the Week

Always when judging
Who people are,
Remember to footnote
The words "So Far."
- Robert Brault


We are all constantly changing, evolving and becoming who we are meant to become. However, we are not there yet, and during our journey we may hit a few bumps along the way. Let's give each other the benefit of not judging an unfinished work of art.

Pictured is our sweet Sophie, and at the ripe old age of 9, she is still evolving. She was always a quiet cat but having been an only cat for more than six months she is now talking more...a lot more.



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Monday, May 18, 2015

Quote of the Week

Laughter is like a windshield wiper, it doesn't stop the rain but allows us to keep going. - Anonymous


Laughter just may be nature's best medicine...good for the mind, body and spirit. Never mind the rain - bring some laughter into your life and see how far you can go.



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Monday, May 11, 2015

Quote of the Week

I think therefore I am - Ren̩ Descartes (1596 Р1650)


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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Monday, May 4, 2015

Quote of the Week

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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Monday, April 27, 2015

Quote of the Week

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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Monday, April 20, 2015

Quote of the Week

"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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Monday, April 13, 2015

Quote of the Week

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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Monday, April 6, 2015

Quote of the Week


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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Monday, March 30, 2015

Quote of the Week

Yesterday's future is tomorrow's past. - unknown


Time is always marching forward. Today is both your past and your future. Use it to make a memorable past and a hopeful future.




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Monday, March 23, 2015

Quote of the Week

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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Monday, March 16, 2015

Quote of the Week

May your blessings outnumber
The shamrocks that grow,
And may trouble avoid you
Wherever you go.

- Irish Blessing

Happy St. Patrick's Day!


Any celebrations planned for tomorrow?



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Monday, March 9, 2015

Quote of the Week

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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