Just a thought....
Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

Showing posts with label inspiration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label inspiration. Show all posts

Saturday, 01 June 2013

In my own light

shadow

I was tossing logs onto the woodpile in the wood shed, my mind on other things…. stacking wood is one of those tasks that allow for introspection and daydreaming. It was a sunny day outside and light steamed in from the door. Suddenly, the woodshed became dark. My head spun around wondering what had blocked my light, but behind me, it was still bright enough. It was a few moments before I realised that it was my own shadow that had fallen on my work and blocked the light.

It was a silly thing, really, but it did get me thinking. So many times when my life becomes shadowed, it’s quite likely that the shadow is just me standing in my own light. On hindsight, I think I do that often. What is my shadow? It’s those moments when my attitude to a situation darkens my world. It’s times when I’m overly critical of myself or those around me. It’s those days when my mind can’t escape the What if’s of my past. Not to be left out are the times when I abuse my body with bad eating habits and a couch-potato lifestyle.

Yes, I get in my own light a lot. Perhaps this could be a reminder to either turn on a light or step aside and let the sun in.

Sunday, 03 February 2013

The forest speaks

forest walk 6

 

~ ~ ~

There is a sound to the forest. It whispers to my soul. It speaks to me of an ancient earth nourishing the roots it holds, of birds chattering on gently swaying branches, each leaf telling me a story of a wisdom older than man. The endlessly flowing stream reminds me of the passage of time, carrying with it all the pains of the past, cleansing, purifying, healing. Rocks, older than time itself, encourage endurance and speak to me of staying strong and true to myself and my dreams.

~ ~ ~

Forest walk 1

I took a walk. We’ve had some rain, you see. This was the first dry, sunny day. I found unexpected rivers in our country lanes.

forest walk 2

The views were all gorgeous!

forest walk 3

 

forest walk 4

I do love gorse! The gorse here is, to me, symbolic of gutsy endurance, flowering and bringing sunshine to every view right through the dull grey (and sometimes white) winter.

forest walk 5

The country lane eventually dwindled into a bramble-filled track that also showed signs of rain and snow melt ‘rivers’.

forest walk 7

Roads leading off into the distance have always appealed to me. When they’re in a forest, they’re all the more special!

forest walk 8

I think I’ve found the spot I’d love to build a home!

forest walk 9

The walk back was as lovely as the walk up.

forest walk 10

Even the stones were pretty and fascinating. That stone was half the size of my palm and each black spot is a teeny tiny mushroomy fungus thing :)

All in all, it was a delightful walk and just what this body and soul needed!

Needless to say, a walk on the ‘wild side’, for me, would not have been complete without an ‘incident’. I decided to take a short cut across a water-logged field coming home. Bad idea. Up to the ankles in slimy mud was my lesson-of-the-day. Short cuts aren’t always the right way to go.

 

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Tuesday, 28 August 2012

Dream… Live!

(A repost)

A young man on the verge of his dreams passed this onto me. Thank you, Ohara!
...
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...

It's never too late. The time is Now!

Tuesday, 15 March 2011

Hope




"Never let go of hope. One day you will see
that it all has finally come together. What you
have always wished for has finally come to be.
You will look back and laugh at what has passed
and you will ask yourself...
'How did I get through all of that?'”

–Author unknown


Friday, 25 February 2011

Dream... Live!

A young man on the verge of his dreams just passed this onto me. Thank you, Ohara!




The time is now!


Sunday, 06 February 2011

My inspiration



My kind of inspiration...
...

...

It's looking like it will be a busy week. Not a bad thing. I'm ready - more or less *laugh*

Friday, 24 September 2010

Reminders of pleasure


A book Tat bought me, Eating mangoes naked by Sark, asks "What brings you pleasure?" There are bubbles to write in. I filled them in yesterday, after this lilac sunset. The sky was truly lilac and blended with the trees which were a mass of lilac jacaranda blossoms. Sadly, the photo doesn't show that very well.

So... What brings me pleasure?

birdsong in the morning while the world is still
sunsets through the trees
the first splashes of rain after a hot day
a fresh wind on a hot back
surprise gardens
the crunch of autumn leaves underfoot
friends who 'stop by' just to say Hi

unexpected smiles
the cat voluntarily jumping onto my lap
or kneading my belly prior to sleep
watching her stretch in the sun
the dog burying his nose under my arm
or jumping and dog-laughing
watching him gather his blankie under him
the bird having the trust to come up and nibble my hair
seeing her hop with eagerness over fresh greens

Did I say 'smiles'?

seeing those I love find happiness in a moment
waking up and finding my skin and hair co-operating for once
inside jokes when I'm on the inside
getting surges of creativity and being able to act on them
having a lesson where the student is engaged
and actually learning something he/she can use
someone actually 'getting' a joke I tell

sinking into a soft bed at the end of a day's work
immersing myself in delightful smells
lavender, lemon balm, rosemary, chamomile
fresh green apple, peaches, oranges
cut grass, baking bread
butterflies flitting, dragonflies glinting
fun music, soothing music, music to move to

Did I say 'friends'?

free lessons and people willing to teach
(even if they don't think they're teachers)
people who share their worlds
so I can travel vicariously
good food
finding great ingredients at perfect prices and quality
experimenting with new dishes and having them actually taste good
laughing over old... uh... mishaps

Oh there are so many things!

What brings you pleasure?


~*~

In die somer as die son soos 'n kaartman
agter die berg afgesak het en die lug laat
agterbly soos 'n vuurkool wat afkoel, lê die
skemeraand soos 'n sagte lou skaduwee...
~Alba Bouwer~

Saturday, 28 August 2010

Dirty Car Art




Something beautiful from dirt? I'll take that! There's a lesson in there.

Friday, 09 July 2010

Music and Life - Alan Watts




Sweet, simple, inspirational... a very "... I knew that, but... " video.

Sing, dance!

Music & Life: An Alan Watts Animation

brought to you by the publisher behind:
http://alanwatts.com/

Monday, 05 July 2010

Starting over

I found this article recently and it got me thinking. Actually, it doesn't do much to get me thinking of our dream. A while back, Kippy and Jaime wanted me to talk about my perfect home. Then just recently, someone mentioned being envious of a life of ease. I often say "I'm jealous" and you'll usually find it's relating to a certain way of life... a life we'd love to live again, a truly simple life.

farm dream


Second Act

"We embark on a career path or a job before we really know ourselves at a very early age, but I think we're still a work in progress and over the course of your life you can stitch together a quilt of what you want to be and who you want to be." Lisa Schwartz
Now, if I were envious of a lifestyle, it's the one this lady has built for herself. That is a dream!

             ~ ~ ~ ~
               ~ ~ ~ ~

A couple more videos of people starting over and fulfilling a dream... truly inspirational! I've linked to the videos, so I don't overload this page for those with slow connections:

http://vitality.yahoo.com/video-second-act-mandy-aftel-20592908
http://vitality.yahoo.com/video-second-act-donald-arthur-20045514

farm dream 2
Gypsy (back), Vilkas (left) and Noble (front right), our 3 Muskateers. Gypsy was the older, sensible one, who kept the brats in check. To the left was the raspberry patch - wild and thorny, but a thrill to harvest. Through the gateway behind them was the stand of mulberry trees, kids' paradise, and beyond that, the stream. The dogs were lying under the pretty, but infernal Tibouchina tree - the leaves, when dry, make excellent dye *sigh* It never comes out!


For those new to my list or those who missed the original post, this blog speaks about the life we came from, which is poles apart from the life we're in now. We'll have that again : )

http://tintalasia.multiply.com/journal/item/282/I_remember_Whensday


Last night, Tat and I were chatting. A possible hermitage came up, but she's not the hermit type, being gregarious and all that. We settled on farming with goats, who are pretty cool critters, with Jurgis taken along as slave labour, something he seems to thrive on. Ah... now there's a life, hm?

 

Monday, 28 June 2010

One Mind


http://learnoutlive.com/one-mind/
An article I found to be very good. Many of us have fears, doubt and hesitation to be all we can be.... walls we need to tear down.

Wednesday, 19 May 2010

Reaching out

I love my Skype. To me, it's an essential tool for contact with loved ones and for work. Having said that, I tend to get bombarded with contact requests from places like India and various locations in the middle east, BUT...

reaching out


Today, I got a simple message from a stranger. No add request, just the message. How refreshing!

To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides, because it's love that makes the impossible possible, nice meeting you.

Some people are just so nice : )

 

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Friday, 07 May 2010

Good morning sunshine

paulista trees

The little girl climbs the stairs, her dark curls spilling from under the hood of her jacket, her fluffy teddy clutched up to her chubby little cheek. Memories gripped my heart... and squeezed.

In the park, the sun's first rays filter through the trees and mist, lightly warming my shoulders. I greet the trees and smile at the fragrant blossoms, their heady scent obliterating the smell of the nearby road. The two old blue gums stand like sentinals on my path. The sun radiates off their white trunks turning them into majestic pillars of light in the cool dark of the park.

The old man comes along and has his usual cheerful unintelligible conversation with me. I nod, smile, agree and eventually he moves on to the fallen tree to do his morning stretches.

A bird flies down among the filtered rays of the sun. I feel as though I've received some sort of sacred blessing. Someone stops to take a photo. I'm not in the least surprised.

Time to go, to start my day ~ renewed, refreshed at the end of the week.

 

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Treasure Hunting

lavender-fr 


This is a repost... because it seems like a good idea right now

Treasure Hunting
Discovering the Little Things that Make Us Happy

Life is full of little wonders that can make us happy. The sound of a baby’s laughter, a good book, the comforting smell of a favourite old sweatshirt, and the warmth from a cup of hot tea are simple pleasures that can easily put smiles on our faces. These “little things” are easily accessible to us and can be sources for finding happiness. A key to doing so is taking the time to put those rose coloured glasses from childhood back on so you can easily find the joy in all the “little things” that life has to offer.

Finding a puppy rummaging through the laundry basket, trying on that perfect shade of lipstick, or discovering the extra change you left in your back pocket can turn into moments of delight. Like kids digging in the sandbox for buried trinkets, we may even begin to experience happiness when we engage in the seemingly mundane. Figuring out a software program can feel like deciphering a treasure map, and that first sip of tea in the morning can taste like a forbidden delicacy. Swaying to music playing on the radio can turn into an interpretive jig, riding a bike can seem like flying to the moon, and getting a phone call from that special someone can feel like winning the lottery. A pickup game of basketball becomes an exciting match among champions, and observing an elderly couple walking hand in hand can turn into a meditation on peace and contentment.

When we begin rediscovering that the little things in life can make us happy, we naturally want to share this joy with others. We may gush over a friend when we run into them unexpectedly, praise a street musician for their talents, or blow bubbles for the neighbourhood kids to chase. We may even start to think of the little things we can do to make other people happy, which in turn makes us happy all over again. There is an endless supply of little things and little moments that can make us happy. All we have to do is look for them, and they’ll magically start to appear.


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Tuesday, 04 May 2010

Makeover for a New Life

http://www.wciu.com/youandme.php?section=aleah&assetID=10002119
I've seen academies advertising for people wanting beauty treatments. To me, what this academy is doing is really special. Don't you agree?

Sunday, 25 April 2010

The leaning tree

Leaning tree

Fallen,
yet strong

Needing support,
yet giving wisdom

Injured,
yet giving life

Careworn,
yet giving peace


On Friday mornings I teach at a renowned bank. Next to the bank is a little park with some old trees, perhaps not ancient, but old enough to have seen a thing or two of this life. I like to get to my student early, so that I can sit for a few minutes just drinking in the peace and coolness of the park. The very air feels and smells different in there. It's quite with just a few folk walking with their partners, their dogs, or just enjoying the place alone the way I do. I walk up to the old tree and touch it just to feel the peaceful energy. It seems to tell me to relax and breathe. I see the tiny shoot growing out of its thick trunk. There is always hope.

I leave the park renewed, ready for another day where little can get me down.

 

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