Category: quotations

10 Ways to Live Joyfully

January 8th, 2010 · · How to, lists, pursuit of happiness, quotations 14 comments - Tags: , ,

Another coblog with Mary Ellen. Read her version here.
Last and first coblog we did: 10 more rules to live by (me) | 10 Rules to Live By (her)

1. Have something to wake up for

No matter how old you are, there’s always something good to look forward to.
Lynn Johnston

Having something to look forward to helps with maintaining happiness. Even when you’re in the throes of deadlines and sickness and other life stresses, having a rainbow waiting after the rain will put our problems into perspective, that is, it lets us realize that the bad will pass and something good is coming.

2. Be curious

I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.
Albert Einstein

Let your curiosity do some leading and you’ll make wonderful discoveries that are both little and grand. There’s something fun about following your curiosities as there’s no telling where they may lead you.

3. Be hungry

Show me a thoroughly satisfied man and I will show you a failure.
Thomas A. Edison

Hunger, like curiosity is a force of motion. Having a dangling carrot ahead of you tempting you with desire is quite motivating in terms of setting you into action. It’s not enough to just simply want success, life experiences, happiness; be hungry for it. There is an urgency in hunger that is important not to lose; our time here on earth and with our people is very limited.

4. Have friends

A true friend freely, advises justly, assists readily, adventures boldly, takes all patiently, defends courageously, and continues a friend unmanageably.
William Penn


Who else are you to have joyful belly laughs with, if not with your friends? Friends make great partners in crime in your pursuit for joy.

5. Let bygones be bygones

All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.
Henry Ellis

This is especially helpful to me in terms of relationships. Most trespasses cannot be taken back so why mull and suffer over something that cannot be undone? Growing up, my dad always asked me whenever I’d cry about a broken friendship or relationship, “Are they crying over you right now? …No? Then why are you crying over them?” In the spirit of Richard Fish from Ally McBeal, “Bygones!”

6. Appreciate the ridiculous

The privilege of absurdity; to which no living creature is subject, but man only.
Thomas Hobbes

Another way of putting this, find the humor in life’s absurdities. Something hilarious about life’s difficulties. Sometimes things are so absurd or so bad that it’s just downright funny. A good movie to watch about appreciating the absurdities of life is Little Miss Sunshine.

7. Be present

Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present.
Albert Camus

Life happens fast. If you don’t consciously open your eyes and savour it, you might miss out on the joy. An easy way of doing this is concentrate on your body and its five senses. Instead of worrying about your to do list while listening to your child talk about her day in school, focus on the feel of her small hand in yours, the lightness of her voice, the music in her laugh and enjoy how small and innocent she is now. Be present.

8. Be deliberate

I believe that we are solely responsible for our choices, and we have to accept the consequences of every deed, word, and thought throughout our lifetime.
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

This can be achieved simply by being aware of the consequences of your actions.

9. Celebrate

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.
Oprah Winfrey

There are infinite things to celebrate: Health, accomplishments, love, youth, wisdom, the color purple. Possibilities are endless. The act of celebrating and honoring something forces us to step back and appreciate. Blowing out the candles, shooting the fireworks, clinking champagne glasses, dancing to a good beat, these actions in themselves are joyful. Make your life a party.

10. Be thankful

In this world of sin and sorrow there is always something to be thankful for; as for me, I rejoice that I am not a Republican.
- H. L. Mencken

When we reflect back on what we have as opposed to what we don’t have, it’s really hard not to be happy and see that we’re all very blessed.


So tell me, how do you find joy in your life?

Sneak Peek of a New Years Tradition

December 28th, 2009 · · holidays, Houston, quotations, the grind No comments - Tags: , ,

I’m back from Houston and am EXHAUSTED. I’m running on 4-5 hours sleep a night. I work both jobs today but soon enough I shall explain this picture (and relive some really good meals with you).

Sneak Preview of Halloween by way of Elevator Shots

November 1st, 2009 · · holidays, quotations, still-frames No comments - Tags: , , ,

“When I was little, my grandfather used to make me stand in a closet for five minutes without moving. He said it was elevator practice.”

- Stephen Wright

In chronological order, here are all the elevator shots of Halloween going up and down Bill’s high rise condo building.

Book Review: The Alchemist

June 17th, 2009 · · love, on the nightstand, quotations 8 comments

I perused Kim’s neat library last weekend when visiting Houston. She has her books organized by color like I’ve seen on a lot of interior design blogs. Pretty huh? I’d do that to my books too but I buy a lot of really old brownish books from secondhand bookstores. As I was sifting through, she pulled a couple of books for me to borrow. One of which was The Alchemist. I’ve heard about this book for years now, just never was enticed to read it. I was kind of excited to finally see why it’s so popular. I took my time with it and finished it in about 3 days but you can easily read it in one sitting.

Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist is a fable whose moral is basically, “Follow your dreams despite setback and despite love, and listen and pay attention to the omens as they will help you achieve your dreams.” I can see myself reading this to the five year old boy I sometimes babysit; the writing and storyline is very simple. A young shepherd sets off to find the Pyramids of Egypt because his treasure is allegedly there. He meets a handful of people along the way including the love of his life, who contribute to his “Personal Legend” in someway or another. A recurring message throughout the story is whatever it is you want, the universe will conspire to give you. (Doesn’t this remind you of The Secret?)

Whether or not someone can appreciate this story really depends on where they are in life. If you’re currently of a cynical, disbelieving disposition, this story may just feel really hokey. That was my reaction to The Secret. I have a hard time in general stomaching fantasy and so I struggled a little with the alchemy. I think I read this book just in time though. Things have felt uncertain in my neck of the woods lately and reading about following your dreams was encouraging. I really recommend reading Coelho’s introduction.

This isn’t really my genre so I appreciate Kim expanding my horizons a bit. It was enjoyable and I’m still digesting the message.

Excerpts

“The boy knew a lot of people in the city. That was what made traveling appeal to him – he always made new friends, and he didn’t need to spend all of his time with them. When someone sees the same people every day, as had happened with him at the seminary, they wind up becoming a part of that person’s life. And then they want the person to change. If someone isn’t what others want them to be, the others become angry. Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.”

“One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.”

Book Review: The Art of Loving

April 17th, 2009 · · love, on the nightstand, quotations, savory No comments

I’m about done reading The Art of Loving, a philosophy/psych book recommended by Dave last week over bubble tea and tofu. Quick read. Erich Fromme. The one thing that intrigued me was his idea that our parents are our models for conditional and unconditional love. I’ve always subscribed to the idea that parents are our models in life and love. I know in love, I have a horrible atrocious habit of being over-accommodating and I know this is from years of programming from my momma. This is how she shows her love, catering to people hand and foot. Course this made her an easy target for Takers. Luckily, I recognize this in her now and in myself so I get to work on it. But Fromme takes it somewhere I’ve never thought.

He said our moms are our models for unconditional love. Mothers love us just for being. Just for breathing. Just for existing. Dads are our models for conditional love. They are the ones who discipline, set codes of behaviors and so forth. He said if we develop healthily, we learn to be our own “moms” and our own “dads”. We learn to love ourselves just for being ourselves and we learn to set conditions for ourselves to help guides us through life. I just found that SO interesting.

I shared this with Mary Ellen and she said she liked the idea but pointed out it was a bit dated with the gender specific roles. Nowadays it could be 2 dads, or a grandma, etc who serve as our model of conditional and unconditional love. She also pointed out that she can imagine girls getting the unconditional model from their dads and vice versa.

Neat right? I don’t really know how I feel about it, but it struck me. Mary Ellen said it was probably the universe trying to tell me something. Me reading that, my talking to Mary Ellen’s mom last night and how she ended the conversation telling me to “love yourself.” Finally, talking to my daddy yesterday and how we’re keeping a secret from mom right now. She almost inadvertently tricked me into outing myself.

Speaking of mom and love. A couple of weeks ago I was in Houston for Dad’s birthday. Mom made me bánh cuốn. It’s so fricking good, especially in the summer. It’s basically a rice flour thin crepe filled with minced pork and various other ingredients. Usually served with bean sprouts, cucumbers, and a dipping sauce that’s made out of lime, fish sauce, sugar and water. Just trust me, it’s good. I’m craving it. Here’s a picture of my momma’s….


bánh cuốn
The brown things are caramelized onions. Mmmm.

I leave you with some quotations from Art of Loving.

“Love is the active concern for the life and the growth of that which we love.”

“One loves that for which one labors, and one labors for that which one loves.”

“One neglects to see an important factor in erotic love, that of will. To love somebody is not just a strong feeling. It is a decision, it is a judgment, it is a promise. If love were only a feeling, there would be no basis for the promise to love each other forever. A feeling comes and it may go. How can I judge that it will stay forever, when my act does not involve judgment and decision?”

Daddy’s Rose Garden

April 7th, 2009 · · in passing, love, on the nightstand, quotations, still-frames One comment

A great man and his roses and some quotations about roses from great men. I’ve read something from all the men quoted and my dad just finished a journal I gave him to write his life’s story. Cannot wait to read that too.

The roses under my window make no reference to former roses or better ones; they are what they are; they exist with God today. There is no time to them. There is simply the rose; it is perfect in every moment of its existence. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon-instead of enjoying the roses blooming outside our windows today.” – Dale Carnegie

Can anyone remember love? It’s like trying to summon up the smell of roses in a cellar. You might see a rose, but never the perfume. -Arthur Miller

The sharp thorn often produces delicate roses. – Ovid

Giving

September 4th, 2008 · · in passing, on the nightstand, pursuit of happiness, quotations 2 comments

I was studying for my certification test at the library tonight and I picked up Bill Clinton’s Giving to read on study breaks. I started with Fountainhead but it was too dense for the occasion. Anyway. Warren Buffett, the second most richest guy donated 30 billion to Bill Gate’s Foundation and when Clinton questioned why so much (half of his money) this was his reply:

My gift is nothing. I can have everything I need with less than one percent of my wealth. I was born in the right country at the right time,and my work is disproportionately rewarded compared to teachers and soldiers. I’m just giving back surplus claims that have no value to me but can do a lot for others. The people I really admire are the small donors who give up a movie or a restaurant meal to help needier people.

I liked his answer so I thought I’d share.

Butterflies

September 1st, 2008 · · Austin, in passing, quotations, still-frames 2 comments

“There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it’s going to be a butterfly.”

– Richard Buckminster Fuller

I like butterflies. I like getting butterflies. I took this picture today with my cellphone. I think it’s pretty awesome for an unaltered cell phone picture.


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Talents

April 7th, 2007 · · pursuit of happiness, quotations No comments

“Courage is very important. Like a muscle, it is strengthened by use.”
– Ruth gordon

I spent a good portion of Friday night making banners for Knitting for Bears and then I redid Curious Notion’s main site. It made me sad because I used to be very good with throwing together entire layouts that now only exisit in memory. Now I struggle with simple banner placement and it just got me thinking. Talents are like plants. Buying them and watering them occasionally usually will not suffice. Take piano. I had played the piano for 11 years. 30 dollar per lesson, 4 lessons a month, for 11 years. You do the math. Chopin, Bach, Mozart, I did it all. Now you put me in front of the ivory keys and I’m reduced to counting notes on the music sheet and looking down at my hands and stumbling over my fingers… Don’t get me started on what kind “music” I elicit from the piano. Awful awful. There are other talents I had developed through the years and then abandoned. Sketching is one. Sigh. Talents. They’re not something you can acquire and then place in a box to come back to later when you have time. How very discouraging. Note to self, regularly take time to water and place in warm lighting.