the future

I never think of the future - it comes soon enough ...Albert Einstein

The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of 60 minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is. --C. S. Lewis

A friend of mine recently remarked on how I am able to concentrate on living in the moment. Of course, I do look ahead, but I try not to worry about things that have not happened yet. I am mostly glad that when I stop in the moment and have things to be grateful for, I can try to cheer myself up. Inevitably, a new happy moment comes along. Often it is a matter of patience, waiting for the next good thing. Just as often, it is a matter of CREATING our next good thing.

Try some play dough!

our garden

Your life is your garden, your thoughts are the seeds.  If your life isn't awesome, you've been watering the weeds.--Terry Prince

This quote reminds me that we are responsible for our own happiness. We can't always control our circumstances, but it is always up to us to control what we think about those circumstances. I can't say positive thinking is always easy, but that is what we need to do to see our garden thrive while tolerating or removing the weeds.  May your garden grow!

happy

If you like documentaries, check out “happy.”  It really made me feel good, and you can never get too much of that.

The most important thing I took away from it is that the happiest people reach for intrinsic versus extrinsic goals.

Extrinsic goals – money, image, status

Intrinsic goals – personal growth, relationships, desire to help/be a part of a community

The easiest thing we can do to increase our happiness is to increase physical activity and variety in our lives. Simple ideas. Give them a try! Wishing you lots of happiness!

pressure and friction

I came across this proverb: no pressure, no diamonds

Here's another: A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.--Chinese Proverb

Our struggles help us to polish ourselves and become the best we can be. I still wish the pressure and friction could be a little easier.  Positive thinking is not always easy.

I am grateful for what I have learned. I am grateful for so many great things in my life. I will focus on those and deal with the pressure as best I can. Wishing the same for you.

cloudiness

how do you feel about cloudy days?

if i'm already having a bad day, i find cloudiness comforting; like the universe is commiserating.  in fact, some sunny days feel like they are mocking me.

sometimes cloudiness is relaxing; a good time to curl up & cuddle or read.

too many consecutive cloudy days i find oppressive.  i have to summon all my strength to feel cheerful.  looking at bright colors helps, like my art on this page.  reaching out to friends is helpful, too.  now, this is silly, but i'll share anyway...sometimes i just smile at myself in the mirror.

how about you?  what do you do to get out of the doldrums?

survivors

I never thought about this until today, but this really is a great survivor story. To me it was just a spider song with a fun hand movement. In fact, I always thought we wanted the spider washed away. We should be pointing out to the young ones the idea that we can triumph over obstacles.

The itsy bitsy spider
went up the water spout
down came the rain and
washed the spider out
up came the sun
and dried up all the rain
and the itsy bitsy spider
went up the spout again!

Am I the only one just figuring this out?

positive futuristic fiction?

Have you ever noticed… Every movie, book & TV show I can think of that predicts the future, has something negative in mind.

I'll work on an idea of my own, but I have a challenge to all writers at large: tell us a story with a happy ending, or rather, a happy future.  I do realize that conflict makes a good story.  I'm not looking for a utopia, just a vaguely realistic and positive image of life in the years to come.

If you know of existing happy futuristic stories, please let me know. Thank you!

your country

often quoted, but how often heeded?...

Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country... President John F. Kennedy

a simple idea.  what if each of us tried it?

Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person... Mother Theresa

my quiet call for action.  hope i follow through.  i'll let you know.

realistic vs optimistic

1st off, you couldn't pay me enough to be pessimistic.  it is not a valuable way to think.  daily life is miserable.  who wants to be miserable?  i find some people don't know any other way to see things.  i wish i could change their minds.  i've tried.  it's futile.  i think pessimists think i'm 'cute' or naive.

i am forever an optimist.  i look for the silver lining in every situation.  in awful situations, like death and destruction, i can only say that those things should help us feel grateful for everything or anything else good in our lives.

i am questioning realism vs optimism.  when does optimism get in the way of being realistic?  does my belief in miracles prevent me from seeing the truth right in front of me?

no.  i live with reality.  i even try to prepare for the bad things that COULD happen.  the true realists in my life help me to be prepared.

so, i will continue to be optimistic tempered by realism.  hope keeps me from being depressed about the future.  finding the good in each moment makes life enjoyable.  i believe life is meant to be enjoyed.

i'm sending out positive thoughts that all of us feel a little optimistic every day!

want and do and be

these 3 quotes are similar and important...

Want what you have, do what you can, be who you are.
Rev. Forrest Church, UU minister

It’s not having what you want
It’s wanting what you’ve got
Sheryl Crowe, “Soak Up the Sun”

Be you, be what you’re like, be like yourself
They Might Be Giants, “Whistling in the Dark”

if we can want and do and be like this, life can be a very positive experience. be proud of who you are and what you do! enjoy all the moments you can!

my smile

Let my soul smile through my heart and my heart smile through my eyes, that I may scatter rich smiles in sad hearts.--Paramahansa Yogananda

this is what i hope to do.  my smile is one of my best assets.  it helps me share my optimism.  scroll down and check out my pictures [ages 7 & 37].  that's my love shining out to you!  i hope it's contagious! 

a happy life

Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.~Marcus Aurelius

no matter where you are, no matter how bad your situation, if you look & listen carefully, there is some positive idea within you. if you don't feel it, keep looking.

it's often easier said than done.

policy

Peace and friendship with all mankind is our wisest policy, and I wish we may be permitted to pursue it.  ...Thomas Jefferson

there's so much talk about the 99% vs the 1%.  can we work together instead of perpetuating conflict?  we forget that we're all in this together.  let's reach out to make more peace and friendship.  anyone know how to make contact with the wider world?  i'm trying here and on my page https://www.facebook.com/SharingOurLight.  i'd like a bigger audience with whom to share my peace and friendship.  if our politicians would make this policy, our world would be very different.  we should use peace and friendship in our actions to make a greater change.


any ideas? 

every experience

Every experience in life, everything with which we have come in contact in life, is a chisel which has been cutting away at our life statue, molding, modifying, shaping it. We are part of all we have met. Everything we have seen, heard, felt, or thought has had its hand in molding us, shaping us.  ...Orison Swett Marden

i've been slacking...not feeling as positive this year so far.  i'm changing that, so i'm starting with a favorite quote. 

i know my life has been influenced by so many people, whether they were passers-by, acquaintances, friends, family, students, bloggers, authors, musicians, artists, doctors...too many to name.  i value each experience, good and bad, because they've made me who i am, and i think i'm pretty great [not modest].

i hope people who read my blog take something from it.  i hope you feel pretty great about yourself.  take what good you can from every experience.  let that good build your image of yourself.  just as importantly, remember that YOU influence everyone you meet!  be the good in someone else's life.