This is a beautiful way to begin the day. It reminded me of the Parker Palmer quote: “Ask who the person is that teaches.” Who am I? What do I stand for? What do I hold as my truth? These are the guideposts of life from moment to moment. Be present.
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Reflections
Your happiness doesn’t depend on anyone or anything… It’s up to you. And there is something you can do about it!
This is a great quote from Helen Keller. It is the uncommon common sense approach to life I find missing in over planned bureaucratic and technocratic settings. We need to be patient and see with new, fresh eyes. What did I miss? The more we try control the less we control.
.
When you look deeply into the nature of this thing called life and begin to understand what life is and the way the mind works, you will come to realize that in fact your happiness does not depend on any outside circumstances, events or people. This is the core realization. This is the heart of this understanding. When things begin to fall apart and then you begin to see what’s really going on, you will discover that the happiness you seek is an internal event, an internal experience. And that this internal experience has nothing to do with all the things you were programmed to believe your happiness depended on! And this is why I say this is the good news… because it means you’re free! You are free! Your happiness doesn’t depend on anyone or anything… It’s up to you. And there is something you can do about it!
.
View original post 12 more words
A MASTERS MESSAGE FOR TODAY
This is a beautiful quote to begin the day. In a world consumed by materialism, we need less activism, change for the sake of change, busyness, and intolerance. We need to see each other as human beings and not human doings.
Thomas Merton and the Celtic Rhythm of Heartbeat
Thomas Merton is one of my favourite authors. He had a wonderfully unique and refreshing view of the world. His story was one of almost constant transformation and caring for the others. His work and thinking has influenced many over the years. His poetry is somewhat like Mary Oliver in that he sees what I do not always and reveals it for me.
Sacrafice
This is a beautiful poem about the need to reach out daily, perhaps each moment, and lift those who need support. It is in the uplifting of another, much like a dance, that we uplift our self.
The beauty of ballet
is not found in the graceful plié
nor the elegance of a perfect glissade;
it is in the twisted, broken toes of the dancer;
the slipper full of blood.
The exquisiteness of life
is not in the gathering of fame and riches,
but rather, like the danseur lifting the ballerina,
it is found in the painful sacrifice of self
that lifts another heavenward
toward the dazzling stars.
The beauty of the butterfly
is not in the shimmering iridescence
of its painted wings in morning’s light
or the weightlessness of its flitting flight;
but in the awe-inspiring metamorphosis
from lowly caterpillar to winged god,
as it slowly struggles to survive beneath
the hungry beaks of a thousand birds.
Likewise, the magnificence of Man
is best reflected in the transformation
of the lonely individual
who, despite the darkness of the hour,
finds his wings and angelic cause
in…
View original post 135 more words
What’s Your Purpose?
This is wonderful quote to begin the day and think about as we drive home. What gifts give my life meaning and can be given away as my purpose.
Falling In Mutual Weirdness
We are on the road today, but Russ posted this yesterday and I enjoy a good Dr. Seuss quote. They get my engine stoked for the day and I am a little weird. We should all be weird and fall in love with our weirdness.
I walked a mile with Pleasure
This is a difficult post. I started it this morning and let the day unfold around Robert Browning Hamilton’s poem. I sensed it would be a day of both pleasure and sorrow.
I resigned from my teaching position. I won’t go back next year. There is nothing calling me back now. My heart has a special place for Stony. It is not a school. It is more, a community where people meet, greet each other, and learn together. That faded and I leave while I still hold the goodness and richness I found there; my narrative untarnished.
I walked a mile with Pleasure;
She chatted all the way;
But left me none the wiser
For all she had to say.
I walked a mile with Sorrow,
And ne’er a word said she;
But, oh! The things I learned from her,
When sorrow walked with me.
I learned the most about who I was and about what was important to me through loss. I almost resigned a year ago, but Kathy, with her uncommon common sense, convinced me, for various reasons, to return. I am glad I did. I looked forward to work each day and learned with this small group of students. I completed grieving about the loss of a one of a kind school, “but, oh! The things I learned from her/When sorrow walked with me.” Last year was the wrong time to leave. I would have remembered only the bitter and not tasted the richness of the fruit this journey bore.
John Kabat-Zinn said, “Find a Job with a capital J. Stop doing other people’s work.” I would add one small caveat: complete the journey before you exit. Leave nothing behind and look back only at the good that came of it. Know you served well those you met on the path. Hold your head high.
ANOTHER THOUGHT FOR TODAY
This is a nice reminder for me as I begin a new day and a new chapter in life. Some days I feel like the gopher in the picture; today, less so. It just feels right to turn the page.
NO MORE TITLES
You should never be afraid to turn the page of your life and start fresh
when you are not happy!
when you are not happy!
Written and shared by “Wandering Eagle” (Dean)
Many paths
We meet each other on our journey in some fashion. When we reach our destination we are in it together.
ivonprefontaine
Teacher as Transformer 