Willow Being

“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

Spoken by Dumbledore from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Author JKRowling

“The consequences of our actions are always so complicated, so diverse, that predicting the future is a very difficult business indeed.”

Dumbledore

“Frodo: I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.
Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

My thoughts:

Everything always circles back to our choices. Is today a day like every other day and is every other day the same as today? Of what use is it to wish things were different?? Of what use is it to feel futile??

"Be the Change you want to see in this World"

Matahtma Ghandi

Cheers

Jeanne

Deep Listening - November 3 2022

 “It is only through dialogue, deep listening, and passionate disagreement that we find our way to something larger than a singular and isolated point of view.”

Henry Kimsey-House, Co-Active Leadership: Five Ways to Lead

“deep listening, shared commitment, and empowered learning are critical.”

Henry Kimsey-House, Co-Active Coaching: The proven framework for transformative conversations at work and in life

My thoughts:

I believe you Henry; I KNOW these have to happen to begin to make effective change. But it seems so hard to keep dialogue and listening active.... passionate disagreement, well that's easy

Trees listen deeply, when I get lost, I can look to the trees

Cheers

Jeanne

Water by Margaret Atwood November 10th 2022

 “Water does not resist. Water flows. When you plunge your hand into it, all you feel is a caress. Water is not a solid wall, it will not stop you. But water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing in the end can stand against it. Water is patient. Dripping water wears away a stone. Remember that, my child. Remember you are half water. If you can't go through an obstacle, go around it. Water does.”

Margaret Atwood, The Penelopiad

Not much I can add to Margaret Atwood!

Cheers

Jeanne

I am Old now

 

Zeno Quotes 1 November 17th 2022

 “Well-being is attained little by little, and nevertheless is no little thing itself.”

“Man conquers the world by conquering himself.”

“Nothing is more hostile to a firm grasp on knowledge than self-deception.”
Zeno of Citium

Thoughts from today's quotes:

It is important to define and continually refine specifically what "well-being" means to me before I can attain it, because if it is one thing one day and another thing the next, I will never get there lol. 

It is important to keep bringing myself back to who I want to be to enable myself to conquer myself, and if I can't do it, I'm going to be continually buffeted by what happens to me from the world outside me.

And if I continually fool myself that tomorrow everything will work out without me doing the work on myself today 

then I am a fool.

Cheers

Jeanne

Zeno of Citium is known to be an ancient Hellenistic philosopher from Phoenicia who was the founder of the Stoic school of philosophy around the early third century, BCE. This philosophy was designed to shape the human spirit so that it becomes resilient, happy, virtuous, and wise, as a consequence of which they evolve into better individuals possessing great strength of mind and soul. Stoicism and its principles equip human beings to wade through the otherwise ugly and most challenging river of life with a composed mind and a calm heart. It is believed that Zeno’s teachings had a major influence in paving the way for the evolution of Christianity.

Blithering Idiot - Oct 20th 2022

 "In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you." 

Buddha

"If it is important to you you will find a way. If not, you'll find an excuse."

Anonymous

My thoughts today: I am struggling with a responsibility I  voluntarily undertook that is turning me into someone I do not want to be. 

(Recently I watched a scene between Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau and Commissioner Dreyfuss on Youtube and thought GAK!!  - I'm turning into Commissioner Dreyfuss 

Alternatively I find myself singing Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire

I fell into a burning ring of fire
I went down, down, down
And the flames went higher
And it burns, burns, burns
The ring of fire, the ring of fire

You might say I am allowing myself to get sucked into some weird vortex of darkness

None of this sounds like living gently... Sometimes Buddha just got it wrong (I think) 

And I don't seem to be letting go gracefully cause I'm still in this...

And somehow I haven't found an excuse that will allow me to wake up in the morning without feeling I've not given it my best try... I know I know, we learn from failure and it is important to know when to fold the cards...

Sadly I am not there yet.

So off I go on this journey, limping, burning, confused, and tired..

Time to stop doing the same things over and over and expecting different results!! (quotes of the past 15 years mingle in my mind)

I have made a couple asks for help in different directions recently and now I have to trust that people are creative, resourceful and whole enough to say no if they are overwhelmed too because I realize my excuse for not asking is that I worry about things beyond my control and also because I didn't have the questions before.

Need to be specific on direction before the questions are specific enough for people to do anything other than be confused about what i'm asking...

Paradox city is where I reside 

There you go folks... today's rant

Cheers

Jeanne

When will we ever learn - March 10th 2022

 “You may conquer an army with superior tactics and men, but you can conquer a nation only by conquering the hearts of the people.”

Jack Weatherford, Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World

When will we ever learn?

“How differently would we see our time on Earth if we wrote the date as January 26, 4.543 billion?”
Ziya Tong, The Reality Bubble: Blind Spots, Hidden Truths and the Dangerous Illusions that Shape Our World

Cheers

Jeanne

Trails - March 17th 2022

 “May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds.”

Edward Abbey

Edward Abbey | Americans Who Tell The Truth

Cheers

Jeanne

Humility rocks! March 24th 2022

 “True will is quiet humility, resilience, and flexibility; the other kind of will is weakness disguised by bluster and ambition. See which lasts longer under the hardest of obstacles.”

Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Adversity to Advantage

My thoughts:

Everywhere I look around I see examples of the best and the worst of what people choose to be. The best give us a reason to believe in humanity and inspire us to become better. Those are real leaders.

Cheers

Jeanne

Choose Hope - March 31st 2022

 “Once you choose hope, anything’s possible.”  Christopher Reeve

“In spite of the knowledge that there were many ways in which I could fail, I had taken the first step.”
Paulo Coelho, The Pilgrimage

Cheers

Jeanne

Prepare for Adversity - April 7th 2022

 “It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.”

Dieter F. Uchtdorf

My thoughts; There are many life stories being determined right now under extreme circumstances. We, who are not faced with extremes at this time, have the opportunity to think about how we would like our life story to be, who we want to be and how we would want to react if faced with war and very tough choices. I think about living with integrity and how could I live with myself if I sacrificed that integrity, no matter what alternative was threatened? I hope thinking about this now might help me better know who I am and make future decisions based on that knowledge when faced with a desperate situation.

Cheers

Jeanne

You deserve your love - April 14th 2022

 “Be kind to your body, gentle with your mind and patient with your heart. Stay true to your spirit, cherish your soul and never doubt yourself. You are still becoming, my love, and there is no one more deserving of the nurturing grace of your love.”

Becca Lee

Cheers

Jeanne

Ghost on a lost Highway / Let it be - April 21st 2022

"All we have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given to us"

J.R.R.Tolkien

My thoughts: 

We all lose our path sometimes. Our moral and spiritual compass are guideposts  that can steer us in to discover what it is we want to do with our finite time on earth. There are songs for this. I find it comforting to listen to them and know I'm not the only one. 

These are two of the songs:

Let It Be

The Beatles

When I find myself in times of trouble
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be

And in my hour of darkness
She is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be

Let it be, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

And when the broken-hearted people
Living in the world agree
There will be an answer, let it be

For though they may be parted
There is still a chance that they will see
There will be an answer, let it be

Let it be, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Yeah, there will be an answer, let it be

Let it be, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

Let it be, let it be
Ah, let it be, yeah, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

And when the night is cloudy
There is still a light that shines on me
Shine on until tomorrow, let it be

I wake up to the sound of music
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be

Let it be, let it be
Let it be, yeah, let it be
Oh, there will be an answer, let it be

Let it be, let it be
Let it be, yeah, let it be
There will be an answer, let it be

Let it be, let it be
Ah, let it be, yeah, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

Songwriters: Lennon John Winston, Mccartney Paul James

For non-commercial use only. 

"It will not break you. Dust yourself off, take a step forward, don't let them see you despair. You are more than a ghost on a lost highway. You are the morning, the river, every breath of fresh air."

Courtney Peppernell

Cheers

Jeanne

Define you to help them - April 28th 2022

 "No one, no relationship, no role, no thing, NOTHING, outside of you defines you. You have to define yourself and then everyone around you reaps the benefit of that"

Julie Horton

Cheers

Jeanne

Cancer to live - May 5th 2022

 "It took cancer to realize that being self–centered is not the way to live. The answer is to try and help others."

Terry Fox

“Courage doesn’t always roar, sometimes it’s the quiet voice at the end of the day whispering ‘I will try again tomorrow’.” 

 Mary Anne Radmacher

Cheers

Jeanne

from here to Impossible - May 12th 2022

 “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” –  Arthur Ashe

“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” – Francis of Assisi

Not that anything is that easy, choosing the direction can be the hardest...  but what feeling of accomplishment or growth and learning comes from doing the easy things? When we attempt what seems impossible, alchemy has room to make things happen!

Cheers

Jeanne

the Four Agreements - May 19th 2022

 "But it is not what I am saying that is hurting you; it is that you have wounds that I touch by what I have said. You are hurting yourself. There is no way I can take this personally.”

Don Miguel Ruiz

From the book: The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

The Four Agreements are

1. Be Impeccable With Your Word.
2. Don't Take Anything Personally.
3. Don't Make Assumptions.
4. Always Do Your Best.

“If you don’t understand something, it is better for you to ask and be clear, instead of making an assumption. The day you stop making assumptions you will communicate cleanly and clearly, free of emotional poison. Without making assumptions your word becomes impeccable.”
Don Miguel Ruiz

Cheers

Jeanne

Spread the light - May 26th 2022

 “There are two ways of spreading light; to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” 

Edith Wharton

My thoughts:

This past week has been difficult as I heard sad news about two friends who are and always will be bright lights in my life. Two people who inspire and challenge me. Two people who I learned to love, respect and trust through countless moments of shared laughter and tears, through discussions and arguments, through meals, travelling, and living full on adventures. Two different people who exemplified that living is to explore, learn and do new things, to face fear and not hide, to work hard and play hard, to love generously and dance with joy and through pain. Their candles will never dim, no matter how distant. Their light will always be reflecting in my light, growing in my heart and spilling over with all the light it cannot contain and needs to share.

Cheers

Jeanne

"Your heart is where your inner light resides. It is part of every sacred journey to reconnect with your inner light, step into your divinity, spread the light of love before you, return to the essence of love, and inspire others to do the same.”

Molly Friedenfeld   

The Long and Winding Road - June 2nd 2022

 Today's quote is a song, a reminder we are all one family here on earth and when one of us suffers we all suffer. 

Kindness matters in this world no matter who we are.

This song came to me in a 'Heart Thoughts' email this morning.

https://youtu.be/Ye4cELYLzJM

The road is long
With many a winding turn
That leads us to who knows where?
Who knows where?
But I'm strong
Strong enough to carry him
He ain't heavy, he's my brother

So on we go
His welfare is my concern
No burden is he to bear
We'll get there
For I know
He would not encumber me
He ain't heavy, he's my brother

If I'm laden at all
I'm laden with sadness
That everyone's heart
Isn't filled with the gladness
Of love for one another

It's a long, long road
From which there is no return
While we're on the way to there
Why not share?
And the load
Doesn't weigh me down at all
He ain't heavy, he's my brother

He's my brother
He ain't heavy, he's my brother

The Hollies, 1969: He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother

Cheers

Jeanne

Attachments area

Preview YouTube video The Justice Collective - He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother (2012)

The Justice Collective - He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother (2012)

Becoming - June 23rd 2022

 "Every person that you meet knows something you don't; learn from them."  H. Jackson Brown Jr.

"If only our eyes saw souls instead of bodies how different our ideals of beauty would be."
Lauren Jauregui

"Between who you once were and who you are now becoming, is where the dance of life really takes place."

Thoughts today;

We are all becoming all the time...there is no end to the dances we can learn

Cheers

Jeanne

Sunny Smile - June 9th 2022

"It was only a sunny smile,

and little it cost in the giving,

But like morning light 

It scattered the night

and made the day worth living."

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Cheers

Jeanne 

Power

In the midst of our fear and anger,

In the midst of our pain and sorrow,

In the midst of our anxiety and worry,

We can still give a little smile to a stranger or a friend, 

It doesn't cost much, just an awareness that we are not islands,

We are connected, though we live in our own minds and bodies, 

The desolation of our isolation can be lifted,

When we see or are seen by another 

With a little smile.

Value 101 - June 16th 2022

"Your ordinary acts of love and hope point to the extraordinary promise that every human life is of inestimable value."
Desmond Tutu

“The place to improve the world is first in one's own heart and head and hands, and then work outward from there.”
Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values

Thoughts today:

I'm now reading 'The Elephant Whisperer' by Lawrence Anthony with Graham Spence

There is a lot to learn from the elephants and the wild, if only we can quiet our self important ego and humble ourselves to listen. All of nature is talking to us, if only we can listen and trust our place in the intricate network of this universe is not to subjugate it but to accept our role in it. We humans may have the gift of a bigger mass of brains, but without wisdom and respect for others these brains fear and react more selfishly than any animal.

Cheers

Jeanne 

Thoughts today:

You tell me you hate what they are doing; the government, the scientists, the corporations, the rich, the rebels, the violent, the police, the this the that,

The others, the others, its always their fault

They want to subjugate us, for their gain, their power, their control of resources 

Then what do you do?

You fear, you fight, you close ranks with people who believe what you do and lash out at everything that is preventing your freedom

You become a group like those 'theys', a group putting your own interests above all else. Because you are right of course, that is what makes it okay... 

But... but but but

Has this ever changed anything except create struggle and war, fear and hate, ultimately we might shift power from one group to another after a lot of bribing or killing. 

So what do we do? We rant and we rave and we fight ourselves. Has this ever changed anything?

Sometimes we make everything so complicated. The simple, but herculean, task is to recognize we are the problem and we hold the key. 

The only change we can make is to ourselves, and when we sincerely, heart and soul deep take in that joy in living is not about competition. take in that what we do can either effect change in the world 

or perpetuate the hate and fear that has permeated and saturated our societies. 

The simplest and hardest thing is to look deep into ourselves for our values then live them, ignoring the rest, not becoming addicted to fear, blame and accusation rather than showing the alternative is to live strong, live true, live humble and trust that being who we really are is enough.

I'm now reading 'The Elephant Whisperer' by Lawrence Anthony with Graham Spence

There is a lot to learn from the elephants here, if only we can quiet our self important ego and humble ourselves to listen. All of nature is talking to us, if only we could listen and trust that our power is to know our place in the intricate network of this universe. We may have the gift of brains, but without wisdom and respect, without shutting up and listening, we are like a virus spreading plague on the earth, and the perpetrators of our own destruction.

Repack your life - July14th 2022

 "When the time is right, let go."

Excerpt from: Pilgrim

Written by Sybil Rampen

Illustrated by Tsochoy Go

"Pilgrim said to himself, "My adventure is almost over, I will return to my beginning."

He thought about the loads that people carry, their pain, their needs, their habits. Pulling heavy suitcases uphill and down, using all their strength and concentration.

He mused to himself, "Some carry relics passed on for centuries, Others pack up treasured memories, But we all need a suitcase of our own. It is part of who we are. But they can burst open when they are too full. Every day we must pack and repack to fit everything in, but unimportant things have to go

Treasure only the real, the meaningful.

Cherish the experience of living.

Preserve the essence with its joys and emotions.

Lift up your heart.

When the time is right, let go.

Grow wings."

Joshua Creek Heritage Art Centre – Oakville, Ontario (joshuacreekarts.com)

Cheers

Jeanne

Slow is okay July 21st 2022

 

“Be not afraid of going slowly, be afraid only of standing still.”

Chinese Proverb

Cheers

Jeanne

Maturity- return love for hate July 28th 2022

 "The three hardest tasks in the world are neither physical feats nor intellectual achievements, but moral acts: to return love for hate, to include the excluded, and to say, 'I was wrong'."

Sydney J. Harris

"Maturity begins when we're content to feel we're right about something without feeling the necessity to prove someone else wrong."
Sydney J. Harris

For those of us who think we know who, what and when to listen and judge, I highly recommend reading "What We Lost - Inside the Attack on Canada's Largest Children's Charity" by Tawfiq S. Rangwala. 

Cheers

Jeanne

Unfair and logical - August 4th 2022

 "...logical validity is not a guarantee of truth."

"Try to learn to let what is unfair teach you"
David Foster Wallace

Thoughts:

It is a strange, conflicting and confusing world if we look to make sense of things or find any deep down fairness to life.

The more I look the more I see that the only thing solid we can hang on to, the only thing that will not let us down is a moral compass and kindness. Then at least we can depend on ourself

Cheers

Jeanne

Be okay - August 11th 2022

 “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new”

Socrates

“There is nothing permanent except change.”
Heraclitus
“The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude”
Oprah Winfrey

Thoughts for today:

I spend too much time thinking about what might happen, how I can get everything done, and what in this material world I think I need....

Imagine a world where complaining was banned, where every material, consumer thing we could buy was bland, and where there was only the present to live in 

Imagine a world in which each moment was enough, and we did not anticipate change with any emotion other than curiosity.

Cheers

Jeanne

Currents August 18th 2022

 “When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision.”

Paulo Coelho from The Alchemist

Cheers

Jeanne

Defining = Limiting August 25th 2022

 “Definitions belong to the definers, not the defined."

Toni Morrison, from "Beloved” 1987

"Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!"
Dr. Seuss

"When you start to develop your powers of empathy and imagination, the whole world opens up to you."
Susan Sarandon

Thoughts:
Whew! I read the Toni Morrison quote to mean it is us we limit when we define something. To determine that someone or something is 'this' or 'that' means we stop seeing anything more than our definition. We could see so much more if our imaginations were allowed to see beyond what we have defined. 

Cheers

Jeanne

Broken places - September 1st 2022

 “The world breaks everyone but afterwards many are strong at the broken places.”

Ernest Hemingway

Cheers

Jeanne

Wheelchair Freedom - Sept 8th 2022

 "I met a person who was in a wheelchair. He related a story about how a person once asked if it was difficult to be confined to a wheelchair. He responded, 'I'm not confined to my wheelchair— I am liberated by it. If it wasn't for my wheelchair, I would be bed-bound and never able to leave my room or house."

From a Life Changing advice and words of wisdom list on reddit

"I seldom think about my limitations, and they never make me sad. Perhaps there is just a touch of yearning at times; but it is vague, like a breeze among flowers."
Helen Keller

Thoughts: Our life trajectory is dependent on how we choose to think about things...

Cheers

Jeanne

Travel, learn a new language, you don't have to go anywhere Sept 15th 2022

 “When you travel, you experience, in a very practical way, the act of rebirth. You confront completely new situations, the day passes more slowly, and on most journeys you don't even understand the language the people speak.”

Paulo Coelho, The Pilgrimage

"We always know which is the best road to follow, but we follow only the road that we have become accustomed to."
Paulo Coelho, The Pilgrimage

My thoughts: We don't have to go anywhere to travel, we only have to take steps into trying something new. Each day is a journey, and waiting until tomorrow or waiting until something happens before we try something is like staring at a mountain and wishing it would morph into the same road that we travelled yesterday. 

Cheers

Jeanne

C.S.Lewis - Love and waiting Sept 22nd 2022

 “If we let ourselves, we shall always be waiting for some distraction or other to end before we can really get down to our work. The only people who achieve much are those who want knowledge so badly that they seek it while the conditions are still unfavorable. Favorable conditions never come.”

C.S. Lewis

My thoughts:

Ahah! distraction is about not caring enough about what we intend ourselves to be doing ...the question is not what am I avoiding, but what do I really want to do??

I am reading C.S. Lewis again, some books for the fourth time at least, some for the first. enjoying them all! Looking immensely forward to reading the Narnia books to my grandson so I can share in hearing them as if they were new again, which they always will be!

“Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person's ultimate good as far as it can be obtained.”
C.S. Lewis

“What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing. It also depends on what sort of person you are.”
C.S. Lewis, The Magician's Nephew

"A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest.”
C.S. Lewis

Cheers

Jeanne

Jane Goodall - care to have impact Sept 29th 2022

 “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”

Jane Goodall

My thoughts: we spend a lot of time discussing and complaining and getting angry about what we don't like and what we feel is wrong in our world. It seems this breeds more complaining and dissatisfaction and ramps up negative feelings.

I wonder what impact we would have if we speak up about what we like, what we feel is positive, and encourage those who we believe are doing a good job and standing up for what we believe in?

Cheers Jeanne

"Only if we understand, can we care. Only if we care, we will help. Only if we help, we shall be saved” Jane Goodall

I am 23,360 days of choices - Oct 6th 2022

 “You are free to make whatever choice you want, but you are not free from the consequences of the choice.” 

Anonymous

My thoughts: 

Every second of every minute of every hour we are making choices and every one of these choices has a consequence. Repetitive choices can become automatic but are still choices... our habits are choices we choose to repeat. How we see the world is our choice. There is NOTHING we cannot change by how we choose to think about it. 

Since it seems easier but (in my opinion) is ultimately unproductive to complain about things it is time for my choices to reflect whether I am content with the easy path or if I want to try to buck this trend and stay focused on what I want to accomplish.

I am almost 65. That means I've lived over 23,360 days. That's a lot of hours, minutes and choices. I am the sum of all those, and as long as I am breathing, I'll have more choices and my sum will grow. Fortunately for me I have the responsibility for who I am and my choices, no matter what circumstance or adversity comes my way.

Cheers

Jeanne

Calibrate ideas don't love them - ) Oct 13th 2022

 "We don't win bets by being in love with our own ideas. We win bets by relentlessly calibrating our beliefs and predictions about the future to more accurately represent the world"

Annie Duke from her book Thinking in Bets

Thoughts: 

It is not so easy to see things in different ways even when I want to. And I want to/need to do this to be able to see and assess different potential outcomes for decisions, which I have decided is important for me to do to challenge myself to 'live my best life'. 

Rats, again!!! It boils down to - for best results in decisions/ in life; identify the hardest thing to do and then do that first

“If you put individuals together in the right way, such that some individuals can use their reasoning powers to disconfirm the claims of others, and all individuals feel some common bond or shared fate that allows them to interact civilly, you can create a group that ends up producing good reasoning as an emergent property of the social system. This is why it’s so important to have intellectual and ideological diversity within any group or institution whose goal is to find truth.”

Annie Duke

Cheers

Jeanne

Freedom - July 7th 2022

 "The only real prison is fear, and the only real freedom is freedom from fear."

Aung San Suu Kyi

"Freedom is the will to be responsible to ourselves."
Friedrich Nietzsche

"Freedom is nothing else but a chance to be better."

Albert Camus

"Freedom, in any case, is only possible by constantly struggling for it."

Albert Einstein

Thoughts:

I could write essays and 1000 page treatises on this, but today I'm going to enjoy the sunshine and trees and birds and my family

Happy Thursday everyone!!! 

Jeanne

"“Freedom is the prize we are working for,” Seneca wrote, “not being a slave to anything—not to compulsion, not to chance events.” Then he said, “show me a man who isn’t a slave.” To money. To work. To fear. To whatever everyone else is doing. To alcohol, to cigarettes, soda, material possessions, bad habits, followers on social media, anchors on cable news. Indeed, we have many masters."
Excerpt from Ryan Holiday's Daily Stoic message July 4th

Meadow

Here's a painting I did a couple days ago. I'm calling it

Where imagination goes to dream

 

Canada Day 2022

 "As a citizen of the world, you look for similarities instead of differences." - Svetlana G.

My thoughts:

Tomorrow is Canada Day, a day I look forward to celebrating but not thought about what it meant to me. 

We are challenged more every day to see our similarities as we react to personal experience and the social and news feeds that highlight our differences. We, as groups, are becoming more and more entrenched in our beliefs. In my opinion the only purpose in believing conspiracy theories or that government is evil or that the other 'side' is getting more economic benefits or privileges, or any other way we think we are made a victim, is to avoid taking responsibility for the ONLY THING we can be responsible for - which is how we live our life. 

We are not deserving of anything except what we create. 

Those of us with resources to feed, clothe and shelter ourselves, 

those of us with education and health care resources available, 

those of us who live in a country not at war, in a geo location with plentiful natural resources that, although we are pillaging them as quickly as we can, is still buffered from the most extreme consequences of climate change, 

those of us who have the conceit and belief that we are somehow entitled to this 

Could take this opportunity to look at what we have to be grateful for and what we can do to make this a better world for everyone.

For Canada Day I will look for stories from here and around the globe; stories from people in Ukraine, Syria, Africa, South America, Haiti, and everywhere people are. Stories from refugee camps, war zones, earthquake centers and other environmentally devasted places. These will not be the sensational news stories but the stories of how groups of people and individuals are supporting each other and working to save animals and trees, the stories that inspire me to be a better person.  

For Canada Day I will avoid news and social media stories that enhance differences, stories that apportion blame, stories that spread dissatisfaction and fear. 

For Canada Day, and always, I will try to be the Canadian and global citizen that I respect and take pride in; inclusive of everyone, seeing similarities, speaking up against injustice, feeling gratitude and being kind.

Cheers
Jeanne