Life’s beautiful Wisdom

Cinnamon and me inside “The Wave” in Arizona

If you have followed me here for some time, then you know I am a sucker for quotes. There is been so much growth, so much awakening, so much spirituality over the last few years, even the quotes come at me at a whole new level these days. Maybe it is me, being on a different level that I also understand them at whole new level and see them in a new light. One that is gratifying and shines just a little brighter. I couldn’t leave here without sharing a few. Let them sink in and really understand them. Perhaps you too will see them as if you’ve read them for the first time. Enjoy…

“In order to write about life first you must live it.” ~Ernest Hemingway way

“On the journey to myself I’ve been so many people.” ~Unknown

“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into the abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.” ~Friedrich Nietzsche

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

Inside every person you know, there is a person you don’t know. ~Unknown

“There’s no coming to consciousness without pain.” Carl Jung

I sat with my anger long enough, until she told me her real name was grief. ~Unknown

“Nothing haunts us like the things we don’t say.” ~Mitch Albom

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you. ~Maya Angelou

“Writing like life itself, is a voyage of discovery. The adventure is a metaphysical one: it is a way of approaching life indirectly, of acquiring a total rather than a partial view of the universe.” ~Henry Miller

Once awakened, you realize the pain wasn’t punishment, it was preparation. ~Unknown

What it takes to succeed

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Walk gently

Sometimes a post doesn’t require any words and this is such a moment. Powerful, with a potent quote on it’s own.

Mysteries too marvelous

“Truly , we live with mysteries too marvelous to be understood. How grass can be nourishing in the mouths of lambs. How rivers and stones are forever in allegiance with gravity while we ourselves dream of rising. How two hands touch and the bonds will never be broken. How people come, from delight or the scars of damage, to the comfort of a poem. Let me keep my distance, always, from those who think they have the answers. Let me keep company always with those who say “look!” and laugh in astonishment, and bow their heads.”

~Mary Oliver, “Mysteries, Yes”

What I especially loved about this was the sentence that speaks about keeping distance from those who think that they have all the answers. Knowledge used to make an impressive resume. Those who knew and had the answers were sought out. Today I see this a little different. I look for a glass half full that still has room and aspirations to learn more and doesn’t stop. Today I know that we will never reach that point where we have all the answers and if we come across as if we do, perhaps the ego and a little arrogance is coming to the forefront as well. We stop growing and it’s a bit of a turnoff for me to be honest.

Albert Camus

It’s quote time again and you already know what a sucker I am for a good piece of wisdom that speaks to me and my current journey. This piece from Albert Camus seems to reflect my way of thinking perfectly. I know I have not always felt this way, but being able to look back and recognize the progress, to see the areas that have improved, that in itself is very rewarding. Although it’s often a painful one in the midst of it, we learn to look back and most wouldnt’ change a thing, for everything we went through was required along the way. Nothing is ever easy and the path to wisdom or spiritual enlightenment, or whatever else you want to call it, is never all love and light. I’ve said it before, it’s hard work, guts and glory, dedication, commitment, bravery and much much more. I could go on listing all the different attributes you will encounter along the way, and maybe you too, reading this quote can recognize the changes within yourself and realize that it is time to give yourself a hand for how far you have come.

He said “In the midst of hate, I found there was within me, an invincible love. In the midst of tears, I found there was, within me, an invincible smile. In the midst of chaos, I found there was, within me, an invincible calm. I realized, through it all, that in the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.”

In my World

My Ego exists in time – in a world of fear and trepidation. My true self has it’s being in eternity.

~Mendek Rubin

From the heart – always

“Never wish them pain. That’s not who you are. If they caused you pain, they must have pain inside. Wish them healing. That’s what they need. ~Najwa Zebian

We all have been there. We all have been hurt by others, whether from a stranger, an acquaintance, a friend or loved one, we all have experienced what it feels like to have our feelings crushed. In that moment it seldom matters whether it was intentional or a mere misunderstanding, or something that just didn’t come out right. I’ve never been much like the eye for an eye person, or the one that has to retaliate. Of course I have been hurt and of course I have been angry when I found myself caught in the middle of whatever injustice came my way. I think it’s human for us to feel this way, but I have been practicing the above quote for a few years now. Am I perfect at it? No, of course not and there is always room to fine tune and expand further in our practices. However, it has taught me an increased compassion for others. An understanding that when someone acts from a place of hurt, it is usually because hurt is what is holding them in a tight grip. Often it’s a defense mechanism, sometimes an empowerment to make themselves feel better or superior, to justify that they matter and are important. Being able to recognize and practice this is rarely understood by others who might think something is wrong with you, but does it truly matter who understands and who doesn’t? Could you wish somebody well and healing who has just hurt you? You might be surprised if you consider it, for it will set you free. Maybe some things don’t deserve to be forgiven, but you will always be deserving of your own peace of mind and freedom. It’s always different when we act from our heart space rather than our mind space.

Surrender and allow

The universe aways replaces what exits your life with something bigger and better. Don’t be stuck holding onto the past or resisting change. Welcome new energy. Let go of what needs to be removed. There’s great blessings in surrender and allowing.

~Idil Ahmed

Being satisfied with your choice

The other day I stared down the bottom of my glass and this is the view I got. I thought it was kind of beautiful. It reminds me of the artist within me, earlier times and when I took a ton of picture of ordinary things that in my mind looked extraordinary. It takes me back to a time when I won a photo contest with a picture of a weed, and my own belief to always remember that beauty is all around us. That it lies in the eyes of the beholder and that it’s often the little things that touch our hearts in the biggest ways.

Behind it, was my Himalayan salt lamp, giving it a nice little glow, illuminating the center. I’ve always considered myself as a person that viewed the glass as half full versus half empty. I was proud of that, as it signaled a positive outlook. This glass and the view was definitely empty and I’m not sure where I am going with all of this, accept that despite it being empty, there was still beauty to be found. Maybe empty isn’t all that bad, scary, or negative as we thought it to be. Maybe there needs to be an empty so we are able to fill it anew with fresh goodness, replacing something that perhaps has become stale. I don’t know, I am just pondering this morning. Maybe it’s the quote that I stumbled across this morning that is further shaping my Perspective overhaul. God knows I am a sucker for a good quote. To me they are tiny bits of wisdom, lived through experiences, passed on with loving intentions, not just to be heard and share a part of us, but also to contribute and help others along the way. To me, quotes are reminders of something we already know at times but often forget. A long time ago I have sworn myself to not live a life filled with regrets. And yet we make mistakes. We all have regrets. We all wish soon or later that we could get one more chance to hear the voice of a deceased loved one. That we could do some things over, take back words, live with more awareness and be more in the moment. Even if we manage to make drastic changes, we need to realize that there will be glitches. When we slip and when things are less than perfect. Today I remind myself with this quote and a prayer to embody it as often as possible.

“Speak to people in a way that if they died the next day, you’d be satisfied with the last thing you said to them.”

Thoughts and ponderings

I often find myself discussing topics of pain and struggle. Not always because they relate to my current situation unless I refer directly to myself, but because I have spend so much time there. I often write about things I have already learned, but these post are not meant to provide the solutions that might have been a perfect fit for me, but inspire and motivate your own ideas and to find your own fit.

I’ve had plenty of time feeling, thinking, suffering and clinging on to hope myself, that I feel a need to share and hopefully help others. In the process of it I have learned that everything has it’s place, and yes it is pain that teaches and shows us places within that we would never see otherwise. My point is “how to we live and learn to coexist with these struggles when they can be so debilitating!” Sharing these thoughts and experiences is a worthwhile cause to me and I always say that if it helps one person only, it is one life helped, and one life saved.

It is said that our thoughts create our reality. Further we are urged to be careful what we wish for because it could become our truths. It is said that we are the co-creators of our life. So perhaps we shouldn’t just sit still and let it pass us by. It is said that an echo returns to us what we send out. It provides a unique opportunity for us to be heard. To be heard by ourselves. The same happens with Karma and what we plant, we reap as in the seeds that we sow. All these are wonderful causes and reason enough to be on our best behavior. Not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because it’s the humane thing, the stuff of role models, and what Karma brings to us in return. I wonder if we could prevent bad things from happening, simply by changing our outlook on life and what we think? It’s an interesting theory and personally I believe that an optimistic person will always live an easier life, despite of the challenges and the ups and downs we all experience. I also realize that this outlook doesn’t aways succeed and sometimes it is torn down, especially when you are in pain and can’t see past it. A poem like the one below might seem out of reach in these times, but perhaps we can see and recognize that silent cry. Maybe we even manage to choose it in a moment of darkness for our turning point.

“I am smiling at myself today. There is no wish left in this heart. Or perhaps there is no heart left. Free from all desire, I sit quietly like earth. My silent cry echoes like thunder throughout the universe. I am not worried about it, I know it will be heard by no one except me.”

~Rumi