Wherever you are, be there totally. If you find your here and now intolerable and it makes you unhappy, you have three options: remove yourself from the situation, change it, or accept it totally. ~ Eckhart Tolle

"The roots of violence are wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, worship without sacrifice, and politics without principals."— Mahatma Gandhi

“No flattery can heal a bad conscience, and no slander can hurt a good one.”

              ~ Thomas Watson

Before you speak, ask yourself, is it kind, is it necessary, is it true, does it improve on the silence? ~ Indian Guru, Sai Baba

"My hesitancy in speech, which was once an annoyance, is now a pleasure. Its greatest benefit has been that it has taught me the economy of words. I have naturally formed the habit of restraining my thoughts... A man of few words will rarely be thoughtless in his speech; he will measure every word. We find so many people impatient to talk... All this talking can hardly be said to be of any benefit to the world. It is so much waste of time."  ~ Mahatma Gandhi 

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” ― Leo Tolstoy

Simply Spectacular!!!!!!!!! Wish I Could Go.

http://vimeo.com/49643332

ICELANDIA - Time-lapse Visuals from 64° North

One Leg At A Time

One Leg At A Time 

Am 
Some are clever...some are wise... 
F                     G 
some tell the truth...some tell lies-- 
Am 
some see very well...some are blind: 
      F                C            E    7 
we all put our pants on one leg at a time-- 
                    Am 
   one leg at a time. 

Some are celebrities...very famous... 
some are completely anonymous-- 
some have billions...some ain't got a dime: 
we all put our pants on one leg at a time-- 
   one leg at a time. 

Some have all the breaks...some have none... 
some work too much...some have too much fun-- 
some are always looking for a mountain to climb: 
we all put our pants on one leg at a time-- 
   one leg at a time. 

B    F                               G 
R    Some walk barefoot...some wear Italian shoes... 
I                C                    Am 
D    some are usually happy...some have the  blues-- 
G    F                        G 
E    some see a green light...some a stop sign: 
          C                    E            7 
   we all put our pants on one leg at a time-- 
               Am 
   one leg at a time 

~ Harvey Taylor 

THE DREAM OF CONSTANT OKAYNESS

"It’s not impermanence per se, or even knowing we’re going to die, that is the cause of our suffering, the Buddha taught. Rather, it’s our resistance to the fundamental uncertainty of our situation. Our discomfort arises from all of our efforts to put ground under our feet, to realize our dream of constant okayness. When we resist change, it’s called suffering. But when we can completely let go and not struggle against it, when we can embrace the groundlessness of our situation and relax into its dynamic quality, that’s called enlightenment, or awakening to our true nature, to our fundamental goodness. Another word for that is freedom—freedom from struggling against the fundamental ambiguity of being human." ~  Pema Chodron

“The pessimist complains about the wind.
The optimist expects the wind to change.
The leader adjusts the sails.”
- John Maxwell

For The Love Of A Cat

It seems that most people need to experience a great deal of suffering before they will relinquish resistance and accept — before they will forgive. ~ Eckhart Tolle

Speaking of Courage

"To my mind right now, the most courageous among us are those who endure great suffering with little complaint and knowingly face certain death with dignity.  It takes the power of our true nature as Source to overcome human self-preservation instincts and self-pity."

~ Nancy Danison, a near-death experiencer, currently fighting a battle with cancer, who recently lost her brother and mother a week apart.

The “Gratitude Principles” that kept me afloat during that difficult year were as follows:

1. Gratitude is awareness that, as things come to you, they are exactly what you need - be it people, circumstance, or challenges.

2. Worry is the opposite of gratitude; it is the failure to understand that you have been and will continue to be provided for each day.

3. Whenever fear over your future encroaches, stop to observe a tree. Consider how the tree continues to stand tall and grow throughout the various cycles and seasons of its life span.

4. Worry is an action. Gratitude is an action. Both are optional. By choosing gratitude you drive out the space and time for worry.

5. It isn’t hard to do; gratitude is simply noticing the good stuff in your life.

6. What you pay attention to, or notice, tends to expand and grow.

7. Each day brings a multitude of opportunities to feel gratitude and appreciation.

8. When you neglect the action of appreciating, you limit your potential for joy and contentment in the present moment.

9. Worry does not prevent bad things from happening; it only prevents you from accessing joy in this moment.

10. The present moment is the only place where joy and contentment can exist.

 Heidi M. Parton

“Solitude is the furnace of transformation. Without solitude we remain victims of our society and continue to be entangled in the illusions of the false self.” 

~ Henri J. M. Nouwen, Out of Solitude

I cannot believe that the purpose of life is to be just happy. It is to be useful, to be responsible, to be compassionate and above all, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all. ~ Dr. Antony, Internist Physician