is the illusion that it has taken place. – George Bernard Shaw
Posts Tagged: life
8
Aug 12
On Communication
The single biggest problem with communication
is the illusion that it has taken place. – George Bernard Shaw
is the illusion that it has taken place. – George Bernard Shaw
26
Jul 12
Finish Each Day
Finish each day and be done with it.
You have done what you could.
Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in;
forget them as soon as you can.
Tomorrow is a new day.
You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit
to be encumbered with your old nonsense.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
You have done what you could.
Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in;
forget them as soon as you can.
Tomorrow is a new day.
You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit
to be encumbered with your old nonsense.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
30
Jun 12
Do You Know Your Tolerance Level?
She brings him a mug of coffee and says, “How’d you sleep?”
He says, “I slept great. How ’bout you?”
She says, “How can you sleep with that incessant dripping coming from the bathroom sink?”
He says, “That bugs you? I can hear it but I just roll over and go back to sleep.”
__________ Continue reading →
25
Jun 12
On Building Character
It was her job to load the splitter, catch the split logs and pass them to the stacker. They developed a rhythm as they worked, stopping only to drink water or wipe sweaty brows. They enjoyed a sense of accomplishment, congratulating each other as the stack grew. The hard work earned them the beers they would enjoy on the deck that afternoon.
Logs with knots were tricky for the splitter. She’d learned that when a log doesn’t split all the way because of a knot, she could lift the log over her head and slam it down on the ground with all her might. The force would split the log in two.
Sometimes.
That trick didn’t always work.
Some logs were tougher than others. Continue reading →
21
Jun 12
Say It With Me
Half of the troubles of this life
can be traced to saying yes too quickly
and not saying no soon enough. – Josh Billings What is a rebel? A *woman* who says no. – Albert Camus
can be traced to saying yes too quickly
and not saying no soon enough. – Josh Billings What is a rebel? A *woman* who says no. – Albert Camus
19
Jun 12
It’s Time To Say No
When you no longer notice the beauty in the things you possess, and shop for new, “more beautiful” objects.
When politely ignoring a situation doesn’t make it go away.
When you’re so over-scheduled that you can hardly wait to go to bed.
When you hate getting out of bed in the morning.
14
Jun 12
The Best Kind of Party
Grab a pen. We’re going to plan a party.
Really.
This’ll be fun.
What if you planned your life like you would plan the ultimate party?
Wait…. don’t tell me you hate planning parties. That’s probably because you think that you have to invite certain people, serve particular foods and drinks, provide a sparkling evening that will please everyone and clean up the mess when it’s over. Continue reading →
5
Jun 12
Recipe For Happy Children
Take:
- 1 large grassy field
- 1/2 dozen children
- 2 or 3 small dogs
- 1 pinch of brook and some pebbles
Mix children and dogs well together. Put them in the field, stirring constantly.
Pour this brook over pebbles; sprinkle with flowers.
Spread over all a deep blue sky and bake in hot sunshine.
When brown, remove and set away to cool in bathtub.
*Discovered in Rare Recipes and Budget Savers, a compilation of columns from The Wichita Eagle’s Home Town News.
Published in 1961.
Contributed by B. M. Pittenger.
10
May 12
Comfortable as an Old Pair of Jeans
She walks in the door after a day of meetings, appointments, disappointments and challenges. Before she pours a glass of red, she puts on her favorite pair of jeans – the ones with the threadbare knees. The cotton has softened with many washings, and now the fabric covering her thighs resembles suede more than denim.
She sits on the couch with her legs curled under her. With each sip of wine, she mulls over the day. As she reviews the interactions she can’t help but think of how she felt during each exchange.
__________
The meeting with her supervisor left her feeling stiff and tense – the same way she feels when dressed for work in a crisply ironed blouse and business suit. There never seems to be room enough to stretch her arms or take a deep breath. A day spent in that suit is a day spent as someone else.
The lunch with her sister was every bit as uncomfortable as the expensive wool sweater her sister had given her last Christmas. The style didn’t fit her. The colors didn’t match anything in her closet. On the rare occasion that she wore the itchy cardigan, she was reminded of how disconnected she and her sister had always been. The scratchy texture of the wool equaled her sister’s insensitivity. Continue reading →
6
May 12
Anything Can Be
Listen to the Mustn’ts Listen to the mustn’ts, child
Listen to the don’ts
Listen to the shouldn’ts
The impossibles, the won’ts
Listen to the never haves
Then listen close to me–
Anything can happen, child
Anything can be. -Shel Silverstein
4
May 12
On Enjoying the Ride
Imagine how sweet this journey would be if we quit second-guessing every one of our decisions. What if we reveled in the things that went well for longer than we stewed over the things that went wrong.
We’d more easily live in the moment, if we quit beating ourselves up over how we mishandled the last moment.
Potholes Along the Way
Festering, lingering, dwelling on the difficult does not help us learn the lesson better; it keeps us in a holding pattern and prevents the arrival of new lessons. Continue reading →
1
May 12
A Tale of Manifesting
“Mom, didn’t you say you were going to take us to a play about Camelot?”
I’d lost the note I’d written. At the beginning of April, I’d discovered a college production of a funny version of King Arthur and Camelot. I’d forgotten to buy tickets and the date was fast approaching. “Will, I’m glad you reminded me. I’ll get online and find out where to get tickets after we get back from the hardware store.”
__________
We’d gone to Home Depot under the guise of exploring options for a homeowner repair. We came home with a pile of seed packets instead.
They each got to select a couple different packets for their corner of the garden. Jenny selected celosia, forget-me-nots and celery. She doesn’t actually like celery but her imaginary friend does. Will selected a packet of habanero seeds and sweet onions. I picked basil, California Poppies, hollyhocks, and nasturtiums. I’m sure there were more in there. Continue reading →
23
Apr 12
So You Say…
So you say… that you wish you could find extra hours in the day to maybe carve out a compost pile in the backyard, learn to play the fiddle or compile all those photos into scrapbooks; yet you never miss an episode of your favorite TV show.
So you say… you’d like to do a better job of keeping in touch with friends, but there’s never enough time after work, homework, laundry and dinner, especially with the time you spend on Facebook every night.
So you say… you could cut back on hours at work, if only you could get your budget under control, while spending every Saturday at the mall looking for something to fill the void.
So you say… you’ll be able to slow the family pace a bit, right after the next session of swim lessons. Oh, but there’s another season of soccer coming up and junior has to take soccer with all his buddies.
So you say… you’re going to take this minimalist lifestyle thing seriously, once you buy the shelving to organize all the stuff in storage. Continue reading →
18
Apr 12
It Isn’t Fair But It Is Good
We’d gone in search of lavender fleece. We came home with jewelry making supplies, three unpainted birdhouses in need of jazz, and half a yard of turquoise fleece for, “You know, mom…. more projects.”
The idea was that each of us would paint a birdhouse.
Will and Jen are coming out of that blissful phase of thinking everything they do is fantastic. They are starting to compare their creations to others. But for right now they still relish the act of creating. That means they get out the paints, sit down on the floor and go to it.
Without a plan.
Without first sketching, erasing, sketching again or starting over. Continue reading →
