A great wind
"A great wind is blowing, and that gives you either imagination or headache."
~Catherine The Great~
There are two ways we can approach times of turmoil and upheaval: as opportunities for new ideas and new actions or as excuses for withdrawing from life and avoiding risk.
People with creativity and imagination often thrive in times of great change. People who don't consider themselves creative or imaginative tend to be concerned only with hunkering down and protecting themselves.
I won't let troubled times get the best of me. I'll treat them as a challenge to come up with new ideas.
Respecting Others
"It is terrible to destroy a person's picture of himself in the interests of truth or some other abstraction."
~Doris Lessing~
Isn't the truth always best? When we're talking about ourselves, it is. But we don't need to hurt others in our desire to be truthful.
Maybe we're annoyed that our neighbor poses as an intellectual when he clearly isn't. Maybe we giggle when we see a woman who wants to be considered attractive but is dressed inappropriately. Maybe we know that an achievement a child is proud of means little. But we do no good by telling the truth in these circumstances. And we may do great harm.
Even when I'm short-tempered, I will respect others' self-esteem. I can argue without trying to destroy the self-image of those I argue with.
Love Within Reach
"When we cannot get what we love, we must love what is within our reach."
~French Proverb~
Learning to love what we have, rather than what we would like to have, is not a matter of giving up or compromising. It's a matter of maturing.
We set our goals high, and we should. We work diligently towards our goals, and we should. But if we don't realize all of our goals, should we live our lives with bitterness and regret? How much richer would our lives be if we could appreciate the blessings that we already have?
I will love my life for what it is rather than regretting it for what it is not.
Self-disclosure
"If you do not tell the truth about yourself, you cannot tell it about other people."
~Virginia Woolf~
When we recognize our own flaws-and our own strengths - and can share them with others, we have more credibility when we assess the flaws and strengths of those around us. In fact, we have more credibility in all that we do when we are honest about ourselves with others.
I know what I do well and what I don't do well. I know the mistakes I've made in the past and the successes I've had. I don't need to paint a false picture to others. I can tell my story just as it is.
Laughing With Friends
"That is the best - to laugh with someone because you think the same things are funny."
~Gloria Vanderbilt~
Friendships often are forged by laughter. Someone with the same sense of humor is likely to have other similarities we value.
We look forward to getting together with longtime friends to enjoy a great roar of laughter. We know each other well enough, have spent enough time together, to understand each other's sense of humor. The funniest stories we share are those about ourselves and the things we've done together.
I will laugh today with people I love.
My thoughts: Best thing in the world right there. Laughing with someone you love to the point that your stomach hurts and you're gasping for air. Don't ever let a moment like that slip through your fingers.
Boredom
"Boredom is the feeling that everything is a waste of time; serenity, that nothing is."
~Thomas Szasz~
It's all a matter of attitude: A day with nothing to do stretches in front of us. We get antsy, aimlessly wandering around the house, watching television, or flipping through magazines. We have a few big sighs, wonder what our friends are doing, and begin to beat ourselves up for being so lazy. Can't wait for the day to end.
Or we can see the day as a gift. No responsibilities, no plans. We can savor the morning cup of coffee, take a long walk with no destination in mind, listen to our favorite piece of music, write an entry in our journal - all of the things we say we're too busy to do most of the time.
I don't need to be busy to avoid being bored. I will let myself enjoy just being.
Ingenuity
"Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity."
~General George S. Patton~
We have expectations about how things are supposed to be done, and we want others to meet those expectations. Dishes should be stacked just so. Dust first, then vacuum (or is it the other way around?). No, don't take that road; it's too slow.
When we force our ideas onto others though, we not only show that we don't respect them, we miss out on discovering new and interesting ways to accomplish things.
If I trust others to do things their way, I may find that their way is better than mine.
My thoughts: This seems to black-and-white to me. I believe that there are times when it is better, and perhaps safer, to follow what someone says. But more often than not, it is better to let people go and do it however they may. Enjoy the new and uncomfortable feeling!
