Desiderata: Words for Life

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

Words for Life by Max Enhrmann

SkyImage by kamalpreet singh from Pixabay

In memory of Ajay Tao

Ajay

Have you ever met Ajay Tao in the blogosphere?

I’ve met Ajay at the beginning of my blogo-journey and enjoyed his comments on my blog: always kind, encouraging and very thoughtful.

I used to follow Ajay’s blogs, including his last one – AjayTao Botanical Photography. However a year ago Ajay’s beautiful posts stopped appearing in my ‘feed’ as he passed away in August last year after a prolonged battle with cancer.

Dear Ajay. Even though you are no longer with us, your kind words are still warming my heart and your beautiful images bring joy to my eyes. Rest in peace…

Flowers

Flowers

They have no mouth, but seem to speak
A thousand words so mild and meek.

They have no eyes , but seem to see
And bury thoughts into me…

Flowers 2

ENDS


Poem from http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/flowers
Images from AjayTao Botanical Photography

Do you have such special person in your life?


From https://soulgatherings.files.wordpress.com

Oh, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person:
having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words,
but pour them all out, as they are, chaff and grain together,
knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them,
keep what is worth keeping,
and then, with the breath of kindness,
blow the rest away.

~ George Eliot, 1819 – 1880 ~
English Novelist

 

Do you have such special person in your life?

 

THE END

Soft words butter no parsnips…

From http://ourfunnyplanet.com

“Soft words butter no parsnips”

English Proverb

😉

* * *

(from www.hollows.org.nz)

“When I met Fred Hollows, I didn’t think I would end up on this path. He wanted someone who knew what they were doing to go to Eritrea and help set up a plant to manufacture intraocular lenses – artificial lenses that can be transplanted into people’s eyes to defeat cataract blindness and allow them to see…

An old colleague from the medical school introduced me to Fred as a scientist who could build labs in Africa and Asia, but Fred, who usually made a point of being as rude as possible, didn’t even acknowledge me.

“Yeah, but is he any bloody good?” he snorted and kept moving…

Fred had a tendency to say whatever he thought he needed to get the results he wanted. I’ve seen him with patients and he was the classic gruff, kindly old physician with them. And there was no one smarter than he was when it came to community medicine. Everybody else, though, only got to see the foulmouthed tough guy. He loved to challenge people: “Jeez you’re ugly, you’ve got a face like a hatful of arseholes,’ was a standard greeting. But he was also a supreme example of how one person can inspire people to do great things.”

(from ‘Rebel with a cause’ by Ray Avery)

* * *

Fred Hollows
( 1929 – 1993 )

(from www.hollows.org.nz)

“Fred Hollows was an internationally acclaimed eye surgeon and social justice activist who championed the right of all people to high quality and affordable eye care.

The Fred Hollows Foundation was established in Sydney, Australia, on 3 September 1992, just five months before Professor Fred Hollows passed away.

We have a vision of a world where no one is needlessly blind. We work  to restore sight and end avoidable blindness in more than 29 developing countries across Asia, Africa and the Pacific.

Our sight-restoring work is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

Since 1992, The Foundation has restored the sight of well over one million people around the world; in many cases all it took was a simple 20 minute operation costing as little as $25. In the last five years alone, The Foundation has also trained more than 30,000 eye health workers.”

(from ‘The Foundation and Our Achievements’)

The Poison of Gossip

 How to Avoid Gossip and Stay Popular
From http://insidetech.monster.com

People gossip for many reasons, often due to insecurity. Most gossip arises from either a misguided desire to defend oneself against another who is perceived as harmful, or in order to connect more strongly to others in our social groups. 

gossiping funny quotes quote lol funny quote funny quotes humor gossipFrom Pinterest

How can gossiping be distinguished from other ways of sharing information in a social context?

Firstly, by intent. Gossipers often have the goal of building themselves up by making others look bad and exalting themselves as some kind of bearers of knowledge.

Secondly, by the type of information being shared. Gossipers speak of the faults and failings of others, or reveal potentially embarrassing or shameful details regarding the lives of others without their knowledge or approval. Even if they mean no harm, it is still gossip.

Pope Francis’s words offer us a clue as to where to draw the line between gossip and heartfelt conversation: does the conversation aim to work toward unity and reconciliation, or is its aim self-assertion or putting down others?
"What do I do with my life? Do I create unity around me? Or do I cause division by gossip, criticism, or envy?" --Pope Francis, The Church of Mercy

From http://www.ignatianspirituality.com 

How can we deal with gossip?

  1. Before speaking, ask yourself these several simple questions mentally about what you’re about to say before speaking aloud:
    • How would you like it if someone said this about you or your beloved ones?
    • Is it true? Maybe it is, but is repeating it necessary?
    • Is it kind? It may be true, about yourself or someone else, but if it will harm another, you have no right to repeat it.
    • Is it just?
    • Is it honest, compassionate, with the person’s best interest at heart?
    • Does the other person need to know that?

    • From http://luisapariciofernandes.blogspot.co.nz
  2. When speaking about other people, choose positive words. It might be fun to say a little nasty joke behind someone’s back laughing at people’s clothes, hair, careers, talent, choices, and/or emotional state. However just because things are fun and easy doesn’t mean we should do them. Challenge yourself to resist that temptation.

Words have the power to destroy or to heal. Choose to communicate with affection, warmth & encouragement.From Pinterest

3. Silence is good. Don’t just talk to fill the air with conversation. Speak only when you feel that your words are better than your silence. 

From http://godisheart.blogspot.co.nz/

4. Be careful who you open up to.


From Accent of English Language “AEL”

5. Be indifferent to gossip about yourself. Spending time focusing on the negative things people say about you will totally damage your focus and leave you questioning yourself. In order to forge ahead and stay true to yourself, you have to not care about other people’s opinions of you or your work, unless it provides constructive criticism.

behind my backFrom If you’re talking about me behind my back…

And don’t forget the feathers of gossip: once a gossip leaves someone’s mouth, no one knows where it ends up. It flies on the wings of the wind, and it is impossible to get it back.

 Resources:

THE END

I heard your voice today…


From Pinterest

I heard your voice today, it brought a smile to my face
I heard you laugh and talk so sweet, my heart began to race
I had so much to say to you, but the words would not come out
I had so many questions, but still my heart was full of doubt

I heard your voice today, it brought me joy and so much pain
And afterwards I thought of you, while just admiring the rain
I wondered how you were doing, if things were going well
I wondered if you were happy, or living like in hell.

I heard your voice today, it was like music to my ears
It brought back many happy memories, and also several tears
I wonder if you heard my voice, heard all I was trying to say
I wonder if my pain you felt, if perhaps you felt the same way…

THE END