Let us all be THANKFUL!!!

"Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die, so let us all be thankful."

~Buddha

I love this quote. I shared it with my students on Wednesday and asked them what they thought it meant and how it related to their own lives. Here's what they came up with...

1) We should be grateful for what we have, because you never know when it could be gone.

2) There is always something good in a situation, no matter how bad it seems.

3) No matter how bad something is, it can always be worse, so be glad it's not worse.

We also talked about the idea of looking for the "at least" in every situation. So here is my "at least" list to make me feel better about the things that frustrate me sometimes.

1) I have to grade papers on my vacation days...at least I have a stable job that is not endangered by the current economic situation.

2) I didn't get to be home for Thanksgiving...at least I have wonderful friends here in Utah to keep me company.

3) It's winter...at least it's been warmer this year than usual.

4) My room is a mess...at least I have money to buy the things that are currently cluttering it.

5) I don't have enough time to do everything I want to do...at least I have enough time for the really important things.

May we all constantly look for the "at least" in every situation. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Just one more is never enough...

It's like the Pringles commercial: once you pop, the fun don't stop.

Here's another quote. Thanks goes to Ann for this one.

"Courage does not always roar. Sometimes it is a quiet voice at the end of the day, saying... "I will try again tomorrow." ~Mary Anne Radmacher

One More Quote

I can't resist adding one more quote to my previous blog. In fact, I like this one so much that I'm going to give a little explanation for it, too.

The quote below comes from the book The Last Lecture. I heard about this book a few months ago and bought it for my best friend for her birthday. Being the classic book-aholic that I am, I had to read it before I mailed it to her (Sorry, Steph, I know that's bad manners. I can't help it. The book was calling to me). I read it in one day, during which time I cried before I even finished the first page, laughed out loud several times, and set some new goals to enjoy my life more. It is a phenomenal memoir that inspires me to be bold and believe that I CAN do whatever I set my mind to accomplish.

One statement in the book hit me particularly hard, and it has been rattling around in my head ever since. Here it is ...

"Brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want something badly enough. They are there to keep out the other people."

~Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

No Man is Wise Enough by Himself

I love learning...and this statement by Plautus encapsulates why. I love picking up a book and seeing the world from someone else's point of view, experiencing someone else's strengths and weaknesses, and gaining wisdom from another's experience that is far removed from my own.

Maybe that is why I have always collected quotes...I am awestruck by the ability of certain individuals to capture so much truth in such a small amount of space. These kinds of thought inspire change for the better. Here are some of my favorites:

"Everything turns out alright in the end, so if it's not alright, it's not the end." (Unknown)

"We cannot do great things on this earth. We can only do little things with great love." (Mother Teresa)

"Experience is not what happens to a man. It is what a man does with what happens to him." (Aldous Huxley)

"We should not complain about our own life's not being a rose garden when we remember who wore the crown of thorns." (Neal A. Maxwell)

"A life is a single letter in the alphabet. It can be meaningless, or it can be part of a great meaning." (Jewish Theological Seminary)

"We don't receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us." (Marcel Proust)

"Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves." (Carl Jung)

"The basic difference between an ordinary man and a warrior is that a warrior takes everything as a challenge, while an ordinary man takes everything as a blessing or a curse." (Don Juan)

"Don't be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated. You can't cross a chasm in two small jumps." (David Lloyd George)

"May the outward and inward man be at one." (Socrates)

"Sacrifice means going without or giving up something which is good for something which is better." (N. Eldon Tanner)

"The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it." (Richard L. Evans)

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal." (Henry Ford)

"Always remember there are two types of people in this world: those who come into a room and say, 'well, here I am!' and those who come in and say, 'Ah, there you are!'" (Frederick L. Collins)

"People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it." (Unknown)

"One's life cannot be both faith-filled and stress free." (Neal A. Maxwell)

"The best way out is always through." (Robert Frost)

"What I am is good enough if I would only be it openly." (Carl Rogers)

"If you think you can do a thing, or you think you can't do a thing; you're right." (Henry Ford)

"Who you are speaks so loudly I can't hear what you're saying." (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

"God has no need for our worship. It is we who need to show our gratitude for what we have received." (Thomas Aquinas)

And, a great one to end on...

"Writing, the art of communicating thoughts to the mind through the eye us the great invention of the world...enabling us to converse with the dead, the absent, and the unborn, at all distances of time and space." (Abraham Lincoln)

Who could ask for anything more?

Decorative AND edible...the perfect pair!

Just had to share...this amazingly edible bouquet showed up at work on Monday. Incredible! Not to mention that the strawberries were as good as the ones in California. Hmmm... somebody knows me well. :)

Come what may, and love it!

This is the view from my window right now. So, I'm snuggled under my covers, looking at the book that is calling my name from my desk next to me, wearing a warm sweater, and I say...come on with the rain!

Even though I am am addicted to sunshine, I still LOVE rain! There is something relaxing about the sound of rain falling outside. Everything seems quieter and simpler. The world seems to move a little slower, and it makes me want to slow down as well. The rain rejuvenates me. It cleanses the world and brings a newness of life that is encouraging. It is simply...pure.

I remember running outside in the rain as a child, singing and waving my umbrella like Gene Kelly. While I'm not planning on puddle-stomping today, the lyrics to his song encapsulate how I feel about the rain.

I'm singing in the rain
Just singing in the rain
What a glorious feelin'
I'm happy again
I'm laughing at clouds
So dark up above
The sun's in my heart
And I'm ready for love
Let the stormy clouds chase
Everyone from the place
Come on with the rain
I've a smile on my face
I walk down the lane
With a happy refrain
Just singin',
Singin' in the rain.

Let Us Run With Patience the Race that is Set Before Us...

I am list maker. I make lists of groceries to buy, things I need to do, places I'd like to go someday, people I need to catch up with, assignments I need to grade, and (apparently) things I make lists about. :) I put them on sticky notes, post them where I will see them, and get to busy accomplishing all the many things I want and/or need to do in life.

The bad news: I can do anything that I want to in life, I just can't do everything I want to.

The good news: I am never bored.

The bad news: I stress myself out with all of the things that I try to get done.

The good news: I still have a long time to accomplish most of the things on my many lists, and I am learning how to rely on other people to help me accomplish things, not to mention that the company is nice along the way!

In honor of the struggle to overcome getting overwhelmed by the tasks of life, here is a link to a great sports article in the Deseret News that addresses the topic through the metaphor of running a marathon. May we all remember to enjoy the journey a little bit more and "run with patience the race" of life each day!