Friday 20 August 2004

August 20, 2004 Chautauqua


From the Editor's Computer     

   Figuring out the best layout for the paper is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle.  Only in this case, there are sometimes a multitude of possible places to put a particular ‘piece.’

   Sometimes it is very easy to plan the layout as everything just falls into place - pictures are the right size, there is just the right about of text in a certain article, the perfect ad fills up the awkward sized space.  Sometimes it is more challenging and I am left with lots of pieces that don’t fit in the many holes.  That is when I have to get creative and toss in a quotation box or two!

   Unlike a jigsaw puzzle that comes in a box, I don’t have a ‘big picture’ to use as a guide, as I am creating the ‘picture’ as I go along.

   Our lives are like a jigsaw puzzle too.  Often we have a handful of experiences (puzzle pieces) and no obvious places to add them to the puzzle, but they all fit and they all contribute to the final ‘picture’ of your life. 

   Often it is only by looking back, or looking at the situation from a different perspective, that we see how the pieces interlock together forming a more beautiful picture than we could ever have imagined.

   How are the varied pieces of your life creating a beautiful scene? 

Beth

Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1l_RQzlrC8mBTpcGH3aViqUmGVdUMRTj0/view?usp=sharing

To contact The Chautauqua, email: thechautauqua@gmail.com.  

Friday 6 August 2004

August 6, 2004 Chautauqua


From the Editor's Computer     

   I don’t know about you, but I find it hard to believe that we are already almost through one whole week of August! 

   The summer has gone by so fast.  The YEAR has been going by so fast!

   Every year it seems that our lives get just a little faster and a little bit more frantic.  We try to cram more and more into the same 24-hour days that everyone has, and it doesn’t work. 

   More often than not, we find ourselves with a long list of to-do’s, or someday-projects, and no time to do them.  Yet, we yearn to complete these items, knowing full well that something has got to give.

   Too many times, we sacrifice our health, our family, our friends, our sanity to try and do more in the few hours and days allotted to us.  We frantically rush from one thing to anther, accomplishing nothing and getting no where.

   Just because the world we live in is on fast-forward doesn’t mean we have to live our lives on fast-forward.  We all have the power of choice and we can all exercise that power.

   We need to consciously choose to slow down, to take more time and to enjoy the moment we are in.

   How many times have you done something, or gone to something, and afterwards someone asked you how it was...and you don't know!  This is either because you were worried about a past event, or because you were stewing over a future event, and you weren’t paying attention to where you were.

   In order to slow down, we need to step off the freeway of life and enjoy the scenery on the roadside.  Take the time to watch a sunrise or sunset (or both!), watch children at play, take a break from your work to just relax and breath easy.  Reconnect with friends.  Take one thing out of your schedule and use that free time to do something relaxing and special just for you.  Above all else, enjoy life!

Beth

Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zQv-LVB0vY2p3PP13yEnIDNZcCVKxqnd/view?usp=sharing

To contact The Chautauqua, email: thechautauqua@gmail.com.