Friday, 30 May 2014

Your Way

Your way is the easy way.  The natural way.  
The way that fits you.  
It takes the least energy from you.
 – Mira Kirshenbaum

Wednesday, 28 May 2014

Pried

My fingers are being pried off all I think I know.  
Certainty is very useful, 
but it can really close your mind off to the true light.
 – David Russell

Monday, 26 May 2014

Transformation

Inner transformation comes by 
making small realizations,
 implementing a plan and 
repeating the actions – 
over and over, and over again.
 – Madeline Marentette

Friday, 23 May 2014

Self-confidence

Once you go through a series of heartaches, 
challenges, upside-downs, capsizing, whatever, 
you always come out the better 
because of the tremendous self-confidence gained. 
– Peter Burwash

Wednesday, 21 May 2014

Hurdles

Every day has hurdles. 
 There’s nobody who wakes up in the morning 
without something wrong physically, 
mentally, emotionally, or spiritually.  
Accept the fact that 
you’re going to have hurdles.  
Everybody has them. 
 – Peter Burwash

Monday, 19 May 2014

Experiment

Don’t be too timid and squeamish 
about your actions. 
All life is an experiment. 
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Friday, 16 May 2014

May 16, 2014 Chautauqua


Beth's Ponderings

   What is your preferred learning style?  Visual?  Auditory? Experiential (aka hands-on)? 

   Despite what you may think your style is, how humans really learn anything is from observing another person - usually an authority figure or someone deemed more popular and knowledgeable - or, as we used to say when I was growing up: “Monkey see, monkey do.”

   No matter what behaviour or action a person exhibits, they have seen another person do the same thing at least once.  Which is why you have to be so careful around young children as they notice everything and mimic everything.

   Parents, teachers, and community members express concern about children and peer pressure - and it is a valid concern - however, I believe that peer pressure is much worse for adults, because we feel we are immune due to our maturity.

   But think about this for a moment...if we learn our behaviour and actions predominately from observing those around us - what are we observing and then acting out?

   Look around you...how many of the people you interact with daily have similar habits?  The habits can be benign such as stopping for take-out coffee on the way to work, or more serious such as speeding down the highway to keep up with the traffic.

   Bad news sells and our electronic devices bombard us 24/7 with bad news, which is perpetuated over and over and over again.  Watch the news on Monday evening and you’ll probably see the same stories on Friday’s news.  And that repeated exposure just reinforces the legitimacy of the behaviours - even illegal ones - in our psyches.

   If society really wants to end wars, stop violent crimes, curb drunk driving, decrease drug usage, and other behaviours that are detrimental to health and life, then education, signage, and news stories that give perpetrators their 5 minute claim to fame aren't going to stop anything.

   People need to see, on a consistent basis, people showing different behaviours and actions.  It is the only way that changes can be made. 

   Peer pressure isn’t all bad, it can be used for good, and when it is, then we truly see great things happen in and around us.

Beth

Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jY3BVvGh9ztKJRIQW5SC_b8zj8IzUzos/view?usp=sharing

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

Wednesday, 14 May 2014

Faults

Why should we assume the faults 
of our friend, or wife, or father, or child, 
because they are around our hearth, 
or are said to have the same blood.  
All men have my blood, and I have all men’s. 
Not for that will I adopt their petulance or folly...
 – Ralph Waldo Emerson

email: thechautauqua@gmail.com

Monday, 12 May 2014

Weeds

You're constantly pulling up
 the weeds in your life – 
the childhood traumas 
and your early lost loves.   
Your garden is weed free, 
but you've planted no flowers or fruits. 
 Let yourself have some weeds 
so that you can cultivate things of beauty.  
 - Alberto Villoldo
 

Friday, 9 May 2014

Misunderstood

Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood?
...To be great is to be misunderstood. 
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
 

Wednesday, 7 May 2014

Where

Why is it that one always happens 
to be where one does not want to be?  
– Ezra Pound
 

Monday, 5 May 2014

Meaning

The meaning of your life 
comes from simply living your life.  
 – Mira Kirshenbaum
 

Friday, 2 May 2014

May 2, 2014 Chautauqua


Beth's Ponderings

   Mother’s Day is coming soon.  While our mothers bring us physically into this world, each and everyone of us is then responsible for birthing ourselves – through our personalities, choices, contributions, and how we respond to what goes on inside and outside of us - throughout our lives.

   Thus, it ultimately doesn't matter how dysfunctional your family may have been, and we all know some families can be really dysfunctional, you are your most important and loving parent.

   Unlike fallible parents - who are doing the best they can from where they are in their particular life journeys - you are your very own constant and true companion. While alive, you can never abandon yourself physically nor emotionally, so it is impossible to let yourself down.

   What we think comes to us from others in our lives - our parents, family members, teachers, clergy, coaches, and friends - really comes from deep inside our own hearts.

   You are the only one who sees, and lives, the world from behind your eyes, and from the perspective of your heart, and thus you are the only one who knows you, and what you really need, best.

   We are the only ones who can, and do, provide ourselves with self-esteem. We believe we are capable of accomplishing all of our dreams and the prodding to go for it, to stretch and grow, comes from within. Our best and most honest encouragement really comes from ourselves, no one else.  And if you want to experience true unconditional love, just look inside your heart.

   Now, if you don't happen to feel or believe any of the above, it may be because the voices of others are drowning out your heart’s voice.  If the people in our lives are not be listening to their hearts when they interact with us, they will tend to do more harm than good.

   I’m not saying we don’t need other people, because we do.  The various people we associate with are not only mirrors that reflect back our beliefs to us, but they are an excellent avenue to remind us of our heart’s truths that we may have temporarily forgotten.

   You can be assured you always have someone who loves you, who is in your corner, no matter what happens in life...yourself!


Beth

 Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ctCd4b70_TpyL0ww5xcXE5iBCG4Z8y6D/view?usp=sharing

 To contact The Chautauqua email: thechautauqua@gmail.com
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