Friday, 29 May 2015

Yet

Between no longer and not yet. 
 - Janet Quinn

Wednesday, 27 May 2015

Capable

Everyone is completely capable and equipped
 to take care of themselves 
and handle their own problems.
  - Iyanla Vanzant

Monday, 25 May 2015

Accept

Accept yourself absolutely and unconditionally.  
It's one of the most radical acts
 you can do in an insane culture
 that actually profits from your self-loathing. 
 - Tosha Silver

Friday, 22 May 2015

Trim

They who trim themselves to suit others 
will soon whittle themselves away.  
- Amish proverb 
 

Wednesday, 20 May 2015

Adversity

Adversity is just part of life 
and you cope with adversity
 by accepting it. 
 - Dr. Joe Wittmer

Monday, 18 May 2015

Detour

 A truly happy person
 is one who can enjoy 
the scenery of a detour. 
 - Amish proverb

Friday, 15 May 2015

May 15, 2015 Chautauqua


Beth's Ponderings
 
   Every once in a while, I see articles about the “100 Thing Challenge.” I’m not sure who exactly started the challenge, and it has many variations now.

   Basically, the premise is to simplify your life by getting rid of everything you own except for 100 possessions.   Depending on whose version you follow it can be very extreme or very lax.

   For example, a pair of socks can equal 2 items, or one item.  Some versions I’ve seen count a complete outfit (i.e. pair of shoes, pair of socks, underwear, pants, shirt, jacket, tie) as 1 item.

  Versions of the challenge suggest 100 personal items, such as your clothing and personal care items, per family member, but not communal items in your home.  Or, you could do the challenge by keeping only 100 items per room in your home.

   You can go through and purge items in one weekend or two.  Or, another approach suggests putting everything on a table and taking out the items as you use them.  After a certain period of time - for example, a month - you will notice what remains untouched on the table and then you can get rid of it.  

   While there are many versions of the challenge, and 100 is just an arbitrary number pulled out of a hat, as it were, the value of the challenge is still there.

   We can all benefit from a review of our possessions on a regular basis.

   Too often we hold onto items that have outlived their purpose, or can’t be repaired, just in case a miracle happens and it suddenly works again.  Okay, I must admit I have done that, and it did mysteriously start working again a couple of years after it quit, but that is a very rare occurrence.

   Of course there are the items we stockpile in case of an emergency or apocalypse that probably will never happen, and if it does, we won’t be able to use the stockpile because we forgot to save a handheld can opener.  

   We probably all have more than we need in our homes.  Why not lighten your load and create more space around you?  Space you can use to relax in and enjoy life more fully.

Beth

Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PvFEnwNAfVTC2mdRZZs7uNZX8AbtbVKA/view?usp=sharing

Contact The Chautauqua via email: thechautauqua@gmail.com or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheChautauqua

Wednesday, 13 May 2015

Habit

Cut h off of “habit” and you will have “a bit” left.  
Cut off a and you still have a “bit.” 
Cut off bit and you will have “it” conquered. 
 - Amish proverb 

Monday, 11 May 2015

Major

Take care of the little things
 in your heart, your mind, and your life 
that have a major impact 
on your ability to help and give to the world.
 - Iyanla Vanzant

Friday, 8 May 2015

Light

When you are the light, 
you cannot complain about the darkness.  
The only thing you can do is shine.  
You must shine brightly, in everything you do, 
in every place you go.  That is your job. 
 When you are the light, you must realize 
that without the darkness you would have no meaning.  
You must also understand that
 just because there is darkness does not mean
 you are not doing what you are supposed to do. 
 - Iyanla Vanzant

Wednesday, 6 May 2015

Didn't work

“It just didn't work.”  
You can make yourself crazy 
trying to figure out why, 
or you can simply accept that it didn't. 
 - Iyanla Vanzant

Monday, 4 May 2015

Circus

Not my circus.  Not my monkeys. 
 - Polish proverb 

Friday, 1 May 2015

May 1, 2015 Chautauqua


Beth's Ponderings
 
   We are mere days away from a Provincial Election in Alberta.
 
   I personally agree with Premier Prentice’s comment from earlier this year that all Albertans need to look in the mirror to see who is responsible for the current situation Albertan find ourselves in.
 
   Now, WHY I agree with that comment?  Because all Albertans have not only expected, but have DEMANDED loudly, that “The Government” take care of us in ways that it shouldn’t be.
 
   I don’t believe we need “The Government” to give out more money to the departments, we need “The Government” to give out LESS money!
 
      For example, health care doesn’t make us well.  Our daily choices - what we eat and drink, exercise/activity, lifestyle, etc. - make us well.  It is not “The Government’s” responsibility to tell us what to eat or how to be fit.  Health care should be for emergencies, and a last resort, when other options fail. 
 
   Also, education (schools and universities) doesn’t make us learn.  Truthfully, children (and adults) learn more effectively outside of any organized classroom setting.  For example, we learn more from hobbies than we do from rote work in a classroom.  And moreover, the oft repeated statistic from School Boards and the Opposition parties that there will be 12,000 more students and no teacher to teach them - NOT TRUE.  In a province this size, that works out to maybe 1 more student in a classroom, and not every class will see an increase.

   It is not “The Government’s” responsibility to run this province in the day-to-day, it is OURS.  Each of us, through the jobs we do, the Boards we are members of, and the communities we live in, is responsible for doing the best we can with the resources we currently have at our disposal.  If we can’t efficiently do that, all the government money in the world won’t solve our problems, nor will user fees.

   And maybe, once we take back our own responsibilities, then “The Government” we elect will be more able to effectively do the job we elect them too do.

   Voting on May 5th is very important, but even more important is the many choices you make every day which impact this province.

Beth

Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1C3CQ8IHC5z4kdEfPDKLb3YhcqqR3XXJU/view?usp=sharing

Contact The Chautauqua via email: thechautauqua@gmail.com or via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheChautauqua
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