Wednesday 30 January 2019

Faith

Doubt sees the obstacles, Faith sees the way; 
Doubt sees the blackest night, Faith sees the day; 
Doubt dreads to take a step, Faith soars on high; 
Doubt questions, “Who believes?” Faith answers, “I.”
 - author unknown

Friday 25 January 2019

Monday 21 January 2019

Worry

Worry does not make you escape your trouble; 
it only makes you unfit to deal with it when it comes. 
- Joyce Meyer

Friday 18 January 2019

January 18, 2019 Chautauqua


Beth's Ponderings

   When you are faced with a task you must complete, or a problem you must solve, what is your usual approach to it?

   Is your approach like that of most people?  They hammer away at it, without pause, like a jackhammer, using a LOT of force and effort, expending massive amounts of energy, creating a lot of noise, yet not really accomplishing anything.

   The trouble with that approach is not only the extreme expenditure of energy and effort, but things (and people) tend to get damaged along the way, which leads to a worse situation then you originally started with.

   Now if the task or problem was a mountain, then, a jackhammer is one way of getting through to the other side.  Yet, there is another way.

   Instead of forcing and wasting energy, why not be more like water.  Water doesn't fight obstacles, it just quietly and effortlessly flows AROUND them.  No effort or energy wasted, no one and nothing is damaged, and it still ends up exactly where it is supposed to be.

   For some reason, as a society, we believe that we have to force outcomes, and be ruthless to get what we want.  However, if you look back at your accomplishments and successes, you will probably find that the greatest (most memorable) ones, were usually the result of situations and circumstances just falling into place for you without any overt forcing or effort on your part, and you were just along for the ride.


   There is no need to force anything, all you have to do is keep moving.

Beth


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Wednesday 16 January 2019

Purpose

Sometimes you can discover a greater sense of purpose
 simply by paying attention to what people thank you for. 
You already make a difference in someone’s life. 
- Jeremy Adam Smith

Monday 14 January 2019

Wrong

Open the door to the possibility of a warmer connection with yourself 
as you grow less afraid you might do or say something wrong. 
When we learn to be strong and wrong, 
we unlock opportunities to grow, mature, 
and awaken to the tender joy of not having all the answers.
 - Elaine Smookler

Friday 11 January 2019

Peace

If you have the desire for some peace of mind and feel the need to grow,
 you need to do one thing and one thing only – “something different.”...
Doing something different is an opportunity available 
to each of us at every moment of our lives. 
- Wyatt Webb

Wednesday 9 January 2019

Monday 7 January 2019

Easier

Try what we know – if it doesn’t work, 
try something different and/or ask for help. 
If we’d only complete these steps, I promise
 that life will get easier. It’s impossible for it not to.
 - Wyatt Webb

Friday 4 January 2019

January 4, 2019 Chautauqua

       

Beth's Ponderings

   I love doing jigsaw puzzles.  In fact, one if the things that I really like about doing this paper, is that it is like a jigsaw puzzle, in that I have to fit everything together in a manner that best fits and looks good.

   When we were growing up, every year for Christmas, my dad would get a puzzle and Christmas afternoon would be spent working on it.  A jigsaw puzzle on the go was a favourite winter pastime in our family (though, we never confined them just to the winter months).

   In 2018, I really had fun and completed 36 jigsaw puzzles, ranging in size from 500 to 1,000 pieces.  While I was able to complete them all, there was that one moment, in the midst of each puzzle, usually just after the halfway point, but up to the three-quarters point, where things became a bit more challenging and it seems like I’d never get another piece in, and the puzzle will never get done.

   Yet, it was never a permanent state.  All it usually took was a step away from the puzzle and deep breath, and when I returned the next obvious piece practically jumped into my hand and I was able to continue.

   We are at that time where we are wrapping up one year and entering the great unknown of a new year.  Typically, at this time, we review what happened last year - the highlights and lowlights, our accomplishments and challenges, and what we still have yet to do.  Then, we look at the pristine new calendar and start dreaming of everything we want to experience and get done in the days and months ahead.  What often happens is that we have more ideas than days in the year, or hours in the day!  Or, we could be facing a major change and have more days and hours with nothing to fill them as our life has been turned upside down. 


   Yet, like the jigsaw puzzle, at its most challenging spot, all is not lost.  All the pieces we need to complete our picture (aka life) are available to us, whether we can readily see them or not.  And all the pieces we have put in before will help us to determine what our next piece should be.  We just need to take a step away and take a deep breath, and soon the next right piece will reveal itself.  May 2019 be a colourful year for you.

Beth

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Wednesday 2 January 2019

Laughing

Laughing is the best way
 to achieve a deep and complete exhale.
 - Anjali Kumar

Tuesday 1 January 2019

Happy New Year

Young and old allow their lives
 to become a small black dot on a larger white page. 
They think life is the small black dot,
 whereas the opposite is true:
 Life is the greater white space on the page. 
- Kristine Carlson