About Dying Slowly

I was listening to a friend of a friend talk about how awful and sad their life was.  She did not have one good thing to say about her life or life in general.  It seemed to me that she was dying very slowly.  Then, this poem popped up for me.  I think the poem says it all.

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YOU START DYING SLOWLY!

You start dying slowly ;
if you do not travel,
if you do not read,
If you do not listen to the sounds of life,
If you do not appreciate yourself.
You start dying slowly :
When you kill your self-esteem,
When you do not let others help you.

You start dying slowly ;
If you become a slave of your habits,
Walking everyday on the same paths…
If you do not change your routine,
If you do not wear different colours
Or you do not speak to those you don’t know.

You start dying slowly :
If you avoid to feel passion
And their turbulent emotions;
Those which make your eyes glisten
And your heart beat fast.

You start dying slowly :
If you do not risk what is safe for the uncertain
If you do not go after a dream
If you do not allow yourself
At least once in your lifetime
To run away from sensible advice
Don't let yourself die slowly
Do not forget to be happy!
~ Pablo Neruda♡
Chilean poet who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971

Many blessings,

Judy

50 Golden Rules For Life

Picture of mountains in Elbow Falls Wilderness Area - by J. Hirst

Often, I find that I need a pick-me-up mental or spiritual boost on some morning.  I read a lot and sometimes find nuggets of good information in places I do not expect to find anything useful.

Last month, I was scanning LinkedIn and found this wonderful posting by Alvin Foo on LinkedIn on February 24 2024.  His thoughts and his rules for life are worth sharing.

50 GOLDEN RULES FOR LIFE.

1. Never shake hands at anyone without standing up.

2. In a negotiation, never make the first offer.

3. If they trust you a secret, keep it.

4. If they lend you a car, return it with a full tank.

5. Do things with passion or don't do it at all.

6. When you shake your hand make it firm and look that person in the eye.

7. Live the experience of traveling alone.

8. Never turn down a peppermint pill, the reasons are obvious.

9. Take advice if you want to grow old.

10. Come eat with the new person at school/office.

11. When you text someone and you're angry: finish, read it, delete it, and rewrite the message.

12. At the table you don't talk about work, politics, or religion.

13. Write your goals, and work on them.

14. Defend your point of view but be tolerant and respectful to others.

15. Call and visit your relatives.

16. Never regret anything, learn from everything

17. Honor and loyalty must be present in your personality.

18. Don't lend money to someone you know won't pay you back.

19. Believe in something.

20. Tend your bed when you wake up in the mornings.

21. Sing in the shower.

22. Care for a plant or a garden.

23. Keep an eye on the sky every chance you get.

24. Discover your skills and exploit them.

25. Love your job or leave it.

26. Ask for help when you need it.

27. Teach someone a value, preferably a small one.

28. Appreciate and thank the one who extends your hand.

29. Be kind to your neighbors.

30. Make someone's day happier, it will make you happier too.

31. Compete with yourself.

32 Treat yourself at least once a year

33. Take care of your health.

34. Always greet with a smile.

35. Think fast but speak slow.

36. Don't talk with a mouth full.

37. Polish your shoes, cut your nails, and always keep a good look.

38. Don't put your opinion on issues you don't know.

39. Never mistreat anyone.

40. Live your life as if it were the last day of it.

41. Never miss a wonderful opportunity to remain quiet.

42. Recognize someone for their effort.

43. Be humble, even though not all the time.

44. Never forget your roots.

45. Travel when you can.

46. Give up the step.

47 Dance in the rain.

48. Seek your success without giving up.

49. Be fair, stand up for those who need you.

50. Learn to enjoy moments of loneliness.

Many blessings,

Judy

Happy Valentine’s Day 2024

This is a wonderful day to send love to everyone!  This picture is from yellow-net.com. 

Valentine’s Day is founded in love, the same love that a priest, Valentine, showed for others.  Here is his story.

Valentine was a holy priest in Rome, who, with St. Marius and his family, assisted the martyrs in the persecution under Claudius II. He was apprehended, and sent by the emperor to the prefect of Rome, who, on finding all his promises to make him renounce his faith in effectual, commended him to be beaten with clubs, and afterwards, to be beheaded, which was executed on February 14. – from www.lonekeep.com

Who can beat the unconditional love of a dog?

  from printables.kaboose.com 

 

 

 

 

 

Cupid, one of the gods in Roman mythology, is the force that controls erotic love. Cupid is the Roman counterpart to the Greek god Eros. His name comes from the Latin word cupido which translates to “passion, desire, yearning, wanting, or longing.” However, in Latin, Cupid is known as Amor. The Latin word amor means “love, infatuation, or passion.” from www.wisegeek.com

 

 

Cupid picture from family.webshots.com 

 

 

 

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

Many happy times!

Judy

Bored!

 “Good-bye. I am leaving because I am bored.”  George Saunders

Picture of boredom from

30tocure30.files.wordpress.com  



I saw the quote about boredom, and I tried to see where, in my life, I might be bored.  I could not find a spot of boredom!  So, perhaps I was not defining the thought correctly. I turned to one of my favourite resources, www.thefreedictionary.com, and found this definition of boredom.  

Boredom is “the state of being weary and restless through lack of interest”.  Now, that applied to me when I was nearing the end of my time at some jobs that I have held. 

Here is what else www.thefreedictionary.com had to say about boredom.  This was under their Thesaurus section.

Boredom or ennui, tedium; dissatisfaction - the feeling of being displeased and discontent; "he was never slow to express his dissatisfaction with the service he received";  blahs - a general feeling of boredom and dissatisfaction; fatigue - (always used with a modifier) boredom resulting from overexposure to something; "he was suffering from museum fatigue"; "after watching TV with her husband she had a bad case of football fatigue"; "the American public is experiencing scandal fatigue"; "political fatigue"

With all of these different meanings of boredom, it almost seems fashionable to be bored!  What I realized as I read through all of this is that boredom really means that there is no excitement; no passion.  

Really, what people are saying by being bored is that they want some passion and enthusiasm back in their life.  When passion is absent, people eventually get tired, depressed, and as George Saunders says, they leave. 

I wish you passion in your life. I wish you success in all things, but mostly in finding something that fills your heart and makes you spring out of bed in the morning.

Many blessings,

Judy

Never Give Up On A Dream

 

If you wonder what your passion is, the quote above tells you so well – it is what you cannot stop thinking about.  It is what you dream about and doodle on pages about.  It is the thing that over powers everything else in your life.

For some people, it is cooking and recipes and food.  For others, it is carving or sewing or showing dogs or, whatever.  The passion is what makes life so much fun.  

Your dream comes from your soul.  It is the thing that gives meaning to your life.  It is also the thing that others will try to distract you from.  It is for your own good, they say.  Your dream is not practical.  It is not doable.  It has no value.  Do not listen to the naysayers.  Your dream, your passion, is yours alone.

Today, pay attention to what you think about and see if you can discover what your passion is.

Many blessings

Judy

Reflection - Passion In All Things

 

 

Cartoon by Hugh MacLeod at www.gapingvoid.com 

Check out his work in the blog – it is brilliant!

 

The main concern that my clients have in their lives is “how do I stay in balance?”  This is a valid concern for most people because of the hectic pace of work and how much work time moves in to our personal/family time.  As a former consultant for Microsoft, I can tell you that when I travelled, my family time was limited to weekends, and the phone calls home.  That is definitely not balance! 

What I have learned, however, is that if what I am doing is my passion, then the life force that the passion provides my mind and my body helps to keep me in balance because I am excited and joyful about life.  In that excitement, I share with my family and friends. I take time to rejuvenate. I separate work, home, and “me” time. I connect more easily with Spirit.

If you are feeling drained and out of balance, perhaps you need to identify what your passion is?  Are you living it? Does passion show up in your life currently as rage or seething anger?  Do you yell at your employees and your family? 

Take a deep breath!  If someone is pushing your buttons, remember that you installed the buttons – they did not.