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Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Mother Knows Best

Hopefully Opal doesn't mind that I used her picture that she posted on facebook. It's just that it happened to have my mom, all garbed out in it! She's the one of the far left, and looks exactly freaking like me (which is why she gets in trouble when she complains about her appearance.). OH, also, funny side note. Me and  my sister in law next to me are both pregnant and in corsets! She and I are due a week apart....bless our hearts.)


         When I was a teenager, my mom started taping little index cards with sayings on them to our bathroom mirror so we could read  and memorize them whilst we were brushing our teeth. I'm going to share with you my TWO very favorite ones, because they play like a recording in my brain AT LEAST once a day. 

"If we hung our trials out on a line, you'd take yours, and I'd take mine."

           This is one of my enduring favorites, because it sounds like something a little craggy lady in an apron would  would say while she was hanging up laundry. OH...it's also my favorite, because it reminds us to be GRATEFUL for the trials that we have that seem to be hand-picked just for us.   I'm certainly never fond of hardships while I'm right in the crushing grip of them, but when that dang hindsight kicks in, I always think, "Holy JUNK! Look at how that exact situation helped me out later on in life. Look at how that helped me to grow!"  Now, granted, I believe that with lots of really hard situations, we may never come to know the reasons in this life, but certainly we can still choose to let the catastrophies shape us into better people.  

         I truly wish that I had the wisdom to be humble and charitable while life was going smoothly AND roughly, but it seems like I need good hard kicks in the emotional shins to help me wake up and remember how to be a decent human being. I know that hardships don't necessarily always make people better in the short-run... sometimes we let our own personal pain dominate all of our thoughts and actions, thus making the world an even worse place for everyone else. However, some of the best people I know have lead very hard lives, yet their unfailing positive attitudes and selflessness still shine bright and uplift every single person they meet. I doubt that they would have the fortitude and compassion to act this way had they not suffered the ordeals they had been given. 

This is me and Brynn, this last summer, exporing the amazing rock formations of Southern Utah. It struck me how beautiful that the LOW places where, just as much as the high places. When  you're down, you can look up and find hope...light shining through.

        My other favorite quote that I have to repeat to myself every dang day is this one. I actually found the source for the original quote, as well!

 Many of our fears are tissue-paper-thin, and a single courageous step would carry us clear through them. 
-Brendan Francis

      
       OH, man! This one has such great imagery. I can just see myself, whining and complaining, while standing in front of what I see as an insurmountable barrier, but what is actually a piece of tissue paper. I'm thinking that generally, the tissue paper is my shoddy attitude, and if I could just bust through it, I'd be good to go! ;) 

     But just think of all of the fears that choke us, making it so we can't move forward because of illogical paralysis. Come on....just one dang step.....You can do it!!! 


      Thus, I have decided to start taping quotes to my kids' mirror, and making them memorize and record them in their little brains. I would be REALLY interested to see what  YOUR favorite inspirational quotes are. I think that, together, we can make the internet a place for positive interaction, rather than trolling, cowardice, and contention! 

23 comments:

  1. "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Even taken out of the context of war, it has a deep truth to it. Fear is what holds us back. Fear is what keeps us from growing. If we start to fear being too afraid to live, then we will start to have the courage to put the fears away.

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  2. My favorite isn't a short little sentence or two, but it's been my favorite since I first saw it as a teenager
    .
    "To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."


    And in my opinion, you, my dear, are a total success.

    -Gwyn

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  3. wow thank Michelle! that was so inspirational! My parents would write notes on my sister and mine napkins in our lunches each day. They were just little notes to say they loved us and for us to have a good day at school. I can`t wait for my little brother who is three to start school so I can do that for him! I am so glad your ok. I had a mini freak out session when I saw the post because it had blown my mind. I was sitting there thinking to myself" no way, I just gave her and the girls snacks cause they are amazing". I am so happy you all are ok. Congratulations to you and your sister in law on your new little one`s in the oven!!!! I am so glad I have your blog posted on mine so I can catch all of your awesomeness! I can`t wait to see you when you guys make it back down to Oklahoma.

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  4. My current favorite is "What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?" The answer eludes me sometimes and smacks me in the head others... The end result is to see my fear, name it and then cast it out because I can do so much more than just be afraid...
    Thanks for the inspiration!

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  5. Thanks Michelle, I've had a truly awful week, and I just kept trying to remind myself that every trial I've been through, has been useful to me later on. It seems after I go through something, there's someone that needs that particular lesson, and I am able to share and help. I'm still reeling and trying to make sense of it, and it's still not really over, but I have the support of some really good people and that helps.

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  6. Love that second quote, I'll be adding it to my own little book of inspirations :)

    Two of my favorite quotes that spring to mind almost immediately are;

    "Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." -Albert Einstein

    And

    "This too shall pass"

    The first was something I clung to throughout much of middle school. It was something that helped alleviate the pain of being one of the "weird kids"

    The second is one of those universal truths that I try to keep at the front of my mind every day.

    It's a phrase that you can look from one of two ways, both of which are as important as the other.

    In times of hardship it is a reminder that while the pain and even depression feels endless, it is not.

    In times of joy it is a reminder to cherish the time we have and commit moments like this to memory because our time here is fleeting.

    As my Son gets older I may just have to start using that note card idea. I'll have to say thanks to you and your mother next time we see you. :)

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  7. I have 2 quotes that I love.
    "The further backward you can look, the farther forward you can see." Winston Churchill
    This one makes me think about my life. And that I have learned much in my life and those lessons will shape my future.
    "Every passing minute is another chance to turn it all around." Sofia Serrano (Penelope Cruz) in "Vanilla Sky"
    This one tells me that life is not set in stone. Things can and will change.
    I love your quotes too. I hope you like these and possibly use them.

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  8. Stars can't shine without the darkness...

    Has carried me through many a dark, unending night.


    sheri

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  9. Whenever I need inspiration I turn to RWE... I find his quotes amazing... here are just four...

    Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
    Ralph Waldo Emerson

    To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.
    Ralph Waldo Emerson

    What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.
    Ralph Waldo Emerson

    Always do what you are afraid to do.
    Ralph Waldo Emerson

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  10. "Three things cannot be long hidden: The sun, the moon, and the truth." -Buddha

    This is both literal, in that the truth will always be revealed eventually, and figurative, in that you must always be true to YOURSELF, because in the end, you're all you've got. I don't want 85 year old me to look back and regret that I lied to myself for so many years. The truth is hard sometimes, but a hard truth is always more real than a gentle lie.

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  11. Oh, another important one:

    "The brighter the light, the deeper the darkness."

    The reason that's important is that the more passionate you are, the more strongly you love, deeper you feel, the more you attract like-minded, strong people; but also the more negative people will try to bring you down. So be strong, and be a beacon of light to pierce though the darkness. The more people you have standing by you, the brighter your lights will be.

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  12. There's a couple that spring to mind.

    One is "It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not." (Andre Gide)

    The other is “I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days attack me at once.” (Ashleigh Brilliant)

    I suppose the first is more inspirational than the second, but both tend to describe my life! ;)

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  13. "This too shall pass." Something I tell myself every time life is so messed up I want to crawl in a hole and die. BUT my favorite quote, the thing I think about everytime I have to say or do something in my life that terrifies me into inaction is this quote by one of my favorite authors.
    “Happiness is a risk. If you’re not a little scared, then you’re not doing it right.”– The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen

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  14. What a wonderful idea! I only share the mirror with myself, but I think I'll start finding quotes like this to do that, too!

    I don't know if this is my "favorite" quote, but it's stayed with me for as long as I've known it.

    "You are what you repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle

    Every time I don't feel good enough at whatever I'm doing and feel like giving up, I remember this saying, and I get the will to keep going and keep improving.

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  15. "If you do what you always did, you will get what you always got." - Albert Einstein

    It's my favorite mantra when I feel stuck with the same results in life.

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  16. A gentle touch;
    A smile;
    Kind words-
    By such small things
    Are lives changed.
    -- Tara K. Harper, chapter 6 of her novel Shadow Leader

    This little... poem, I suppose, reminds me that sometimes the big stuff isn't as important as I make it out to be. Sometimes the little stuff means so much more. And.not just to me, but others, as well.

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  17. "I may be a Romantic and I may risk my life for it, but I ain't gonna die for you, you know I ain't no Juliet"
    ~ Ampersand by Amanda Palmer on Who Killed Amanda Palmer

    and

    "Killing things is not so hard, its hurting that's the hardest part, and when the wizard gets to me, I'm asking for a smaller heart."
    ~ Trout Heart Replica by Amanda Palmer and the Grand Theft Orchestra on Theater is Evil

    Ok, not so inspirational when you read them out right, but inspirational in the context of my life. The first came around a bad break up and I was taking it hard. And this line (And song) helped me through it. Now it reminds me that I should try hard and well, but don't kill myself over it, I have to stop and re-evaluate if it is effecting my life in a negative way.

    The second is also a song, but it applies to the fact that sometimes I have to stop FEELING to see the whole picture. I am always over emotional, and ANYTHING makes me cry. While I don't see it as a character flaw, I do see it as a hindrance to fully grasp a situation and think clearly. The smaller heart means to step back and see with clear eyes, not blindly let your emotions take you on a journey you may not like.

    Melinda

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  18. I can hear my mother's voice saying the words...

    The Man In The Glass

    Peter "Dale" Winbrow Sr

    When you get what you want in your struggle for self
    And the world makes you king for a day,
    Just go to the mirror and look at yourself
    And see what that man has to say.

    For it isn't your father or mother or wife
    Whose judgment upon you must pass.
    The fellow whose verdict counts most in you life
    Is the one staring back from the glass.

    You may be like Jack Horner and chisel a plum
    And think you're a wonderful guy.
    But the man in the glass says you're only a bum
    If you can't look him straight in the eye.

    He's the fellow to please-never mind all the rest,
    For he's with you clear to the end.
    And you've passed your most dangerous, difficult test
    If the man in the glass is your friend.

    You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years
    And get pats on the back as you pass.
    But your final reward will be heartache and tears
    If you've cheated the man in the glass.

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  19. "Always remember: you’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think" - Christopher Robin :)

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  20. I have a very unique job...I get to memorize and perform poetry for school children all across the country, so I have a quote/poem/song for almost every situation! But as I thought of what to write, I could only think of John Lennon, and the song Strawberry Fields Forever. It's what's been on my mind as of late, and it's such a beautiful idea to try in this crazy time. So here it is:

    Living is easy with eyes closed
    Misunderstanding all you see.
    It's getting hard to be someone
    But it all works out.
    It doesn't matter much to me.

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  21. This is one of my favorites growing up:
    If a task is once begun,
    Never leave it ’till it’s done.
    Be the labor great or small,
    Do it well or not at all.

    And~ from Flight of the Phoenix:
    "I think a man only needs one thing in life. He just needs someone to love. If you can't give him that, then give him something to hope for. And if you can't give him that, just give him something to do."

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  22. ZOPO ZP980 is very good for browsing the Internet also. Those who are very much interested in various types of entertainment including movies will find this device useful for watching their favorite movies.

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  23. "Provided that you do what you dependably did, you will get what you dependably got." -Albert Einstein

    It's my most beloved mantra when I feel remain faithful to the same brings about existence.

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