“Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye.”
~ Helen Keller
The news media comes rushing at us at blinding speed spinning stories fueling numerous negative emotions. I don’t like the feeling of being wound up. I prefer to be peaceful. Here are a couple of strategies to move away from the emotional chaos spewed by news media, social networks, and friends:
The greatest change we can make is in our attitude. When we change our attitude, life changes. Choose empowering, optimistic attitudes that lift you and those near you to higher levels.
I
Tagore
I wonder if I know him
In whose speech is my voice,
In whose movement is my being,
Whose skill is in my lines,
Whose melody is in my songs
In joy and sorrow.
I thought he was chained within me,
Contained by tears and laughter,
Work and play.
I thought he was my very self
Coming to an end with my death.
Why then in a flood of joy do I feel him
In the sight and touch of my beloved?
This ‘I’ beyond self I found
On the shores of the shining sea.
Therefore I know
This ‘I’ is not imprisoned within my bounds.
Losing myself, I find him
Beyond the borders of time and space.
Through the Ages
I come to know his Shining Self
In the life of the seeker,
In the voice of the poet.
From the dark clouds pour the rains.
I sit and think:
Bearing so many forms, so many names,
I come down, crossing the threshold
Of countless births and deaths.
The Supreme undivided, complete in himself,
Embracing past and present,
Dwells in Man.
Within Him I shall find myself –
The ‘I’ that reaches everywhere.
“I have been successful probably because I have always realized that I knew nothing about writing and have merely tried to tell an interesting story entertainingly.”
~ Edgar Rice Burroughs
Some years back I read a book on decision making. A single concept remains with me. The concept proved invaluable. I hope you find it as useful for you as I found it for me. Here is the concept:
The best decision is to stop making a bad decision.
It’s simple and straightforward.
“If you get stuck, get away from your desk. Take a walk, take a bath, go to sleep, make a pie, draw, listen to music, meditate, exercise; whatever you do, don’t just stick there scowling at the problem. But don’t make telephone calls or go to a party; if you do, other people’s words will pour in where your lost words should be.”
~ Hilary Mantel
How do you spend your time? How we spend our time and who we spend it with makes all the difference in our lives.
Last Night As I was Sleeping
Antonio Machado
Last night as I was sleeping,
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that a spring was breaking
out in my heart.
I said: Along which secret aqueduct,
Oh water, are you coming to me,
water of a new life
that I have never drunk?
Last night as I was sleeping,
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that I had a beehive
here inside my heart.
And the golden bees
were making white combs
and sweet honey
from my old failures.
Last night as I was sleeping,
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that a fiery sun was giving
light inside my heart.
It was fiery because I felt
warmth as from a hearth,
and sun because it gave light
and brought tears to my eyes.
Last night as I slept,
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that it was God I had
here inside my heart.
Translated by Robert Bly
The difference between worry and concern is that I can prepare myself for what concerns me. Worry will only exhaust me. Once prepared, I’ll give it my best, and put the rest in God’s hands. That’s good enough for me.
