The Awakening
James Weldon Johnson
I dreamed that I was a rose
That grew beside a lonely way,
Close by a path none ever chose,
And there I lingered day by day.
Beneath the sunshine and the show’r
I grew and waited there apart,
Gathering perfume hour by hour,
And storing it within my heart,
Yet, never knew,
Just why I waited there and grew.I dreamed that you were a bee
That one day gaily flew along,
You came across the hedge to me,
And sang a soft, love-burdened song.
You brushed my petals with a kiss,
I woke to gladness with a start,
And yielded up to you in bliss
The treasured fragrance of my heart;
And then I knew
That I had waited there for you.
Month: May 2022
👍 Today’s Good Word ~ Power
Power – Def: (1) energy, usually electricity, that is used to make light, heat, etc. (2) control over people and things that happen.
Power is a two-edged sword. Power can be used to create great benefit for many people. Power can also be used to create harm. When we feel powerless we are alienated from our environment, work, or family. When we feel empowered, we have confidence to move into the unknown and accomplish important goals. People who feel empowered, connect confidently with their environment and hold an inner confidence they can make a difference.
🌞 Today’s Inspiration ~ Opportunities are Hidden in Every Challenge
“Smile at the obstacle, for it is a bridge.” ~ Medusa (Poet)
🍎 Today’s Health Tip ~ What is the Best Tea for Overall Health?
Best Tea for Overall Health: Green Tea
When it comes to tea, green tea gets the gold. “Green tea is the champ when it comes to offering health benefits,” says dietitian Beth Czerwony, RD. “It’s the Swiss Army knife of teas. It covers a lot of territory.”
A medical literature review offers a snapshot of those benefits, linking the consumption of green tea to:
- Cancer prevention.
- Fighting heart disease.
- Lower blood pressure.
- Anti-inflammatory treatment.
- Weight loss.
- Lower cholesterol.
The healing power of green tea is linked to catechin, an antioxidant compound found in tea leaves. It helps protect your cells from damage caused by out-of-hand free radicals reacting with other molecules in your body.
🌾 Today’s Poem ~ Of Love: A Sonnet
Of Love: A Sonnet
Robert Herrick
How love came in I do not know,
Whether by the eye, or ear, or no;
Or whether with the soul it came
(At first) infused with the same;
Whether in part ’tis here or there,
Or, like the soul, whole everywhere,
This troubles me: but I as well
As any other this can tell:
That when from hence she does depart
The outlet then is from the heart.
🍎 Today’s Health Tip ~ Positive Words are a Health Benefit
The Words You Use Can Affect Your Health
Seeing a list of negative words for a few seconds will make a highly anxious or depressed person feel worse, and the more you ruminate on them, the more you can actually damage key structures that regulate your memory, feelings, and emotions. You’ll disrupt your sleep, your appetite, and your ability to experience long-term happiness and satisfaction. . . . Choose your words wisely and speak them slowly. This will allow you to interrupt the brain’s propensity to be negative, and, as recent research has shown, the mere repetition of positive words like love, peace, and compassion will turn on specific genes that lower your physical and emotional stress. You’ll feel better, live longer, and build deeper and more trusting relationships with others, at home and at work.
💡 Something to Think About
Why me? I’ve heard lots folks complain about life’s unfairness and question, why me. Life is unfair. It always will be. We may not like it, but we don’t have to feel powerless. We can accept it as a fact. We can make the best of it. We can view what life dishes out and make it our piece of granite to chisel a masterpiece.
🌞 Today’s Inspiration ~ Don’t Wait – Your Dreams are Waiting for You
“If you wait for tomorrow to follow your dreams, by the time that you get there they’re gone.”
~ Willie Nelson
Today’s Smile 😃
Joe: “I went shopping for camouflage pants.”
Pete: “Did you get a pair?”
Joe: “No, I couldn’t find any.”
