What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but scattered along life’s pathway, the good they do is inconceivable. Joseph Addison
sunshine
Roses and Sunshine ~ A Poem by Edgar Albert Guest
Roses and Sunshine
Edgar Albert Guest
Rough is the road I am journeying now,
Heavy the burden I’m bearing to-day;
But I’m humming a song, as I wander along,
And I smile at the roses that nod by the way.
Red roses sweet,
Blooming there at my feet,
Just dripping with honey and perfume and cheer;
What a weakling I’d be
If I tried not to see
The joy and the comfort you bring to us here.
Just tramping along o’er the highway of life,
Knowing not what’s ahead but still doing my best;
And I sing as I go, for my soul seems to know
In the end I shall come to the valley of rest.
With the sun in my face
And the roses to grace
The roads that I travel, what have I to fear?
What a coward I’d be
If I tried not to see
The roses of hope and the sunshine of cheer.
Count That Day Lost ~ A Poem by George Eliot
Count That Day Lost
George Eliot
If you sit down at set of sun
And count the acts that you have done,
And, counting, find
One self-denying deed, one word
That eased the heart of him who heard,
One glance most kind
That fell like sunshine where it went —
Then you may count that day well spent.
But if, through all the livelong day,
You’ve cheered no heart, by yea or nay —
If, through it all
You’ve nothing done that you can trace
That brought the sunshine to one face—
No act most small
That helped some soul and nothing cost —
Then count that day as worse than lost.
Today’s Quote: Be a Sunshine Person Today
Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves. ~ James M. Barrie
Today’s Inspiring Quote: What Are You Searching For?
If you spend your whole life waiting for the storm, you’ll never enjoy the sunshine. ~ Morris West
Thinking Out Loud: Do You Dance in the Sunshine?
Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Boris Pasternack’s work, Dr. Zhivago.
“Reshaping life! People who can say that have never understood a thing about life—they have never felt its breath, its heartbeat—however much they have seen or done. They look on it as a lump of raw material that needs to be processed by them, to be ennobled by their touch. But life is never a material, a substance to be molded. If you want to know, life is the principle of self-renewal, it is constantly renewing and remaking and changing and transfiguring itself, it is infinitely beyond your or my obtuse theories about it.”
Note: I witness it every day. I see people, age doesn’t matter, who go through the motions of existing. Each day has a repetitiveness about it for them. I also see people, age doesn’t matter, who engage with life. They wrestle with doubts, daemons, and dark struggles. They dance in the sunshine, sing in the rain, and choose to grow and evolve embracing each step as a new adventure. Which are you?
Thinking Out Loud ~ Getting Outside is Good for the Spirit
Let the Sun Shine
Thoreau writes in “Walking,” “I, who cannot stay in my chamber for a single day without acquiring some rust, and when sometimes I have stolen forth for a walk at the eleventh hour or four o’clock in the afternoon, too late to redeem the day, when the shades of night were already beginning to be mingled with the daylight, have felt as if I had committed some sin to be atoned for.” Pg. 736
Walking is available online and gutenberg.org under the Harvard Classics.
NOTE: When I read this passage I felt that Thoreau was speaking of me. I’ve always been an early riser. Once I wake, the sooner i get out of the house the happier I am. It may be one reason I moved to South Texas. I love the sunshine. If I go two or three days without sunshine I begin to get antsy. I recall extended periods of cloudiness when I lived in a northern climate and my joy when the sun returned. There is something to getting outside and letting one’s feet touch the earth and one’s eyes seeing the beauty that has always surrounded us.
Feeling Good Tip of the Day ~ Tweak the Day for a Great Day
Sun yourself in the morning. Sunshine helps wake you up, nourishes your body, and improves your mood. While too much sun can damage your skin, too little sun can cause vitamin deficiency and illness. Put on some sunscreen if you are a fair-skinned and head outside in the morning.[1]
- Take a brisk walk.
- Eat breakfast outside if the weather permits.
- Get out of the sun if you feel dehydrated, dizzy, or disoriented.
- If you are prone to sunburns, stay out of the sun from 10am-3pm, when the sun is strongest.
NOTE: We easily fall into habits. Most of our habits help us to navigate the day. Our habits, however, can get us stuck in a rut. Think about how you start your day. Same old, same old, right? What if you got up 15 minutes earlier and went for a brisk walk? The slight change in a habitual routine may make your day a great one.
Feeling Good Tip of the Day ~ Shine on & Shine Brightly
“Make your morning great. Wake up to something that makes you happy and the rest of the day will follow suit. When you wake up, try to spend a few minutes looking outside of your bedroom window. Having a connection with nature, or starting your day in a self-affirming way, are very important to having a bright and positive outlook.” Source
NOTE: It almost sounds too good to be true. It is. The attitude we take to the day is the attitude that will guide our thoughts and actions throughout the day. Why choose to be a hot burning coal when you can be the sunshine? One will drag you and all around you down. The other will lift you and all near you up. Shine On!!
