reflection

The Past: A Poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson

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The Past

Ralph Waldo Emerson

The debt is paid,

The verdict said,

The Furies laid,

The plague is stayed,

All fortunes made;

Turn the key and bolt the door,

Sweet is death forevermore.

Nor haughty hope, nor swart chagrin,

Nor murdering hate, can enter in.

All is now secure and fast;

Not the gods can shake the Past;

Flies-to the adamantine door

Bolted down forevermore.

None can re-enter there,—

No thief so politic,

No Satan with a royal trick

Steal in by window, chink, or hole,

To bind or unbind, add what lacked,

Insert a leaf, or forge a name,

New-face or finish what is packed,

Alter or mend eternal Fact.

Source

Today’s Inspiring Quote: Which Ladder are You Climbing?

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People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.

Thomas Merton

Thinking Out Loud: Why Not You?

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Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Lewis Carroll’s work, Alice in Wonderland. Alice in Wonderland is available for free download from Project Gutenberg here.

“There is no use trying,” said Alice; “one can’t believe impossible things.”

“I dare say you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen.

“When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

Note: Why not me? Have you ever asked yourself that question? If you haven’t I’ll ask it for you. ‘WHY NOT YOU! The outcome is certain if you don’t try. If you try maybe it will work out and you’ll surprise everyone. There are examples in every part of history, in every country, among all kinds of people. These are the folks who asked, “Why not me?” Then they acted on it, they persevered through disappointments. They kept working when those around them told to relax. They pushed on when friends left them. Why Not You!!

Thinking Out Loud ~ Is It Time to Test Your Perceptions?

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Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Aesop’s Fable, The Hares and the Frogs. Aesop’s Fables is available for free download here.

The Fable

“The Hares once gathered together and lamented the unhappiness of

their lot, exposed as they were to dangers on all sides and lacking

the strength and the courage to hold their own. Men, dogs, birds

and beasts of prey were all their enemies, and killed and devoured

them daily: and sooner than endure such persecution any longer,

they one and all determined to end their miserable lives. Thus

resolved and desperate, they rushed in a body towards a

neighboring pool, intending to drown themselves. On the bank were

sitting a number of Frogs, who, when they heard the noise of the

Hares as they ran, with one accord leaped into the water and hid

themselves in the depths. Then one of the older Hares who was wiser

than the rest cried out to his companions, “Stop, my friends, take

heart; don’t let us destroy ourselves after all: see, here are

creatures who are afraid of us, and who must, therefore, be still

more timid than ourselves.”

 

Note: As an academic I was a qualitative researcher. My students would go with me to fieldsites to conduct our research. The central point of our research was to gain qualitative data chiefly through interviews. My students understood they were collecting data and not arguing perceptions with the interviewees. They followed the maxim, perception is reality. What we see may not be accurate. We may be seeing it through biased filters, faulty memories, or our own faulty value system. It takes courage to question our perception, beliefs, and other tenets we live by and test them to see if they are accurate or still viable. If we fail to test them we may continue to live life not perceiving reality. Perhaps you know people whose perceptions are based on something that is not true. It’s difficult to convince them of reality and they may end up diving into the pond (as the hares intended to do).

Thinking Out Loud ~ Don’t Give Up – A Message in Aesop’s Fable

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Don’t Give Up – Don’t Ever Give Up

Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Aesop’s Fable, The Crow and the Pitcher. Aesop’s Fables is available for free download here.

The Fable

 

“A thirsty Crow found a Pitcher with some water in it, but so

little was there that, try as she might, she could not reach it

with her beak, and it seemed as though she would die of thirst

within sight of the remedy. At last she hit upon a clever plan. She

began dropping pebbles into the Pitcher, and with each pebble the

water rose a little higher until at last it reached the brim, and

the knowing bird was enabled to quench her thirst.”

 

Note: I enjoyed this fable. The crow didn’t give up. The crow discovered a workaround. When we’re confronted with challenges, there is a temptation to give up. Some inner voice speaks to us and tell us it is not worth the effort. Or, the inner voice tells us that it is impossible. When our inner voice gives us negative appraisals it is deceiving us. Our challenge may be daunting, but if we continue to endure and not give up, we have a chance. We may succeed or we may discover something more vital on the journey. Never quit, never give up. You’ve always a chance if you don’t quit.

Thinking Out Loud – From Aesop’s Fables – All Work is Significant

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Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Aesop’s Fable, The Lion and the Mouse. Aesop’s Fables is available for free download here.

The Fable

“A Lion asleep in his lair was waked up by a Mouse running over

his face. Losing his temper he seized it with his paw and was about

to kill it. The Mouse, terrified, piteously entreated him to spare

its life. “Please let me go,” it cried, “and one day I will repay

you for your kindness.” The idea of so insignificant a creature

ever being able to do anything for him amused the Lion so much that

he laughed aloud, and good-humoredly let it go. But the Mouse’s

chance came, after all. One day the Lion got entangled in a net

which had been spread for game by some hunters, and the Mouse heard

and recognized his roars of anger and ran to the spot. Without more

ado it set to work to gnaw the ropes with its teeth, and succeeded

before long in setting the Lion free. “There!” said the Mouse, “you

laughed at me when I promised I would repay you: but now you see,

even a Mouse can help a Lion.”

 Note: We need each other.  Our work may seem insignificant, but it’s not. All work is honorable and significant. My mom worked in a shoe shop for much of her adult life. She worked piece-time, e.g., she was paid by how many pieces she could process in a day. Somewhere on our planet someone was wearing shoes that she contributed in small part to their making. My dad worked in shoe shops, tended bar, and worked as a custodian. All three jobs may appear insignificant, but each job brought benefit to other people. The work you do is significant. Honor it, be grateful for it.

Thinking Out Loud ~ Reflecting is a Worthwhile Experience

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Learn From Your Experiences

James Allen in his book, “As a Man Thinketh, says, “[I}f he will watch, control, and alter his thoughts, tracing their effects upon himself, upon others, and upon his life and circumstances, linking cause and effect by patient practice and investigation, and utilizing his every experience, even to the most trivial, everyday occurrence, as a means of obtaining that knowledge of himself, which is Understanding, Wisdom, Power. ” P. 13

As a Man Thinketh is available online at gutenberg.org under the Harvard Classics.

NOTE: Many religious traditions tell us that an end of the day reflection on our day’s experiences is a good way to examine our conscience and reflect on our spiritual journey. When we reflect on our day’s experiences we can see what we did that was successful and what we did that we could do much better. In this way, we can learn from our experiences. The experiences of the day are not wasted. Each experience, whether good or bad, has a set of lessons to teach us if we are willing to harvest them. Practice reflecting on your day’s experiences for a week, and I think you’ll notice a wonderful difference.

Think About It ~ It’s Time to Dream

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2022 is near the end. It’s a time for reflection and for dreaming. I think dreaming is the more important of the two. Dreams give us hope. Dreams touch something deep inside screaming at us that something better is waiting for us. It is a time for great dreams, dreams you’ve may never had dared dream because you felt you may not have been worthy of them or believed them to be impossible, Don’t believe it. You are worthy of great dreams and if you can dream it, it is possible.

Think About It? ~ A Time for Reflection

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Take some time to reflect on 2022, what will you find?

Here’s some questions to guide you:

    1. What are all the good experiences I had?
    2. What are the successes I had?
    3. What are the good surprises I had I hadn’t expected? 
    4. What are biggest lessons I learned from this year?
    5. What am I looking forward to in 2023?

Today’s Quote: Love Is a Dynamic and Organic Process

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A Healthy Relationship Like the Tide Is Constantly Shifting

“Love one another but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.” ~ Kahlil Gibran

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