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Posts tagged ‘optimism’

Aug 23

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Sky Galleries

“When life feels too big to handle, go outside. Everything looks smaller when you’re standing under the sky.”― L.R. Knost

“I hope you gaze at cloud art galleries
against azure summer skies
and pause to gasp at rainbows
and watch butterflies fly by;
I hope wildflowers make you happy
and sad songs make you cry
and old books stacked in dusty nooks
are gems you can’t pass by;
I hope burnt toast mornings
are little things
you handle with a smile
and midnight talks and starlit walks
keep you up once in awhile;
I hope laundry warm from the dryer
brings a sigh of contentment
and front porch swings on cool evenings
offer rest when you are spent;
I hope your life is light in sorrow
and heavy with laughter
and you greet each season of your life
like a new favorite chapter;
I hope you honor every soul you meet
and always go that extra mile
and when you think of me, my love,
I hope it’s with a smile.”
― L.R. Knost

Hope.
Wonder.
Awe.
Joy.
Gratitude.
Big sky.
Heavy sigh.
Pause to see it.
Settle to let peace in.
Go out and share it with the world.
Naïve, childlike, simple, optimistic.
Yep.
And I’ll take it every time over despair, fear, scarcity, chaos.
Cast light.

“Patience is an inner pause, a brief stillness, a moment we give ourselves to breathe through our initial reaction so we can move to the place where a calm, thoughtful response is born. Patience is a gift of time we give ourselves so we can give the gift of peace to others.”― L.R. Knost

Aug 22

Bridges, Hands, Light

“Here’s to the bridge-builders, the hand-holders, the light-bringers, those extraordinary souls wrapped in ordinary lives who quietly weave threads of humanity into an inhumane world. They are the unsung heroes in a world at war with itself. They are the whisperers of hope that peace is possible. Look for them in this present darkness. Light your candle with their flame. And then go. Build bridges. Hold hands. Bring light to a dark and desperate world. Be the hero you are looking for. Peace is possible. It begins with us.”― L.R. Knost

“Do not be dismayed by the brokenness of the world. All things break. And all things can be mended. Not with time, as they say, but with intention. So go. Love intentionally, extravagantly, unconditionally. The broken world waits in darkness for the light that is you.”― L.R. Knost

Arm-chair quarterbacks.
Backseat drivers.
Critics and cynics.
The loudest voices.
The non-doers.
The easy path.
Do the hard work.
Contribute, create, add, multiply.
Bridge building.
Hand holding
Light bringing.
Peace is possible.
Always starts within.
The world awaits your generosity, kindness and light.
Heed the higher call.

“Leave a trail of light behind you
Everywhere you go.
Whose darkness you’ll illuminate
You may never know.”― L.R. Knost

Aug 21

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Be the Lighthouse.

“Human spirit is the ability to face the uncertainty of the future with curiosity and optimism. It is the belief that problems can be solved, differences resolved. It is a type of confidence. And it is fragile. It can be blackened by fear and superstition.” – Bernard Beckett

“Few things in the world are more powerful than a positive push. A smile. A world of optimism and hope. A ‘you can do it’ when things are tough.” – Richard M. DeVos

Thoughts, words, perspective.
View, angle, framework.
Listen to yourself.
Gripping, pining, complaining.
Or.
Curiosity, joy, delight.
It matters.
Choose well.
Daily.
Let light in.
Cast light out.
Be the lighthouse.

“The most fearless hearts, the audacious dreamers, have always maintained a sense of optimism that often flies in the face of the available evidence.” – Martin O’Malley

Aug 15

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Stubbornness of Gladness

“Nature, like man, sometimes weeps from gladness.” – Benjamin Disraeli

“We must risk delight. We can do without pleasure, but not delight. Not enjoyment. We must have the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless furnace of this world.” – Jack Gibert

Gladness, hope, joy, delight, awe, gratitude, optimism, wonder, beauty.
Not a side dish.
Not for someday when.
Not something we wait for, but pursue rigorously.
Not achieved in perfect circumstances.
Daily practices.
A decision to make again and again.
In our control.
Rigorous and gritty.
Intentional and powerful.
Serving to remind us that no matter where we are or what is going on, there is music in us.
That life resides in each day.
In connection, in small things, in the ordinary.
And in our stubbornness to find the good and true.
Choosing love over fear.

“Why do so many …settle for so little? I don’t understand why they’re not greedy for what’s inside them”― Jack Gilbert

Aug 14

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Watch Your Words

“Good words are worth much, and cost little.” – George Herbert

“Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.” – Buddha

To build up or break down.
To encourage or criticize.
To converse or chide.
To multiply or divide.
To understand or spout.
Choose your words well.
Contribute and enhance.
Gratitude and enthusiasm.
Bear good fruit.
Salt and light.
Be kind.
Costs nothing.
Priceless returns.

“Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.” – Lao Tzu

Aug 13

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In the Choosing

“The way we can allow ourselves to do what we need to, no matter what others may say or do, is to choose love and defy fear.” – Martha Beck

Love over fear.
Laughter and light.
Generosity and kindness.
Imperfect circumstances and people.
And still choosing to love daily.
Despite, or perhaps because of the “facts.”
Care, engage, show up.
To see and be seen.
New day, fresh canvas.
Paint.

“Every day brings new choices.” – Martha Beck

Aug 11

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Be the Balloon

“Nobody can be uncheered with a balloon.”― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” – Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Small gestures.
Tiny steps.
Little by little.
Stacking.
Momentum.
Building.
Creating.
Multiplying.
Nurturing.
Blooming.
Day by day.
Choose your attitude, approach, perspective.
Every single day.
Complain and remain.
Praise and be raised.
It all adds up or diminishes.
Our thoughts that lead to inaction or action.
Stagnation or growth.
Choose action, trying, participating, gratitude, generosity, kindness, grace, love.
Sideliners, armchair quarterbacks, critics, spectators, cynics, balloon poppers a plenty.
Be the balloon, not the pin.
Colorful, bold, life-giving, joyful, kind, and irritatingly delightful.
It spills into the world and always washes back over the giver.
Be the balloon.

“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” – Proverbs 17:22

Aug 6

To the Kite Flyers

‘’The only question in life is whether or not you are going to answer a hearty ‘YES!’ to your adventure.’’ – Joseph Campbell

“Adventure isn’t hanging off a rope on the side of a mountain. Adventure is an attitude we must apply to the day to day obstacles of life” – John Amat

To the kite flyers
The hopscotchers
The jump ropers
The cannon ballers
The silly hearted
The yes’ers
The why not’ers
The gigglers
The butterfly chasers
The drummers
The dancers
The potters
The gardeners
The tryers
The dreamers
The doers of dream making
They show us that participating is better than spectating
That trying and failing then getting back up is better than never trying at all
That joy is a superpower
That optimism while still knowing the odds is brilliant
Join the club
Try something new today
See the world anew
Your adventure awaits.

“And then there is the most dangerous risk of all – the risk of spending your life not doing what you want, on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later.”– Randy Komisar

Aug 4

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Live Well, A Day at a Time

“Be where you are, not where you think you should be.” – Unknown

May you find joy today and each day.
Right where you are.
Not looking back in nostalgia, of remember when…
Not looking forward in perfect circumstances, of when this happens…
In today, living well, loving well.
This is it.
Change what you can and let the rest go.
Gratitude. Generosity. Kindness.
Dive in and find delight.

“An easy life isn’t an option; an easy yoke is.”― John Mark Comer, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry

Jul 29

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Perennials

“Die to everything of yesterday so that your mind is always fresh, always young, innocent, full of vigor and passion.” – Jiddu Krishnamurti

“’Perennial,’ a term coined by tech entrepreneur Gina Pell to describe “ever-blooming, relevant people of all ages who live in the present time, know what’s happening in the world, stay current with technology, and have friends of all ages. Perennials get involved, stay curious, mentor others, and are passionate, compassionate, creative, confident, collaborative, global-minded risk takers, and who know how to hustle.”― Steven Petrow, Stupid Things I Won’t Do When I Get Old

Pep in your step.
A Tigger-like bounce.
Light spirit.
Enthusiasm.
Vim. Vigor. Verve.
To the young at heart.
Crazy optimists, hope warriors, life-long bloomers.
To delight, joy, awe and wonder, seeking the good in each day, in each human on the path.
Perennials who keep coming back anew.
In the midst of weeds, brilliant with bold color.
Deep springs of life.
May we all join the club.
Transforming noise into music.

“Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life.” – Samuel Ullman

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